Who hunts on the ground all the time?Found a good
area but not good for hanging treestands.The good
trees are always in the wrong place.
I hunt from the ground only always have and always will. affraid of heights.
I always figured that there is at least as much cover on the ground as anywhere else. And usually a lot easier to use to your advantage- tee trunk and root mass, ground depression, slope of a ridge, low branches.
There is no better way to hunt game than on the ground. Its very difficult and very rewarding. It requires you to face and overcome your insecurities as a hunter. Things like" I'm worried about my scent, my movement, my stealth, my silhouette etc...
Joshua
Always on the ground. I love it and you can't fall off the ground very easily. The key is to slow down when you in animals and use everything as a natural blind while still hunting along.
<-- dedicated ground pounder.
It's the only way I hunt. Tried the tree hanging thing back when I was confused with all the wheels and things, since then nothing but the ground. It's amazing when deer walk by you within touching distance and they don't even know you're there. I had one walk between me and the natural firebush I had in front of me this past fall, It was AWESOME! Try it you may just like it enough to sell the treestand.
I hunted on the ground all season this past season and i'm hooked.
I hunt on the ground. Usually in natural ground blinds that I build or a pop up blind. With a pop up blind, I brush it in and it works just fine.
I do most of my hunting on the ground and have for many years.
If your thinking of trying it and your looking for information or tips, G. Fred Asbells' "Stalking & Still-Hunting The Ground Hunter's Bible" is a very good source.
Ground hunting can be humbling but it compliments hunting with a stick bow..
Ground pounder here as well. In my opinion it's almost a necessity when hunting mulies. But I also hunt on the ground because I know absolutely zilch about how to properly place and use a tree stand. I live in the west and come from a rifle hunting background. When I made the switch to trad bows it simply didn't occur to me to hunt in a manner different from the way I was taught and already knew.
I prefer to hunt on the ground and always let the wind dictate how I move through an area. I enjoy sitting in ambush off of a trail or slipping quietly into a bedding area. I move real slow and watch and listen to everything. I bumped a covey of quail this Fall and should have stayed put for 10-15 minutes but nooo...I kept moving and got busted by a huge muley buck who was alerted by the quail. Rookie mistake, but what a sight to see, that buck leap up from his bed looking dead on at me at 30 yards and launching himself into the trees before I could get an arrow off. You never forget a sight like that. I love ground hunting!
I'll be hunting on the ground this fall. This will be my first year on the ground, and with a bow - so who knows what will happen. Can't wait to find out though.
Been on the ground the last two years, love it! Bought a climber last year, used it once! As far as I'm concerned the tree's are for the squirrel's and bird's. I just use natural ground blinds I build, or mother nature builds. It's purdy cool to have deer so close you can hear them chewing. Heck of alot easier to take your chair find a good spot and set down. Not very often do you brake a sweat doing that! :D Good luck! Jason
The past two years I've hunting from the ground exclusively even though I hung tree stands I harvested a buck last year and a doe this season both from the ground
1.... WIND IN YOUR FACE
2.....COVER AT YOUR BACK IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN COVER IN YOUR FRONT.
3. BE PATIENT..IF THEY ARE CLOSE THEY HAVE NO CLUE YOU ARE THERE..NO REASON TO HURRY.
4... WHEN YOU START YOUR DRAW CYCLE FINISH IT AND SHOOT...DONT START TO DRAW AND LET UP..USUALLY EQUALS BUSTED......
GOOD LUCK !!
I love hunting from the ground. I have never hunting from a stand. Here in the west it just seems easier to move around, they sit in a tree. Alot more country to hunt, they back east. The secret is to move slow and keep your eyes open.
Ground only, here in CO.
Too much area to cover, gotta follow those elk.
I have learned that having cover behind you is more important than in front of you. I been busted setting in tree tops and go undetected setting against a big tree. The pain of lugging around a climber and sweating first thing on a cold morning.. climbing tree's, got me to thinking a couple years ago. So I decided to keep my feet on the terra firma. Bought me a Waldrop pac seat and put it to good use. Havent' missed the tree's one bit! Let's keep this going for a while! I like reading about ground hunting. Where's Joe Skip? He's a ground hunting guru! Jason
The GROUND for the following reasons.....
"The Challenge"
"The Thrill"
I hunt only from natural ground cover.....I have only been Trad Hunting two years and have yet to over come "the challenge" or complete "the Thrill" but there is a passionate drive in me to fulfill both. There is not a walk into the woods in which I am not convinced that this will be the day that a nice buck or mature doe will drift into my range and my arrow will fly true. This vision stays with me on days ranging from peak rut through a 4th of July barbecue. It has me reading posts from awesome places like TragGang and searching youtube for videos from other more experienced folks who I can learn from. The wife doesn't get it but you guys know where I'm comin from. The best explanation of what I am describing here comes from a young guy over half my age who posted the following exceptional video and words I have ever seen. They were posted on youtube....Anyone of any age can inspire anyone else of any age with their own personal stories.....Check it out......
Trab
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BhnUoxduck
I still use trees, but I am constantly building ground blinds during scouting trips, so I have spots to slip into. Some areas I hunt are to thick to work well with ground blinds, others are better for ground than tree. Any interaction with a whitetail is thrilling for me, so I like to keep my hunting style flexible.
I've hunted from the ground 99% of the time. I have only killed one from the air and it was a bear.
I like to stillhunt and spot and stalk but ground blinds/ambush locations are quite effective. Movement is the thing that gets me busted more often than not. Learning to draw at the right time is very important. When stillhunting go as slow as possible and glass alot. Did I mention "Go as slow as possible"! Glass more than you think and go slower than what you think "is slow". Good luck!
Spot and stalk is da bomb!
Elk on the ground, antelope on the ground, Whitetails.... I love to make like a hawk and watch from a tree. I love the vantage and I actually like heights. I think some people just like to climb trees.
Always ground here also. Feels more rewarding.... plus with all the hunting pressure around here hiking in 3+ miles with a treestand is a lot of extra work
I've always hunted on the ground. Walk a little and glass a lot.
Spent the majority of time on the ground, have taken a lot of deer, turkeys, elk and small game from the ground.
I also love a tree stand and have used all diffrent kinds for almost 40 years.
Each has its merits and pitfalls. Also different terrains and cover make one or the other better, some areas are just to thick for the ground.
One of my favorite things for decades has been to keep 6-10 tree steps in my pack and still hunt/ scout early season and use my Tree Sling which i wear all the time (as a drag, safety strap, tree stand) if i find a very promising location with a good tree set up I can use it right then or there or set up steps and come back to it later.
I also have a climber which is nice and I use it and some hanging stands. I also like to set up natural blinds, nothing fancy just a spot where my background is good and I can set up or use a couple of dead tree limbs etc.
The other thing i do is where the ghillie leafy type suit which is great.
Mix it up, use whats best for your terrain and how you feel that day.
Switched to ground hunting last season, I'm getting to old to fall out of trees. Fell out of one 20 years ago climbing in my stand, my broken ankle healed pretty quick, but now I have house payments to make and bills to pay, don't need time off work from falling out of a tree. I did start using a safety harness, but it was a pain using it to climb and I didn't use it until I was in the stand, most people fall ( including myself) climbing the tree. I actually liked the freedom I had being on the ground, I took my deer by being able to move to the edge of a field and took my doe in a hayfield, she was 15 yards from the woodline. If I was in a tree I would not have been able to climb down and sneak up on her eating in the hayfield.
Been on the ground for about seven years now,not by choice but found that it works.I am disabled and stuck in a wheelchair so I do my hunting on an ATV with the right brush and camo around me I have deer around me every year not that I have had much luck only once but it does work.And I still get to enjoy my favorite time in the woods!!!
I have never shot a deer out of a tree stand. i have taken a half dozen deer because of one. i tend to get deer while I am sneaking in and out from the stand. Last year mine were stolen off public property. Now I can can go back to hating everyone that thinks those things are a 'no trespassing sign'. If it were up to me they would not be allowed on public hunting areas on more than a daily basis, like decoys for ducks. When one is stuck to using a tree stand they tend to hunt it no matter what direction the wind is blowing. When one is not tied to a given spot, one can hunt to the conditions of the day. I am also in favor of a leave no trace hunting ethic, much like that of wilderness canoeist. Leave nothing but the foot prints. It is also easier for someone with a lighter setup to get complete penetration. However, timing of the shot is more critical to the ground hunter. Those ten second long shots that a compound hunter uses will equate to numerous missed opportunities that would be just par for the course shots for a smooth longbow shooter.
Been on the ground the last 4 years,enjoy it!!! Safe and you can set up so much easier...use pop up ground blinds and natural blinds. I let my son and his friends go up 20 ft plus and get the same results??
I like treestands, and I don't mind heights, but I find it easier and more accurate to shoot from the ground with a longbow.
It works.I've had deer within 5-6 yds.Still haven't connected yet.I have also been busted several times due to me not stayin still.