Ground Hunting Whitetails

[Trab]

Can some of you guys who hunt on the ground discuss your styles of success.....it can obviously  be awfully difficult getting deer to come within 15 yards on the ground.....I use a small limb saw and thicken up some natural cover to hide behind, with the wind obviously blowing me away from the deer.....is this what most of you do, or are many of you super skilled at still hunting and stalking ?

[billy shipp]

I hunt a trail inside the woods before it crosses an open pipeline. I'm inside the woods maybe 40 yards. I have 2 ground blinds, one on each side of the trail depending on the wind. I run baling wire around several trees about 30" high, then cut branches, limbs or saplings from a different area....usually pine or cedar, then tie them to the baling wire for cover in front of me. I always set up with a lot of cover behind me, but I also like cover in front of me.
Stay clean, odor free, use the wind, be still and you can poke deer and hogs with the tip of the bow when they walk by.

Billy

[Trab]

Awesome Billy......poke em with my bow.....you are the man.....great idea with the wire as a brace for the cut branches....thanks man

[jack benson]

Hard to believe, but I used to have a "hunting"cat. She taught me how to still hunt.

Muffy was a domestic short hair barn cat and followed me around when I went hunting out in our woodlot. Out of curiosity,I started following her and learned the right speed to stgalk. If I moved too fast or made a noise, she would turn and glare at me.

When she would go into a crouch and the tip of her tail start to twitch, I learned she had led me into range of a deer and I eventually picked up its location and often got a shot. I took at least 3 deer over that cat!

Muff would lead the way to the kill and sit on the deer while I field dressed it.

I checked and recheck our state game laws. In MI, it is illegal to use dogs to hunt deer--but nowhere is there any mention of using a cat!

[josef2424]

Wow that is amazing Jack!!!

[NewtoTrad2008]

Jack, does she have any kittens!  

[KentuckyTJ]

Oh my goodness that one brought a smile to my face Jack.

[Hawkeye]

Jack,

That is TOO funny!  Pets can be amazing.

[Trab]

Jack my man, that is the best story I have hear in a long time....I tip my cat to you !  We've all heard of hunting FOR __ssy, but never WITH it!!

[rxhntr]

Jack, Iam not a cat fan, but sign me up. that is a great story.

[TNstickn]

Awesome story Jack!!!!!

Oh Trab, got me rollin on that one!!!

[reddogge]

I love the cat story.  

I hunted from a ground blind this year, one of 3 I put together and the first time on the ground in 41 years.  The best one was in a funnel where the longest shot was 25 yards and in.  I broke a bunch of white pine boughs off and stacked them in a V shape against a pine in a stand of pines and sat on a stool behind it.  One day I was hunting a big buck and 2 does came withing 5 yards of me.  Quite a thrill and I'm sure they could hear my heart beating.

I killed a big doe at 17 yards out of that blind.

[hawgslayer]

 
Keep your body and your clothes scent free and hunt the wind. I stalk and it's tough but I like it. It may take me 60 to 90 mins to stalk (walk) the lenght of a football field. If you ask yourself if your going too fast, then your going too fast. Slow and easy and be mind full of the wind. I tied a 12" piece of dental floss to the top limb and a feather on the other end. This little feather will keep you with the wind in your face at all times if you just pay attention.
In the last 2 seasons I've taken 5 deer. All were under 20 yards.
Takes allot of PATIENCE!!!!!!!!!!  

[bowmaster12]

havent done much hunting off the ground myslef but i hav ea friend that loves it hes not a trad shooter but he loves to be on the ground he really loves the new hub style blinds there are resonable priced modles out there easy to carry quick to set up brush them n and the animals dont care at all but there is something more nature connection to buildign a natrual blind

[mcgroundstalker]

I Dig Ground Hunting! There are alot of natural blinds that you can use in the woods. I think G.Fred Asbell calls them "Mobile Blinds". Anyway... I like to play the wind and keep moving head to head on a deer trail in heavy cover. If tree rats are active around me then I'm going the right (speed). SLOOOOOOOWWW goes it. Eye to eye hunting is almost as good as... well, can't say it here.

... mike ...

[Trab]

It sounds like you read Asbell's book Stalking & Stillhunting....I read vit too Mike....It is an awesome book....

Trab

[brill16hockey]

Don't get caught in the open.  I like to slip through the thickest parts of the woods that I can quietly get around in.  You can get away with less than perfect wind with more cover around you also.  If you get in the open woods stay in the shadows near trees.  The first deer I shot with my trad bow was a chip shot out of the treestand, and dont get me wrong I was excited, but not near as excited as I was when I shot my first one on the ground with the trad bow.  There's nothin better.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

I wear a full bug suit when I hunt from the ground and I generally hunt near a large group of boulders that I use for cover.  Just remember that when you think your moving too slow, slow down some more and don't make eye contact.

[Hattrick]

I`ve never killed a deer on the ground but when it would light rain me an the guy i worked with would rush home an still hunt.Al most every time we would get really close to deer a couple times with in feet  
just never got the shot off, well my buddy missed a couple times. I really enjoyed doing that might have to start again

[RC]

Move slow and if your waiting its better to have cover bigger than you behind you than in front of you.Most important...stay after`m and have fun.RC