Trad Gang

Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: juneaulongbow on March 06, 2013, 09:23:00 AM

Title: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: juneaulongbow on March 06, 2013, 09:23:00 AM
Do you hunt out of a treestand or ground blind?

If you hunt in a treestand, how high do you hang it?

If you hunt in a ground blind do you make it out of mostly natural materials and/or camo nettting or do you use one you bought?

If you use both, which of have you been more successful in? Including seeing and killing game.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: juneaulongbow on March 06, 2013, 10:07:00 AM
I haven't used a treestand much but I am now for hogs and varmints. The place where I'll be hunting deer doesn't have many good trees so I'm going to build some ground blinds.

Monday night I had a pair of coyotes come right under my stand. Got pretty exciting but too many branches were in my way for a shot.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: RedStag5728 on March 06, 2013, 10:26:00 AM
99.99% of the time I use a tree stand. During bow-season I use either my climber in some spots or a couple of lock-on stands we have scattered on the property. I've never tried hunting from a ground blind and I know that this is the more 'traditional' way to hunt. I may try to hunt a little from a ground blind.

Typically my set up is pretty high between 20-30 feet. This reduces the chance of me being busted by scent and also allows me to see a lot of land, however the shooting angle of my shots at 20 yards and in are pretty steep, so I need to hit high.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: Whip on March 06, 2013, 11:14:00 AM
I answered both.  But it does really depend on what I am hunting.  Some things, like whitetails, are primarily tree stands.  Others, like elk, are always on the ground, usually with no blind at all.  Turkeys and antelope are often from a pop up blind, but I have hunted both with a ghillie suit as well.  I love using all methods, and just try to pick the best for the situation I am in.

If I hunt from a tree, typical height would be about 16 feet.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: nineworlds9 on March 06, 2013, 11:20:00 AM
I try to find 'natural ground blinds'/features I can take advantage of without disturbing the landscape.  I am a ground/spot and stalk hunter...treestand doesn't do it for me.  I like to stay mobile.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: Knawbone on March 06, 2013, 11:34:00 AM
I'm with Whip on this one. I don't have Elk ( darn it ), but I use whatever method the situation calls for. I'm mainly a Whitetail and Turkey hunter. The last couple of years I'v been hunting from the ground for Deer. I get tiered of sitting in a tree stand, even though it's a most effective way of hunting them here. A four point from the ground is twice the trophy as a nice eight pointer from a tree stand IMHO.It's all good however!
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: moleman on March 06, 2013, 11:49:00 AM
Im a ground blind hunter, constructing them out the endless supply of materials that nature just leaves lying around in the woods. To be honest, i dont do a lot of building, for more times than not i just back up into the Cedars, foliage and downfalls that are already there. I used to be a tree stand hunter but now i leave all that climbing to the young pups.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: dougbutt on March 06, 2013, 12:33:00 PM
I do both.  I'm usually around 12 ft up when in a tree.  On the ground I use a pop up and also make  blinds with natural material depending on the location and the vegetation.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: Tree Killer on March 06, 2013, 01:42:00 PM
I'm usually 15 to 20 feet when in a treestand, but most my time is spent on the ground in stealth mode. Kind of depends on what I'm hunting and where.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: bowless on March 06, 2013, 02:43:00 PM
I've always used a treestand about 15' up.
But as the years roll by I've got to try the ground blind.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: John146 on March 06, 2013, 03:17:00 PM
I very seldom hunt in a treestand anymore for deer. I do it like moleman.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: Sean B on March 06, 2013, 03:36:00 PM
I use both, but most of the time, I'm in a tree.  I usually go to about 16 ft.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: Marc B. on March 06, 2013, 03:39:00 PM
Both but mainly in trees about 12' up. I use the materials around the blind when ground hunting.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: T-Bowhunter on March 06, 2013, 04:28:00 PM
15 to 20 feet.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: MnFn on March 06, 2013, 06:05:00 PM
I use both.  I have been trying to be more successful from the ground. But I have had some cool experiences from a treestand. Like the evening I had a very nice buck  approach my stand while trailing a doe. Literally if I had been on the otherside of my oak tree I could have spit on his back- well actually I could have drooled on his back.
He knew something was wrong and backed up like he was on a rail. He backed up about thirty feet or so and then continued after the doe.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: Bowwild on March 06, 2013, 06:37:00 PM
I voted "tree stand" but actually I hunt blinds for turkey and deer from trees.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: kstout on March 06, 2013, 06:46:00 PM
I hunt most of the time from treestands that I place in a pine or hemlock with a lot of cover, about 12 feet off the ground.  When on the ground for deer I usually stillhunt, but sometimes build a blind of natural materials. For turkeys I have a blind.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: Sam McMichael on March 06, 2013, 08:31:00 PM
Most of the time, I hunt from ladder stands from 12 to 15 feet high. In the last couple of years, due to a bad back, I have begun using ground blinds a lot. I make brush blinds but do use camo burlap as well.  Old Christmas trees are great. For several years I have been collecting trees after the holiday to put around my blinds. Leyland Cypress in particular retains its needles for a couple of seasons if you don't disturb it too much after it dries out. Just be very still and quiet and hunt into the wind.
Title: Re: Treestand or Ground Blind?
Post by: Stumpkiller on March 06, 2013, 08:55:00 PM
Treestands: in an hour before sunrise to plus three, then still-hunt, then back into stand for last three hours of daylight.  

We can't shoot before official sunrise or after official sunset.