posted
I hunted from tree stands for a good number of years, but since ive been ground hunting for the past few years, WOW, what a joy! Seems i went trad to simplify things, but i didnt simplify my tactics, AKA, hunting from trees. Going Trad. from the ground has made time in the field, OOOOOH ! So much more enjoyable, as well as the ability to change locations or set ups in just a few minutes to possibly better your opportunities. For those of you who have never tried it, think about giving it a try. You may find out that you have been missing out on some great, simple and enjoyable hunting opps. Seems the older i get, the more simplified my hunting gets, and enjoyment now far out weighs the work.
Posts: 927 | From: Connersville, IN | Registered: Nov 2011
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-------------------- In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's there are few...So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner's mind...This is also the real secret of the arts: always be a beginner. Shunryu Suzuki Posts: 9322 | From: tribes hill , new york | Registered: Jan 2008
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posted
I'll be staying on the ground for rest of my hunting days ........... climbing trees is too scary for me anymore. Probably see more deer from the ground, just not many shot oppertunities.
-------------------- Hmmmmm. I know you think you understand what you thought I said, but I'm not sure that what you heard is what I actually meant! Posts: 378 | From: Missouri | Registered: Sep 2011
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posted
This will be my first year going traditional, and hunting from the ground is one of the things I'm looking forward to the most. I'm tired of lugging 40lbs of crap in the woods. It just seems unnatural. I'm sure I'll still use a treestand in some situations, but I'm going to try to avoid it.
-------------------- “...the old ones ... knew in their bones... that death exists, that all life kills to eat, that all lives end, that energy goes on. They knew that humans are participants, not spectators.” -- Stephen Bodio, On the Edge of the Wild Posts: 285 | From: AL | Registered: Mar 2012
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posted
Ditto. I still do hunt from trees, but have migrated toward ground hunting more. Much more enjoyable... and yes, less work!
-------------------- The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first. --Thomas Jefferson-- Posts: 420 | From: Missouri | Registered: Feb 2012
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posted
Sounds good. Any tips? With a rifle it seems doable (thinking whitetail) but with a 68" longbow seems much harder.
Posts: 272 | From: TX | Registered: May 2012
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posted
The last buck I killed with a gun off the ground would have been a perfect bow shot for me at 12 yds. broadside with his head turned. That kill has caused me to decide on two things. One is no more gun hunting and two hang up my stands for awhile.. Early season in Alabama is usually hot and by the time I got my stand set up I would be dripping sweat so there are some good advantages to ground hunting. I am going to prebuild some ground blinds during squirrel season and others will be built as needed.
-------------------- 66"Howard Hill Big 5 50#@27" 68"Northern Mist Classic 50#@27" 67" Howard Hill Half Breed 53@27" Posts: 1000 | From: Alabama | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
Haven't shot any of my guns since I got back to Trad., that's been about 3 1/2 years, too much fun shooting the bow, and a lot simpler.
I hunt mostly from the ground now also, but I have a nice set up if I want to go into a tree. I carry a lock on lite with a small bag and two climbing sticks, they are very light and easy to move through the brush ( as long as it's not too thick ), if I find a good ambush place with plenty of sign, I climb a tree, but only about 10'-12' off the ground. I have found that I don't have to go very high to trick them, but the ground hunting is so much more fun and that is what I try to stick to.
-------------------- [*]Leon Stewart 3pc. 64" R/D 51# @ 27" [*]Gordy Morey 2pc. 68" R/D 55# @ 28" [*]Hoyt Pro Medalist, 70" 42# @ 28" (1963) [*]Bear Tamerlane 66" 30# @ 28" (1966)- for my better half [*]Bear Kodiak 60" 47# @ 28"(1965) Posts: 1787 | From: Soviet state of N.J. | Registered: Jul 2010
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posted
I hunted from the ground most of the season last year and had some great encounters. I must say that even fully camoed in a ghille suit I got busted a lot. This is largely due to me not being much of a ground hunter since I spend 99 percent of my time in trees. But the mobility of it and the ability to quickly setup over hot sign is difficult to ignore. This season I will probably be on the ground over half the time. The days I do not like to be on the ground are the completely calm days with no wind. Makes it incredibly difficult to get into position to shoot. Having said all of this my hunting partner has taken exactly half of his deer from the ground. He displayed just how good he was at it the season before last and really opened my eyes. I was scouting a new piece of property when I came across a tight wire fence with woods on one side of the fence and thick head high grass on the other. Right in the middle of the fence was an opening where there used to be a gate. It was too good a setup to ignore and it reminded me out of something from uncle Genes first book. However the down side was there was not a single tree to hang a stand in range. I picked a couple spots to hunt from the ground and left. When November came around I hung a camera near the gate and got pics of some nice bucks cruising through at night including a pic of a buck I really wanted and had a close encounter with twice in October. My partner saw the pics and said "one of us has gotta get in there!". Because I was not very comfortable with hunting on the ground and because the forecast was for little to no wind I chose to hunt out of a stand in another area. My buddy went in there and shot a nice p&y 5x5 during his first sit. Then a few days later he went back to the same spot and filled his second tag with a 140 class 4x4. Lesson learned!
Posts: 2331 | From: Illinois | Registered: Jun 2003
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