Stalking socks?

[Deleted member 33033]

Do you serious archers ditch or cover your boots in the field to stalk? If so, what do you have on your feet when you do this? At what range do you do this? Are those felt, slip-on jobs good or just wear a couple pair of wool socks?

Also, when stalking deer, at what range do you ditch your pack?

How do you mark an area where ditched equipment is so you can find it again? I once spent 15 minutes looking for a pad I used for predator calling. Blended right in. Thx!

 

[DirtyDave]

Previous discussion
http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums...n-while-wearing-quot-minimalist-quot-trainers

 

[sancho]

sneaky peets!! petes?

anyways, we crept amazingly close to couse deer with them slipped over our boots. one pair can be passed about a group of hunters easily.

bring your boots when you buy them. they go over the boots. in hunting excitement, they can be a challenge to pull on.

 

[myfriendis410]

Don't forget the kneepads. If anything they may be more important than soft covers.

 

[sancho]

and gloves. loose leather glove you can yank off right before the shot.

 

[Orygun]

I carry some survey tape for marking blood trails. Most years I tie about a 2 foot length to the handle in the top of my pack. Or I tie off on a branch over or near my pack. If you don't want to buy one of the commercial boot muffling deals, try this. Buy some thick cheap socks. Or use your old ones. A pair or even two. Take the insert from an old pair of running shoes or similar. something witha bit of give to it. Slip the insert inside the socks. It is not as quiet as gouing with straight socks, it will slow down the number of twigs and rocks and splinters that get into your feet. Before I bought my first set of Baers feet I sewed a set of inserts into old socks. They lasted a whole season and that was it, but they were awesome.

I drop my pack a couple hundred yards away in open country and closer if the terrain allows. In wet conditions like in a coastyal rain forest oin Western Oregon, 100 yds an work. In the sage easily 200 yds, unless its breezy or I have a nice ridgeline to come in from behind on. a good rule of thumb would be the last place you can drop the pack and nit be seen at all by nearby animals. If you have a pack or gear with plastic that can bang against limbs or rocks, that will increase your distance. or scraping the pack fabric against stiff tree limbs or brush Opening/closing velcro, same deal.

 

[BoarHNTR]

I was told by a friend that he glue a thick 2 inch sponge to the bottom of his boot and that helps keep him quiet during stalking. I was thinking about doing that, plus cover my entire boot with a over-sized wool sock and taping the top of the sock above my ankle. Anyone up for an expriment and let me know if that will work?

 

[Deleted member 33033]

Fortunately my Sitka Gear pants have built-in kneepads. I slipped and landed on a sharp wedge of granite last year and didn't get injured at all. Thank God for those pads! Woulda taken me right out of the game cuz my knees hit that rock hard! Also have a wide variety of gloves from ultra thin to extra insulated. When I can't hunt, I shop. LOL

Watched a bowhunting program last weekend and the guy ties a piece of string to his counterbalance to track changes in wind direction (in addition to using a puff bottle) which i thought was smart. It was crazy, he was stalking fat black bears at up to 15 yards. Nailed a 350lb blackie too.