Up in the sky or down on the ground?

[Three Arrows]

With the hunting season approaching me in the Midwest, I got to pondering if I should be climbing trees or sitting on the ground this year.  While the advantages to being on the ground seem so plentiful: easy to set up, no trees to hunt, capital costs on equipment is low, risk to self injury is minimal, mobility and portability is tremendous, and encounters with wildlife is heartpounding; it has its drawbacks.  Being up high in the branches you: see more game before it gets up close, get better shot opportunities, better shot angles, less mosquitoes, nicer view, and less chance of game detection.  Who hunts up?  Who hunts down?  I have done both and prefer the trees but don't like the use of tree stands and the associated aggravation of set up and packing in and out on public land.  I recently read a post about tree pegs that got me to thinking about the different ways we go about ambushing wild game.  My two favorite ways to get up in a tree are: using Sport Climbers and a Tree Saddle with 5 steps on an Ameristep strap on step, and using 1/2 inch rope tied between closely growing trees as a ladder.  I can be up faster each way than people using climbing sticks and screw in steps.  Biggest disadvantage to both methods:  I take the Sport Climbers off at the top so dropping one really sucks, packing in and out a dozen pieces of 12 foot long rope can be a pain.  What else have you got?  

[bigbuckmalik]

How bout just using a climbing stand when you want to hunt in  a tree? Findin a straight tree seems like it would be easier than findin two trees to tie together. But thats just my opinion.

[stickbow2442]

I really like my climbing treestand. It is easy to pack in and out, and is very easy to use.

[Three Arrows]

I have owned all the major brands of tree stands, climbing or fixed.  They just don't offer the safety, flexibility, or safety of a Tree Saddle.  I sold off my Lone Wolf collection last year due to lack of use.  I was picked off by a doe while hunting in your neck of the woods two seasons ago by Little Sandy in Forbes National.  ( BTW if you see my wool felt hat and gloves let me know!)  The trees clumped together are easy to find and gives the greatest amount of cover.

[str8jct]

I hunted on the ground quite a bit last year and did decent, prefer to be in a tree for whitetails.  Gonna get a set of LW climbing sticks instead of a climbing stand.  Crooked and limbed trees are in greater supply than perfect straight ones.  Already have a summit lock on and will use it and the sticks quite a bit I'm sure.

I definitely will be on the ground for hogs.

[bigbuckmalik]

If you ever head back to look for em, give me a pm. I know lots of good spots up there. Its pretty much my backyard.

[Covey]

I'm kind of tore between the two! The idea of hunting on the ground seems to be alot easier as far as walking in seting up in just minutes, but I tend to see more deer in a tree! I proly wont have a choice this year, my 10 year old boy is going to be my hunting partner this season which will be cool!! we are going to start making ground blinds soon    Good Hunting, Jason

[SteveMcD]

Both. Depending on the specific area I am hunting. But, I think the advantage is to those using a treestand. For all of the reasons already mentioned.

[Stone Knife]

I have done both ways, but have had more success in a tree. Being off the ground has another advantage besides stealth, you get a birds eye view of what the deer are up to at a distance and is a valuable tool for during the season scouting. Ladder stands are easy to move to change locations to keep up with the ever changing deer patterns.

[Three Arrows]

Around these parts the tree stands left in the woods end up at various flea markets.  Some people actually carry bolt cutters around to take stands and steps.  I saw someone take a blind down last year and pack it out only to see the real owner come in 2 hours later to an empty surprise.  I thought the thieves WERE the owners!  They took their sweet time about it and even scouted some.  I am leaning towards ground hunting or Tree Saddle hunting myself.

[Doug in MN]

I have been on the ground a lot the last few years. I am geeting a bit older and have a broken neck and a back from a motorcycle accident.

I have not done bad from the ground, try to find natural elevation to take advantage of seems to work.

DD

[carlr2s]

You guys that have not done bad from the ground, could you be more specific about your success? Thanks

[BWD]

Depends on what you are hunting. Many times while hunting out of a climbing stand, I have heard pigs that I could have tried to put the sneak on if I had been on the ground. But, I still see more critters when I am up a tree.

[jsweka]

When I was a senior in highschool I dislocated my scholder pretty bad and had to have it in a sling for three weeks.  Three weeks of no mobility does a world of hurt to you scholder.  I spent all summer working to get it back into shape to where I could pull my normal poundage bow by fall only to dislocate again.  This time wasn't as bad and I actually got it back in myself within a couple seconds.  I asked the doc if I could shoot a bow and he said it would be OK, but not to do anything over my head.  So I hunted from the ground that season and killed my biggest deer ever at 8 yards.  I've been hunting primarily from the ground since (17 years) and honestly think that I see just as many deer just as close.  But it is more difficult to get drawn on them.  If you hunt from the ground, I think it's more important to have good cover behind you to break up your outline than to have good cover infront of you.

[horatio1226]

Check out this poll I did

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=066649

[Saltydog]

I've done lots of both and each has advantages and disadvantages. But for me the "tingle factor" of ground encounters outweighs the birds-eye-view. Even when I was hunting from trees, about 4 hours was all I could tolerate.

[GingivitisKahn]

Ground hunting for me.  I carry enough junk as it is and have too much fun on the ground to tie my carcass to the top end of a tree.

[bear1336]

I have always been a ground pounder, slow and easy never in a hurry.

[sswv]

I do both and take as many deer one way as the other. a lot (for me) depends on the time of year, the weather, the deer and where I'm at.

[George D. Stout]

We will agree to disagree on "shot angles."  Tree stands create more awkward shot angles than shooting from ground.  I have got many more dead broadside shots from the ground, and at close distance...mostly pass through shots.  More possibility of pure double lung shots from the ground as well, at least that has been my experience.

Some days, you can see more deer as well, depending on their movements, weather, etc.
They both have good and bad aspects, but I'll stay on the ground.  I have close friends who came close to buying the farm from tree stands.  No thank you.