Ep. 50: How to Spot and Stalk Bedded Game
37:55 Share

Check engine light on? Take the guesswork out of your check engine light with O'Reilly Veriscan. It's free and provides a report with solutions based on over 650 million vehicle scans verified by ASE certified master technicians. And if you need help, we can recommend a shop for you. Ask for O'Reilly Veriscan today. O, O, O'Reilly Auto Parts.

You ever get that feeling, the walls closing in, the concrete jungle suffocating you? You crave some wide open spaces, the chance to connect with nature, maybe in a spot all your own. Well, head over to land.com. They've got ranches, forests, mountains, streams, you name it. Search by acreage. You can search by location. You can search by the kind of hunting and fishing you're dreaming of. Land.com. It is where the adventure begins.

Market House has the cleanest, leanest, juiciest meat and seafood shipped to your home overnight. Expect the service of a local butcher and the convenience of a large supplier. Unlike many online butchers, you can grab just one meal's worth or lock in for a subscription box. Choose from grass-fed and grass-finished beef, American Wagyu, free-range poultry, grass-fed lamb, wild-caught king crab, seafood, and more.

and more. For 15% off your first order, use code COUNTRY at checkout. Just visit markethouse.com. That's M-A-R-K-E-T-H-O-U-S-E dot com. And use the code COUNTRY.

As a guide and hunter, I've spent thousands of days in the field. This show is about translating my hard-won experiences into tips and tactics that'll get you closer to your ultimate goal, success in the field. I'm Remy Warren. This is Cutting the Distance. ♪

Howdy and welcome back everyone. This week I'm calling it spot and stalk part do. Last week we talked about the cutoff method of spot and stalk hunting. This week we're going to talk about stalking a stationary or bedded animal. And that's a really great tactic in a scenario that's encountered quite often. It can be extremely effective, especially for bow hunters, because it can give you a chance to slip in within range unnoticed.

It can also be one of the most exciting encounters during the hunt. So this week I'm going to break down the bedding habits and stock planning, outlining what I think are the seven best tips for moving in on a bedded animal. While this type of tactic makes me think of early season mule deer, I want to share a story of a bedded stock on an old ram in the Oklutna Bow area of Alaska.

About three years ago, I was fortunate enough to draw a tag in the Oklutna area of Alaska for doll sheep. This is an archery only area and you can actually shoot any ram. So unlike most areas in the state where you have to be full curl, this particular area, you can take any, any ram is legal with a tag.

which is awesome because it's a bow hunt but this area also has very low success because it's pretty difficult there's quite a few tags but there's only one non-resident tag I happen to be lucky enough to draw that tag now as a non-resident I couldn't just go in there solo but

A good friend of mine, Jeremy Rusink, runs Rogue Expedition Outfitters. And so I could hunt with him or one of his guides in the area. And so I had a hunt planned with him and we decided to go in and scout ahead of time. I got there early and figured, okay, I want to learn this area the best I can. Even though I had someone with me, I wanted also to be a part of every aspect of the hunt. So we went in early and did some pre-season scouting. We ended up finding...

This group of rams on this face across the river, so that this unit has like a river going up through it. And then there's actually a four-wheeler access certain days of the week. And then outside of that, you know, the access is shut off. So while scouting, we found some rams up in this big pocket on this big basin by one of the bigger mountains. And then we also found some rams across the river, kind of above this really thick scrub in this really steep band of cliffs.

While we were planning out our hunt, we figured, well, let's go into that base. And we'd seen some really good Rams scouting. It seemed like a good place to camp and somewhere where we could maybe get above the Rams and hunt in there. So we kind of abandoned the Rams in the nasty scrubby zone, not sure where they would go. And they were, they seemed a little bit more where people would see them and maybe too many people would be going after those Rams. So we decided to try to get away from people and go up into the basin.

The night before the opener, we hike all the way up into this high basin. We pitch our tent. We wake up opening morning and start from our glassing knob. We're looking for a particular full curl ram that happened to be bedded on the backside. The first morning as the sun comes up, we're looking down there and the ram's kind of like spooked around. I don't necessarily think that we spooked it, but what we came to find out is there's quite a few other hunters in this particular spot.

there was a good trail in there and where we had camped, we kind of got in right the night before and we didn't really realize where other hunters were. So we were sitting there, we're glassing and we're in this area. We see some smaller rams and I kind of think, ah, man,

My goal was to just get a ram with my bow, but also it'd be nice to see what was around. Scouting, we'd seen some really nice rams and figured, I don't really want to stock one of these other rams yet. Let's just wait and see what we can find.

So we're glassing and we saw quite a few other hunters and I'm thinking, man, this is the exact opposite of what we were planning. And while we're scouting there, I'm glassing back across to the rams that were in that real scrubby, rocky, nasty stuff. It was about four or five miles away. And I look and I'm like, dang, those rams are still there. We made the wrong decision, but they are a very long ways away from where we're at.

So I talked to Trig, the guy that was with me, and we're like, okay, we can either keep hunting here. There are lots of rams, but they're spooked up. You know, it's going to be difficult. Most of the rams now that they're spooked are in the cliffs where you can't really get to them.

What about packing up our camp and just making that long trek across the valley down and get on those other sheep, hoping that nobody else does that same thing before we get over there. So like, sweet, let's do that. So we hike back to camp, load up our packs. Like we still got all our stuff, you know, 10 days worth of food, everything. We pack all the way back down to the trailhead and

go back up the valley and then camp pretty much at the base of the mountain that night. And we had those same rams in sight. We watched them that full day to see what they did in the morning. They fed low. Then as the sun came up, they walked up, they bedded, and then they got into the cliffs for the rest of the day and then came back down, right? Kind of on dark, but not to where you could shoot in the evening or get to like it's just sheer vertical cliff.

So we get down and we plan, all right, the next morning we're going to get up early and we're going to get there and try to spot and locate where they're at. So we get up just as it starts to get light. We spot the Rams and the group had kind of separated. So there's four teams.

like all mature rams on the left. And then on the right, there was just this real heavy, good looking ram and a young ram. So we made a plan. We're like, okay, we're going to, we're going to work our way over there. And the sun was actually rising behind us. So the sun was across the mountain, but the mountains were really tall. So

The thought was we have to get to where they are before the sun gets to them. Because as soon as the sun gets to them, they're going to do what they did the day before. They're going to move up into a place that we physically can't get to in the cliffs. So we kind of created this plan where...

We're going to go after the rams on the left on the way up because they're actually down low feeding and there was some good cover getting to them. And then if we missed those rams, we're going to get up above and then stock down on the other rams because they're in a gut where the shadow would be there longer. So we start working up. We also were kind of worried about the thermal switching as soon as that sun hit us. So it was kind of a race against the clock.

Now, it wasn't the easiest mountain to get up because of the really, really thick alders brush devil's club getting up to the rocky point where the sheep were at. And it was fairly steep. So we're going as fast as we can. And you can see the sun starting to hit the valley below us. And I know that it's just going to be a race against the clock at this point. So we're moving as fast as we can. We get into position and the rams are still feeding down low where we had originally seen them.

At this point, we're like maybe 90 yards. And I'm just waiting because there's four rams as we're stocking in. We're just waiting for them to get into a position where they can't see us and we can close that last little bit of distance.

While doing that, the sun kind of, it's just like bad timing. The sun starts to hit them and they start moving up, feeding up. And as they're walking up, they're moving fast enough where they're just keeping that 70, 80 yards ahead and offering no shot. We just need them to stop for a little bit. Then they get out of sight. I'm pretty sure that maybe the winds, like the thermals, they might've caught our wind because they disappeared, you know, got to the top, got to the base of the cliff. These sheep were nowhere to be seen.

so now is decision time it's like okay that plan didn't work but now we've got that backup ram which is actually probably the best ram in the group on the other side and was a good approach from the top so we work our way to that next steep gut and start looking thinking maybe the ram would be moving up like the others but i noticed that it was just really shaded in there because it was so steep and it was a little bit different orientation where the sun wasn't hitting that canyon

because i didn't see him at this point starting to heat up i'm like man they must be bedded in the shade of this gut somewhere so we slowly start working down this avalanche shoot in the direction that those other two rams were as we move down just kind of like slowly peeking and creeping peeking and creeping and then spot the ram i hear something and i'm like oh they're coming this way

So I get into a position where we can watch the ram like stops and then they both bed down right in the shade right in the middle of this like big shale avalanche chute. Luckily it was on the edge of this grassy area on the side of the avalanche chute where there's a little bit of like brush in there and a really good opportunity to sneak in. Let them get settled. Know they're going to be bedded there for a little bit.

Take off my boots because it's just so many little rocks rolling and other things. Normally on like sheep or mountain goats, you don't have to be super quiet. They're used to hearing rocks rolling all the time.

But it was just one of those scenarios where it was going to be really tight getting in and it was super dead quiet, dead calm. And the area that I had to walk through is more sticks and other things than necessarily rocks. And I didn't want to blow away my position because if they heard me and looked up, there was a part where I was going to be super exposed. So I creep in, I get into position and I think it was like just less than 30 yards away.

I'm like on my butt scooting over scooting over and get into position. The trouble is I was hoping to line up a shot on the bigger ram that was bedded but the smaller ram was bedded right above him. They're both looking downhill and like my heart is just pounding in my chest right now because this is a really good ram. I'm like thinking okay what am I going to do? How am I going to get a shot?

I creep into position in the one opening that I have, the way that the alders are growing up out of the rocks and where they're bedded in the pitch of the hill. I've got one little lane and that lane doesn't offer me a shot at this bigger ram. So I think, okay, I sit there and I'm waiting and I'm like, okay, I'm just going to wait until they stand up. I'm like hidden well enough, but I think that I can probably get a good close shot while this ram's bedded because he's bedded perfectly broadside from where I'm at.

So I think, okay, I'm just going to move a couple scoots over and I might be able to get a shot on this bigger ram. As I'm scooting, that little ram caught some movement or something and whipped its head back and just stared right at me. And I'm thinking, this is it, man. Cover blown. The best opportunity I'll probably ever get at a ram of this caliber just messed up by this little two-year-old banana ram.

And I'm just like dead, still not moving. That Ram whips his head back, stares at me, knows something's off, snorts and runs off. I'm like, oh crap. At that point I draw back and that bigger Ram stands up and follows that other Ram, but they stop like right across from me. I had plenty of time to pre-range everything, but

I settle my pin, let my arrow fly, and it finds its mark. It was a perfect shot. The ram runs up onto a cliff, falls off stone dead a few seconds later.

It was very close to being a blown opportunity, but the way that they was set up and them being bedded and that bigger ram not really knowing what was happening led to me being able to act in that split second and get a shot off and take what was really one of, I think, the coolest animals I've ever taken with a bow. It was a 13-year-old doll sheep in an area that I'm not sure actually any non-residents had actually ever filled that tag.

because of the difficulty and a lot of other things going against you. And that was just one of those moments in hunting that I just always think back as being one of the coolest experiences I've ever had in the mountains.

Well, I shared a story of stalking abetted doll sheep. I think that probably the animal that really comes to mind for a lot of these tactics of stalking abetted animal would be early season archery mule deer hunting. It's something that a lot of people will probably be doing. It's one of the first hunts coming up for many.

And it's just mule deer, much like sheep are a pure spot and stock species. It's very hard to pattern mule deer. It's very hard to call mule deer at certain times of year. It's like archery season. It's, it's primarily focusing on sneaking in, being stealthy. And because mule deer are in open country, a lot like sheep and other mountain animals, you can really focus in and plan your stocks and understand their habits.

But stalking a bedded animal can really work for any species because most animals follow a certain pattern of the way they do things. Whether it's a whitetail, an antelope, coos deer, mule deer, it's fairly similar. Elk, it doesn't really matter.

So I'm going to just kind of cover a little bit of the basics of an animal's daily routine. And what that involves is, you know, most game species are fairly crepuscular. They move in the morning hours and the evening hours. And then the midday is a lot less movement. They're conserving their energy and they're bedding down. So the morning generally starts out with the feeding phase. They're out in the open. They're mostly in the open because that's where the good feed is. And that's when they're vulnerable to being spotted.

And that's this idea of spot and stalk is you have to often find the animal before you can go make a play. A bedded animal is a great animal to make a play on because they're generally stationary and there's a lot less moving parts. However, they are more aware of danger. Their ears are tuned in. It's a more controlled environment. And although they can be dozing in and out,

There are generally one or two animals bedded in a group that something is always paying attention. So they actually feel very safe when they're bedded down. So we're going to talk about how animals bed, and then we're going to talk about planning a stock once you've got an animal bedded.

O'Reilly auto parts are in the business of keeping your car on the road. I love O'Reilly. In fact, the other day, I'm not kidding you. The other day I went into an O'Reilly auto parts looking for a part. I needed a different thing that wasn't really in there. You know, only like tangentially related to what they carry.

They did not have it, and the dude told me specifically where I would go down the road to find it is how nice they are. They offer friendly, helpful service and the parts knowledge you need for all your maintenance and repairs. Thousands of parts and accessories in stock, in-store, or online, so you never have to worry if you're in a jam.

They'll test your battery for free. If you need your windshield wipers replaced, a brake light fixed, or quick service, they'll help you find the right part or point you to a local repair shop for help. Whether you're a car aficionado or an auto novice, you'll find the employees at O'Reilly Auto Parts are knowledgeable, helpful, best of all, friendly. These guys are your one-stop shop for all things auto, do-it-yourself,

You can find what you need in-store or online. Stop by O'Reilly Auto Parts today or visit them at OReillyAuto.com slash MeatEater. That's OReillyAuto.com slash MeatEater. We've all seen plenty of gadgets and fads come and go, but here's one product that stood the test of time. Seafoam Motor Treatment. Lots of hunters and anglers know that seafoam helps engines run better and last longer.

It's really simple. When you pour it in your gas tank, sea foam cleans harmful fuel deposits that cause engine problems. I'm talking common stuff like hard starts, rough engine performance, or lost fuel economy. Sea foam is an easy way to prevent or overcome these problems. Just pour a can in your gas tank and let it clean your fuel system. You probably know someone who has used a can of sea foam to get their truck or boat going again. People everywhere rely on sea foam to keep their trucks, boats, and small engines running the way that they should the entire season.

Help your engine run better and last longer. Pick up a can of Seafoam today at your local auto parts store or visit seafoamworks.com to learn more.

This is Brent Reeves from This Country Life. What makes South Dakota the greatest for pheasant hunting? With over 1.2 million pheasants harvested last year, South Dakota boasts the highest population of pheasants in the nation. In fact, you'd have to add up the total harvest from neighboring states just to get that many birds.

There's also millions of wide open acres chock full of different landscapes, meaning the hunt in one county is often completely different from just a few counties over. But what really makes South Dakota the greatest goes way beyond just hunting a colorful bird. It's the pursuit of something more like the camaraderie that awaits all kinds of hunters from all walks of life and partaking in South Dakota tradition over 100 years in the making.

It's about taking the greatest shots and watching your dog work the greatest fields in the greatest lands, carrying on the greatest heritage and making the greatest memories. So what are you waiting for? From the rush of the flush to the stories at the end of the day, experience a thrill like no other. Learn how at huntthegreatest.com. Let's just go with mule deer for now as the example.

And think about mule deer in the morning. We're just going to run through the day. It's the morning time. The sun's just rising. You're on your glassing knob. You spot a group of a couple bucks out there feeding. What's going to happen is those deer are going to feed and then they're going to go to a bed. What this bed is going to be is somewhere that provides shade and safety. It's going to be a little bit more cover, but it's also going to be something that protects them from the sun throughout the day where they don't have to necessarily move around a lot.

Now, what they're going to do is they're going to probably feed and then they're going to go bed down somewhere. This might be in the early morning hours still. Maybe the shadow of the sun hasn't actually hit where they're at yet.

They fed. Okay, maybe they were even feeding before daylight hit. You spotted them. Now they walked off and they bedded down. This is what I would call their first bed. Maybe they walk over to a tree or bed down, but it's generally not where they're going to bed for the full day. They might get up again and feed again, or they might just get up and go to a permanent bedding spot after that. How you can tell that it's not a permanent bed is

is kind of understanding the way that the sun's going to be moving. So as the sun's rising, that shadow is going to change throughout the day. Their permanent bedding spot is probably going to be something where they can sit for a longer period of time without having to move. So that first bedding spot, you'll notice you go in there and that deer's just going to be, maybe he might even just be bedded out in the open. The sun's not hot on him yet.

He's just going to be bedded there waiting and kind of feeling things out. What is he feeling out? Well, he's also going to see, hey, which way is the wind going to be going today? Because that will likely determine where that animal is going to go to bed. He's going to want to bed in a position where he's got that shade and he's got that safety, that wind at his back where he can look downhill or he's got a good steady wind and he's going to go into that wind to bed. So when he beds, he's thinking about protecting himself from

at all costs. And that first bed is more just sitting down, relaxing, figuring things out, and then getting up and going to a bedding spot. So if I'm watching an animal, I'll generally watch them through the morning. I'll see where they bed. Then I'll follow them again to maybe where they're going to bed up and analyze that spot, whether it's a spot that they're going to bed for a long period of time or whether they might move again, depending on what the sun's going to do.

Once we've put this deer to bed, so that's just the idea of watching it and then watching where it beds down, now it's time to make a plan, make a stock. And I think that there's seven important things that come into play. So we're going to go through my kind of seven-step process of planning out the stock on a bedded animal. The first step is going to be to anticipate the shadows. Like I said earlier, as that sun moves across the sky, so will those shadows.

Understanding where the animal is, where the sun is, and where the sun's going to be, and where it's going to cast that shadow is really going to help you understand when to stalk and if that animal will still be there when you get there. There are some bedding spots where deer will sit and essentially be there for most of the day. As the sun moves, they'll get hot, they'll stand up, they'll move a little bit, they'll sit back down. Then there's other times where they get hot and they've got really nowhere else to go, so they move to another bedding area.

When you're looking at that second betting spot, maybe that final where you feel is the final betting spot,

analyze it and say, how long can they stay there? Can they stay there for two to three hours? If the answer is yes, then that's a good time to stalk. Also understanding, you know, in the morning, the shadows are moving a lot more rapid than they're moving, like say midday when the sun's high and beating straight down. You have a lot longer timeframe in the middle of the day for that animal to potentially still be there. Because what happens is

Most bedded animal stocks get blown not by anything that you do, but by what the animal does. You go in, you think that that animal is going to still be there. It got hot, got up and moved. And during that stocking process, you don't know now what the next play is. You're going in blind where the benefit to you as the hunter of the stationary stock is you have an idea where that animal is at.

So the next thing I'm going to do is step two would be analyze the wind and thermals.

Before I make that play, I'm really going to have to figure out, okay, what's the wind doing and what's the best approach for the wind? The wind is going to be key, but you also have to factor in all the other safety things that that deer is taking into consideration. Where it's bedding, the direction it might be looking, and possibly the sounds that you can make getting into that position. What brush and other things are in the way. But first, we're going to analyze the wind and thermals.

In the mornings, the winds are often shifting because those thermals are changing. You want to wait till a point in the day and every area is different. Like some areas that you'll hunt, maybe the mornings have a more consistent prevailing wind, or maybe that area isn't going to have a lot of wind, but it's just going to have that really consistent

initial thermal and a good updraft. Sometimes that's a really good time to make a move, or you might have to wait till everything stables out, maybe around 11 a.m. That time in a lot of places in the mountains seems to be like a good stable position where the thermals are cranking up, the prevailing wind is going a certain direction, and you can really anticipate what that wind's going to do for the next hour to three hours.

The third step is kind of planning your approach. Now, planning your approach is saying, okay, where is the deer? Where's the wind? Where's the thermals? Which way is the sun going to be? Is he going to stand there? And then which is the best way for me to stalk in? I consistently feel that stalking in from above an animal is going to be your best option.

For a few reasons. The first reason is generally when an animal's bedded, he's facing downhill because it's more comfortable. So it's harder for the animal to look uphill for danger. If you watch like other predators stalking in many times, like mountain lions, other like

snow leopards, whatever. They're stalking in from above. It's a lot harder to see danger from above you than from below you. It's also, you got to factor in what happens when you get into position. You need to not only stalk into a place where you're close enough to shoot, but a place where you can draw back without the animal seeing and make a good shot. And that generally means stalking in from above.

So I know what you're thinking. How many of the times does that scenario happen where the wind's correct and you can go in from above? That's the hard part is finding the correct scenario. But by playing the thermals and, you know, depending on the area or like the direction that you can come in above doesn't always mean directly from above. You can kind of

angle it at a 45 from where he's at in an uphill direction to possibly get the wind right. And those are the scenarios that I look for. And those are the routes that I generally think are the most successful. While I have made stocks at animals from below and gotten into range and been successful, they're a lot more difficult to pull off. So

So we're going to kind of think in terms of looking at where the animal is. Now we're planning this approach and we're going to put more weight on the approach from above. Now, if we don't have that approach from above, it might be a factor of just saying like, Hey, I'm just going to wait until I have a better approach or a better setup. You know, maybe that animal is going to get up and move a little bit later, which is very, very likely, or maybe things are going to change with the wind or things are going to get more stable later on. So I'm looking for that high percentage stock.

Now, number four in analyzing and preparing this is just going to be picking landmarks and then picking where I'm going to stalk to. We know where the animal is and a lot of people just think, okay, well, I'm just going to stalk into that animal. What I like to do is I like to know where the animal is and know where I'm going to stalk into for a shot. Having that much forethought is so important. And the way that I start that is I use my range find. I'll range where the deer is and then I will range where the deer is.

areas around the deer that I think would be good places to shoot from, especially anticipating maybe where that animal might move next, like when it's going to get up or if I can get a shot on it bedded, where am I going to shoot from? Where am I going to have cover or be out of sight? Where am I going to be close enough to shoot from? And I'm going to make that the place that I'm stalking to. So I'll range the animal, I'll range that spot that I'm going to try to get to, and then I'll subtract those two distances to give me an idea when I get in there,

okay, that place, that bush behind it is 35 yards or, oh, that bush behind it is a hundred yards. And that's not going to work. Knowing that before you get in there is so important. I mean, before I started doing that, there's times where I'd see a deer and be like, oh, this is perfect. I'm looking at the hill and I go, okay, I can get to that tree right behind him. Perfect. I go over there. I stalk into that tree. I arranged that deer. He's like 180 yards. And I go, oh crap. Now what?

I'm going to have to readjust on the fly from here. If I maybe did a different approach from the beginning, I would have got right into range and been a lot more successful.

The other part of that is just picking your landmarks, understanding where you're stocking into because as you go into position, things are going to change. With technology now, man, I'll use my Onyx. I'll mark where the deer's bedded on that and then I'll mark where I want to get to. I can even use the distance tool on that and just measure the distance, make sure, oh, okay, it's 30 yards, it's 50 yards.

whatever, like that's a game changer. But I also think that there's something to be said for having those skills that don't necessarily also rely on technology. So getting good at picking landmarks and understanding where you're going to pop over the hill, finding places where it's like you're planning out this route, because often the best option to get in is a way that you aren't seeing the animal because that means he can't see you. So it

things are going to change, things are going to look different and making sure that you have good landmarks from where you're stocking in. Another thing that I do a lot is at my view where I'm looking at the animal before I make that stock in the planning process, I'll take a picture with my phone, with my camera at

varying distances. So like a wide view of what I'm looking at, then I'll zoom in maybe through the spotting scope at the animal and take a picture. What that allows me to do is just reference back to that original view. So if things change, like if I stalk in there and that deer isn't there, I can look at that picture and say, okay, where would he maybe go? What's and really get like that original view back in your head and

Because a picture lasts a lot longer than the things that you think you're going to remember when everything's going on. Number five would be just like stealth is key. So when I'm planning my stock,

I'm not only looking at the route that I'm going to take, but what are some obstacles in the way? What are some other deer that might be bedded there? What are, especially with mule deer or animals that are very sensitive to noise, what are some of the things that are going to be no-goes? Is there a shale slide behind it? Is there a large patch of balsam root that's dried up and just going to be super loud?

You know, identifying those things from a distance and then choosing your route might be the difference between making a successful stock and making a stock where you get in and you get too deep and you're going to make mistakes.

That happens a lot, especially mule deer. They generally like to bed in areas where they know that there's a lot of noise coming in from different directions. So identifying that before you get over there helps you, one, plan out how to get close, and two, helps you understand the time factor.

Because if you understand before you go over there, oh man, this is going to be loud. So that means that it's going to take a lot more time. Am I going to have the proper amount of time to pull off this stock where he's at now? Or am I going to have to throw down the wait card and say, wait for a better opportunity. Also during the stock, the stealth is going to be key. This is where that shoes off, you know, stocking and your moccasins, your stocking socks, your feet, whatever.

Also judging the situation based on that stealth and saying, all right, from this point here, I can drop my pack and I've got 200 yards, 300 yards. I'll drop my pack and my boots here and then I'll stock in. Or it might be a scenario where you say, look, it's not worth the time or it's going to be quiet enough. I'm not going to have to do that. But understanding that going into it ahead of time and planning for that stealth option is going to make you a lot more successful.

Number six is just keeping an eye out for the eyes. When we talk about spot and stock, I think a lot of people get either too timid or I'll just say just too timid. I'm a fairly aggressive stalker, but I know when to move and what I can get away with. You have to realize if you can't see their eyes, they can't see you. That means like a solid obstruction obstructing their eyes.

Many animals actually their peripheral vision is a lot better than you might expect when you think oh that Antelope or that deer had eyes in the back of their head they practically do because their eyes are on the side of their head and they can actually see quite a bit behind their head so using their head Necessarily to block their vision isn't the best option. It is a option in certain instances But it's not the only option I would say I'm looking for blocking their eyes with something solid or

When they're bedded down, they're lower. So that's something solid might be the slope of the hill getting low enough. That might be a tree that they're bedded near and keeping the trunk or whatever of that tree out of their eyesight. You could see the whole body of the deer, the neck of the deer, but if it's heads covered, you're good. You're good to roll. And so that's something that you want to think about. Where is its eyes? Where are the eyes of everything else around? And how do I position myself? Keeping in a position where they can never see you

is paramount. But it's also awesome because whatever you're stocking probably has antlers that'll be sticking up and show you where that animal is, where its head is and where it's positioned. But just keeping track of those eyes and understanding that as you move in and as you plan your stock from the sitting here looking phase to the now I'm on the hill moving in phase, you're going to want to think about where its eyes and how do I keep them blocked. Now, number seven is

is just going to be the portion of the stock where you're moving in and you've lost sight of the animal. I said this earlier in the last podcast, but it bears repeating because it's a mantra that you need to constantly keep saying in your head. And this is something that I've learned over the years. If I don't say this, then I don't do it.

And it's thinking you have to simultaneously assume that they are there and simultaneously assume that they are gone. You're covering all possible scenarios. So you always stock in on a bedded animal like that animal is still there. If you don't do that, you're probably going to blow it. Or I know you're going to blow it. Once you start thinking, oh, he's moved, he's moved, he's moved with no proof that he's moved. That's when you rush things. That's when you do stupid stuff. No joke. I stocked in on a buck and

I'm like 15 yards from where it's at. I'm like, this deer has definitely moved. It's gone. I literally just stood up and started like walking off. And then I turn around and that buck busted out.

It hadn't moved. It had just fallen asleep and was out of my sight. I didn't see it. I was just gut-wrenched because I knew better. And I thought to myself, from that point on, I'm never going to make that same mistake again because I've made that mistake many times in the past. So assuming that it's there, but then also assuming that things have changed, that the other deer are in other places, that that deer might have got up and re-bedded

Thinking about that as you move in really keeps you alert, keeps your head up and keeps you constantly scanning. Even as you're getting in within that hundred yards or less, throwing up your binoculars, glassing, stepping, glassing, looking, glassing, moving, stepping, glassing. That constant act of looking makes you much more successful and much more focused in on the possible things that can go wrong.

There are a lot of facets to spot and stock hunting. And whether you've been doing it your entire life, or maybe this is your first year that you're going to try this style of hunting, there's things that you can learn from years of doing it that kind of ring true in different scenarios. And so next week, what I want to cover is kind of that next step. That next step in the stock where the actions you take as you get within range and how to turn a good stock into a good shot opportunity.

I've noticed that there's so many times where I do everything right. And then you do the things wrong when you're within that bow range of the animal, they're bedded, you're waiting. And just a few little things that you can do to kind of turn the tables in your favor, because just because you're within bow range doesn't mean that you can get a shot or execute a good shot. So I want to talk about the actions you can take in that next step when you're within range, and you're either waiting for the animal or waiting for your opportunity.

I've been getting a ton of great feedback from you guys on some of the topics we've been talking about and going into this hunting season, what I'm really doing is just trying to think of things that are topical, then breaking them down into enough information where you can feel like, yeah, I've either learned something that's going to help me or, you know, giving you the encouragement to say, yeah, what you're doing or have been doing is the correct way to do it or a really good way to do it.

So we're going to kind of keep on this spot and stalk path. And the next month I'm just going to go full blown elk series, calling tactics, wallows, everything. I'm going to give you like thousands of days of elk hunting experience into four condensed episodes of some, of some form or another.

also kind of start thinking about elk questions because I want the next Q and a to be about elk hunting. So if you've got those questions about elk hunting fire in my way, and then I've got some really good stuff planned. We're talking a couple of weeks down the road, but I like to get stuff early because hunting season will be upon us. And I'm finding some leftover tags right now of, you know, any kind of general hunts that I can find that might be going on because Canada border doesn't look good for me. Um,

I kind of put all my eggs in that basket prior to any of this COVID stuff, and it looks like I probably won't be able to go. So I'm going to be thinking about finding some hunts and some last minute planning. I've been doing a lot of research on some things that I've been thinking about for years and just haven't done because I've planned other stuff. So I'm actually kind of stoked on it. It should be pretty good.

So today I am launching a massive giveaway and you can find the info on my Instagram page. If you don't follow me on Instagram, please do. A lot of these things I'm going to be showing like videos and other stuff on things that I'm talking about, some of these tips and tactics, like some good illustrations and some videos on.

So head over there and the giveaway, I just thought, man, how awesome would it be if you could just get all the best gear in one go, like literally everything you need for hunting. So what I did was I compiled like a lot of the people that work with me, companies and things. I just compiled essentially $15,000 worth of the best gear out there and the winner will take it all.

I mean, full clothing kit, a full rifle set up with scope mounting and a top-of-the-line scope, a brand-new prime bow with pretty much everything you need. Arrows, we've got sleeping bag, stone glacier tent, stone glacier pack, a deck system for your truck.

Game processing, a chamber vacuum sealer, which if you've never used a chamber vacuum sealer, dude, these things are commercial grade, incredible for game processing. A really high power grinder,

I mean, just too much stuff to even mention right here. If I just, I should go down the list and just like get you all stoked on it, but you can go, there will be a link on my Instagram for this giveaway. Like the winner will be super stoked. Honestly, it's like $15,000 worth of some of the best gear on the planet. So I'm really, really excited about that. I've never done anything like this. I've kind of shied away from a lot of giveaways in the past, just because organizing it, this has taken me months of like,

work just to kind of organize this and make sure everything's right. And we got everything for the prizes and all that kind of stuff. So it's been a lot to do this, but I'm pretty stoked. I think it's like an awesome way to give back to you guys who have just supported me and listened to this podcast. I know so many of you have dropped in good comments or subscribe to wherever you listen, shared it with friends. I just really want to, this is like my thank you to you for doing that.

And I want to give one of you something super awesome that could change essentially the way you hunt and the things, whatever. And, you know, it's, it's, I'm just excited about it. That's all. So the contest opens today, go to my Instagram. I'll put a link there, or you can go to my remywarren.com website and find the link in there. It's essentially putting in an email and your name, and then we'll email the winner random draw process.

pretty much like two weeks from today. So go check that out. I'm super excited. And I just want to thank everybody for all the support. I think this is a way that I'm trying to say thank you back in combination with giving you some of my best tips.

that I know as far as hunting goes. Sometimes I give these tips out and I'm like, damn, that was almost too good. Like it's making people, I've been running into people out hunting, using my tips and just like, wow, a lot of, this is awesome. That's what I want to see. That was the end goal is, is giving tips that I honestly think are actionable and really going to help you at whatever stage of hunting you're in, but just understanding that

the little bit of things that I've picked up in a formula for success. And I understand that there's a lot of awesome gear out there and one of you will be winning this incredible gear. So go over there, check that out. I'm pretty excited about it. You know, share it with your friends.

I know it might lessen your odds, but it might increase your odds of someone you knowing winning. And if you tell them, you'd be like, hey man, put in, we'll split some of this stuff. You get the rifle, I get the bow. You get the sleeping pad, bag, I get the tent. You know, keep thinking like that. So I thank you guys, appreciate it. You know, drop some comments. And yeah, until next week, stay stealthy. See ya.

Hey, we're going to take a little break here and talk about interstate batteries. Now, if you're like me, enjoying the great outdoors, you need gear that is as reliable as it gets. That's why I power my adventures with interstate batteries. I use interstate batteries in my boats. I use interstate batteries in my camper. Great for your truck, too. From Alaska to Montana, they're outrageously dependable.

Battery is essential. With over 150,000 dealer locations, finding one is easy. For all your vehicles, land or sea, choose Interstate. Head to interstatebatteries.com and find your power today. You ever get that feeling, the walls closing in, the concrete jungle suffocating you? You crave some wide open spaces, the chance to connect with nature, maybe in a spot all your own. Well, head over to land.com.

They've got ranches, forests, mountains, streams, you name it. Search by acreage. You can search by location. You can search by the kind of hunting and fishing you're dreaming of. Land.com. It is where the adventure begins.