Ground hunt versus tree stand

[longbowman]

I have been hunting since "before" treestands were being manufactured.  Once I started hunting from them I figured that was the way to go.  Now I've been slowly moving back to ground hunting but the thing about ground hunting is that you don't have the same view.  I like to see deer even if I can't shoot them.  From the ground if you see it it's generally close enough to get excited about but I know there are deer walking by somewhere around me that I can't see from the ground.  Of my 13 encounters with close deer this past season 8 were from the ground.

[AllenR]

Every ambush site is different.  Some will be best hunted with a tree stand, but some great ones don't have a suitable tree available.  It all depends on the various conditions that exist in each location.

I mostly hunt from pop ups because it is easier,  more comfortable and a bit safer.  Though I almost had a heart attack one day about noon when I dozed off and woke up to a 6 point yearling sticking his head into my tent!

[stmpthmpr]

I began hunting in Wisconsin and if you hunted whitetails it was from a tree. I moved to Alaska in the early eighties and fell in love with spot and stalk and still hunting. I hunted black bears out of a stand for sevral seasons, but after getting a taste of spot and stalk, retired the tree stand for good. Even baiting in the spring, I clear a trail that I could stalk in to the bait and shoot them off the ground. I let them pattern me, keeping the bait sparse, and within short order I could about count on them coming in shortly after I would bait at the same time every morning. Id hike out, have a cup of coffee, and stalk back in. It works GREAT!!!

When I go back to Wisconsin and South Dakota for whitetails, I still-hunt the big woods and the corn fields. Corn field hunting is a huge challenge, but it's awesome!

Ground hunting is a numbers game. You will see more deer and have more opportunites from tree stands, but the more time you put in from the ground, the more opportunites you have. I just love to hunt. Having taken enough game so that the drive to kill has waned, the experience is what it's about for me. And there is no greater sense of satisfaction than to hunt with bow and arrow built by my own hand, and meet my quarry face to face in his own living room.

Some of my best remembered stories dont end in a kill. Like the time that 170 class buck blew snot in my face and we both had to check out shorts for sign...

[Jerry Jeffer]

Tree stands can be very productive. I'll admit my deer harvest has decreased since going to the ground. For me, it is just more exciting on the ground, more challenging, I just love it. Also less gear to worry about. I just use Torges seats made of scrap wood. I have them all over the place. I can leave them out all year laying in the leaves so once I have places set, one less thing I carry in. If I cant use a seat because a location doesn't allow, I just kneel on a foam pad which packs easily and weighs next to nothing. It's purely a matter of choice. Hunting on the ground allows for quick changes in location and you don't have to find that suitable tree to climb. You don't even need a lot of cover. Just a few bits of brush in the right spot and you are ready to go. Some examples. I have shot at deer from each of these set ups at close range.
 
 
 

[Recurve50 LBS]

Great looking spots Jerry!

[JEFF B]

i like ground hunting as i like my two feet on the ground when i was over last year i climbed up in a tree stand but no its for the birds. but at least ya dont get chiggers when you are up a tree. that was the worst thing i have ever had man they are the devil. but apart from that ground is the only way to go  

[Junction hunter]

For me it's an ethical question. Hunting ethics say to make an effective clean kill.
It's harder from the ground and I see more deer from the tree but I haven't mastered HOW to shoot from a tree with the recurve. On the ground I can consistently hit within 1" or so. But, I always seem to shoot high from a tree even when I aim low. Been working hard on forum and bending at the waist but still shooting over their back and hitting high on targets while practicing. (Think it's a mental thing.) Afraid of a high hit or bad hit so I'm grounded till I can make the right shot.

[gregg dudley]

As far as whitetails it comes down to the fact that there is generally less chance of spooking non-target animals from a tree.  If it is during the rut and you have does milling around under you there is a good chance of a buck coming in to join them.  If you try that deal on the ground, the chances of getting picked off while waiting on the buck are significantly higher.  

That being said, I choose to hunt out of hang-on stands or ladders so that I can quietly get down and pursue game that passes me by if it looks like a good thing to do.

[rg176bnc]

Gregg is dead on.  With multiple animals its a matter of time before they bust you on the ground.  I love my API grand slam climber.  Very comfortable.

Theres something about hunting w/ a trad bow on the ground though.  It just feels right.  My plan is to ground hunt my so-so spots till the cover dies out then up the tree I go. The terrain you hunt will have some say in your choice as well.  Some places are dang tough to hide on the ground.  Good luck.

[44charlie]

ground for me! got 3 shots last year. don't use a blind of any type set setup where i see them first. i also love how i can move with out much effort and have hunted several spots in one morning getting shots in two places. most people sit in a tree seeing nothing when they could be moving to a new spotand seeing game. and if you don't have several tree stands you end up hunting the same spot too much. my 2cents worth.