STAND OR GROUND

Woody Williams · Post by **Woody Williams** » Fri Aug 13, 2004 3:08 pm

Anonymous wrote: Although he is recurve shooter a possibly anti crossbow, it has excellent information.

'Ol G. Fred is not only anti-crossbow he is anti compound..

He just puts up with them because he has too.

Masterhunter · Post by **Masterhunter** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:55 pm

Thank the good Lord you can hunt after your injury. I spend more & more time in a ground blind as I get older & hopefully wiser. There is something special being on the same level as they are. You also can even stretch out on the ground to rest if you choose to. I get to my afternoon stands by 3PM so I may have to wait a while before they get moving much but I'd rather be an hour early than a minute too late, ha.

The disadvantage is you can't see as much or move as much as in a treestand but its much more comfortable in my opinion to be on the ground.

exokidd · Post by **exokidd** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:17 pm

Lots of good posts here...i like to use both, with the ground blind it is very portable and you can set it up quick and very comfy and dry if the weather is bad. I also use my ladder stand and i mix it up so not to over hunt the same area also. I am definately investing in the doghouse this year...best deal at cabelas comes with the folding chair also!!!

kendo kid · Post by **kendo kid** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:39 pm

Both. However, I kill a lot more deer from a tree stand. That being said at least half of the stands are less than 10 feet off the ground. Wind my man is everything. And I do not mean the wind you get after supper.

TYE · Post by **TYE** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:46 pm

I hunt from the ground. Something about heights and me, don't mix.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:07 am

I use both tree stands and a pop-up blind. I find both effective if some common sense is used in selecting a location.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:07 am

My hunting is almost exclusively from the ground. I've killed more than 75 deer on the ground, with a variety of weapons. Stopped counting. We've got lots of deer, but a challenging situation, because the brush is so very thick around here. In many places, if you're in a treestand, the only thing you're going to be looking at is the top of the understory, while deer slip through it underneath you. Same thing goes on the ground ... you're going to have to be 10 feet from them if you want to get a shot.

Our very best bet is ambush when deer pop out into feeding areas, or mown paths, corners, edges, and such.

I used to just carry a bucket with me and sit on that. My 41 year old butt prefers something more comfortable now!

My philosophy is you're not going to get them all anyway, and there will be another chance another day, so find a good spot, play the wind as well you can, and wait patiently.

Grizz

hatchet jack · Post by **hatchet jack** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:44 am

all my hunting is from the ground .

hatchetjack

LV2HNT · Post by **LV2HNT** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:51 am

I hunt from both, but the majority of my hunts happen on the ground. Like others, I am more comfortable and it is easier to move if I am on the ground. Plus it takes a long time and there is more of a chance of making loud noise when setting up a stand, and that is not good because I can't usualy get to my spots early enough to make a racket without spooking anything. The only drawback for me is that I can get too comfortable and the next thing I know I will be waking up and seeing tales bouncing away. I can't tell you how many times this has happened.

The most important things to remember on the ground is wind and cover. It is more important to play the wind right on the ground than in a stand. So much so that I would recomend a cover scent, head to toe carbon camo, or both. As for cover, always try to sit infront of, or against something large that blends with your camo and breaks up your outline, like a tree, hill, or patch of tall vegetation. In the past I would always find a spot with good cover in front of me too but now that I have my Excal. I am not so sure I want it. Too much trouble in making sure my limbs wont hit something when I fire. It doesn't matter though because if your outline is broken up from behind a deer will never see you as long as you stay still, even if there is nothing between the two of you. It is also helpfull to stay out of the sun if possible. In the sun, movements are easier to detect and glare from anything shiny can put a deer on high alert.

I have some spots where the thickets (usualy pine) are so thick that it is imposible to walk through silently and they are too small for a stand, making them ideal for a big buck to safely spend the day. The only possible way to hunt these places is on the ground. I have found that in most cases sitting on the ground will let you see very far into the thicket because from the ground to about three or four feet up, there is no growth. If I have a good bit of time before I plan to hunt the thicket, I will get into the middle of it and cut out shooting lanes to the trails that the deer are using. Then I use the cuttings to make a blind. It works great, especialy in the public areas I hunt where the deer will run for the thickest possible cover as soon as the shooting starts.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:23 am

Man, LV2HNT, if I sat down in a pine thicket around here, the redbugs would put up a buffet sign! I would DEFINITELY regret that!

Where you at in the Old Dominion commonwealth? I have friends in the Tidewater region, around Bumpass northwest of Richmond, in Charlottesville, in the highlands at Burke's Garden and Clear Fork, and in the knobby mountains around Vansant and Grundy.

Grizz

BigUgly · Post by **BigUgly** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:25 am

I love hunting from a treestand great visibility plus you can move a little bit. I also love hunting from the ground in a pop up. You still get to move a little and the temp difference can be amazing late in the season. Guess I just love hunting. Have got deer from both set ups.

A.W · Post by **A.W** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:46 am

I too have a back injury. I'm missing two discs on my lower back. I prefer ground blinds, mostly because I don't bounce as well as I used to.

BOB7255KHZ · Post by **BOB7255KHZ** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 9:59 am

I have a ladder and a climber , but prefer a natural ground blind made out of the surroundings. I'm less figgity....more comfy on the ground.
BOB

GA.crossbowhunt · Post by **GA.crossbowhunt** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 11:28 am

i to will be do a lot of hunting from the ground this year. i just have to get out and find out were i want to put my blind. i use to hunt from tree stand but with my lower back giving me alot off trouble and a hernia to go a lon with it thier is no way i can climb like i use too

Corvus · Post by **Corvus** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 1:02 pm

I LOVE the pop-up ground blinds. I snickered to myself the other day when the lightning storm came up and I thought about the guys sitting in tree stands. As for visibility - I think it really depends on the terrain. Sometimes you can see MORE from the ground that you would in a tree at the same spot. Mostly depends on the trees and how thick they are.