The two techniques that permeate spear hunting are the stalk and the still hunt. Both techniques have historical significance, and both have been used by generations of hunters to take game. The spear hunter is isolated to these two hunting styles due to the spear’s unique set of challenges. Someone certainly would have difficulty running dogs and trying to spear a running deer at a distance.
Both of these techniques present a different set of challenges, but both are built on the same foundation of skills and techniques. It’s difficult to say which is easier, and which is harder, and it’s impossible to say which one is more effective. A large part of the effectiveness of each hunt will depend on the environment one hunts in. Some areas will make still hunting in a tree stand impossible since there might not be any trees! Stalking may be nearly impossible in thick brush, and here a tree stand is vastly superior.
Spear Specifics
Regardless of our choice to stalk, or to wait, you’ll have to understand your weapon. Regardless of your hunting style, you have to understand the range limitations of a spear. Spear hunting requires the hunter to be somewhat close to their animal, and skill and strength will make a hunter’s effective range vary greatly. Even the best spear hunter is going to have to literally be within throwing distance of your deer.
This means stalkers have to exercise caution as they approach their animal, they have to be quiet, careful, and clever to get within spear range of an animal. Still hunters are going to have to have to know the ground they are hunting. They made need to choose an area, or manipulate an area that will trick the hunter’s chosen game into approaching the area underneath your tree stand, or within your throwing range.
Stalking
Stalking is quite difficult, and requires hunters not only conquer a number of different skills but to work hand in hand their environment to guarantee their kill. Stalking requires a hunter to actively move through their hunting area. Deer, hogs, and most animals have an excellent sense of movement and are cautious when they hear limbs and twigs snapping, or brush moving. Another advantage animals have in an excellent sense of smell, often times hundreds of times better than human smell receptors.
Stalkers must learn to walk in a specific way. This includes how to carefully probe for breakable twigs and sticks. Stalkers should walk heel to toe, meaning keeping their feet in a straight line. As they move in a heel to toe method their weight should be placed on their rear foot, with the front foot being used as a probe for these noisy breakables. Hunters need to be aware of how their entire body affects the world around you, which includes how your chest and shoulder touch limbs and brush, and how your knees, and shins shake the base of these same bushes.
Stalkers must pay special attention to maintain a slow constant pace. This can be difficult due to the terrain and may cause hunters to choose the long way around different obstacles. In other times you may have to watch your chosen game drift away from you as you are forced to move slowly, resisting the feeling of needing to rush your game. Stalking is all about moving quietly, and stalkers should be on the lookout for parts of the environment that could soften their footfalls. This includes wet leaves, bare earth, moss, rocks, and pine needles.
Stalkers should stick close to different obstacles including brush, trees, rocks croppings, whatever can break up their silhouette. This is preferably something that matches your camouflage. If possible, you can stick to the shadows created by nature to make it more difficult to spot you.
Stalkers must be incredibly vigilant, and knowledgeable of the environment around them, as well as the ability to catch small signs of game. This could be droppings, tufts of fur caught in the brush and tracks dug into the ground. These signs can lead stalkers to their chosen game.
There are a few downsides to stalking, though. First and foremost stalking will require users to put themselves out there, and by moving you already increasing your levels of danger. This could lead you to have nasty run-ins with other animals, and depending on your environment can lead to trips and falls. The other disadvantage is the fact you could easily bother other people that are still hunting. Stalking should be kept to rarely hunted public lands, or private lands.
Still Hunting
On the other side of the coin still hunting is possible in almost all public hunting land. Still hunting requires the user to be extremely patient and calm. While stalkers have to master the ability to move and approach animals, still hunters have to master more mental skills. Still hunting requires the hunter to sit in a tree stand, or on the ground and wait. Still hunters have to be still in nearly every aspect of their hunting ability.
Still hunters also have to be capable of reading the environment as well. Still hunters have to be capable of knowing their weapon’s range and their personal abilities and hunting in an area that complements these limitations. Still hunters have to be able to observe and scout an area to know when, where, and how the game moves through their still hunting territory.
Still hunters have to master camouflage as well, which is both what they wear and where they hunt. The still hunter cannot damage their environment, and create too big of a human footprint. Still hunters must also be tactical about the placement of their tree stands or stools, and must work to ensure they are camouflaged for their environment.
The downsides of still hunting often rely on chance and luck. Some days an animal will never move through the still hunter’s area, and others could be weeks before a deer takes the same trail. Still hunt requires an excellent level of observation and patience as well. Still hunting makes it impossible to cover a few yards to throw their spear, still hunters will be forced to wait for this animal to move towards them.
Camouflage
Camouflage is critical for all hunting, and for spear hunting it’s critical due to the close range nature of spear hunting. Most animals have what’s called dichromatic vision which means they have two types of color cells. Deer and pigs can only see bluish colors and greenish-yellow colors, and they cannot see shades of orange. This is why it’s perfectly acceptable for hunters to wear safety blaze orange, and when you are stalking it is absolutely critical for your safety for you to wear orange.
The most important thing about camouflage is using some common sense. Okay, so first and foremost the camouflage needs to match the environment. Some fall environments are completely different than their spring, take this into consideration. Also, if you transition from hunting from a forest to a field your pattern will stand out.
What’s important to remember is that deer and most animals may not see color very well, but they see patterns. Wearing a pair of jeans, a flannel shirt and nothing is going to make you stand out like a flashlight in the dark. A camouflage pattern is unpredictable and makes it nearly impossible for an animal to tell you from your surroundings.
Animals and humans rely on their senses differently. Most humans use their vision as their primary sense and follow their eyesight with different senses to confirm what they are seeing. Animals use their sense of smell and their hearing and then confirm with their vision. So if you’ve mistakenly made a noise, or failed in covering your scent, that visual breakup can prevent your chosen game from retreating into the woods.
Scent
A lot of people look at camouflage and actually think it’s more important than scent. This is ridiculous, as we’ve covered scent is a primary sense for animals. First and foremost you have to avoid washing your camouflage with scented detergents. There are no scent products designed for specific hunters. Next off you have to avoid showering with scented soaps, body washes and using aftershave. You also have to avoid using deodorant. You can replace all of these products with no scent alternatives that are designed specifically for hunting. After washing your clothes with no scent detergent I suggest setting your camouflage outside and letting it dry on a line.
Stalkers should also always try to move against the direction the wind is blowing. This will blow your scent rearward, and away from the game, you are stalking. Still hunters need to ensure they do not overly touch the environment around them.
Speared
Spear hunting takes all the basics of hunting and jacks them up to a different level. The skills required to spear hunt are the same as required to hunt with a bow or shotgun but are so much more important. There is little room for mistakes when it comes to your techniques, to covering your scent, and properly using camouflage. Spear hunters must have brilliance in the basics, and these basics are what makes the difference between a trophy buck and a tossed spear.