My take on the ground game.

[Roger Norris]

Great post Rob. I have been back and forth between ground and treestand for a few years now. The one thing that sticks in the back of my head is deer sightings....seeing deer at a distance, even the ones i can't shoot, keep me motivated. Do you find your sightings up, down, the same?

Again, great post, and timely.....I just crawled out of an icy, loud ladder stand, was thinking about this on the drive home.

[RedShaft]

For me roger my sitting we're the same but shot opportunities increased when in a stand. Except during he rut. I would say it's even. But most the season the stand lends its hand to more shots for me any way.

[maxwell]

Good advice, just remember to be still play the wind.

[Covey]

Playing the wind is a real difficulty for me. The property I hunt is nothing but two ridges and three hollers. The wind flows like water! There's not to many places to hunt on the property that I can get a consistent wind. The wind continually kicks my butt and it is frustrating to say the least. Me and my son hunt the property together a lot which just makes it that much more difficult. So what say ye? Have any suggestions? Never really cared for tree stands, so I would love to figure this out. Hunting other property is not an option...this is all I got!
BTW... Great post Rob!

[Roger Norris]

It's strange...I have actually killed quite a few from the ground, both in pop ups and natural blinds. But there is something always in my head about "seeing deer".....

I truly admire you guys with "Ground Game" confidence.  

[tracker12]

I actually like a ground blind in areas with bad wind conditions.  I use a Double Bull Blind.  After set up I spray it with sent eliminator then hang a sent wick (I use a mini tampon) soaked in raccoon sent.  I have had deer come from down wind regularly and walk right by the setup.  Key is to keep all the windows on the down wind side closed.  I have also use this stuff called Deer Dander with good success. Once an hour I will give a squirt out the back.

[Roger Norris]

My reasons for wanting to pursue groundhunting more:

Shot angle vs a treestand

Safety

Ability to adapt to wind

Ability to sneak in to a new spot quietly

Comfort

[flintznstyx]

LOL Deer Dander is the only sent my wife does not mind me stinking of. smells like a deer.

[beaunaro]

Thanks for your post, Rob. Good info. I want to try the ground game, because you can set up without trying to find the perfect tree combined with the perfect wind. As I see it, anyplace is a potential hunt site.
I'm going to try my Ghille Suit and the new "Blind Ambitions" swivel seat.
Your "Spot 360" looks great too.
I enjoy reading your posts.
I'll bet this ground game will work great on our hogs too.
Irv Eichorst
 www.truesouthadventures.com
"We've got the pork"....
"You bring the beans"....

[ALwoodsman]

I have been wanting to do more ground hunting also.  My problem is that I never get a constant wind.  It will blow from 4 different directions in 10 minutes.  A treestand helps with this at times because your scent sometimes stays above the deer.  Good post.

[cedar]

Rob, how high do you set your Spot360 seat?  I understand there are several different height posts when you order.  I'm trying to decide what height I want.  Thanks

[Timbuck2]

Great info and thanks!

[T Folts]

We turkey hunt from the ground and their eyesight is far better than deer. My biggest concern is cover behing me to hide my out line, why would it be different for deer. I think the cover in front of a hunter is to make a hunter feel hidden. I use the same concept for deer, (good back cover). Took a buck from the ground a few years back with no cover in front of me at all.

When using a tree seat or any time i want a tree to lean against, I look for a cluster of three trunks and try to sit so that I do not get outlined when the deer come in from the wrong side. Funny how they don't cooperate that way.  When hunting on the ground one needs to be aware of what the wind eddies are doing exactly where you are at. Wind blows in circles, almost like the woods breathe.  Even when a breeze picks up and the air currents seems to flow steady, when they back off those currents turn into eddies and any deer that gets too close will smell you.  When a deer is getting close, look at the deer in your side vision and examine the tops of your boots very intently. Don't look at a close deer until you are ready to shoot it. Then, at that time, get on with it. Deer will pick up very small motions, I have found that a very smooth shot from the bow in a low position pays off with a rather smooth quick shot. Getting trapped holding the bow up forever, while a deer makes up it mind whether to take another step, can burn up your shoulder if you are trying to hold a bow in the air for a long time.

[Rob W.]

Originally posted by John49:
Rob, how high do you set your Spot360 seat?  I understand there are several different height posts when you order.  I'm trying to decide what height I want.  Thanks

I'm 6'2" and mine only sits at about 12". That is probably a little low for my height but I like it. Most areas I hunt aren't very flat and it puts my knees in the right spot for my bow.

[Rob W.]

Covey, The spots I hunt are similar to yours. I usually focus on the ridge tops. Some of the hills around here are tall enough to have 3 different bench trails. Those trails always look sooo good but its hard not to get busted by the wind.
I will hunt them certain times when the wind blows directly down the valley usually. I go through so much wind checker scouting I started just taking a cigar.

[Covey]

Rob, the ridge tops are usually where I stay. There is some really good buck sign down in the holler, but the wind is so unpredictable. I have 90 acres plus a large tract of state ground that joins the backside that I can hunt, but a lot of this is low ground where the wind swirls! Its frustrating that a considerable amount hunting woods seem wasted!

[Slickhead]

Ive hunted the ground a lot over the last 10 years.
Being 53 and never much for climbers, it was too much to wrestle a ladder stand to the woods.
I have one in my back yard but honestly, once you get use to the ground, trees feel foriegn.

Its an amazing feeling to be at eye level with deer.
I really like down trees. I recently found a cool spot that I will use for mornings.
I can tell you that a product like ever calm or deer dander helps a lot.

[NittanyRider]

First year bowhunter here... I've hunted whitetails for quite a while (rifle and flintlock) and primarily from treestands.  This fall I've spent about half my time on the ground and it's been kind of a steep learning curve.  I've seen a bunch of deer from the ground, but seem to botch something different up every time.  All of my mistakes so far have been related to movement that gave my location away. The deer that I've spooked have been in the 20 - 30 yard range, which has me really concerned because some of the ground blinds I've chosen are only about 5 yards away from where the anticipated shot would be.  Anyway... two questions come to mind:

1) Assuming I actually do get a deer to within shooting range of my ground setup, how do you deal with deer passing right in front of you (say, 3 - 10yds) when there is no natural cover to mask your drawing the bow (see RobW's first two pics)?  I was hunting a spot yesterday a.m. where I was pretty well covered on all sides except the front, which is where I expected the deer to pass.  I was thinking of lashing together a tripod and covering it with brush to act a visual barrier between myself and the deer.  The other option would be to wait till they passed by, but I'd still be exposed and I can only imagine that at that distance they would be on me in a flash.

2) Am I setting up too close to the intended target?  Do I need to set up at least X.X yards away, or do I just need to do a better job of concealing movement at close ranges?

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

David

[ChuckC]

David, those are good questions that you are asking.  

In answering, you need to ask yourself how far you can shoot accurately, what can you do to better arrange for a barrier to conceal your draw, and what sequence of movements must you make in order to do the whole sequence unseen.

Of course, then the deer come across from another direction.  

First step is to understand that you may not be able to cover 360 degrees.

A small bush or tree in the right spot can help conceal your draw, as can a more horizontal draw.

Stuff behind you that is taller than your silhouette gives more cover than you might think.  You get lost in the clutter.  

Maybe try drawing while facing a bit away from the deer, so your bow arm gives a bit of cover.  I do this often while wearing a ghillie suit.

I have been too close.  Make certain that your hide is far enough off the trail to give you a little bit of space.  I try not to get any closer than ten yards from my proposed shot, a bit farther if I am in the wide open.

ChuckC