after years of ground hunting I bought a ladder stand on clearance last winter.
I used it last night just to practice and honestly I was very uneasy
Im not sure I can use it.
I may have to ground hunt from now on. At 53 Im not as lean as I use to be and Im just not comfortable up there. Maybe I need to get use too it.
Nothing wrong with being on the ground, just not been successful latley

I'm 66 and started using one of these rope systems with a full harness.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-748&va=hunting+safety+rope+system

Did you wear your safety harness?

I'm not happy with heights either... Love the "eye level" action hunting from the ground... Bear hunting over bait is another story.

... mike ...

yes sir
alway wear a safety vest
Just get wobbly legged when Im up there.
I like that eye level game but I havent got a shot in a while.
I think I may build a blind ...just in case.

The main reason I stay on the ground is... hawgs can't climb trees...lol

I feel a lot safer with at least one foot on the ground.

God bless,Mudd

dont just hang it on the side of a tree thats in the open, u will feel jittery. put it in amongst other trees that are with in arms reach and
put it lower working your way up. i was like you too at one time now it dont bother me much. no on said you have to hunt high either just in the ritgh spot with good cover ten feet up will do the job.

I spent over 20 years in the trees. I went to the ground all year last year and liked it so much I'm not going back up.  

i mostly hunt on the ground but when i do decide to get up in a tree its never high.I only hang my stands 7 to 10 feet just enough to get a better view.Never got the reason why guys go so high anymore.most ladder stands are 16 and over even i get uncomfortable at that high.Redshaft is right about be able to touch another tree thuogh.i like to hang mine in a multi trunk tree seams to make me feel safer.

I use a lot of ladder stands but only use the top two sections mostly and sometimes only the top section.  Use natural cover to hide and it gets you in a position to see better but not be so high you get a nose bleed.  LOL

Mike

QuoteOriginally posted by wingnut:
I use a lot of ladder stands but only use the top two sections mostly and sometimes only the top section.  Use natural cover to hide and it gets you in a position to see better but not be so high you get a nose bleed.  LOL

Mike

Mike,

I'm in full agreement with you.  My present ladderstand will put me at about 7 ft.  That's as high as I go with climbers, which I no longer use!

Bill

I never thought to leave off the bottom section of my ladder stands to get only 9 or 10 feet up.  That is a great idea!  And less weight to drag through the woods in this heat.

The only deer I killed from a stand my butt was 8 feet off the ground, so my feet were at about 6 feet. Don't have to be high. Now it's the ground 95% of the time.

I'll take cover over height anytime!

Look at the ground hunting threads here and give special look at the ones regarding ghillie suits.

They are a bit of work to get set up, but they are not that bad, and if you can sit still and choose decent spots, I can almost guarantee you will continue to see game.  

Lots of em out there, I recommend the Rancho Safari version cause I have one and like it.  Haven't used the others.

Like all things, you gotta work on the technique of how to do it.

ChuckC

I still get in ladder stands. Sold the loggy byou climber a couple years ago-- it was deadly but 25 feet up started to look too high - only way to stay out of it. Would try to hunt on ground-then see big buck sign- and back to 25 feet up. Am going to ground hunt more this year. Weigh too much and too old to bounce. Roy

Yea, I really like the ground. Last time up a tree I was really uncomfortable. May try it again, but not so high. But I really like the ground better. God bless.

I still hunt from elevated stands but find myself spending more time on the ground each year. My back is bad, and I'm getting old. That is not conducive to tree climbing.

I was a Loc-on guy for many years then I decided to sell them off keeping my 2 climbers. I hunted both from the ground and using the climbers,now I'm pretty much on the ground. Still keep the climbers just in case though.

I hunt on the ground but when I used a treestand, I only got about 10 ft off the ground.
I have a homemade ladderstand that's 8 ft I use occasionally , you dont have to get very high.
Ive never been comfortable any higher than 10 ft.
I wouldn't worry bout it...folks were killin game for thousands of years before tresstands came along. LOL

I fell from a stand 20 years ago and have never felt safe again until a few years ago when David got us these. I can get back in a treestand now with out be nervous

http://www.huntersafetysystem.com/lifeline/