Hey gang,
I recently bought a gillie suit jacket...the one that was recently talked about here on pow wow; and I am going to give it a whirl deer hunting on the ground down in Hancock county Georgia this weekend. I have hunted on the ground before, but never with a bow. I wanted to try hunting on the ground because my longbow gets in the way when i'm in my treelounge climbing stand. I'm obviously going to play the wind and try to find a spot with natural cover in front and behind me, but my main question is how y'all go about getting from a seated position on the ground to a more normal shooting position. I am going to clear out all leaves and sticks around my area so nothing will rustle when I move, but I wont be bringing an elevated seat of any kind. Do y'all have any tips as to how to bowhunt when sitting directly on the ground? Any other general ground hunting advice would be appreciated :) .
I would practice shooting from a kneeling position but I would also find some type of folding stool.I think you would be able to stay still longer and make less movement getting in position to shoot.
Do a search on stools. Lots of threads on stools or chairs folks use to sit on. I have a simple folding 3 legged stool that has a silent swivel feature. I put a cushion on it to make it more comfortable. It doesn't have back support, but is O.K. for as long as I usually sit a spot.
When I'm bowhunting from a natural ground blind, a small tool is a "must have" for me. Every shot I take is a sitting position shot.
I have a small fold up stool that, unfortunately, isn't made anymore.
When older, trying to get up from sitting on the ground sounds a lot like the 4th of July. That's why I opt for a folding armless barstool concealed w/enough deadfall front & back. Leave some shooting views.
I prefer shooting from a kneeling position, so I use a stool and cushion. I place the cushion directly in front of the stool, so if I'm in a sitting position and hear or see something I can move to kneeling with as little movement as possible. Like you said, clear all sticks and leaves etc. out. Once I get the blind built and everything set up, I'll do a practice run in each shooting lane to make sure I haven't missed something.You can't get away with much movement on the ground.
Good Luck
Rod
Along with a chair I also use the inner tube from a turkey hunting vest to get real low...
I like shooting from my knees, but I agree with the above- a basic blind chair, or 3 legged fold up stool is the way to go-
L.R.
My wife will be using the Ghillie with her Huntmore chair this year. I have lost count of how many deer I have spooked at the last minute because I got caught in an uncomfortable position. Something comfortable and stable to sit on or lean against is a big plus in cutting down those small motions that we don't notice, but waive like emergency beacons to deer.
I've used a 5 gallon bucket, makes a good carry all too.
I once built a stool that was just a small wooden bench on a single leg or pole with a big nail set in the bottom of it. When all the goombah is cleared from all around the center pole, you can turn in a complete circle without making any noise to speak of. When you sit on it you are sorta balancing, but it's not as awkward as it seems. The spike needs to be long enough so the stool does not fall over if you get up off it to shoot standing.
The other thing that I like is the seat that goes on a tree with a strap and has a support underneath with a sharp end that goes into the tree trunk to hold it up. Course there has to be a tree handy!
These are definitely things I will take into consideration. I like the cushion in front of the stool idea and also the modified stool with one leg. Ive never thought of those.
Check out the waldrop Pac seat on G. fred Asbell's site I really like mine!
You should look into building yourself one of those "Torges Seats". My hunting buddy Bamboo has built a few and made some great modifications to the latest ones.
Strap it to the tree, very comfortable, keep it about 2 ft high and all you have to do is slowly drop to one knee and make your shot. The "Seat" will fit almost any diameter tree, depending on how much rope is used.
I keep telling folks how good a pit blind works for hunting on the ground and folks keep not trying it.
Anyhow for those who want to try it and where it's appropriate dig a hole about 16" deep and 24 inches in diameter. Appropriate means non rocky soil and not overly wet areas. Then sit on the edge with your feet and lower bow limb in the hole. You're so much lower than the deer that they won't see you as a threat. Especially if you put some cover behind yourself to break up your outline. I've had great success doing this. In Africa I just sat with my legs in a warthog hole close to the places the warthogs were feeding.
It's way better than sitting on the ground which doesn't work well at because you have to get up to shoot. And it's way better than sitting on a chair because you're lower than when sitting in a chair. Also it's free and you can pre dig holes all over the place to your hearts content. I always cover the holes with a couple of logs to discourage livestock from getting hurt stepping into them. Also a spade is cheaper than a treestand.
Seriously guys this is a bit of a secret weapon and you owe it to yourselves to try it out.
I always use a stool or chair when hunting from the ground. Going from sitting with my legs crossed to a decent shooting position would just be too hard with animals around.
You could try a Torges seat. Search it here on tradgang.
niff-t-seat is a super and affordable choice for what you need.
I second the nif-t-seat, check out the video on youtube. do a search for Shaggy suit. Looks like a good system.
If I have a good place to hunt, I figure the best way to shoot. Then I go home and reproduce that position as well as possible so that I can practice shooting in the manner that is best while hunting, and at the distances I would expect at that location.
Shoot from your knees, or from a sitting position. It doesn't matter.
But, my opinion is that trying to go from sitting to crouching is not so good because the muscles are too tense to shoot in that position consistantly. At any rate, if this is what your blind will allow, then practice. And, if you can't hit in practice, create a different set-up.
The key is to adapt to your environment and not the other way around.