possible, I try to watch a target animal until it beds for
thedaybeforebeginningmystalk,astryingtoslipin
ona stationarytargetismucheasierthandoingsoon
a targetthatiscontinuallymoving—especially when
youcan’tkeepaneyeonit throughoutyourstalk!Being
patient inthisregard alsogivestheairtimeto warm,
pushingthermalcurrentsupward andallowingmeto
slipinabovemyquarrywitha predictablethermalcur-
renttokeepmyscentsafelyhidden.
OnceI haveidentifiedananimalthatis ina favorable
positionfora stalk,I thenplanmyrouteofattack.You
needa waytogetintobowrangewithouttheanimalsee-
ing,smellingorhearingyou.We’vealreadydiscussedthe
smellingpartinregard towindandthermals.Butnow
is whenyou must identify landscape featuressuch as
timber,thickgrass,avalanchechutes,creekbeds,etc.that
willallowyoutokeepoutofsightandremainrelatively
quietwhileyouclosethedistance.
Thisis alsothetimetonotesomeeasilyrecognizable
landmarkstohelpyoukeepyourbearingsandnavigate
your chosenroute. I lovetouselandfeaturessuchas
rockyoutcroppingsandpatchesofevergreenstokeep
mystalk oncourse.I’ve alsofoundthatgrabbingmy
phoneandsnappinga quickphotooftheareais a great
help.I canevenmarkpointsonthephotoandusethem
asreferences.Asanyonewhohasdonemuchspot-and-
stalkhuntingcantellyou,thingsoftenlookmuchdif-
ferentalong theway than theydid fromthevantage
point whereyouspottedyourtargetanimal.Somany
times,I’veleftfora stalkwithouttakinga pictureand
markingreferencepointsonlytofindmyselfconfused
andturnedaround.Obviously, tryingtoexecutea stalk
withoutactuallyknowingwhereyouare orwhere you
aregoingis a majorheadache!
En Route
Onceonthestalk,thereare a fewthingsI dothatare
extremelyimportant.Oneisconstantlymonitoringthe
windanditsbehavior.I keepa windcheckerinmybino
harnesssoI caneasilyaccessit andcheckthewinddi-
rectioneveryfewminutes.If thewindchanges,sodoes
myentire game plan.You absolutely will notbeat an
animal’snoseona stalk; therefore, thewind mustbe
checkedreligiously.
AnotherthingI amconstantlydoingona stalkisus-
ingmybinocularstoscantheareainfrontofme.First,I
wanttokeeptabsontheanimalI’mstalkingtomakesure
it isn’tmoving,orif it is,toseewhereit goes.Second,I
wanttocheckforotheranimalsI mayhavemissedear-
lier. Spookingorjumpinganothergameanimalwillput
yourtarget animalonhighalertandcouldeasilyblow
yourstalk.Sometimes,I havetogofaroutofmywayon
a stalkjusttoavoida groupofdoesoranotherbuckthat
couldalertmytargetanimal.
Pace is another important consideration during a
stalk. Youwant tocover ground asquicklyas practi-
cal,butyoudon’twanttoburnallofyourenergyinthe
processormoverecklessly.Generallyspeaking,I liketo
takemytimeandbreakmystalksupintoincrements
from landmark to landmark, treating them as check-
points.OnceI makeit toonecheckpoint,I theniden-
tifythenextoneandsimplytrytomakeit there.This
keepsmymindfocusedonthetaskathand.I don’tal-
lowmyselftomentallygetaheadofmyself,becausethat
is whenmistakesaremade.Everymovewemakeneeds
tobecalculated,andwemustuseourtimeandenergy
wisely.Youdon’twanttobetheguywhomakesa care-
lessmistaketwohoursintoa stalk.Pickyourpointand
getthere!Thenfocusonthenextspotyouhavetoreach
anddoit again,allwhilestoppingfrequentlytocheck
thewindandglass.
Taking a picture of the area where
you’ll be stalking and noting key
points along your route will help keep
your stalk on track while also helping
you save valuable time and energy.
Author Clint Casper loves
to use his spotting scope
on a tripod when planning
a stalk. This allows him
to sit down and study
the area carefully before
making his move.
76 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
