Learning behavior will improve your chances in other areas:
You may not always be hunting in the same area and you may not have the luxury of becoming intimate with how a species uses the area. Studying behavior of a species in a similar habitat, i.e. desert, prairie, alpine, etc…, will allow you to make an educated move to ambush an animal.
For example, rutting mule deer in the desert tend to cover a lot of ground while pushing does around, and they often move in more linear paths on the desert floor, whereas on ridges they tend to be more “erratic” in their movements and don’t move as far. Knowing this, you can get a good idea of where you need to be by determining the progression of the lead doe. In states that allow the use of radios this tactic becomes even more effective if you have a hunting partner.
Case in point:
This past season I was hunting mule deer in my home state of Arizona and witnessed a buck pushing does in the flats below me. The lead doe was slowly making her way along the base of a ridge and I was able to glass an ambush spot in her path. I knew I could get to that spot faster than the herd. When I arrived my cameraman radioed that the deer were moving up the ridge a bit so I needed to back up a bit or they would pass behind me. It was my knowledge of mule deer behavior that got me close, but that detail from my cameraman helped me harvest that buck.
My knowledge of the whitetail rut and its phases afforded me my next example of how animal behavior helped me fill a tag. Whitetail during the seeking phase will travel great distances, like a bloodhound following the trail of hot does. They often throw caution to the wind to find a doe willing and ready to breed. These bucks use the very same trail as the doe and follow it exactly how she walked it, even if the doe is much closer in a straight line.
Case in point:
This past season we were hunting the rut in South Dakota and bucks were cursing. I witnessed on several occasions deer were crossing a creek at a pinch point. I had been glassing this area and watched does take this long trail that headed for this creek crossing. Shortly thereafter, a buck appeared way up on the ridge where the trail originates. I knew I had to beat him to that trail because that buck was going to trail those does right to the same spot. My straight line distance was far shorter than the route the does took which allowed me to make it to the creek crossing before he did. Sure enough, that buck came through offering me a shot and I was able to fill my tag.
I have hunted antelope every year for the past 10 years and over time I observed some behavioral characteristics that proved successful. I realized that every time I stalked a buck and he caught my movement he would turn and run, but every time a buck came to me and saw me he would stand and stare, providing me time to range, draw, and shoot. If I snuck up on them directly I was in danger, if they came to me I was something curious.
Case in point:
I was watching this buck run a doe back and forth behind this ridgeline and I could only see him when they passed between these two hills and occasionally on the skyline. I knew I could use the ridge line to hide my approach and quickly get to that point between the two hills. I had no cover once I got there and knew I would stand out like a sore thumb, but taking my past experiences into account I knew even when they saw me I would still get an opportunity. Sure enough the buck and doe came running over the hill and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw me but did not run away. I ranged and slowly drew my bow before making the shot.
If you’re not super sneaky, traditional spot and stalk is just not working for you, or sitting at a water hole or food source just bores you to pieces, you can still make it happen by learning your quarry and landscape and how it’s used.