On the ground again....

Zradix · September 17, 2012, 04:58:00 PM

Been doing it for years.
I like it.
Easier to take young kids too.

Rob W. · September 17, 2012, 05:18:00 PM

I sold all of my lock-on stands last year. Enjoyed the last half of season on the ground. Going to try the whole year on the ground this year.

I kept my climber just in case it doesn't work out.

Rob

Mudd · September 17, 2012, 05:23:00 PM

This is my (?) year from the ground and the last one was the most exciting year of hunting ever.

Why?

I gave up getting into a blind.

The only thing I want between me and what I'm hunting is ...air!

Toughest and the most fun I've ever had.

God bless,Mudd

Rob W. · September 17, 2012, 05:29:00 PM

What is everyone sitting on?

3Feathers · September 17, 2012, 05:33:00 PM

Going to use the waldrop packseat,been shooting from it almost every day now.

DennyK · September 17, 2012, 05:42:00 PM

Rob W,when I don't have my folding seat I carry a 2'x2' rubber pad strapped to my Catquiver. When I want to wander and find a place I want to hunt the rubber mat works great for sitting or kneeking on.

Mojostick · September 17, 2012, 05:42:00 PM

I now hunt exclusively from the ground. I've given away or sold most my old stands.

On top of the ground being more versatile and comfortable, I know 2 people who fell and really hurt themselves. To add to it, my hunting buddy is a cop who has been on numberous 9-11 calls involving either treestand fatalities from family members calling or wheelchair for life bound falls. Needless to say, he won't climb a tree anymore either.

Killing deer from the ground is easy and offers a much better broadside angle at the vitals, if "double lung" is your kinda thing. There's no reason for me to get into a treestand anymore.

moleman · September 17, 2012, 06:12:00 PM

Rob W ,This yr. im gonna try a Dean Torges tree seat, read lots of good reviews, and its about as simple as it gets, and believe me, im all about simple anymore.

Rob W. · September 17, 2012, 06:16:00 PM

I have used a Torges seat a bunch over the years. I really need to build a few more.

Last year I used the knee pads from Rancho Safari. I like shooting from that position but sometimes I just want to relax a bit.

Rob

Gregg S · September 17, 2012, 06:37:00 PM

Also the Torges seat. Lightweight, cheap and easy. Wow, that kind of also could be said about hunting from the ground. Not too sure about the easy part but we'll see how it goes.

Mojostick · September 17, 2012, 07:25:00 PM

It's just as "easy" as hunting from a tree, as long as you setup enough natural cover around yourself.
I hunt in one of the top bowhunter pressured counties in the nation. Our deer are SPOOKY. But if you brush yourself in really well and set up at the intersection of 2 main trails, you'll have constant action.
While you can sit pretty naked/open in some area's, other area's of heavy pressure dictate that you need to camo/brush your location so that even a human st 15 years couldn't make you out.

When you do that, you just have to play the wind as you must and shoot straight. Easy. LOL

dhaverstick · September 18, 2012, 08:06:00 AM

I bowhunted from a treestand for the first time in several years on an August bear hunt and it reinforced all the reasons I like hunting from the ground. First off, you have room for all the crap we always seem to bring with us and, second, if the wind isn't right you just pack up shop and move somewhere else - easily! Besides, I LOVE the challenge of going eye-to-eye with whitetails. Wear a ghillie, have the wind on your nose and you are invisible.

As far as chairs go, I don't think you can beat the Huntmore for durability, comfort, and being quiet. I just got the new, smaller model that Scott came out with and so far I have been happy with it. It's 1.5 lbs lighter than the original and the size is scaled down but it seems to be just as comfortable. I killed a turkey out of it this past Sunday so I guess it's a keeper!

Darren

gordydog · September 18, 2012, 08:33:00 AM

Ground hunting is super thrilling. I bring a pruning shears to get some openings in the thick stuff. You can make some good location decisions based on wind that you can't with your prehung tree stand.

GreyGoose · September 18, 2012, 09:42:00 AM

I will be on the ground primarily, though I am maintaining a couple of stands that are pleasant and not to high. I like to be able to move around a bit more!

koops4 · September 18, 2012, 12:02:00 PM

I hunt strictly from the ground for two reasons. First, I do not own a tree stand nor have I ever owned a tree stand and second because I enjoy being at their level.

I use a cheap camp seat or just sit on a log or my knees.

September 18, 2012, 01:01:00 PM

Last year I was hunting with a disc injury and dislocated ribs. I had a good enough eight pointer come in from the wrong side while sitting on my Nifty seat which had the peg stuck in dry sand. When I turned to shoot, I think due to my stiff condition, my feet came off the ground and I fell flat on my back. I remember thinking,"This seat is higher off the ground than I thought." as I fell. I have two segments of a ladder stand up this year as a claim stake more than anything. We will see if I sit in my Huntmore most of the time, I may sit on the stand on more confident days when the wind is just right. But the problem with stands is that a lot of the time the wind is wrong for them and somewhere on the ground in that area would be better. The last time I put up a ladder stand, only a couple of times had the right conditions to sit in it. I ground hunted all around it to match the conditions. Too many times stand sitters sit on their stands no matter what and in doing so, disrupt their prized pattern.

frankwright · September 19, 2012, 08:00:00 PM

I have always hunted from a tree stand but the last few years I like ground hunting more and more.
We have a lot of leaf cover still on the trees usually into middle to late October, I can actually see more from the ground.
Plus as I get older I really don't care for the postage stamp sized hang on stands I use to use. I have a couple of Ol man climbers I still will use some but the ground is appealing to me more and more.
I have been shooting out of this seat in the yard and I think it is going to be a winner.

http://thehammockseat.com/forms/FanaticOutdoors/FanaticOutdoors.php

ron w · September 19, 2012, 08:18:00 PM

Used my Waldrop Pac-Seat for the first time today during early bear season, natural ground blind...things look good so far from the ground this year!

StickBowManMI · September 19, 2012, 08:23:00 PM

Ground hunting is and always has been for me. I like it much better and I hate heights.

Sockrsblur · September 19, 2012, 09:12:00 PM

Last year my brother and I hunted traditionally for the first time ever. We both killed bucks from the ground but what a humbling experience compared to a compound in a tree. This year I've declared my first longbow only season, no training wheels

last year my brother killed his biggest buck ever with longbow on the ground, it was a huge 8! I killed my smallest spike from the ground lol but it started something beautiful. Hunting from the ground I find the correct wind to be my most important factor. I utterly amazed toI hunt on the ground and have deer go by at 5yds and never know a thing, never thought it possible