Even if you’re totally unfamiliar with hunting, chances are you’re aware that there are multiple ways to take an animal. Two of the most popular in North America are spot and stalk and blind hunting. SDI grad Caleb Downing breaks down the differences between these two techniques in one of our recent videos.
Blind Hunting
When an animal walks through the woods, they’re very habitual. They’ll use the same trails over and over again as they make their rounds looking for food, water, and places to bed. These paths are known as game trails, and you can find them made by mammals from moose to rabbits.
When you’re blind hunting, your goal is to identify one of these paths and set up your blind nearby. You want to be “blind” to an animal by reducing all the noise and movement you make. Caleb stresses that you don’t want to put your blind directly on a trail, just near one. He also mentions that you can use a bunch of stuff to camouflage your position, or you can just sit still at the base of a tree—he’s had success with both methods. Blind hunting is most effective for big game hunting, according to Caleb.
Spot and Stalk Hunting
Spot and stalk hunting works best when you have a big, wide open area to hunt in. Essentially, the technique involves surveying this vast area until you catch sight of the animal you’re looking for. You can do this with your bare eyes, but, as Caleb points out, having some kind of spotting scope or binoculars makes it infinitely easier..
That’s just the first step, though. Step two involves hiking until you’re within shooting distance of your target. Step three involves actually shooting it. Caleb notes that spot and stalk hunting can be useful when you’re going after small game like rabbits and squirrels. Since squirrels make a lot of noise when they run around up in the canopy, you can easily walk 10 or 20 feet, stop to listen, and then follow your ears.
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