That's the million $ question.I just bought the Hunters Seat because I want to hunt about 50/50 ground and treestand this year. In the past I've been about 98% treestand.My reason is I want to cover more ground,sort of stillhunt with a seat.Let's hear your reason.
I find it more fun and more of a one on one challenge. I don't just sit though -all rattling and calling.
Because I want to...not to impress anyone, not for ego....just for the challenge and it feels right! I also hunt from tree stands...I enjoy them both.
Got to do it for your own reasons not for anyone elses....if you want to do it..then just do it.
Some spots just don't have a good tree to get up so I go from the ground there.
I'm going to try hunting from my turkey chair some this year. Getting to old for tree stands.... :)
Katman that's another reason I'm doing it.
I hunt almost totaly from the ground. Last year, I didn't use my ladder stand once...
Bottom line??? I've got a bad back,and I can't sit more than about an hour. I spend most of my hunts, slowly moving from place to place.
Works for me!!!!! :thumbsup:
On the ground in a ghillie allows me to be very mobile.
I mostly hunt muleies and elk. I have used tree stands for both but, in the end, its too much work to haul the stand around. Too lacking in flexibility. Too far off the ground at my age!
When I ground hunt its because I feel its a better shot angle. For the set.
it seems more intimate with the deer from ground...especially at 5 yards or so where you can hear them chewing and swallowing acorns. like mentioned by jamesh76...the shot angle is better too...maybe not that bottom hole for letting blood out but you have more viewed animal for shot angle versus way up in tree. I started only going 10-15 feet max in tree but much prefer ground blinds or stalking to be honest. Each has its place...
Easier to take my nephew in ground blind with me as well if I use pop up instead of natural...as he has not learned art of sitting still for more than an hour. :)
I have Vertigo.
It's a lot less distance to the ground from my Huntmore than from my ladder or tree stand.
Sometimes i dont feel like messing with a treestand. I hunt public land and i would rather slip in and set up without a bunch of stuff and also be able to move if i need too
Because I hate falling out of trees....seriously I had a near fall, and I don't want to chance it again. A successful hunt for me is the chance I get to get into the woods and enjoy the opportunity.
How my knees feel dictate whether I hunt from trees or the ground. Last year only sat trees twice and took a doe from the ground. Really don't want to undergo the knife so just move alot more slowly these days.
I like being eye to eye with deer, and I love the challenge of stalking, be it deer, turkeys, or whatever. For me, hunting from the ground is much more satisfying, even if I blow some stalks.
QuoteOriginally posted by katman:
Some spots just don't have a good tree to get up so I go from the ground there.
here here
I just hate sitting in a tree and lugging a tree stand and associated gear around the woods.
I hunted almost exclusively from the ground the last two years. had some success, but I also found that deer get really leery and pattern you much easier from the ground (if you hunt a spot more than once). I'm going to try and mix it up some more this year. just bought a Lone Wolf hand climber (been a Summit guy forever), and looking forward to trying it out.
Simple, if I hunt from the ground and do it the correct way ( wind, cover, camo, quiet,etc. ) I don't have to wait for things to happen, I make them happen. You'll be so surprised at how close you can get to deer. You think your getting an adrenaline rush from a tree, wait until you spot a big buck with your binoculars through the woods, plan your attack, and start your stalk, you keep getting closer and closer, expecting to be busted any second, but your not ! and you keep the stalk going, ever closer until, you only need him to step one way or the other, or for him to look away, or drop his head so you can take another step or two, to get the shot and then, bam !, either the arrows gone or you just got BUSTED !
You think its over ?, but wait he's not snorting or stomping his feet, the wind is still in your face and he's not really looking at you, something else startled him, and now you let things calm down you check to see what he might be planning and, now you get to start all over again.
That's one reason.
Cause fat guys don't fly!
Ive never been a fan of heights and am less so as the years go by. None the less I am more confidant from a tree for the most part. Ive shot a few from the ground and will do more ground hunting than ever this fall. I shot this one from 25 yards+ this past fall and not sure that I could have pulled it off from a confining tree stand. (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o244/2crazyboys_photos/IMG_2392.jpg) (http://s122.photobucket.com/user/2crazyboys_photos/media/IMG_2392.jpg.html)
I just can't be bothered to lug a tree stand out with me. I don't use a blind anymore because I noticed it tends to tie me down at times that I should relocate.
My dad and the men that taught me to hunt never used a stand either. Like many have said, the up close and personal thrill of ground hunting just can't be beat. My hands still shake a little when a legal deer comes by and I would not have it any other way.
Give it a try and see how it does for you
When I don't have time to get in a tree.
I hunt deer almost exclusively from the ground, for the reasons some of you have already stated. I hunt from brush blinds a lot, but I enjoy still hunting too.
I love the rush of having them close, and at eye level, and I don't like the steep angled shots offered from tree stands a lot of the time, though this can be evened out some by keeping stands lower. when I'm on the ground, and do things right, It's in one side, and out the other, which usually makes for a much nicer blood trail.
I hunt areas around home, that other people hunt too, and I've had several tree stands stolen in the past. There's nothing like getting to your stand with high hopes, to find your stand gone.
I guess the main reason I hunt from the ground, like I said above, is for that up close and personal, eye to eye excitement. Getting them close, waiting for that perfect shot, and then trying to draw without being seen. That's what does it for me.
Bob
I guess it's the mobility factor. I've got one of Big Jim's Hunter seats, and you can kinda of still-hunt with it. Sometimes when I'm scouting in deer season, I want to sit for a little bit and see what happens. With the Hunter seat, you can set up in about 2 seconds, and be still and quiet immediately.
Tall Paul that's exactly how I'm going to use it.
QuoteOriginally posted by TrueNorth:
Cause fat guys don't fly!
:thumbsup: What he said.
Don't like heights, never have never will... :rolleyes:
I still hunt mostly from elevated stands but am moving more towards ground hunting. As I get older, I am just less stable on ladders.
QuoteOriginally posted by Izzy:
Ive never been a fan of heights and am less so as the years go by. None the less I am more confidant from a tree for the most part. Ive shot a few from the ground and will do more ground hunting than ever this fall. I shot this one from 25 yards+ this past fall and not sure that I could have pulled it off from a confining tree stand. (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o244/2crazyboys_photos/IMG_2392.jpg) (http://s122.photobucket.com/user/2crazyboys_photos/media/IMG_2392.jpg.html)
Nice buck Izzy. :thumbsup: I meant to comment on your pic in my last post, but forgot to.
Bob
I hunt on post (Ft Benning) and the areas open for hunting change every day so the options are 1) Climber stand, which is a hassle to me and ruins my ability to stalk in and out, 2) hang on stand, which you either need to hang several in different areas or only hunt when that area is open, 3) ground blinds, but the same limits as a stand since it will spook critters the first few days its set out, or 4) ground bush blinds. A pair of pruning shears allow me to stalk around whatever area I want and look for natural cover in a good location. Then I tuck into the cover and trim small limbs to corral myself in and break up my silhouette. After a few months/seasons of hunting youll actually have several bush blinds in various spots to return to depending on weather, availability, time available, etc. In well hunted areas deer are as likely to scan the tree tops as they are the ground for danger and careful attention to the wind and slow movements will have you in close encouters that will get your blood pumping. It takes work. You will flub it a dozen times. But if you learn with each hunt, and dicipline yourself, you will wonder why you ever bothered with climbing up into the trees to begin with.
I hunt whitetails on the ground only if it's raining, very cold and/or very windy. Otherwise, I'm in a tree.
When I sit in a tree stand, there is always a period where the wind is wrong. When I hunt on the ground, I can adjust to the situation. I find that cedars are my friend, so I hunt turkeys and deer near them whenever possible. On public land around here, the areas that have lots of tree stands, after the start of the season, have fewer deer. That is because hunters hunt their treestands, no matter what the wind is doing and they do not start hunting until they are sitting. When I hunt on the ground, I take a few warm up shots when leaving my vehicle, and then the hunt begins. I shot a lot of deer because of my climber tree stand that I left in at its location every year. I shot those deer either sneaking to or sneaking from that tree stand, not one from the tree stand. I decided that the ground was better for me, but the stand did give me a comfortable place to sit before I began my sneaking back to my van.
1. Afraid of heights
2. Took a bad fall back in '75 from an original Baker stand
3. Plenty of natural cover to use, more mobil, especially when the deer are chasing.
4. I love shooting them when we are eyeball to eyeball and they don't know I'm there.
Joe you Jerry and Bamboo are my insperation lol
I don't get in the trees anymore. I weigh too much and at my age I don't bounce as well as i used to! Besides that, its fun.
Because it is hunting that I enjoy, not sitting. I do enough sitting when working and driving. Secondly, it is more challenging and interesting. I have had numerous close encounters with animals while hunting on foot, some funny, some surprising and all thrilling.
I fall asleep a lot.
QuoteOriginally posted by centaur:
I like being eye to eye with deer, and I love the challenge of stalking, be it deer, turkeys, or whatever. For me, hunting from the ground is much more satisfying, even if I blow some stalks.
This is the way I started back in the late 60s. My most memorable kill was a 45 min stalk on a fat spike.
Had great success from trees when it became legal in Michigan but always missed the challenge.
I am a ground hunter at heart... :archer:
I still love the trees for the elevated-enhanced concealment and the view. I'll be in em until I can't and I suppose when that day comes I won't be able to draw my bows anyway.
I did hunt from a ground blind in Texas once about 9 years ago. The only time I hunted in TX. It was more a hog hunt but it was January and I had doe tags. Killed a doe and a hog that same sit. I'll have to say it was a thrill to have these animals just 15 yards out from the ground. I was very confident of the shot with no angle to consider. I have many good spots for ground blinds where I hunt (cedar clumps) but in most of them there are nice trees nearby as well.
Where I hunt, public land with a 30 to 45 minute hike in, it is just more practical. I still set a stand on occasion, but at 68 years young I feel a lot more comfortable on the ground. :campfire:
I've been closer to white tails while on the ground than in trees. I started after falling out of a ladder stand (fell asleep) wearing a line mans harness and nearly died before being able to cut myself free and drop to the ground. Now I only wish I had started being a ground pounder sooner.
I do both. I do what the terrain demands.....lots of great hunting spots DON'T have a tree handy. Having confidence in your ground hunting ability opens up more areas to hunt.
Bad knee. The spirit is willing to climb a tree, but the knee says NO,NO,NO.
My reasons are similar to those above. Don't like heights, easier to adjust to conditions, better view of the target, can move if needed, much more portable, and don't own a tree stand. But it's all personal.
One of my favorite in the woods shots is to sit on a butt pad and lean against a tree with my feet going down hill. Now the first thing one will find that all bows will hit the ground, but not when the bow is canted the wrong way. Although it sounds like a scary thing to try, but with a bunch of practice shots doing the reverse cant, I find that I am plenty accurate out to twenty yards with any length longbow. That low silhouette combined with a Big Jim 'bush in a bag' has gotten me a couple of deer that were much closer than twenty yards and totally unaware of my presence.
Primarily restricted to tree stand/tripod or ground blind. Hunt a military reservation and restricted to no walk/stalk hunting. Have sent up my hunt spot witnin 150 yards of center of 600 meter circle. The only place I can afford to hunt in TX.
:rolleyes: :campfire:
Same reasons as many above....
Mobility, intimacy, challege, etc. but, the most important to me is, that fat guys don't belong in trees.... :laughing:
What's A Tree Stand?....... :rolleyes:
Some of the best times I've had hunting was when I found a spot to sit down, close my eyes and listen...... Just to wake-up some time later with wildlife all around me... Go Figure!
... mike ...
Its about the challenge.
It's fun and I have never fallen from a stool or a stump while sitting on it.
Ha. I fell asleep in the turkey blind last week. The tripod seat tipped over and I went flying, as did the blind, which actually sommersaulted along with me. Wish I had a video of THAT one. Try that in a tree !
ChuckC
Back int permanent stand days, guys were building large arial hotels around here, complete with padded shag carpeting and shelves to hold your food and beverages. There were also numerous stories of bowhunters waking up halfway to the ground.
Asbell reminded me what I used to do. So I started doing it again more often.
I ground hunt because I want to hunt where the deer are, not where the trees are. Hunting where the trees are sub-optimizing, in my opinion.
So far, it works okay for me.
I like the challenge...
I choose ground hunting for the past few years. I primarily because hunt alone and if I had a tree stand accident I would be putting family, friends and those trying to find me in a real bad situation.
I have grown to love ground hunting and have had success. To me it's a rush to have deer and turkeys a few feet from you and never know you are there. I primarily have used ASAT, however this year I will be and have used a 3D leafy suit from Big Jim. Last thursday a had hen turkeys less then 10 yards from me and never knew I was there will very little to nothing between us. This ground hunting stuff is a riot. Denny
I started hunting deer out of a ground blind three years ago in earnest and each year I become more confident in the setup. I mostly hunt urban deer and find they do not pay much attention to the blind. I lil the way it is easier to get both lungs and the scent containment is excellent. Except for the ease it is for someone to walk off with it if they like it more than I do I see only pluses.
1. I no longer have access to the property where I used to hang stands.
2. Most of my hunts are quickie after work type hunts with no time for stand set up.
3. When the back and knee flare up getting in a tree is not possible.
4. After reading countless accounts of fall accidents I realized it was time to just sell them all. I don't want to be another statistic.
QuoteOriginally posted by woodchucker:
I hunt almost totaly from the ground. Last year, I didn't use my ladder stand once...
...still in the briars next to the fence chuck??LOL!!!be careful with that contraption!!
--don't get too inspired bucky--I'm currently running 16 tree stands and a climber on our private ground--but very often we call and rattle from the ground as well as scout/hunt on public land during the season!
--it isn't rocket science at all ! a lot more can go WRONG is all--but when that buck comes into 12 yrds up wind and looks the other way!!!well to me that's livin!!
I find tree stand hunting very boring, and although I love to watch the forest come alive around me, I don't end enjoy being confined to a tree.
Funny story... My first year deer hunting, I watched a big doe come in and lie down about 40 yards from my tree perch. I hated being stuck up there! I didn't know you can't sneak up on deer, so I actually climbed down my tree and stalked up within about 10 yards of that girl, with a tree blocking me from her sight. I actually drew, shot, and missed her! Talk about beginner's luck!
A lot of the reasons above count for me, too, but another one is that I feel better prepared to make a good shot, (though I admit it's harder to be in position for one.) I spend a lot of time practicing my shooting from the ground, and I can vary that easily stump shooting. Setting up a practice tree stand and going up and down a ladder and getting harnessed repeatedly to get comfortable and as proficient shooting as from the ground is a lot of extra time, that I prefer to spend preparing other aspects of my hunt.
Mike I'm not giving up my climber yet! There's a lot of spots you can't get a stand in I want to hunt. Some of those spots on the river side that we did the winter drives on is one example.
In one week I touched, with my very own hand, a little 6 pointer and a forky, I cannot do that from a tree stand. I would not recommend doing that, the one about broke my arm against the tree.
I spent most of my adult life rifle hunting in Germany. I love the way you can see so much from up there. When I lost my hearing I also lost any sense of balance I had.
You won't find me up a tree anymore :(
Doesn't seem to change anything except that I can't see over hills anymore. Can't shoot that far with a bow anyway, so I really don't miss the tree stands. And yes, it is fun to have something walk up to you at the same level and the shot angle is better too.
I have found that some ambushes are better suited for the ground. Patch of honeysuckle, inside corners, etc. I think there is a place for trees and brush blinds in our strategy when it comes to these critters :)
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/imagejpg1-33.jpg) (http://s147.photobucket.com/user/wapiti792/media/imagejpg1-33.jpg.html)
*Toad
I have now started using old fake Christmas trees to build a few little blinds for the rut. I have found that rutted up bucks are more killable from a ground set than a long-nosed doe. I wait and use most of my sets in travel corridors in mid November.
WOW! :eek:
nice buck !!no doubt!!
Bucky we hunt spots like that one by the river
on the ground at least 3 or 4 times before I'd ever lug a climber in--
all the time trying to get a feel for movement and hunting pressure ----
-the hardest part of ground hunting for me was getting comfortable with the idea--
not being able to see as far---but remember the deer can't see you from as far either!
learning how to choose a setup where terrain or blowdowns or stonewalls steer the deer out of your scent and into range--
also learn WHEN to move!!--drawing the bow or scooching forward on your seat -turning your head will all get you busted in a tree but is magnified 10x on the ground!!
tired of dealing with ladders, carrying stands, worrying about theft, worrying about falling.
There are places like open flat woods and low vegetation areas along picked fields that are not conducive for ground hunting. On public land and some private land around here, those places almost resemble a used car lot, but with old tree stands instead of cars. The lone tree along a field would be better for some, but still is very exposed. When the low cover is right along a field and where there are no tree stand trees, things are different. Having fluid stealth when you shoot is a big advantage when hunting on the ground in natural cover, but if the deer start to avoid the high human traffic areas with nice tree stand holding trees, the areas with lots of good ground cover is often the best option.
why not
How'd they kill deer before tree stands?
Nothing more comfortable IMO.
Ive used stands, and there is nothing wrong with them, but ground hunting and stick and strings go hand in hand.
plus being eye level is cool.
I never want to wake up at the base of a tree and wonder if my life just changed forever.
I have a buddy with whom I hunt who had a friend die in a fall from a tree stand--found dead at the base of the tree. My buddy quit trees for good right after that. He has the dog-gonedest way to hunt now--just walks slowly and quietly into the woods and stops every little bit and stands and never worries a bit about cover. He has killed deer at 15 yards literally standing in the open and he doesn't wear camo either--generally dark green wool stuff. It has not changed his success at all as far as I can see. I help him drag deer out about as often as before.
I stopped using tree stands 3-4 years ago. At 71 I am not as agile as I once was and I want my remaining years to be as healthy as possible :) I do make a few ground blinds where I hunt from natural material I find in the area and I like my ghillie suit too. Besides, tree stands can be cold places to sit in winter when the wind is in your face where it should be and blowing up your leg.