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After a painstaking three-hour stalk, I was finally within bow range of the bedded group of eight mule deer bucks. My hands, feet and knees were full of cactus needles and I was exhausted. But I was full of confidence. The bucks were bedded in a small draw in the Badlands of South Dakota, and I was holed up a mere 35 yards away on a small soil bank. The wind was good as it was blowing down the bluffs and carrying my scent away from the deer. Now it was just a matter of time before the exact buck I was after stood up and offered me a shot.

My hunting partner, Kent White of 2 Rivers Taxidermy, and I had watched this bachelor group of bucks for five days before they finally bedded in a stalkable location. Each night they had fed in a large wheat-stubble field. By day they bedded in the prairie to the north. The problem was that they bedded in a different location every day and in locations which were too open to attempt a stalk or with an unfavorable wind direction. This day, however, they had bedded in the bluffs below the wheat field and in a location that was stalkable.

We had four-wheeled out to the flats about a mile north of the bluffs, and that’s where Kent dropped me off to begin my stalk. To get my bearings, I first climbed to the top of a large bluff about a half-mile north of the bucks and glassed them again. I carefully studied their location and the surrounding surface features, looking for draws, ridges and tall grass which might allow me to get close. As is typical in South Dakota, the bulk of the cover was short prairie grass and a few yuccas. After careful study, I picked a yucca plant on a small ridge just above the bucks. If I could get to that yucca, I just might get the shot I wanted. Still, given the relatively flat terrain and lack of cover, I knew this stalk wasn’t going to be easy.

Slowly and carefully, I worked my way across the open half-mile that separated us. When I was within 200 yards of the deer, I carefully crawled to the top of a unique mushroom-shaped rock outcropping and glassed the bucks once again. I did that to get one final look at the position of the deer and double check where I wanted to be for the shot.

Then I eased forward once again. When I finally arrived at a spot approximately 100 yards from the bedded band, I took off my boots, put an extra pair of polar fleece socks over my boot socks and tucked my pants into those stalking socks. Then I slowly and quietly slipped to the yucca plant.

I knew the bucks were just over the ridge, but I couldn’t see them. So I belly-crawled to a closer yucca and carefully glassed through the plant and prairie grass. Antlers suddenly appeared, and they were close!

All eight bucks were bedded together. I carefully glassed each buck and finally selected the big buck I was after. My rangefinder told me he was just 35 yards away. But he was bedded and that’s always a low-percentage shot. So I watched and waited. After about an hour, the big buck finally stood to stretch.

I quietly picked up my bow and slowly drew as I came up on my knees. I remember both my 30- and 40-yard pins being squarely planted on his chest, and then I released. The arrow hit with a thump, and in minutes I was standing over the big buck I had been watching for five days. What a rush!

In my opinion, spot-and-stalk bowhunting for mule deer is among the most exciting, challenging and rewarding bowhunting available anywhere. Few things are more thrilling than trying to get within bow range of a bedded group of bachelor mule deer bucks.

On the plus side is the fact that, when spot-and-stalk hunting, you can pick the buck you want to hunt. Also, rather than just hunting early in the morning and late in the evening, you can hunt all day long. Once you spot a bedded buck or group of bucks, your hunt begins and it may take all day to stalk within bow range. With spot-and-stalk hunting, you make things happen rather than relying upon the animal to move into your range.

The downside is that spot-and-stalk mule deer hunting can be incredibly challenging. Mule deer usually inhabit open terrain and stalking can be very difficult. Mule deer have superb eyesight, excellent noses and incredible hearing. They are also particularly difficult to approach when they’re bedded. Successful spot-and-stalk hunting takes dedication, patience and practice. Here are ten tips I’ve learned over the years which will make your next spot-and-stalk bowhunt more successful.

1 • Hunt Wide Open Terrain

The terrain must be open enough so that you can glass deer from a distance and see them when they bed. The more open the better. I don’t like to hunt an area where the bucks can bed out of sight. If there are stands of timber or thick brush that can hide a buck, I look for another area. Several years ago a friend and I hunted northern Nevada for mule deer. There were tons of deer, including some excellent bucks, and the country was fairly open with lots of sagebrush hillside. But there were also large patches of aspen trees. We would spot the deer in the open meadows in the early mornings, but they would bed in those large aspen patches during the day, and that made stalking all but impossible because we didn’t know exactly where they were. Our only option was to try and ambush the bucks as they came out of the trees in the evenings. I would have much preferred more open terrain where I could spot and stalk them in their beds.

You’d be surprised how open good western deer country can be. I spot and stalked my best whitetail buck, a 150-class 8-point, in about 12 inches of CRP grass in eastern Colorado. I belly-crawled for about a quarter-mile, took five hours on the stalk and finally got my shot at dusk as the buck stood up to check his does. There wasn’t a tree for miles.

2 • Hunt Hillsides Facing the Wind

You’ll be more successful if you hunt hillsides where the prevailing wind blows straight into the hill. In much of the West, the wind is predominantly from the southwest and picks up by mid-morning. You’ll want to hunt west-facing slopes so the wind is in your face as you stalk down from above. Several years ago a friend and I were hunting a small circular mountain range in southern Wyoming. There was excellent stalking terrain at the base of the mountain on all sides. The eastern side had a ton of deer, and initially we tried hunting this area. But since the wind was predominantly from the west, it was impossible to hunt the area due to swirling winds coming down the mountain. So we changed our plans and started hunting the western side. Stalking bucks here proved a piece of cake because of the steady, strong winds from the west into the hillside. We both bagged nice bucks.

3 • Glass Like Your Life Depends Upon It

When spot-and-stalk hunting, glassing will constitute at least 50 percent of your hunt. First you need to locate feeding bucks, and then you need to watch them bed. You’ll want to glass with the sun at your back (westerly in the morning and easterly in the evening) and from an elevated position directly opposite the hillside you’re glassing. It’s very difficult to spot and accurately mark bucks when you’re glassing from the same ridge as the deer.

Good optics are essential. I use Swarovski 8x30 binoculars, big 15x60 Steiner binoculars on a tripod and a Leupold Gold-Ring 12-40 zoom spotting scope. I use the relatively small Swarovskis while I’m stalking, the Steiners when glassing from a distance and the spotting scope to size up bucks and carefully study the terrain around the bedded bucks I’ve located.

4 • Pick Your Fight

My friend Kent White came up with this term. What it means is that not every bedded buck is stalkable. Sometimes bucks bed in terrain that is too open, too thick or where the wind is wrong. If any of

those things are the case, it’s best to pass on the stalk and wait for another day when the buck beds in a better location or simply find other deer to stalk. It’s better to pass on a stalk rather than risk spooking the animals out of the country. The day before I made my successful South Dakota stalk, the bucks bedded in the open prairie with no cover and the only possible stalking direction was upwind. So we passed on the that stalk and came back the next day to find that the deer had bedded in a much more suitable location.

5 • Carefully Mark Bedded Game

It’s crucial to carefully mark bedded bucks before your stalk. Study the terrain around the bucks and memorize features such as trees, bushes, rocks and ridges. Keep a small notebook with you and draw a picture of where the bucks are bedded and where you want to be for a shot. Also, as you are performing your stalk, glass the bucks from as many locations as possible to get different perspectives. On my South Dakota hunt, I actually crawled to the top of four different low hills during my stalk. If you don’t carefully mark the game and get different perspectives, you’ll become disoriented on the stalk and potentially spook bucks while trying to sort things out. Things always look different when you move and come in from a different direction. When possible, it’s nice to have a friend providing hand signals as you stalk.

6 • Stay Out of Sight

This is crucial. Don’t let bedded animals see you, even at a distance. If there is any chance that they might see you as you sneak across an opening or go over a ridge, find another approach. When in doubt, crawl. Animals are much less alarmed if they see a hunter crawling than walking upright. Use all available terrain to your advantage, including gullies, brush and ridges.

7 • Patience, Patience, Patience

Many hunters don’t realize how much patience it takes to spot and stalk. Don’t be in a hurry. On my South Dakota hunt, it took me over two hours to cross the flats undetected.

You’ve often got all day. Let the animal make the mistakes, not you. A lack of patience is where most hunters screw up. They get in too much of a hurry on their stalks and spook the animals. What more can you ask for than a bedded buck unaware of your presence? I’ve learned over the years to demonstrate infinite patience during every stalk.

8 • Midday is Best

It is normally best to wait until late morning or midday to attempt your stalk. You’ll want to give the animals time to get comfortable, make sure they don’t move and let the wind pick up and stabilize. Unless absolutely necessary, don’t stalk feeding bucks. It’s much easier to stalk them in their beds.

9 • Making the Shot

Normally, if conditions are right, the difficulty is not stalking into range but getting a shot at the animal you want. Don’t get closer than necessary. Stalk into your effective shooting range and wait. Range bedded animals or bushes near them. Nock an arrow. If there isn’t much cover, I like to lay prone and watch the bedded animals through a bush. Only when the buck stands do I grab my bow and prepare for the shot. Don’t try to shoot bedded bucks. This is a very low-percentage shot because the vitals are often blocked.

If the wind is consistent, be patient and let the animals stand on their own. Don’t throw a rock. When you do this, the animals are automatically alarmed and looking for trouble.

10 • Use the Right Gear

You will need appropriate gear for spot-and-stalk bowhunting. Wear camo clothing that matches the terrain. Use large break-up patterns such as Predator or Mossy Oak Brush. Stay away from the dark patterns intended for thick timber. You’ll look like a black blob from a distance. For crawling, you’ll want knee pads, leather gloves and a good bow sling.

As shots in the West are usually further than average, you’ll want a flat-shooting bow, fast arrows and a good laser rangefinder. To prevent your arrow from falling off the rest as you prepare for the shot, a total-containment arrow rest––like a Whisker Biscuit––is a good idea. In rocky terrain, install adhesive polar fleece material or moleskin on one side or your bow’s riser and limbs. Then you can push the bow in front of you without making noise. For the final stalk, take off your boots and put a thick pair of wool or fleece socks over your regular boot socks. You’ll be amazed at just how silent you can be.

Spot-and-Stalk Success

Spot-and-stalk hunting is an exciting, challenging and rewarding way to bowhunt. With a little knowhow, lots of patience, some practice and the right gear you can be successful.

Editor’s Note: Author Matt Burrows hails from Colorado and is the owner of Stick & String Outfitters, a bowhunting-only booking agency. If you’re interested in learning more about the hunts Matt offers, log onto bowhuntingoutfitters.com or call Matt at (303) 816-1136.

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