Ground Blind vs Tree Stand for Deer

[RecurveHunter01]

If you had access to a hunting area on private land where you could leave a ground blind or tree stand all season  and the spot is suitable for either a ground blind or a tree stand which would you choose?  

I currently have a ladder stand in this spot and earlier this year got my first trad deer from it.  However, I wonder if a ground blind would be the better pick because it seems that the majority of deer that come within bow range (20 yds) while I am hunting in a treestand notice me.   Now, usually when they notice me they just go on alert, do the head bob and occasionally a foot stamp, and eventually look away and go on only to occasionally check back on me. In fact the buck shot earlier this fall and I had a stare off for about 45 seconds before he changed direction and gave me a broadside shot as he was walking away.  The fact that they go on alert not only makes it harder to get off a shot off on a relaxed deer but those stare offs also give me a pretty good adrenaline rush so that I am not as relaxed on the shot either.  

I have no experience with ground blinds but I would figure if you leave it up the deer will get accustomed to it, so they won't spook from it. And it would be less likely to spotted while preparing for a shot in one.  Another advantage would be better shot angles that are more similar to practice shots.  But I do like the view of the woods from sitting up in a tree so I was just curious what others think about hunting from a blind vs tree stand.  What would you choose and why?

[Charlie Lamb]

A pop up type blind in a well thought out spot is hard to beat. Brush 'em up good and let them sit. When the harsh days of December come around they are very comfortable and offer a number advantages.

As long as nobody messes with it you'll get years of service from a pop up type set up. My old friend Tracy Potter has one that's been around for many years and it offers the ultimate concealment for studying all kinds of game.

       

Of course if the situation is right you could put a stand above the popup.
   

[ISP 5353]

I would hang a stand and use a ghillie if I needed to be on the ground.

[Stumpkiller]

The great advantage of a tree stand, ladder or hung, is that you can move without spooking a deer.  Second (maybe first?) is that your scent is off the ground where it is less apt to be wafted towards a deer working upwind.

My ground blinds have been natural blow-downs supplimented with branches or vines and not the tent style, so the deer bust me much more often as I keep my upper torso exposed.  Truly, I have had more luck sitting patiently on a log or using a Torges style tree seat with no "blind" and taking a fast shot when the opportunity came.  When you erect a permanent blind you have limited your ability to play the wind or blend in unobtrusively.  If you are going to make/erect one do it months before the season.

[Greyfox54]

What camo pattern are you wearing when in the ladder stand ? Are you skylined ? Every place is different but around my area predator spring green camo in pine trees works great . A blind is great too as I get older they seem most comfortable , only drawbacks are they are easily found by other hunters and your visibility is limited . Both have their place .

[jonsimoneau]

popup ground blinds are great but they need to be brushed in and left alone for awhile in order for the deer to get used to them.  In cold temperatures they are much more comfortable than a treestand.  Put that blind up and completely cover it with brush and you will have comfortable late season hunting.  Some guys even bring heaters in them. Plus they are much safer than being in a tree.
    I have put my blind up and brushed it in well and had deer within range of it that very day.  The key is to really brush it in.  Make sure you cannot tell its a box shaped blind.

[CRS]

I vote ground blind, warmer, quieter, movement is hidden, comfortable, better shot angle.

I have hunted out of treestands the last 10 years, but all of my deer have come off the ground.

Can dress in cool black and be a tacticool bowhunter!    

[Michael Arnette]

Pop-up style blinds also retain alot of human scent. I have tried both and prefer treestand hunting due to the visibility. They work great but I always feel like I'm hunting in a cubicle with a blind.
Keep in mind that livestock are terrible with blinds, I have also had wind take a few even with some good reinforcements.

[Michael Arnette]

I have had to move up higher (over 20 feet) in my treestands and pick more well covered trees lately for the same reason. I have really noticed this since Oklahoma allowed crossbows a few years ago, I think there are just more bow hunters out there than there ever have been and the deer are catching on.

[tracker12]

Originally posted by CRS:
I vote ground blind, warmer, quieter, movement is hidden, comfortable, better shot angle.

I have hunted out of treestands the last 10 years, but all of my deer have come off the ground.

Can dress in cool black and be a tacticool bowhunter!      

I am very quickly becoming a believer in the advantage of the ground blind for all the reasons quoted above.  And I can tell you from experience if left up all season they do not even need brushed in.  I have had deer brush my blind walking by while I was in it.  I specificly use a GB this year in a spot because I could mot find a tree to that would work with the wind in that spot.  I have had deer on every sit come from directly downwind and not spook.  I use a Double bull, keep it very tight in the back and small opening up front and shoot thru the net.  Two very nice mature 3/12- 4/12 yr deer were taken from it.

[Bowwild]

Except for about 3 hours in Texas a few January's ago, I have hunted white-tail exclusively from tree stands since 1970. That 3 hours in TX though was VERY exciting as I killed a boar and a white-tail doe in the same hour. It was really cool having these shots from ground level!

At the moment I have 3 ladder stands up on our hunting area. They are primarily for my son and grandson. I haven't hunted them in at least two years. I much prefer hang-on stands because they are easier to  hide.

Too often ladder stands must be put in trees that have few or no limbs on the trunk, at least not on the side of the ladder. I've had to weave branches among the rungs or tie them on the back of the ladder and even under the seat to help hide the hunter. The perfect tree for a ladder stand is one with branches at seat height and other trees or trunks behind and adjacent to the stand. Finally, given that the trees they go in might be deficient of cover, many ladder stands aren't high enough to make me feel invisible (17-20'). Ladder stands also provide more opportunity for bump-noise making.

It is very easy to be "sky-lighted" in a ladder stand.

Except for the TX gig I have only hunted turkeys from pop-up blinds. The highly strung and super-observant turkey doesn't seem to mind blinds that simply pop-up one day on their landscape -- weird!

I have some Primos Club XXL binds coming this Friday. I may put one of these among some too-small cedars within 20 yards of an intersection of several deer trails.  I've wanted to hunt this spot for several years but have never been comfortable with a tree stand closer than about 80-100 yards from this spot. From that distant stand I have killed deer but have seen many more using the area I would rather be in.

There are several large trees within bow range pf the intersection but all are either too "open", too leaning, or 10-15 yards wrong for the prevailing winds. I've contemplated EVERY tree in this location and haven't figured it out too date!

So, I'm either going to use this pop-up or I'm going to settle for a big cedar that is 30 yards from the intersection and opt to be in range of just some of the trails instead of all of them.

Of course sometimes when I'm scouting and wanting to hunt an exact spot I have to remind myself that deer don't helicopter into the spot. It's my challenge to determine where they come from and where they will go.

[tradarcher816]

A ground blind brushed in and left all year would be my choice. I've had lots of success with that in the past and it makes for a more enjoyable experience for those days your just not on your game (fidgeting, uncomfortable, or inclement weather) they both serve good purposes and one Is not usually a for everywhere tool. But from what you said, I'd go with the blind.

[centaur]

I am pretty much done with making like a squirrel. Hunting from the ground is safer, more fun, more comfortable, and just as productive if done right. I use a ground blind some, but more often I use natural cover. If I were you, I would stay on terra firma.
All that said, I took my turkey and deer this fall via spot and stalk, which is even more fun.

[Roger Norris]

I am seriously considering taking down all of my treestands. They have become a crutch. Every year I start out intending to be on the ground more, but I always drift back to a few old standby stands. The ONLY advantage I see in them is the ability to see deer at a distance, which I enjoy.


My December hunting will be from the ground.

[Larrydawg]

I wear my blind its a ghillie suit I made myself with a minnows seine, 8 burlap feed sacks some rit dye and grandmas latch hook, works great, I have had turkeys within 10 ft. deer within 5 yds.
 if I where to do it again I would buy the netting sold at hobby lobby as a decoration, and cotton string and make it a lot more "airy"! even though I store it in a tote with evergreen boughs I still get the whiff of burlap on occasion.
 I also use it setting in tree stand, as it breaks up my outline, and since it is really heavy it proved some warmth.
 my two cents
LarryDawg

[Bobaru]

After last year, I have been agnostic about treestands.  If they're in the right place and if they provide enough cover, I'll use them.  I've had as much trouble as anyone at being spotted in a treestand.  I believe that the key for effective treestands is to avoid being skylinged.  

My ground blinds are natural.  Unfortunately, my mistakes are in the category of not being sufficiently brushed in.  That said, this year I was in the open with really good back cover.  I had a nice 6 point at 18 yards and another at 9 yards.  Neither saw me - one looked directly at me and had no recognition of me as he moved his gaze on.

I don't use a gilly suit.  I mix match my camo and tend to use ASAT for upper body because a friend insists it's good.

[Bowwild]

While not full-blown arachnophobia I have a strong disinterest in SPIDERS!  

This why I can't leave blinds up in warm weather.  I'm fine now that it is cold and the spiders have returned to the Twilight Zone until spring.

In my mind though there is no more beautiful place to be during deer season than up a huge limby cedar tree.  I like the additional freedom of movement and visibility. I guess it takes me back to my childhood when I practically lived in the big Siberian Elm tree in our front yard.

I have hunted out west for mulies, pronghorn, and elk. I have always hunted from the ground there.

[RecurveHunter01]

Thanks for all the replies.  I don't think I was skylined, the spot and tree are in low depression along a small creek that holds a small pool of water through most of the hunting season, so behind the tree from the trail the deer usually come in on is a pretty steep wooded hill.  However the tree not right next to other trees nor does it have branches to break up the stand.  But I have been busted, well spotted, in other stands that I thought were pretty secluded.  It just seems when a deer is within 15 yds it will notice a person sitting against a skinny tree.    

If you were to go with a ground blind, an enclosed on that allows for movement without deer seeing you, would it be better to buy one or build one?  The money is not an issue but durability is.  I don't want to buy a blind if it cannot hold up past a season of being left out in the woods.  Is it necessary to use shoot through mesh?

[tracker12]

If you build a blind right it will work for you year after year.  Just make sure it is sealed tight and not light can get in on the sides.  I have a friend that has been hunting out of an old shed that has been back in the woods for 20 plus years.  Its amazing some of the bucks he kills out of it.  Some as close as f 5 feet from the shed.  For deer I like using the mesh for deer.  Turkeys I do not use it.

[Bowwild]

I can't imagine being able to build a blind from on-hand natural materials that is blacked out. I prefer the pop-ups.  Years ago, before hunting turkey from pop-ups I tested the mesh for shooting through from 10-20 yards. My arrows didn't seem to be affected. I even bow-killed two turkeys shooting through the mesh (but not with my curve).

However, even though I did the test I'm still uncomfortable shooting through the mesh. If I deer hunt from a ground blind this year I will decide what window I will shoot from and close most of the others (especially behind me) and mesh a couple of others for viewing through.