[Buck You!]

So im a new hunter, but ive done plenty of research and i like to think i know what im doing. Well, i go hunting with my cousin whos been hunting since he was a kid (now 30+ yrs old). The problem is that he doesnt know how to hunt. he thinks walking through the woods wearing camo will land him a buck. I keep telling him we need to do some scouting of the area and set up some tree stands.

While we were "hunting" i found a really nice spot where 3 heavily traveled trails junctioned. there were plenty of fresh (less than day old) deer and elk tracks, and a bunch of deer droppings. You could see where they had been rubbing on trees, and i knew it was fresh because there was fresh sap still there. He refuses to put up a couple tree stands and just sit for a few hours. He would rather walk around making tons of noise for 20 or so minutes, and if he doesnt see anything then we get in the truck and go to a new spot.

Now i know you guys will probably tell me to just go hunting with someone else or alone. I cant. I dont have a car. He's my only ride into the woods. Plus, since i just started hunting, i wouldnt feel comfortable out there alone.

So now to my question. What can i do to get him to understand that what hes doing isnt hunting? I mean, it could pass for stalking if he didnt make so much noise, and if he actually payed attention to tracks and other clues of deer in the area, but no. He just walks, smokes some cigs, and then leaves to a new spot. im sure the deer really love the smell of those cigs too (sarcasm).

 

[timberghost]

sounds like you have a greater understanding of the patience and ethics to be a good hunter but in my opinion your cousin is just making the deer use different travel routes/feeding/bedding area times and maybe a deer herd moving out to the next county. If he doesn't listen to you opinions then try sitting one time while he stomps around the area and hopefully his nonsense will send a deer your way. Good Luck to you and welcome to DHC.com

 

[Slickhead Stalker RN]

It sounds like you have been quite a few times with your cousin with no luck. I would just say, "Hey man if we don't get one after a few more time trying your method, it wouldn't kill us to try something different for a change." See how he responds to that. Good luck.

 

[Hunting Man]

I would take a stand in and set up where you feel the deer are traveling and set up, tell your cousin to go down about 1/2 mile and begin his noisy walking staying about 1/2 mile around you at all times. He may change his mind when you are dragging in your deer and he hasn't seen a thing. You are in a bind hunting with someone who doesn't know how to hunt, but you can't keep taking nature walks and be successful. The worst thing you can do is to walk with him as two make twice the noise. Good luck!

 

[wmi]

My advice is get a second job if necessary and buy a car, truck, or moped. Second is find a new hunting buddy. After all this time he is not going to change. You can hunt by yourself just learn in small steps starting out and work up as you feel more comfortable. This is exactly what I had to do myself.

 

[BruceBruce1959]

Greetings from Vermont BuckYou. Welcome to the Club.
I agree with wmi, You have to find other friends or relatives to hunt with, at least until your cousin shows signs of wanting to become "interested" in actually hunting or a more educated hunter.
Check with ALL of your friends and relatives to see if anyone else is willing to take you along on their hunts. Maybe you could join a local hunting/shooting club to meet others who may be more serious like you are about their hunting.
IF all else fails and you can't break away from the cousin, What you need to do is, Set Boundries between him and yourself make it clear that he is to hunt WAY over there and not disturb your area and when he see's you dragging one out he'll quickly wake up and smell the Venison!
Good Luck to you and keep us posted...

 

[Buck You!]

Thanks for the advice! We're going out tomorrow, so ill try to keep him at least a 1/2 mile away from me. Hopefully that works. If not, then i dont know what else to do. I have a friend that hunts, but he hunts with his dad on private land that only them 2 are allowed on.

We'll see what happens tomorrow

 

[buckfever]

:lol: I like how wmi is straight to the point.

All good advice above. Welcome to the site and good luck on getting your hunting bud to move on away from you, or change his hunting tactics.

 

[stairman]

Casual walking in the woods with a gun will net you nuthin. They see and hear you long before you do. You may get lucky and catch a glimpse of a tail flaggin outta there but thats it. You could use your cousins tactics to drive deer to you I suppose. I f your gonna walk, stay out of sight of each other, Have a long thread tied to your barrels and walk into the wind, but stillhunt, meaning take a few well placed steps and stop. Dont break any twigs under your feet and take your time, using tree trunks etc for cover. I f your clean and maybe using a cover scent and not contaminating the area with cig butts, twinky wrappers etc you might be able to catch a deer on his feet offguard. Standing still and looking/listening will net more than trying to cover alot of ground. Your less likely to move if your in an elevated stand though and thats the tactic Id try next.

 

[deerless]

I would set up a stand like some of these guys have suggested and tell him to leave and go hunt were he likes and pick you up later on. We hunt with a guy who likes to stink up where he hunts and I usually get as far away as possible. I also do not mention what I have seen as he will try to horn in on the action. Good luck

 

[o1sick7]

Wow. What a turn. I was the noisey brother that went stompin around. This was my first year. And I was lucky enough to have my brother inlaw to teach me what I was doing was wrong. And I'm greatfull he showed me the error in my ways. Hopefully you can show him. Good luck. And be safe