NZ HUTER MAGAZINE How To
For most of us, there are no consequences of making noise. We aren't being hunted. It does not matter if we stomp around our living area. But the big game animals we hunt can pay the ultimate price to pay for being too noisy.
So when we pick up our bow and think we can shift into their very quiet world for the weekend, we get a rude awakening.
Just think about it. They bed down for hours with minimal noise around them. Every step is placed quietly, their hair does not make a sound as they move. If a bowhunter wants to slip into the animal's forcefield, they'd better be very quiet.
When a bowhunter starts closing into less than 30 metres, every slight rustle of clothing starts to matter. Is it silent enough for you to remain undetected? Many years ago, I was very slowly stalking down a track. Conditions were perfect on a cold, gloomy afternoon. The air was full of tiny droplets of water, slowly drifting down through the low canopy. The lightest touch of cool air could be felt against my face, telling me that I was hunting into the wind. The only thing that could be heard was silence.
I was about halfway through my stalk Slipping an arrow onto the string, I very carefully moved forward. One step and I'd located the pig. He was a big, mature boar digging away in a hole less than 10 metres away. At this point he was completely ignorant of the danger he was in.
