Some people whose opinion I respect on this site ground hunt.`I guess my question is: why would I hunt from a treestand instead of ground hunt. Obviously your vision is better, but is it worth the effort, risk and discomfort? I just can't decide if I want to go out and spend good money on a stand if people are having success on the ground. :confused:
I have returned to the trees after the past five years, and will stay up there for some time. I'm sure others will chime in with more pratical reasons, but mine are simple...the view. That first sunrise through the hardwoods at the Adirondack Attack, and I was hooked...
many are comfortable especially some of the climbers. the view is spectacular when set up right. i feel you can get away with more movement then on the ground. your best bet would be to just try both.
I do both. more options make for more excitement.
I spend a lot of time hunting to my stand. I rarely go in before legal shooting hours anymore because of the number of deer I kick up and can't see. I hunted a lot from the ground last year and didn't see that many deer. I think it takes lots of practice and patience to hunt from the ground because of the fast paced world we live in its hard sometimes to change gears when we hunt and slow it way down.
The ground can be deadly if set up properly. I enjoy ground hunting the most by far. The key is to set up and let the deer walk past you. Deadly as it gets.
Treestands are great and productive; but for me I feel like I am "chained" to the tree.
John III
What are some good blinds?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pCiRVe9O2g
I would try both Brian. I have a climber that you can try whenever you want.
The main thing to watch with either is wind direction. It all comes down to what is more comfortable for you.
You dont need a blind either. You can make an effective blind with the natural litter, and then you dont have to worry that your blind might have walked away.
With either, the thing to remember is watch the wind, break up your outline as much as possible, and move when you cant see the animals eyes, or move VERY VERY slowly.
Sitting in the woods requires a lot of patience at times. It allows you to watch the woods and literally every creature in them.
Get out there now, and try to learn how to be quiet. Then more so, then even more.
If I even get some down time, you are more than welcome to come up and we can get started getting you ready for the fall.
I hunted from trees for years. The odds are much better from elevated stand. Less chance of being busted by scent. But, since I have started hunting from the ground, I have had much more excitement and challange. I enjoy ground hunting much more.
Both are awesome in their own ways, you will see more deer from a treestand for the simple reason that you can see them farther away and this will give you a better chance to set up on deer that you would not have seen from the ground. If you have your own land to hunt or private land that you can leave a stand at with out fear of having it stolen, even if you lock them there is a chance they could be taken, a ladder stand is easy to set up and easy to move if you need to adjust. Pop up ground blinds are nice because they are a lot more comfortable than any treestand ever thought of being, but they are a lot of work. if your willing to put in the extra effort the Double Bull is hands down the best there is, some will tell you different but I have tries a few different brands and the DB is well worth spending the money to get it right the first time. With a ground blind it is a crap shoot whether or not is bothers the deer, in any event ground hunting is very exciting.
i still hunt most of the time. On the rare instance when Im in a tree I have a feeling of claustrophobia like i cant move and the limbs are coming down on me....seriously though it takes some getting used to not being able to move around.
I also hunt out of ground blinds once in a while and these are my favorite. So comfortable and free to move if need be. I have stalked deer from my ground blind before. I dont know if you can do that from tree. Mobility is limited.
I also like to sleep when I hunt. I dont like sleeping up in a tree even with a strap on. Ground is made for snoozing in the woods. Doesnt seem to help my success rate though.
I hunted from trees for about 5-6 years. Been on the ground for the last 35 or so years. I enjoy hunting on the ground a lot more. That said I'm thinking about a ladder stand for the coming year. My son picked up some new land for us to hunt last year that is amazing. It is loaded with deer. He killed a couple last year and missed a 180-190" buck at 12-15 yds on the ground. I normally wouldn't worry about it, but.... Hap
It all depends on the situation as to whether you'd have better visibility or better scent control from a tree.
Certain times of the year when the forest is greened over you'd be looking through leafed over tree tops when up in a stand whereas from the ground you'd be looking under the lower branches having a better view. In the foothills and mountains when hunting deer in low light from a tree the deer can easily blend in and are masked by the ground. You can place yourself low to the ground below the elevation of the deer and they are easily seen by skylining. This technique is far superior to any treestand during certain times of the year as the evening thermals carry your sent down the mountain below you while the big buck is just above you working the ridgeline searching for a receptive doe. The buck stands out like a sore thumb against the skyline and you are the one who blends in and is masked by the ground below. From any elevated tree you will lose visibility and risk having your scent caught in the warmer air circulating above the cooler thermals below you on the ground. Your sent will then roll back over the ridge onto the deer like a hydraulic over an obstruction in moving water.
Daddy Bear
Been bowhunting 5 years now.First off the ground because of a lack of treestands and then got one and got my first bowkill in it within a week.My most memorable hunts though are those CLOSE range encounters off the ground which is why after filling one tag last year out of a tree I committed myself to taking one off the ground using natural cover and I went on the to take 3 deer that way.I may buy I couple more stands for certain scenarios, but my passion has become ground hunting.It does take a lot of discipline and you dont see as much but the encounters are far more memorable.I'm hoping to get my first spot and stalk kill this fall.
I would try both if I were you,
Ethan
Of the four big game animals in Quebec;
I hunt black bears mostly from the ground for the added challenge,
I hunt caribou from the ground because that is how you hunt caribou,
I hunt moose from the ground for calling methods and the mobility of changing position fast, etc.
and I hunt whitetails mostly from a treestand because I enjoy the change.
I like both...I like having options for different scenarios
David
I deer hunt from trees but love to hunt on the ground for hogs.When hunting hogs I am hunting a large area with few other hunters to disturb when I am slipping around.My deer hunting is in a much smaller area and is often populated by other treestand hunters.Walking around kicking up deer and disturbing there hunting is just not the best way to hunt.Spending a lot of time on the ground spreading unwanted scent in an area that is hunted often does the deer hunting no good for everyone.
To me it depends on the game. Some setups are just better (higher probability of success) for different game/hunting area/style. It is heavily weighted on personal experience and confidence of success, but then again, some time you are just thinking, hey hold my beer this is going to funny and find some thing you like better...
Just my two bit
Jason
I like ground hunting because I can quickly change positions if needed and I have been withing touching distance of four deer in the last three years. The only disadvantage I have seen is you don't get the lower exit wound for an easier blood trail that you get from an elevated shot.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/aeronut/DSC00017.jpg)
This guy was shot from the ground at <10 yards.
Dennis
I have been hunting since "before" treestands were being manufactured. Once I started hunting from them I figured that was the way to go. Now I've been slowly moving back to ground hunting but the thing about ground hunting is that you don't have the same view. I like to see deer even if I can't shoot them. From the ground if you see it it's generally close enough to get excited about but I know there are deer walking by somewhere around me that I can't see from the ground. Of my 13 encounters with close deer this past season 8 were from the ground.
Every ambush site is different. Some will be best hunted with a tree stand, but some great ones don't have a suitable tree available. It all depends on the various conditions that exist in each location.
I mostly hunt from pop ups because it is easier, more comfortable and a bit safer. Though I almost had a heart attack one day about noon when I dozed off and woke up to a 6 point yearling sticking his head into my tent!
I began hunting in Wisconsin and if you hunted whitetails it was from a tree. I moved to Alaska in the early eighties and fell in love with spot and stalk and still hunting. I hunted black bears out of a stand for sevral seasons, but after getting a taste of spot and stalk, retired the tree stand for good. Even baiting in the spring, I clear a trail that I could stalk in to the bait and shoot them off the ground. I let them pattern me, keeping the bait sparse, and within short order I could about count on them coming in shortly after I would bait at the same time every morning. Id hike out, have a cup of coffee, and stalk back in. It works GREAT!!!
When I go back to Wisconsin and South Dakota for whitetails, I still-hunt the big woods and the corn fields. Corn field hunting is a huge challenge, but it's awesome!
Ground hunting is a numbers game. You will see more deer and have more opportunites from tree stands, but the more time you put in from the ground, the more opportunites you have. I just love to hunt. Having taken enough game so that the drive to kill has waned, the experience is what it's about for me. And there is no greater sense of satisfaction than to hunt with bow and arrow built by my own hand, and meet my quarry face to face in his own living room.
Some of my best remembered stories dont end in a kill. Like the time that 170 class buck blew snot in my face and we both had to check out shorts for sign...
Tree stands can be very productive. I'll admit my deer harvest has decreased since going to the ground. For me, it is just more exciting on the ground, more challenging, I just love it. Also less gear to worry about. I just use Torges seats made of scrap wood. I have them all over the place. I can leave them out all year laying in the leaves so once I have places set, one less thing I carry in. If I cant use a seat because a location doesn't allow, I just kneel on a foam pad which packs easily and weighs next to nothing. It's purely a matter of choice. Hunting on the ground allows for quick changes in location and you don't have to find that suitable tree to climb. You don't even need a lot of cover. Just a few bits of brush in the right spot and you are ready to go. Some examples. I have shot at deer from each of these set ups at close range.
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/jjeffer/New07J.jpg)
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/jjeffer/stillwaiting.jpg)
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/jjeffer/P1010008.jpg)
Great looking spots Jerry!
i like ground hunting as i like my two feet on the ground when i was over last year i climbed up in a tree stand but no its for the birds. but at least ya dont get chiggers when you are up a tree. that was the worst thing i have ever had man they are the devil. but apart from that ground is the only way to go :thumbsup:
For me it's an ethical question. Hunting ethics say to make an effective clean kill.
It's harder from the ground and I see more deer from the tree but I haven't mastered HOW to shoot from a tree with the recurve. On the ground I can consistently hit within 1" or so. But, I always seem to shoot high from a tree even when I aim low. Been working hard on forum and bending at the waist but still shooting over their back and hitting high on targets while practicing. (Think it's a mental thing.) Afraid of a high hit or bad hit so I'm grounded till I can make the right shot.
As far as whitetails it comes down to the fact that there is generally less chance of spooking non-target animals from a tree. If it is during the rut and you have does milling around under you there is a good chance of a buck coming in to join them. If you try that deal on the ground, the chances of getting picked off while waiting on the buck are significantly higher.
That being said, I choose to hunt out of hang-on stands or ladders so that I can quietly get down and pursue game that passes me by if it looks like a good thing to do.
Gregg is dead on. With multiple animals its a matter of time before they bust you on the ground. I love my API grand slam climber. Very comfortable.
Theres something about hunting w/ a trad bow on the ground though. It just feels right. My plan is to ground hunt my so-so spots till the cover dies out then up the tree I go. The terrain you hunt will have some say in your choice as well. Some places are dang tough to hide on the ground. Good luck.
ground for me! got 3 shots last year. don't use a blind of any type set setup where i see them first. i also love how i can move with out much effort and have hunted several spots in one morning getting shots in two places. most people sit in a tree seeing nothing when they could be moving to a new spotand seeing game. and if you don't have several tree stands you end up hunting the same spot too much. my 2cents worth.