Thank you for clicking on this and please provide your expertise!
I have happened onto a lease in Alabama, southeastern portion of the state which has a rut in mid-Jan, early Feb. Season opens in mid Oct through Feb 10 or so and I have the place to myself in the early season. Fairly flat with some slope, swamps, hardwoods, planted pines, clear cuts.
I am wanting to hunt from the ground pretty much and just wanted to start a thread to elicit any info I might gather from the tribe about the theory and practice of hunting from the ground. I feel more in tune traditional hunting from the ground if you know what I mean.
Thank you. I have a couple of good seat options, a Millennium, strap stand and a couple of 45% angle seat stands I read about here. Got the seats set, need mojo info about how to be a ninja hunting from the ground.
1....wind in face
2....cover at back to block silhouette.
3.....some cover in front to conceal
4.....eliminate movement
5.....be patient...if you have a deer close. They do not know you're there
6....do not draw until you are ready to shoot and then follow thru with shot.
7...practice from sitting position.
8....I'm not an expert
What jacobsladder said plus a Ghillie Suit!
2x what they said . It's a blast !
yup, that covers it.
9 Have fun
This is how I do it:
1. I use the cheapest pop-up blind I can find. And that I can comfortably shoot my bow out of
2. I always brush in my blinds and leave them out all year.
3. I always set my blinds up so that I have a north, west or northwest wind advantage(This is the prevailing wind in my area. This is in reference to where I think the deer are bedding.
4. I always dress in full black and am anal about scent control and wind direction.
5. I have actually had more success hunting out of a blind than any other method. Especially in thick areas that do not have a lot of trees to climb
6. I shoot a sharp 2 blade broad head and always leave the screens up. The broad head will zip right through and does not affect accuracy.
Good Luck!
Saw, pruners, blind fabric, zip-ties, and 6 to 8 plastic electric fencing post.
Another thought - I always have a tendency to set up TOO close to where I expect the deer to be. It's easier to get it done if not inside their 'zone'. Have fun on your new lease!
What jacobsladder said.
I've never used a gillie suit and they still can't see me. I'm sure the gillie suit would help. I like wool because it doesn't have a shine to it.
Slayer 1 is onto something - they really, really can't see him.
Biggest enemy is the breeze on the back of my neck.
And, like a couple others, I am surely not an expert.
If you are using a natural blind use the tips above. Your biggest enemy when hunting from the ground is moving around. So make sure your comfortable for a long sit and able to shoot from that position.
When I dont use a natural blind I use a big mike xt pop up blind. If you use a pop up blind moving around isnt such a big deal because the blind really covers you up well. Thats why I use one when Im filming or photographing.
I like to set up for deer or turkeys so that there are some big trees in the area where I hope for the shot to come. I draw when the animal's head goes behind a tree. I'd rather kill one on the ground than 5 from a tree.
My favorite ground hunting is drifting through the woods after a rain, preferably with some wind to help cover movement. When I see an animal I stop and hope for it to come closer. I've had some heart-pounding experiences doing this, and occasionally brought home some venison.
I forgot to mention....and this is VERY important....your foot route to ground blind or stand....I've had several screw ups where I'd go into an area to ground hunt...walk past my final destination and leave scent on foliage,brush,etc...then back track to set up a quick groundblind......end result is the deer hang up cause they pick up your scent on something.....Long story short try a direct route to groundblind and don't backtrack to sit down...cause you'llprobably drop enough scent to keep a mature deer from heading in your direction.
Some good advice already. I'll add a bit to the warning about movement, namely where natural ground blinds are concerned: make sure your lower legs are covered very well to conceal any and all movement when shifting your feet. The majority of the time I've been busted on the ground, it has been due to shifting my feet to get a shot on a deer that appeared (as they always seem to do) from a direction I wasn't expecting. With their field of view being so much lower than ours, especially when their head is down grazing, it is very easy for them to pick up on this kind of movement.
What DeCurry said
First scout the area find out where the deer are going to and coming from, you can't shoot them if they don't pass your setup.Then set up as stated above paying most attention to wind direction.
Sharptop, where are you going to be exactly? I hunted southeastern Alabama when I lived down there. I'm guessing that you will be leasing from a timber company?
I have had some good sittings with deer very close the past few years and I have found that I can sit longer in a comfortable seat that turns 360 degrees and that is the Huntmore 360 seat..I also keep cover to my back and if I'm near a stream I try to stay in the water as much as possible until I get to my Natural blind set ups on one farm..This farm has black Agnus and they have some excess to the bottom and I walk the pasture to get some of the farm scent on my boots and once I get in place I spray down once more with an Earth scent cover scent/spray..If I'm sitting a 4 hour sit I may spray every hour to help keep my scent down...I have used the Hunters specialty spray for many years and have had some really close encounters with deer..I also always take a shower and use unscented soap before I venture out and keep my hunting cloths in a plastic container with some pine and ceder clippings on the bottom to help lock in some natural sent ...I have also used bay leaves or whatever is in the area where I hunt..If you worry about getting pine sap on your cloths while in the container put something like wax paper or renolds wrap on top of the pine clippings and whatever you decide to use...Poke some holes in the paper to help let the scent rise up into the clothing...
I hunt portable and on the move for whitetails. Usually tree stands, but the ground often if the situation calls for it. I have fooled many deer off the ground- BUT NEVER with a pop-up blind! (Though I have never set them before the season- but some a day or 2). I have an older DB recurve model with the dull Predator Brown Camo. I even set that thing in tall marsh grass or a nasty deadfall with limbs all over- NOT! Lost opps at a couple PY bucks over it. They pick that thing right up! There is a reason they call them "Double Blow" blinds.
Also- I set up my small stool so I am very close to the ground (I even dig holes for the legs). I have it set where I can easily lean forward on to one knee that is under/next to me. When I see a deer approaching I slip on to that knee crouched and head down. In longer sits I can also put weight on my knee allowing me to take weight off my butt/back.
Dan in KS
I have found keeping my hands and face covered to be very important. More so as we get into October.
Early season you can really catch them off guard. Avoid eye contact (easier said than done ).
If you are not comfortable it is hard to stay still, think turkey hunting. When the wind is in your favor you will be amazed at how close you can get. They will sometimes pop right out cover and be on you.
If I hunt on the ground I use a pop-up. Brushed in, with screens up. I can move around some, stay comfy in bad weather and it's easier to position myself for a shot. I wear black and include my hands and face. I've found that a stool or chair that swivels (quietly) is also a big plus.
Make the blind large enough to allow position changes without interference.
Thoroughly clear the ground under your feet. When it gets up close and personal, the slightest noise from your feet will result in eyes boring into you!
Make a place where you can set your bow up with an arrow nocked. Hanging it is usually not a good option. Fred Bear used to show how he would stick three forked sticks in the ground to place his bow on with arrow nocked. Back when Fred was developing his skills in Michigan, tree stands were illegal.
Bow quivers always seem to get in the way in a ground blind, at least for me.
QuoteOriginally posted by Charlie3:
Sharptop, where are you going to be exactly? I hunted southeastern Alabama when I lived down there. I'm guessing that you will be leasing from a timber company?
About 45 miles SW of Columbus, GA. Timber Co. lease.
One of the largest deer ever harvested in the state was taken in Union Springs by a friend of mine's dad. Whenever you hunt timbered land focus on the edge of the clear cuts (you probably already know that). Honestly, they rut so late there I think early season is the time to get a buck. Sometimes they don't rut that hard becasue there are so many does. So having it to yourself early will be awesome!