Ground tactics for Whitetails

[joe skipp]

Been on the ground since 1975 after a spill from a Baker Tree Stand. The most exciting way to bowhunt any game. Made a ton of errors in those early years but as time went on, became very proficient at perfecting my skills. Took a lot of studying deer habits, food sources, the hardwoods etc.

Back in '86 I switched over to ASAT Camouflage and its been my staple ever since. "leaves are down, woods are brown" and I found ASAT to blend in perfectly in all my hunting situations. Timing the shot is also key, most of my kills are made while the animal is quartering away from me.

Another key element my buddies and I find from ground hunting is being mobile. Especially when we are calling and the deer are in the pre rut or rut stages. We can cover more ground and at times, ease in on a good buck while the chasing hits it peak. After scouting a new area, I like to head in and build natural blinds or ambush locations in Jan/Feb. All natural cover making sure I have a few blinds to cover any wind switches.

I don't make them too obvious on state land I hunt because it just opens the door for another hunter to find and use them. Too much info to cover here...Soft quiet camouflage clothing, a good cover scent, headnet over face paint, patience and good strong buck lure during the rut.

[joe skipp]

ASAT effectiveness at a distance...notice the natural cover I used behind me...

 

[mrpenguin]

I love to spot and stalk.  Have yet to take a deer doing it, but last year I went out New Year's Eve Day.  It was drizzling with snow already on the ground.  It was great just sneaking around in the woods, following deer trails, seeing where they were... There's something awesome about being on the ground, moving, stalking, soaking up the natural environment around you... its more than harvesting, it feels like tapping into something deeper, primitive,  and natural.  That said, I hope to harvest a deer still hunting this year with my recurve!  For me, that would be the ultimate accomplishment (although I really want to get out west and hunt Elk someday!)  

[Bill Skinner]

The good thing about hunting from the ground is being able to build a blind at the hot spots you find during scouting.  It is all natural, so you don't have to let it weather in and loose its scent.  You can build several in a day for different wind conditions.  If you build them in the late summer, when the leaves fall they just get better.  A folding dove stool is all you need to bring in with you, get the kind with a pouch and it doubles as a day pack.  Bill

[Recurve50 LBS]

I'm glad that Joe Skipp chimed in on this thread. He and a couple other of my NJ Winter Bow hunting friends know a lot about hunting white tails on the ground. Joe had given me some pointers a couple seasons ago and my hunting has improved from his advice.

Another scorce of good solid information I have found was in the book by G. Fred Asbell titled Stalking and Still Hunting. He covers foot wear, clothing, hunting from ground blinds and still hunting.I think I bought my book from 3 Rivers.

[sweet old bill]

I love to make natural ground blinds. I even have a number of the plastic gree chairs set in them with my name on them with a note in plastic telling other hunters to feel free to use but do not move as I am a physcial challenged hunter and need the chair to hunt. So far over the last 10 years I have had only 4 chairs taken. So I am out a 20 bill. The use of natural blind give the hunter a natural setting that the deer see over the year. I in some cases will add some extra pine or brush to hide any movement as I go to draw on a deer. I do use camo coverall, face paint, hat, camo light gloves and most of all make sure of the wind. I even have a small feather tied on to the bow to show the slightest change in wind. It is great to be eye ball to eye ball with a deer.I also carry in my backpack extra hunting togs to keep warm and or not have them on as I walk in so I do not get sweated up. I also have at the ground blinds 1/2 pee bottles that I empty at the end of the hunt.

Bill

[adkmountainken]

after talking with Joe Skipp by email i built a few ground blinds like the pictures he sent me and had deer CLOSE!! Joe is a pleasure to talk with and is a great help. i have a couple good places i now hunt from the ground.

[Charlie Lamb]

I think sometimes guys are tied to their tree stands and need to think outside the box so to speak.
There's a whole lot of hunting that's being missed.

Example... I have a friend who's convinced shooting a deer while still hunting is impossible so he doesn't even try...therefore it's impossible, for him.

Guess I'm saying that I think still hunting and ground standing are a matter of attitude more than anything.

Though I don't do it as much as I used to, I often hunt in a tree first thing in the morning, then still hunt from there when I get down.

Also remember that the perfect tree in the perfect spot is gonna work whether you are in the tree 12 feet up or under the tree.

Don't forget to cover your face when still hunting or standing on the ground. Face paint (cork) or a head net/mask do as much to keep you undetected as the camo you wear on your body.  

In a tree or on the ground you are more likely to get caught trying to move when a deer is approaching (at whatever angle).
Once past you, it becomes a whole other ball game and you will get by with much more.

[Don Stokes]

I'd rather shoot one from the ground than 3 from a tree. I love to wander very slowly through the woods on a wet and windy day. Being a crippled-up old man (just 60, but some days I feel it), stalking slowly comes naturally! When I say slow, I mean REALLY slow.  I never take more than two or three steps at a time, and stop for several minutes between movements. If you spook squirrels or birds, you're going too fast. I like to go from tree to tree and lean against them for a little while. 100 yards per hour is about right. Since I go so slowly, I go to a good area at a faster stalk, sit for 30 minutes or so, then start the slo-mo.

Stalking can be really effective when it's dry, too, but then I don't worry about noise as much as the pattern of sounds. I break up my footsteps so that I never make three steps in a row, trying to sound like a squirrel on the ground. You know- crunch... crunch crunch... crunch... Deer get used to hearing squirrels and ignore sounds that sound like them. I have friends who also carry a turkey mouth call to help camo their sounds. When I'm feeling brave and I'm pretty sure there's no one else in my woods, sometimes I deliberately try to sound like a deer walking, using my walking stick and longbow tip. In the rut, a buck will come to investigate the sound of another deer walking. I've had them run right up to me. I don't recommend that when there's other hunters in the woods, and I never do it in gun season.

[Bill Carlsen]

There are a few things I do if I am going to ground hunt. One is to bring along a nice portable seat. One of the biggest problems for me is sitting still which means being comfortable. I also bring a grunt call, small pruners and a small hand rake used in gardening. When I find a spot I set up the seat and clear the ground with the small rake. I then prune some shooing lanes as quietly as I can. All the time I use the grunt call very softly in case deer are close enough to hear me....I want them to think I'm a buck messing around. I also prefer a ghillie suit or leafy suit but  have killed a number of deer in regular old camo just sitting at the base of a tree. Movement and scent are the biggest give aways. Oh yes, I also have a small screw in bow hanger or two in my pack to hang or lean my bow on in the event there is not a convenient place to hang it or lean it. I've taken deer as close as 3 yards from the ground. It is as good as it gets for bow hunters. I've had my most consistent luck when I come upon really fresh sign at a feeding area, like oak trees. If the sign is real fresh there's a really good chance the deer will be back pretty regularly for a while. Face and hand camo ore essential, as well.

[J-dog]

When I was younger I spent alot of time on the ground, still do a bit. I used to find trails or crossings and just set up near a tree with a little brush. No chairs, just crouched on my knees. Little older now - crouched doesn't work for long anymore - gotta have a bit of the comfort, I keep a little fold stool lashed to my little pack I carry.

Seen guys give up hot spots because there was not a suitable tree close by.

J

[Covey]

This a great thread, like I posted earlier I hunted exclusively on the ground last year and had some close encounters, I'm talking 3 to 5 yards, and had a great time, looking forward to next season!! and like other's have said, back cover and good camo is key!! Good Hunting, Jason

[pktm]

Thanks much everyone for the votes of confidence. Where I hunt, I have access to some pretty thick areas and that's where you'll find me.

Actually tried it one time a couple of years ago. I went hunting on day that was very thick with fog and mist. So I decided I wouldn't be able to see anything in that slop so I hunkered down at the base of a large oak tree. Just sat there and waited. Unknown to me but a nice buck had snuck in behind me and sat down himself about 5 yards away. When hunting time was over, I stood up.....in shock...so was he. I guess I can say, we enjoyed each others company for a short while.

[One eye]

I stopped ground hunting in 1983 after being shot by another bowhunter who mistook me for a deer.  I simply could not bring myself to hunt from the ground, even though I wanted to.

When my kids got old enough to go hunting, I slowly returned to ground hunting.  At first, it was pop-up blinds to hide their fidgeting.  Once my son got older I found myself hunting even more from the ground because I would be worn out after hauling and hanging his stand and getting him buckled in safely.

Now he is grown and hangs his own stands.  Now I hunt almost exclusively from the ground.  There are too many treestand hunters on the public ground I hunt and the deer are looking for danger in the trees more than on the ground.  I also like how quietly I can sneak into a spot when I am not hauling a treestand and the associated equipment.

Most of all, I love the challenge of being at eye level.  I have killed several nice bucks the last couple of years from the ground, and I do not see myself returning to the trees.

I am building natural ground blinds right now.  Be sure to have a good background.  I also wear ASAT Leafy wear and it is one of the best purchases I have ever made.  I have had deer as close as 3 yards and simply "look right through me".  That stuff is amazing.

Now I need to find a more comfortable stool.
Dan

[Three Arrows]

In Northeast Ohio where I live and hunt, the deer look up when they travel through the woods. Now, they are starting to notice ground blinds!  I just use a Tree Saddle or natural cover and ASAT Leafy. I have patterned these deer around here enough to know where they go and just pick out the ones I want.  In high pressure areas, you have to be willing to get up and set up where the deer will go when under pressure.

[One eye]

Originally posted by Three Arrows:
In Northeast Ohio where I live and hunt, the deer look up when they travel through the woods. Now, they are starting to notice ground blinds!  I just use a Tree Saddle or natural cover and ASAT Leafy. I have patterned these deer around here enough to know where they go and just pick out the ones I want.  In high pressure areas, you have to be willing to get up and set up where the deer will go when under pressure.

Hardly anyone ground hunts on public land here, especially with a bow.  Interesting difference between our two states.
Dan

[Three Arrows]

That's what I used to think.  I just kept going higher up the trees and the deer still looked up.  They don't run, they just get nervous and leave.  I started ground hunting using natural cover or building blinds ahead of time using deadfall and brush.  This method allowed me to have deer within a couple feet of me.  I have even had does take a whiff of the Copenhagen in my pocket when I used to use snuff.

[swampdrummer]

I know this is an old post but found it searching and had a question...
Been thinking about spending some time on the ground in some of the really thick stuff on my property that I'm seeing lots of sign in but I'm concerned about swirling winds.

Seems every time I've sat on the ground. Taking into consideration the wind before sitting down. Within a few minutes I have breezes from different directions. Usually 180 degrees from where it started out. If I moved every time the wind shifted I'd be walking all over the woods constantly....
Any advice?

[Tioga]

I took to hunting the ground 3 years ago. I hunt some pretty remote areas and found that even the lightest stands was starting to hold me back from getting into areas that I want to hunt. Best tools I've found are Russel Hulls Cover-Up and this here seat that I discovered last year. Google up SitDrag and you'll find it.

[woodchucker]

Walk SLOWLY!!!!!  

I have killed quite a few deer while slowly walking from place to place. Due to a bad back it is hard for me to sit for a long period of time. When the old back starts to hurt,I get up and move. It gats the blood flowing and helps work the kinks out. Make ALL of your movements SLOW!!!!! If you are not spooking the squirrels that are scampering around on the ground you are doing it right!!!!!

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!