Boy,What a rush hunting from the ground.This is the first season were I,m going ground only.Never really tried it before,always hunted out of a tree.Havn,t connected yet but have had some real close encounters.They just have not provided me with the right shot.Seeing deer though.Its much better than being in a treestand.Found out quick you can not move around like you do in a tree.Well just have to make it happen some how.Hard not to get busted.
go get em bro!
Not a better feeling than after a good stalk , or just getting it done on eye level.......
,,,Sam,,,,
Its the best way to hunt (IMO) its a rush when you still hunt and are able to get so close to the deer. You may find that often you end up to close and don't get a shot but the excitement makes up for it. Enjoy it its great!
This is my second year of ground only hunting, I too am enjoying it. I had deer at 12 yards last night, problem was there were 3 deer within 15 yards, 2 more at 20 yards. I couldn't move or I would of been busted.
It was a rush ! They didn't even know I was there !
Dan
After almost slipping off a treestand a few years ago, I have been grounded ever since. And for the most part I find that it has been a great advantage.
Take this morning, I set up under a nice wide tree and waited the morning out. I knew with a coming storm and the woods full of hunters the deer would be moving. Sure enough at around 9:00am I spotted a deer moving 100 yards to my left. I got up and guessed his route. I got to a decent spot and the deer came to about 25 yards. Yes I fluffed it, I misread my gap and shot a little high. But if I was in a tree stand I would of never of had a shot.
I'm with you brother. I am having more fun and seeing more deer from the ground this year.
Rob
Are you guys using any type of netting for camo in front of you or just natural cover? I'm giving the ground a try this year too.
I've gotten 6 mule deer and an elk off the ground you are right it is a thrill...... a real heart pounder..
Nothing infront just a good back cover.Also using a ghillie.
Calling ground hunting "A Rush" is an understatement! Best part is being able to curl-up and go to sleep... :rolleyes:
... mike ...
Wait till the rut kicks in, then the ground hunting can get real exciting. (and the ground naps get shorter)
If you have the right piece of woods, wander a round real slowly till you find a place that just feels right. Walk real slow and follow your intuition.
My favorite way to hunt :-)
My problem with ground hunting (though I'm a big fan) is that I keep thinking "over there" will be better. So I slowly move, only to watch a deer go past where I just was. Of course, sitting in a treestand with ADD and not being able to move is tough too.
You bet !
It's the best thing ever. I was in Wisconsin on January 3rd It was 26 below zero but I didn't check the temperature before I went out . I had wool underlay and my top layers were wool 93% the parka and pants . I was sitting in a chair (DB) in between two trees that came to Y on a trail that was a funnel.
In January you don't think of buck's chasing doe's but that's what happened . A small doe walked by and I let her go. and about 10 minutes later, I hear this bigger crunch crunch crunch in the snow up the trail right behind me . it was a buck chasing the due, but he stopped right behind me. and then I heard one more crunch , he stepped right up behind me 1 foot from my head and sniff the back of my neck !
I jumped a foot ,and he jumped and ran. and as I turned it look like it was a 8 pointer or more running through the woods . I laughed out for 1/2 hour. that was a best hunt I had that year .
ground hunting has always been a blast
Carl
I hunt the ground, I've had deer 4 yards away no joke. Talk about a rush
Ground/Still/Pushing deer has been more fun and sucessful for me over the years.I;ll spot them from a stand sometimes and then stalk them,lots of fun.
Nothing like a stare down from 5 yards...you are on one side of a bush...the deer on the other. At that point it's usually a "deer wins" situation....but fun, nonetheless.
I had a nice buck nearly run me over. It happened on a two on two drive. One minute everything was quiet, the next second this deer was comming over a ridge right at me. I leaned backwards as he passed me. That was the closest I have ever been to a deer while on the ground.
My cousin witnessed it from the other side of the creek.
I have tried a ghilli a few times but still learning how to use it, I guess. I have not taken a shot with the ghilli on yet. Tho I did have a couple of young deer that presented a shot. Just not what I was looking for.
Got to see a bear this morning,that was a RUSH...........
Just wondering, do you get your shots while sitting standing or off of your knees? I have been picking a spot and waiting while sitting.
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I am hunting off the ground more and more. This Nif-T-Seat is my favorite grounf seat
Just had a 10 pointer waltz thru my shooting lane tonite. Caught me looking the other way. Thats how it happens on the ground. Killed a 8 pointer in the exact same spot last year.
It's hard not to love the rush and emotions you can experience when ground hunting. It is SO ADDICTIVE!!
One time while hunting on the ground i had a squirrel climb up on my shoulder and put his front feet on the top of my head! Probably one of the coolest experiences i have ever had hunting. I just wish i could sit still enough for a deer to get that close.
I was doing some scouting Friday evening, and had to stop to pee. While I was doing my thing, a giant size 8 pointer jumped out of the bush about 10 yards away.
It's gets easier being on the ground as you get older too. I talked to Earl Hoyt when he was eighty and asked him
If he still got out to hunt and he said he still did but only from the ground. So that makes it nicer knowing that you're not restricted from hunting. I just think of it as training for the later years if I hunt more from the ground now.
If you think that's a rush....don't go hog hunting...
or you will MOVE!!! :biglaugh:
Nothing like it!!!Only downside for me is that it doesn't take too many trips before I feel like I'm putting too much pressure on the little 50 acre tract I hunt.
I just started my year on a new piece of property that has a half dozen tree stands that havn't been hunted for a good number of years and now isn't the right time to clear shooting lanes. Last winter after the hunting season I had a brainstorm for a ghille suit, it's amazing that this oppurtunity came when I was going to dedicate my season to the ground hunt with my new suit. I'm hoping that I will be able to learn from every hunt and see how much fun this will be. I've always loved hunting on foot and heard awesome stories about ghillie suits. Let the fun begin!