Ground Hunting, NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!!

[BobCo 1965]

Great story, thanks for sharing! I got a big smile out of it!

[mcgroundstalker]

It's both feet on the ground for me or nothing. Well, deer hunting that is. A tree stand is a good idea for bear over bait.

Cool story, thanks...

... mike ...

[-Achilles-]

Its tough being on the ground.Very hard to kill a deer.If your in a blind thats a lil easier as they can't see you at all.When your stalking and still hunting you have to move as lil as possible.That mosquito thats biting your face will just have a free meal when theres a deer in sight because you can't move.I've had a ton of close calls this year so far.It is awsome but theirs a good chance you'll go hungry.It makes you appreciate the meat you already have in the freezer.

[Hud]

Thrill seeker, you probably didn't get enough and will be back at it, as soon as you can. Until then, it will play over and over in your mind. You know you need to give that spot a rest before returning. Good luck.

[SELFBOW19953]

Yeah, tell me about it!!  Look what I did this afternoon.

 

I was hunting next to a bedding area with no trees over 12 feet, so I set up on the ground. About 3:30 I heard someone beating up on a tree.  Grunted a couple of times, and a minute or so later heard footsteps.  This guy came out and finally gave me a shot at 10 yards.  Amazingly, I connected, high double lung.  The adrenaline was flowing rather nicely.  I can't believe I didn't pull that 29" arrow 36"!  What a rush!!!

[Molson]

Nice Phil!!!!!  

[Sean B]

Nice buck. Thanks for all the replys. I hit the ground again today, but nothing seemed to be moving in the area.  It was the first morning that I haven't had a shot opportunity.  we've been having gale force winds in the NE the last few days.

I set up in the same spot.  after I left a made a few modifications with taking pieces of fallen limbs from red oaks that still have their leaves on them for a bit more cover.This area that I'm hunting is very open hard woods with lots of "bunches" and "saddles".

[-Achilles-]

Ground hunting or stand hunting...marines or airforce

[Sean B]

Achilles-good analogy. I still like the tree stand because I can see a whole lot better from it, but I'm pretty comfortable on the ground too.

[highpoint forge]

My first trad hunt was on the ground last 12/27. I'll never forget being that close, or missing from that close either.

[Kip l Hoffman]

It is darned hard to hunt from the ground.  I mostly don't try anymore.  But the few times it does happened are remembered for years.  It can be down right scary when you have the doe in heat scent right there in front of you and you just put the rattling horns down.  Proves that you don't have to "make meat" to make a memory.

Way to go, keep us informed.

[-Achilles-]

Well the air force modow is "Work smarter not harder"...What is the marines?

I'm more a jarhead for sure.Have any of you smelled the stinch of a buck urinating right in front of you?I had that happen last week but still didn't have a shot.

[Ray Hammond]

My biggest elk was five feet from me at one point- thank goodness for western steady winds! Shot him as he turned to walk away!  Great feeling to be that close

That's how we hunt hogs- spot and stalk up close and personal so you can see their whiskers!!!!!!

[Eugene Slagle]

I've been hunting on the ground exclusively this season, partly because I haven't had the time to get some elevated shooting in & I wanted to get back to my roots or rather beginnings.

A few weeks ago I hunted the club & every day I saw deer, Saturday sitting in my honey hole I had a 6 & a 4 pointer come in from the field, I positioned my self &  drew my Zona back leveling on the 6's spot when they both stopped at 10 yards but wouldn't ya know it there was a sapling between me &  him.
now all this time while at full draw fighting to stay calm with my heart running out of my chest I'm saying "one more step just one more."

Well as fate would have it they both turned inline with those saplings "as though they knew I didn't have a shot" & walked off into the woods.
I let my bow down & recovered from this HIGH I was on &  thanked God for showing me the better things in life, man I can't wait for the next time.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I'm just to cheap to buy treestands  

[monkeyball]

Doing it on the ground has been tuff this year!! Looking out my window as I type this, the willow branches are doing figure 8's in the wind. Try to make that one work for you.

 Keeping clean and using some of the scent free sprays will help at times. Bottom line is if they get a blast of "human" you probably won't ever know they were there.

 Every now and then it all falls in place, and when you get the chance to kill a buck like the one posted on this thread,you will never forget it.

 Be persistent,patient,it will happen.

                          Good Hunting,
                                  Craig

[Tom Leemans]

Wait til they come lick the fletching on the arrows in the quiver laying at your feet!

[Talondale]

Had a similar thing happen to me a couple years ago.  I was in a  spot with a boulder uphill and a big oak below with me inbetween.  Usually the deer come straight down and the boulder acts as a screen but I had a nice buck pop out of a blackberry patch almost 15' beside me.  Without a backdrop he spotted me right off and did a stare-down for a few seconds and then ran off.  I later killed a small button buck I thought was a doe from that same stand at 10'.