the thick nasty question

[wooltie]

Question for all you who venture deep into the thick nasty stuff:

How do you sneaky quietly through this stuff?

When I go through it, there's so much stuff to brush up against, over, under, around and just about any other way that creates a lot of movement and sound.

[headshot5]

Move slow.  I hunt deer/elk in some pretty thick/brushy country on the Westside.  The animals are there, so just ease through as slow as you can.  You'll end up shooting your deer/elk at around 20 yards (at least I do). 

[Tbar]

 
And when you think you are going slow enough,  SLOW down! They are in there for sure and some times you almost step on them before they move. Good luck.

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

Elk hunting I'll grab a stick and beat the trees around me.  I archery elk though.  I call and if I need to close distance I'll make a lot of noise doing so.  The elk think another elk is in the area so they expect noise.  I've heard a lot of guys say I'm too big for archery hunting I can't sneak in the woods.  Funny thing is you don't have to sneak just stay out of sight and down wind.

[_TONY_]

Elk hunting I'll grab a stick and beat the trees around me.  I archery elk though.  I call and if I need to close distance I'll make a lot of noise doing so.  The elk think another elk is in the area so they expect noise.  I've heard a lot of guys say I'm too big for archery hunting I can't sneak in the woods.  Funny thing is you don't have to sneak just stay out of sight and down wind.

 

When I'm hunting elk in the archery season, being quiet is far down my list of crucial things in the elk woods... first on that list is wind.

[Mike450r]

You aren't sneaking up on anything if you are making any noise so if you sound like you are trying to be sneaky you may just be sounding like a predator.

If you don't get winded or spotted you can stumble right on into the elk even if you are being loud.  With deer you tend to bump them around the nasty stuff.  You can chase a deer around the thick stuff all day long and never be farther than 50 feet away.  The deer will bust every time you get too close but stop and wait for you to do it again.  Very frustrating but you should get a shot opportunity at some point. 

Be aware of where you are though because following a deer around like that will get you turned around and confused in a hurry.

[pianoman9701]

Elk hunting I'll grab a stick and beat the trees around me.  I archery elk though.  I call and if I need to close distance I'll make a lot of noise doing so.  The elk think another elk is in the area so they expect noise.  I've heard a lot of guys say I'm too big for archery hunting I can't sneak in the woods.  Funny thing is you don't have to sneak just stay out of sight and down wind.

 

When I'm hunting elk in the archery season, being quiet is far down my list of crucial things in the elk woods... first on that list is wind.

  I've been learning this over the last few years - lots of noise makes them settle down. The occasional twig break means PREDATOR. 

[grundy53]

Noise doesn't really bother elk too much. Just go slow and stop often.

sent from my typewriter

[Bookworm007]

Like everyone else has been saying its less about not making noise and more about not making human/predator noises. Scent should be controlled and make sure you don't make metallic noises or the sound of poly materials rubbing together.

[wooltie]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I watched a head of about 12 elk move through the timber last year, from as far away as 350 yards.

You could hear sticks breaking and all sorts of stuff crashing from that far away....

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I watched a head of about 12 elk move through the timber last year, from as far away as 350 yards.

You could hear sticks breaking and all sorts of stuff crashing from that far away....

I bumped about 60 head of elk last year from 40 yards or so and I couldn't believe the sound they made.  It was an elkalanche!  Sounded like all of them fell over and rolled down the hill.  It was the loudest noise ive heard in the woods beside the f-14s that fly over rimrock. 

[cbond3318]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I watched a head of about 12 elk move through the timber last year, from as far away as 350 yards.

You could hear sticks breaking and all sorts of stuff crashing from that far away....

I bumped about 60 head of elk last year from 40 yards or so and I couldn't believe the sound they made.  It was an elkalanche!  Sounded like all of them fell over and rolled down the hill.  It was the loudest noise ive heard in the woods beside the f-14s that fly over rimrock. 

  I remember when I first started hunting Elk and got into them thick. Without seeing them I bumped the heard and I remember thinking to myself it sounded like 100 horse drawn carriages bombing down a cobble stone road. Strange comparison I know, but it actually registered in my head for a moment!! it was AWESOME!!

[coachcw]

pretty simple try to sound like a elk , smell like a elk and use the wind like a elk . when entering a area that's really thick , first sit and listen for awhile , then project some calls , sit awhile longer and then move in slow letting off elk sounds like cherping and rolling rocks together. if the elk start to gain elevation bust straight up hill and try to beat them on there exit. this works good when pushing up a brushy draw.

[Old Man Yager]

Big plus for you if they don't smell you, if they see you but can't smell you, alot of times they will kind off mill around and try to figure out what you are. I think noise is definately ok. If it's too quit, they know they are being stalked.

[Pete112288]

I agree with a lot that has been said. When working the thick stuff I tend to see more animals when I am just moving through to get back to the truck rather than when I am trying to sneak. The thing I always have a problem with is the stopping and really dissecting everything with my eyes every now and then. If I would have been looking foreward last season rather than trying to be quiet I would of had a clear shot at my first branched bull. He haddnt moved when I had been busting through but before I came into sight. But then I got onto a trail and was watching my step when he busted and jumped onto private land.
My experience with deer is purely blacktail. When I sneak they will slip out long ahead of me or cirlce. When I try being sneaky and double back later I almost always see tracks over mine. The biggest bucks I have seen have been going care free and noisy through the brush and they freeze. Then I happen to look in the right spot and see the big ol grey face and red rack for half a second before it dissapears silently through the greenery. The amount of animals I see in the thick brush greatly increases if elk are near by. Seems like they all know elk are pretty noisy.
Same thing goes, watch the wind like nothing else and keep scanning as you move.