When it comes to deer hunting. Opinions vary as to what the best strategy is at times. The speed we enter and exit the woods is a common topic of discussion among hunters.
New hunters attempting to pick the brains of accomplished hunters find themselves bewildered at times. They can ask several hunters a question, and receive a different answer from them all. So, how do you find out what the best answer is? Sometimes the answer to a question changes with additional information. The style of hunter you are or become is dependent more on the information that you can apply, rather than what you have received.
The two most common hunting styles are stalking and stand hunting. Each one requires a completely different approach and mindset to get the job done. When switching styles, your strategy will often need changing, while there are also parallels. One such parallel is again how fast you should move through the woods. Where you are going and what your intentions are can dictate your speed. Your hunting style will change it also. Some hunters find that they are a much better stand hunter. While others feel more comfortable stalking. You must first know what and why you do something to determine the speed of travel. This means you must have first decided which style you are going to hunt.
While stalking, you start by choosing where you will go. You must then plan according to the wind, because you will be continually moving. You don't worry about scent left behind, you just move super slow covering no more than 150 yards an hour. You will be moving so slow and cannot cover that much territory. This is why some hunters go fast and slow in the woods. They will move at a fast pace through lesser quality territory. When the quality target area is reached, they slow to a snail’s pace. You see the answer to that guy’s question about speed would be both.
When stand hunting, where you are and the wind direction are also your first questions. You want to leave as little scent in the area of your stand as you possibly can. This will cause you to speed up your entry and exit of the woods. If your approach to the stand takes you through a large apple orchard, you should slow your pace because the chance you may run into deer is higher there. When you get into a lesser quality area, you will again speed up your approach to the stand. The high percentage of a deer sighting out weighs against the worry of scent dispersal thus causing the stand hunter to go slow.
On the question of stand hunting the answer again is both.
