Look for horizontal lines.

(Canada)

Note the horizontal positioning of the moose compared to the trees

An experienced hunter once told me "We live in a vertical world so look for horizontal lines".
Huh?

Think about it; all trees, grasses, plants, buildings... virtually everything around us is vertical.
Sure there are some things that are naturally horizontal (this is not foolproof), it will help you to focus on things other than just looking for the whole animal.

Big game animals have large sections of either their back, bellies or antlers that create an unnatural horizontal line in the landscape.
So when hunting any big game, not just Moose, scan those woodlands, hillsides and meadows and keep in mind that horizontal lines sometimes don't belong.
Often when hunting big game we are intent on seeing the whole animal, when in reality sometimes only a small portion is visible.
This saying has become kind of a mantra for me while I'm out hunting, I often find I repeat it over and over in my head. I guess it sort of helps me to concentrate.

Here is an example as I was recently out hunting for Moose.
As I was exiting my truck I noticed up ahead of where I was, a light brown rock (wrong color to be a Moose). I dismissed it just as an interesting colored rock. A few moments later I looked up and was astonished to find that the rock was no longer there.
Of course rocks cannot move under their own power so I either imagined that rock or it was some kind of animal .
I quietly walked up the road and found a Mule Deer feeding through the trees.
Was I right to have dismissed the sight of the rock? Probably not! It could have been a lighter colored Moose that may have had the opportunity to walk away.

Lesson here? Yup! Those out of place horizontal lines need a closer look. Most of the time you'll see a log or a branch and sometimes its only a shadow. But it will pay off.

"Look for horizontal lines in a vertical world"

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