Looking to up your stalking success percentage? Then this article is for you. Over the years I have went on hundreds of stalks. Most turned out unsuccessful, but throughout the past two years my success rates have sky rocketed. The key to my success? Patience and a thick pair of backup socks.

Last year I filled all of my big game tags with a bow….. and in my socks. That’s right, I shot all of the animals in my socks. Now your socks don’t need to be anything fancy. My preferred pair I found at Costco that are about 3/4″ thick. Once you’ve acquired your snazzy pair of socks, its time to put your plan of attack into motion.

My game plan is simple. Find my prey, watch him until he beds down, play the wind, close the distance, take my boots off and put on my stalking socks. Usually the boot removal process takes place anywhere from 100yd-250yds away from the target. This gives me enough distance between myself and the animal to make a little bit of noise pulling my boots off and dropping my pack. Now keep in mind that you are leaving your boots and may have to backtrack if he spooks. If I want my boots close to where I’m stalking, I will carry them over my shoulder until I get to withing 80yds of  my prey and leave them there.

Silence is key, and this is where the thick socks come in handy. They cushion and muffle all of my precisely placed ninja footsteps. Make sure you don’t step on cactus (I’ve done this a time or two)! An animals ears are very sensitive to sounds, so if you can just beat their nose, you have a great chance of beating their ears as well.

Get to your comfortable shooting range, prepare for the shot and execute! This year when heading into the mountains, badlands, or river bottoms, bring an extra pair of thick socks in your pack. You will get closer on stalks undetected and up your chances of having success!

 

-Travis