Hunting Technique

[Alison]

Worth a go, if it doesnt work for you then theres nothing lost I think though the only real margin of error is the vertical sighting of a gun, so its just a technique to increase the size of the target within the bounds of that error (Help Im talking like my dad )

[spearinhand]

I hope this is not too basic but I continue to be surprised at how many spearo's have not had the opportunity of dry land basic hunting expertise.
I have been able to hunt underwater successfully by using all of my dry land experience that does translate to underwter tactics.
SAspearo has outlined a few, but there are some general do's that define hunting vs casual swimming around with a spear gun in hand.

a) Focus: like any sport you have to have it. Think about the hunt before the hunt, visualize your actions, plan your strategy, attention to details. Get into the water knowing you will be successful.

b) Tenacity: keep trying, hunt hard, hunt when you are thinking you are cold, hunt when you are tired, or bored ,or are about to give up.

c) Be comfortable, be part of the enviorment,vigilant and cognizant without putting too many "predator vibes" in the water. It is a documented scientific fact that quarry feel it when you are overly aggressive and over stimulated in a predator mode. Fish know it when sharks turn it on, and deer and elk know it in the woods on opening day, plains game know it when the big cats turn it on. It is why the first timer, or the camp cook, or the guy taking a crap at his blind kills the monster of the woods..it never fails and I have lived it and seen it. Same natural thing applies in the water.

d) Prepare and do your homework. keep a log of tide, time of kill, wind, temp etc. It works. Talk to the locals, especially the hook and line guys, and share your insights and spots. Google earth is a free down load and it is my map for finding the spots no one thought were there. I map my spots with a red dot and file them, then hit them hard and repeatedly.

E) Patience Focused, detemined patience is why cats and lions kill as well as they do.

f) Stealth and quiet..camo works, painting spear tips, shafts, and crimps black are little attention to detail that add up to the slight edge that work. I can never understand a guy wearing camo wetsuit and black mask hunting with a silver reflective gun and chrome spear tip.. You can read the boards and see the controversey on camo, but anything that breaks up your outline is good and effective.
Leg weights keep my body balanced, in trim ,and my fins quiet when I surface hunt.

G) Honor the quarry, and the game laws. Hunting is not killing, and killing is not hunting. The more you hunt, and succeed, the more you instinctivley know the difference. ...and your peers will know the difference as well.

[Marwan]

good tips spearinhand, i try to always focus on silnce and slow smooth motions, sometimes, especially with groupers and snappers, i do some dives close to the fish without looking at them or moving in for the kill just to get them relaxed to my presence.
This is a grat post we need more on tips and technique and less on toys and comparing size

[OregonSpearo]

Originally Posted by spearinhand

c) Be comfortable, be part of the enviorment,vigilant and cognizant without putting too many "predator vibes" in the water. It is a documented scientific fact that quarry feel it when you are overly aggressive and over stimulated in a predator mode. Fish know it when sharks turn it on, and deer and elk know it in the woods on opening day, plains game know it when the big cats turn it on. It is why the first timer, or the camp cook, or the guy taking a crap at his blind kills the monster of the woods..it never fails and I have lived it and seen it. Same natural thing applies in the water.

So true, so true...

[Erik]

Originally Posted by spearinhand

I hope this is not too basic .................................................. ...............................

The more you hunt, and succeed, the more you instinctivley know the difference. ...and your peers will know the difference as well.

Outstanding post!
Peace,
Erik Y.

[Wishbone]

Spearinhand, great post!

I only have to add that this actually works both ways! I became a dry land hunter long after I was spearfishing and I passed my tests with outstanding results only because I had the underwater training!

Cheers!

[sailsoon28]

speaking of waves-in tidal zones things can get really scary during the change-like Hawaii 5-0-In Okinawa-Onna point- sometimes if caught at the turn of the tide I would just intentionally trap the spear (point) in a crevice-hanging out on the surface-diving between waves(the big ones) until the tide came in. Sometimes twenty minutes between phases before the rip would slow down. I learned this after watching two scuba divers-one a marine the other japanese-die-Our rescue attempts failed-they insisted on coming in though we warned them to wait till the big sets passed and the rip slowed down-1985-I think-this could save a life under similar conditions

[greendiver]

Awsome!!!!!!...got really inspired....got to go and try..( not kidding)!!!

[Mark Laboccetta]

I hope this is not too basic but I continue to be surprised at how many spearo's have not had the opportunity of dry land basic hunting expertise.
I have been able to hunt underwater successfully by using all of my dry land experience that does translate to underwter tactics.
SAspearo has outlined a few, but there are some general do's that define hunting vs casual swimming around with a spear gun in hand.

These are some very wise pointers from what you can tell comes only from a seasoned diver. Points C and G you pointed out especially ring true as valuable witnessed with my own eyes lessons in my experience.

I introduced my brother in law to spearfishing last few years, he symbolizes the guy you mentioned taking a crap in his blind who end up killing the monster in the woods. He's so non chalant in his demeanor when he's hunting that he naturally gets himself right into the thick of the pack, some call it beginner's luck but there's more to it than that.

Mark

[Amphibious]

I started out as a spearo and later became a land hunter. Now, as a Professional Hunter (guide) many of the skills and ethics I learned as a spearo seem to directly translate into land based hunting. I think spearfishing completly ruined Stand/blind hunting for me. if i'm not creeping around the forest, stalking, I'm not having a good time. I'll mirror what was said above.

the more you hunt the more you relize hunting has very little to do with killing. ask anyone who has just come back from a sucessful hunt to tell you of it. the last thing they will describe is the kill, and it will be the smallest part of the story. the enviroment, the sounds, the smells, the stalk, the extreme highs and lows of emotions, the good times shared with good friends. hunting is about the journey, not the destination.

[Oldsarge]

And I'm from the other direction. The very first trip into the ocean I had two fish within 10 minutes and gtb about lost it when I scored on a grouper on my first day's diving. Move sllooowwww. Remain calm but alert. Silence is not golden, it's everything. And as to the difference between hunting and killing, Colin says it all.

[Murat]

The sea is not quite calm here for some time, and i had been shooting birds today with my over under shotgun and hopefully will shoot fishes with my speargun tomorrow Thats what the LIFE is all about

[icarus pacific]

Originally Posted by spearinhand

...hunt when you are thinking you are cold, hunt when you are tired...

Yes, but only after you've spent a great deal of time gaining the insight as to how you work in the water when you're cold and/or tired. For someone without a lot of time, this is a easy way of making the papers. Also for someone with a lot of time on those occasions when you're not in control of everything, meaning always.

Being cold and tired is the body's way of saying "kick back in, but keep your eyes open."

[aesop]

BUMP! Every noobie spearo should read this, what a great thread.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by sailsoon28

... sometimes if caught at the turn of the tide I would just intentionally trap the spear (point) in a crevice-hanging out on the surface-diving between waves(the big ones) until the tide came in. Sometimes twenty minutes between phases before the rip would slow down. I learned this after watching two scuba divers...die. Our rescue attempts failed-they insisted on coming in though we warned them to wait till the big sets passed and the rip slowed down...this could save a life under similar conditions

Wow, Sailsoon28, never heard of this trick before -- you are right, it could be a life saver. I have heard of an experienced spearo using a kelp/reef hook to anchor himself to while he waited for the tide to change when caught out by surprisingly strong tides once.