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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: electricstart on January 20, 2022, 05:31:14 PM
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I mostly use a river edge ladder stand these days . But still have and use my Lonewolf alpha hang on with sticks or tree steps .I also have my summit climber . Have taken a few deer through the years on ground and ground blind . I did try saddle last year but hated looking at tree but it is really a stealth way to hunt if I were few years younger . Never was good at spot and stalk ,not enough patience .What do you guys or gals use ?
Thank You
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The majority of my hunting is from seven identical ground setups. [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
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Excellent blind Scott! I’m a climber guy but that blind could convince me to try a ground hunt. I always thought the ground would be the best thrill!
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I use ladder stands, and have one hang on to use if needed. Also a ghillie or two in different colors and hunt on the ground if necessary. It's all good!! :thumbsup:
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This past season, I pre hung several hang on set ups with stick ladders and hunted from those. Didn’t hunt the ground at all...... and let me tell ya, I really miss it and will absolutely get back to that for 2022. I will hang the stands again or at least a couple of them, but hunting from the ground in a blind you’ve most often times hastily constructed on the fly, is the most exciting way to hunt with the stick bow. Ironically, I swear I see the most animals this way. And they seem to be either at rifle range or they want to come in the blind with you! Don’t have to wear a fall arrest system and you can walk right in and sit then walk right out after when you’re done. It’s totally underrated I feel....... I love hunting from ground blinds! I know lots of compound guys and several great friends that for what ever reason don’t want to take up interest with a stick bow. And that’s fine, to each their own....... but what’s funny, is there ain’t a one I know that would opt for shooting from a ground blind set..... you HAVE to have good tree stands! I get a kick out of the whole thought process..... or maybe lack of in their instance.
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Anything from a tree stand to a dirt clod and everything
between. :goldtooth:
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The majority of my hunting is from seven identical ground setups.
You have me wondering if you could train an evergreen to be a living blind.
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I like my stands , saddles and ground hides.
Each situation calls for a different approach.
I've been having better success at lower heights vs 20+ feer high as I used to. Deer around here are always looking up in the canopy.
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I hunted from mostly hang ons my whole life. Then a couple years ago, I bought a saddle and have been using that. I like it and while it does have its drawbacks, it also has some advantages. I have never been a fan of ground blinds. This may not make sense to some of you, but I just feel too disconnected while sitting in one. Even when hunting turkeys, I prefer to spot and stalk rather than sit in a blind and wait. That being said, I shot a doe this year from the ground. I had a dead elm that had dropped a big slab of bark and I tucked in by that so I was pretty well concealed from the direction the deer should be coming from. I had a nice doe and two big fawns come by at 10 yards and made a good shot on the doe. She went about 40 yds and died. I've shot several mule deer and turkeys from the ground, but that was my first white tail from the ground. A lot of fun but I still wouldn't have wanted to do it from in an actual blind. Hope that makes sense.
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I’ve hunted from hang ons mostly , I really prefer to hunt off the ground , but I have no interest in a pop up blind, I just feel too constricted and like I can’t see… like said before, it’s so much easier and less crap to carry like safety harness, stand, ladders, plus I just feel more connected to things, if the wind changes, I can move easily. A few years ago I committed to a season on the ground and learned a lot I got close but ate tags that year. A lot of where I hunt just doesn’t have the cover necessary for a decent hide . I have a lot of friends hunting out of saddles and they swear by them, I’ve never tried one and might like it but I’m pretty happy with my hang on setups and hopefully more ground setups
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99% ladder stands.
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i hunt from hang ons , climbers, throw together ground blinds from surrounding materials, and from the ground still hunting, never hunted from a tent, probably never will. and took my first from a saddle this season, really not that impressed with hanging with a tree in front of my view, and all the ropes. but if i need it i got. works good for putting up sticks and stands with the linesman rope though. my favorite is being on the ground eyeball to eyeball, in a ghillie .
(https://i.imgur.com/rCorq7R.jpg)
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The guys in my hunting group have hunted mostly out of adjustable tripod stands 12- 14 ft tall with swivel seats we have built ourselves.The areas in Texas we typically hunt have lots of bushy cedar trees (junipers) that usually don't grow much higher than maybe 20 ft. or so.We place the tripod in near the center of the tree and wire back some limbs to create shooting lanes.Some of the nice benefits are sitting in a comfortable seat, good visibility and the ability to rotate and shoot 360 degrees.
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Fear of heights, I used cedar clusters for most of my dee, although a couple I got while simply sitting on a downed tree trunk with no cover.
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I hate heights! Have hunted out of hang-on stands, but have no interest in doing it again. The whole time I’m thinking about not falling, even though I’m secured.
I’ve got one 10’ ladder stand, but haven’t used it in a couple of years. I just love ground hunting, especially in a ghillie. I’ve got one old crappy ground blind I’ll use late season when the weather is really crazy.
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Been ground hunting since I started in the 60's. No desire to be up. A well brushed in spot and good back cover to break up my outline works for me.
Deno
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Friend you make a great ground blind. I do agree nothing more exciting then harvesting a deer eye to eye on ground but I get a lot more opportunities in a tree . This in my area mostly hardwoods . I do occasional use a blowdown as a ground blind. Works good if wind is right.
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My last twenty years have been mostly spent in hang ons or ladder stands. When I was in my 20's and early 30's I shot most of my deer just sneaking slowly around on the ground but now in my 70's my balance isn't good enough to sneak around. I've used a popup at waterholes and done ok but really feel restricted on vision. Any way I get out works for me!
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I want to try more ground hunting but I love being in a tree. I like being able to see better and I’m very comfortable with heights. Just turned 66 and still putting up hang ons although I do have a few ladder stands now. I like having hang ons as some of my best hunts have been the first day or 2 I hunted a spot.
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I hunt from the ground a lot. Just pic a spot with back cover and hold still. But I do have a lone wolf that really makes things easy when I need to cheat the wind or get a little higher in some cases. Only takes a few minutes to pack up and down.
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You need to hunt the wind. Need to move as seasons and food sources change. In order to do that you’d either need lots of permanent type set ups (blinds, hang ins, etc) or just one climber. I’ve got a bunch and that’s what I mostly use. The convenience of something already being there is nice, so is just climbing out and going home. I believe way too often we wouldn’t sit there if we had to chose each day. Permanent sets limit us and often lower our odds. I personally get out of bed and exert myself climbing a mountain each day with the intent on being where I want to be or need to be not somewhat close to that point.
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I do a little ground ambush hunting if the situation dictates, however I’m primarily a tree stand hunter. Up until the last two years it’s been tree sticks and lone wolf or Chippewa Wedgelok style stands. Hang and hunts, pre-set, and lots of all day sits. For the last two years I’ve been hunting predominately out of a tree saddle and been very successful with it. The biggest thing the saddle does for me is I’m more mobile, and the trees you can setup in are endless which opens up options for being stickbow close to where you know you need to be… Both my 2020 & 2021 bucks were taken during all day rut sits via tree saddle. I’m quite certain it’s not for everyone but it’s another “tool” in the arsenal… :campfire:
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I never had much success with spot and stalk. I have always been a bit clumsy and sound like an elephant walking through corn flakes. Only when the woods have been very wet have I had any success with stealth. I have had a little success with ground blinds, but I was not able to sit still for long at a time. Most of my success has been in elevated stands. I like both ladder stands and several of the homemade platforms I have used over the years. For newer hunters I recommend starting in elevated stands. Generally, they will see more animals in the early going. Nonetheless, if you've never hunted from the ground, you ain't really deer hunted the hard way. As I get older and my balance is not as good, I am spending more time earthbound. I now fidget much less than I used to do. Now, if I could just control my snoring...
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I switched to a saddle this year. Took a doe out of it with my SuperK. That was different for sure. I don't like hang ons because I'm not fond of heights. Climbers are ok, they give me a sense of security with the frame that wraps around but are bulky and I always seemed to hit my bow or arrow on it. I used ground blinds for years but the deer have wised up to it and now check them out like a hawk. Can't get away with anything in them anymore. It's almost better for me to set up a pop up blind opposite my tree stand. I can get away with anything that way. That said, for some reason the saddle with a back-up tether makes me feel very safe and pretty comfy too. I'm a fidgeter so it lets me move around more, change position. The only downside I find is the setup and take down. Not as easy as climbing into a pop up or up a tree into a hang on for sure.
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Not a saddle fan for several reasons but I haven't used one since the 90s so maybe they are better now. That said I prefer ladder stands. Tripods work if the cover situation is right. I have several fold up models I can move around. Blinds work well for me especially in the right spots like tight funnels and crossings or here in Texas at feeders.
Pop up blinds are deadly in the right situations but they have to be up well in advance. Even brushed in well deer seem to pick them out and avoid them.
I like being up 12 to 15 feet if possible. I hate the idea of falling but being at heights doesn't bother me.
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Last 10 years ground hunt for flexibility. Once I get a spot figured out since hunt public then go to my saddle.
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Hang and Hunt is 70% of how we hunt each fall on public- Beast Stand - Simmons Woodpecker drill and or Hawk Helium sticks
Screaming Eagle Harness I think 36 years now - and now with a second ‘line w ascender’ to get around big limbs safely.
Run a few Chippewa stands on private and clubs
Looking at just the last three seasons I got 10 out of 20 deer on the ground. I don’t get the steady fronts moving through that I like very often but when I do hunting on the ground is deadly. Hunted the ground first few times simply because I was too tired to climb after scouting all day and ended up getting a deer. So I keep doing it. Shocked me how good it is.
And started using a collapsible wheel cart to carry all my stuff in and out when I’m not using water entry (kayak or johnboat) these wheels have definitely added years to my hang and hunt routine. I am often over a mile from a gate.
Friend / Kentucky I am very impressed with your blinds set up. Obvious that you are willing to put in the work. I learned something THANKS
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I hated Heights Myself but realized I had to go up to kill deer my area mostly hardwoods and very smart whitetail . Started out with a Baker climber and my own hangons and safety belt .I look back and wonder how I did not get hurt . When Loggy bayou climbing stand and safety harness came out I think that was a game changer . But today feel much safer with the new equipment available .I see a few guys use the Chippewa stand ,Great stand . I use ladder mostly Now do to my age and health .I do still use the summit climber and lone wolf hang on when needed . Was looking at the beast stand because it is so light but expensive too . I have tried saddle was not for me but younger guys could be great tool . I have killed a few deer from ground and respect anyone that can do that on consistent basis .Especially spot and stalk very hard with stick bow .
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Back in the 60s I built a very fancy castle in the sky tree stand on private land, never shot a deer from it, I shaved one twice one day. Then one day a bully declared it was his, so instead of shooting him out of it, i went up the hill and watched, figuring I would deal with him later. Then I saw a horizontal figure rapidly descending from my stand, with a scream about 10 feet from the ground followed by a thud. I didn't need to deal with him later. Stands like the Lone Wolf climber are much safer and more woods friendly by not cluttering up public woods. A tree stand or ladder stand does not equal a no trespassing sign in Iowa public woods, even though many act like it is.
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I have been using mostly hang on stands for 25 plus years and most of that time with tree spurs. However when I started my son hunting about ten years ago I spent a lot of time in a hub style ground blind and he killed 10 plus deer from them before he started hunting from tree stands.
Some of my favorite hunting memories come from sitting with him in the ground blinds. Learned a lot and it is good to know I will be able to hunt for a while longer in life once I can’t get in the trees anymore.
I had a lot of preconceived thoughts that did not hold true. One was that deer will shy away from a blind that is not brushed in and there for awhile. I have trail cam pics from blinds multiple times the same day they were set.
The draw backs are they are hard to see from and you need all the windows but one closed to not be silhouetted.