My take on the ground game.

[Rob W.]

First off I am far from an expert on anything but I get a bunch of questions about ground hunting and thought this might help some guys starting out. I only switched to the ground a couple of years ago and all of the doubts and stumbles are still fresh in my mind.

I remember reading everything I could on here about hunting the ground and something that Charlie Lamb said stuck out. It was something to the effect of "Any spot that would be good for a treestand  is good for the ground." That was big for a guy that had spent most of 20 years in a tree and had a bunch of doubts about how to setup. So with my all or nothing attitude I sold all of my stands and made a go at it.

The first thing I learned was not to blame lack of deer sightings on making a major switch. Doubt creeps in and stupid decisions are made. Kinda like switching from wheels and thinking you have to relearn how to hunt all over again. 90% of the game is the same. The second thing I learned was in a stand you can get away with some silly wind setups. On the ground it isn't going to happen.

So where did I setup? Well at first I thought that I was going to get picked off if I wasn't beyond concealed. That meant leafy suit, face mask, homemade ground blind or thick blow down. Well after not being in the right spot a few times, not being able to get turned for a shot a few times, and have deer in my lap before I saw them I finally remembered what Mr.Lamb said. I started keying in on my old stand spots. More open areas that I could see a deer coming and prepare for a shot.

So I have figured out where I want to be. Now how do I blend in better an sit as comfortably as I did in my Loggy?

To figure out the blending in part I got out my digital camera and took a bunch of pics of my setups. I still take pics of different areas I hunt when I'm ready to leave after a sit. The clip shot camera mount on an arrow is great for this. What I noticed was that I liked the way solid color wool and fleece blended in. I wear dark colors near black and red oaks and lighter for white oaks, beech, or poplar.

 

Analyzing after hunt pics also lets me change things after the leaves fall or from cloudy to sunny days.

 

I also noticed my black glass bow limbs really didn't stick out that much.

Now for the comfortable sitting. At first I spent some long days at the side of trees on knee pads. I had done this for years duck hunting. What I figured out was you can move around more duck hunting and I'm not as young as I used to be. Then I tried all kinds of seats. Torges, tripods, etc. I have finally decided that I like a seat to swivel for the shot, not squeak, and have a backrest. My average sit is over 5 hours on the weekends and some seats where killing me. Right now I am really liking the Spot 360. Picking seats is about like picking the perfect quiver. There may never be perfect but this one is pretty close for me. Beats the crap out of knee pads!

 

I hope any of this helps someone thinking of switching or having trouble on the ground.

Oh yeah...
Keep the wind in your face, your bow on your lap, and take your time on the shot.  

That's about it in a pignut shell.  

[njloco]

Sounds good, how much does that seat weigh ?

Thanks for the info.

[Rob W.]

Around 10# I think. My bathroom scale is junk.

[Gen273]

Thanks Rob,

Good info here!

[riverrat 2]

Great advice Rob. Especially the bow on your lap bit. It is real tough trying to pull off the "pick the bow up from a nearby limb move" with deer out in front of you. I found that out. rat'

[Bernie B.]

Good information Rob!  Nice pictures also!    

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

[J. Holden]

Hey Rob, thanks for sharing your advice.  I'm curious where you got that seat.  Is there a sponsor here on Tradgang?  Thanks!

-Jeremy  

[J. Holden]

Never mind, found him in the classifieds!

-Jeremy  

[Mudd]

Never give up... the more you do it, the more you learn and it does have a learning curve but not as steep as it feels at times.

I'll never go back up into the tree tops.

I love the challenge of hunting from the ground and having nothing between me and my intended game but clear, clean air.

God bless,Mudd

[John146]

Rob, that's good advice that you gave and the pictures really show what we all wonder about when we first start. How concealed do we need to be? I have just begun to start taking pictures of my set ups to see how it looks from the deer's perspective and it is interesting to say the least.

It hit me about 20 years ago when I was standing in hunters orange fixing to doctor up a scrape and 3 does appear and walk 20 yards from me and never noticed me in the wide open. I felt like a light bulb but they never saw me. I knew then that if I could stay still when hunting I would see deer on the ground in moderate cover. Don't get me wrong, I get in the best cover I can find but I don't bury myself like I used to unless it is so thick that I have no choice.

Your comment - 90% of the game is the same cannot be over stated. The mental part of ground hunting is the biggest hurdle to get over when you first start. If a hunter utilizes the same precautions and tactics he would use for tree stands he will see deer if he sticks with it. I actually started seeing more deer when I started ground hunting on the WMA's I hunt because of the type of cover. Our deer in South LA can bed, eat and drink in the same thickets and never venture far from them except at night which necessitated setting up very close to bedding areas.

When going in with a climber -which is all I used to do- I realized that if I made any noise climbing a tree the deer had me pegged before I ever had my bow in my hand. I remember when I first started ground hunting these same areas and I am sitting there and 2 bucks just "materialize" out of a thicket. It freaks you out the first time it happens. I realized then that being able to sneak close and set up quietly was paramount to getting shots at these deer who did not roam far from their bedding areas till after dark.

As a hunter gets better at putting himself near deer and the opportunities for shots start happening things get interesting because that is our weak spot as traditional bow hunters - the movement to position and draw your bow.

You mentioned being able to prepare for the shot because you saw the deer approach. That is right on. When I am in the thick stuff and can't see very far and hear a twig crack I lift my bow and get ready.  Sometimes its not a deer but when it is I am glad the first part of taking a shot - bow position - is already done. Then all that's left is the draw.

Last thing I will offer - shoot low on purpose. It has been the hardest thing for me to discipline myself to do and I have paid the price by shooting over many deer when the woods are quiet. Non-pressured deer react instinctively to noise and pressured deer simply freak out. Shooting low will increase your odds of connecting when the woods are quiet.

[Irish Archer]

Good post! Thank you.

[macbow]

Very good info.

[TaterHill Archer]

Good stuff.  I want to start putting some ground blinds up.  Hunted in a few at Solana and I liked it.

[Slickhead]

ground hunting is cool

[Mike Falkner]

Good stuff in this post

[T-Bowhunter]

Great Post, thanks for sharing your ground hunting information.

[RedShaft]

Great posts you 2 man that's some good info for guys trying it.
ESP getting your bow up before you even see anything cause you never know it may be a chipmunk or the deer you been after. Great point!

[njloco]

years ago, I had set up doe decoy, and from my tree I see this nice buck approaching, I couldn't understand why he wasn't reacting to the decoy, as he was less than 10 yds. from it, when  suddenly he looks a little surprised and statrs to wag his tail. I realized then, that he couldn't see the decoy because it wasn't moving. I also think  that  is  why  the  bucks  come  out  now during the  daytime more often when trying to  find  the does,  because  they  can see them more easily,  which  means  it's  harder  too  see  us  if we're  blended  in  well and  not  moving  around.

[DennyK]

Thanks Rob, Also really enjoyed your video a couple weeks back. After not hunting from trees the last 2 years I can honestly say I really do not miss it. The more you try the more you will suceed at this ground game. I also hunt by myself 90-95% of the time and knowing I'm not going to have to worry about treestand safety is also a bonus. Really enjoying this ground hunting.

[tracker12]

I have not done much ground hunting for whitetail with "archery gear" (rifle is different) but have decided to give it a try this year.  I have decided to use a blind to start off.  Sat I had 6 different bucks come by.  This nice buck came in at 10 yards.  The rut is just starting and I have a real stud on the property so I gave tis guy a pass.