John Stallone - Arizona
Many of us use spot and stalk strategies in our hunting, especially in big open areas. This style of hunting requires the hunter to be: 1) proficient at glassing, 2) able to pick a route and execute it, 3) plan for wind, 4) cover distances quickly and efficiently until in the slow zone, 5) be patient and methodical once in the slow zone, and 6) most important be sneaky. I saved sneaky for last because I am not inherently sneaky or very patient in my movements. So, I have adapted a hybrid tactic I like to call spot and ambush.
Spot and ambush is exactly what it sounds like, over simplified, it is spotting game from a distance and moving into a position to ambush them. I adopted this type of hunting into my skillset because I was tired of getting within 100 yards of game and blowing it trying to make up the next 30 yards. So, I started slipping in close and praying that they would eventually move in my direction to make a shot. I got lucky a few times but most of the time it just provided up close looks and personal education in futility. I quickly learned that I needed to study my prey and how they used the landscape to get more in tune with their behavior. Since the majority of us do not have ESP or carry crystal balls into the field, making an educated guess as to where your target is going requires being in tune with how, why, when and where animals do what they do. Of course, this is not fool proof, but going in armed with this knowledge can certainly give you a leg up.
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