Does anyone else ground-hunt only?

[John146]

Did a lot of tree stand hunting in the last 20 years and enjoyed it but got bit with the ground hunting early and always did a lot of it.

Been on the ground exclusively for the last few years and really enjoy the challenge of putting all the pieces together and having an encounter and/or kill eye to eye.

Larry Dalhberg speaking on fishing once said, "There are 4 phases of fishing: When you start fishing you just want to catch one, then you want to catch a lot of fish, then you want to catch a big one and finally you want to catch them the way you want to catch them." I think I am at the 4 stage with deer. I want to hunt em the way I want to hunt em and that's from the ground.

[Dendy Cromer]

I've always hunted from trees-- just the way i learned to do it. I've killed a lot of deer from trees and only 2 from the ground, and those two were purely by accident. I committed to climbing down from the trees the week following Thanksgiving and i have  had some cool encounters. I even missed one deer twice. I really enjoy being on the ground and i am MUCH more comfortable sitting in a chair or pacseat. I am having serious thoughts about leaving the stands in the barn next year and doing all my business from the ground.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I think you'll find there are a lot more hunters that hunt on the ground out west than there are tree stand hunters.  I bought a tree stand to fly back to Illinois and hunt white tails. After that i rarely used it. I prefer stalking deer and elk both in the mornings, and will find a natural blind in the evenings some times..... I don't much care for tree stands.

[Blog on Bottom]

Those seven years hunting on the ground with a camera and tripod (after 15 years in a tree with gun/bow) showed me that deer are really not the superhuman beings that the hunting magazines made them sound like back in the 80s and 90s. Nowadays, I think the young people begin hunting out of trees because that's all they've ever seen. They don't know that there are other methods.

I'm a believer in challenging conventional wisdom - especially after those years with the camera.
I got to witness huge buck behavior up close. Most hunters pull the trigger when the first killing shot presents itself, and their behavior-watching is over for that day and maybe for that year. When I photographed, I pushed the shutter release and kept on learning. I was in a 3,000 acre no-hunting zone, so you can imagine how many big bucks were running around to watch!
It was an eye-opener for me.

When photography got too competitive, and when it became too much like a job, I went back to flintlock and recurve. I didn't go back to tree stands, however. Carrying, placing, and worrying about stands (and paying for them!) was also like a job. I just wanted to wander and sit, and as someone above posted, hunt them however I felt like hunting them. And NONE of that involves anything that resembles work whatsoever    I LOVE the freedom of ground-hunting!

One of these days I'll bore everyone with a thread about a tactic I came up with back in those photography days. It's a lot like fall turkey hunting, but it works wonders on rutting deer...

[Barry Rowland]

Count me in on ground pounding only too!

[Del Savio]

I have found this thread to be very intyerewting in that the number of ground hunters so outnumber tree hunters, at least in this case.  I always hunted from the ground until about twelve years ago when I decided to try both ladder and tree climbing stands.  At my age (74)I am glad that I did so if only to experience the physical challenge of hunting our rugged area (climbing with tree stand etc.) ,setting up  and reversing the process at the end of the hunt.  The physicality itself is fun  and I do like the view from a modest 12'.  Shooting more deer doesn't hurt either but I admit the ground hunting experience is more exciting-and for me more frustrating even though over the years  I have had some success with it.  Lou

[Blog on Bottom]

Del, I think it's probably a case of tree hunters not caring to answer a post about ground hunting. I think for most people, tree-hunting is probably the best option if killing deer is the goal.
I've been fortunate in that I got to learn ground hunting where there was no hunting pressure and plenty of deer to practice on. Now that I have so many years under my belt, I think that if I were to go back to a tree, my success rate would plunge severely. I'm an odd-ball, though.

[Rifle River Scout]

I can't set in one place very long so I utilize setting and stalking.

[Fattony77]

I only hunt from the ground, mostly 'cuz climbing trees & this fat guy don't mix! Hell, I've broken bones just falling from my own height!

Blog, I'm plenty interested in hearing about your developed tactics. I haven't (yet!) successfully killed anything but time in my woods wandering, so I'm always looking for advice from those that are experienced to learn from.

[sweeney3]

I am ground hunting more and more lately.  This year all four deer have come via still hunt/spot and stalk.  Last year three of them did.  I use mostly still hunting and natural blinds.  It works if you let it.

[ChuckC]

Not "only", but more each year.  I really enjoy it more, but I am not ready to totally give up the air.

I tend to use my ghillie suit when on the ground, and make a very minimal blind.  Even just a few whisps of still hanging dried leaves make me blend that much better.

ChuckC

[Altiman94]

There is definitely a place for ground hunting and a place for treestand hunting.  If I were to only ground hunt I would set up in areas that were mostly void of trees able to hold a stand.  I think also another benefit of hunting off the ground is you can hunt areas that most bow hunters will over look.  Most want to be in a tree, so you can hunt areas where deer still travel that are void of trees and increase your odds.  If all you ever hunted was big timber, I'd pry figure out a way to get up in the tree to your comfort level.  It really helps to be able to see the animal coming before it's right on top of you.  But, there's a place for ground hunting and you can be very successful if good at it.

[J Dean]

I have hunted about 95% of my time from tree stands, BUT I do enjoy the ground.  I feel more planted on the ground as I am not a big climber and struggle with some set ups.

I think next year will be a transition year for me.  My son will be turning 15 this spring and getting his Hunter ED course done and joining me in the woods.  It might just be the ideal time to switch and start him off on the ground.  We can make it a part of his learning curve about the woods by going out and scouting spots early and building some blinds.  And if he does want to be elevated I would much rather him be in a ladder style stand.

John

[Longrifleman]

I hunt from the ground only also. For sitting, I highly recommend that Huntmore chair, along with an extra foam pad, as the padding on the seal portion is a little thin. I strap it into my badlands pack and can spend all day moving from spot to spot and sitting a while. Good stuff!

[Shakes.602]

I got a Really Bum Left Knee, and have never been wild about heights  :eek:  , so I dont Climb anywho. I figure Ground Hunting is the Fairest of All Hunting.    
Gets ya Eyeball to Eyeball with the Critters!  

[recurve maine]

6'6" 340 a bad knee and a HUGE dislike of heights... I am not climbing any tree's, I hunt natural ground blinds only

[Altiman94]

Originally posted by J Dean:
I have hunted about 95% of my time from tree stands, BUT I do enjoy the ground.  I feel more planted on the ground as I am not a big climber and struggle with some set ups.

I think next year will be a transition year for me.  My son will be turning 15 this spring and getting his Hunter ED course done and joining me in the woods.  It might just be the ideal time to switch and start him off on the ground.  We can make it a part of his learning curve about the woods by going out and scouting spots early and building some blinds.  And if he does want to be elevated I would much rather him be in a ladder style stand.

John

Starting your son off on the ground is a great idea...It will make him a better and more patient hunter.  My dad started me off at age 12 on the ground with my bow.  We would build a small ground blind together and I would sit in it for the evening.  He usually chose to set up in a treestand but I was always on the ground.  It also limited the amount of stuff we had to carry into the woods collectively.  I've taken a few deer off the ground and as long as you have a good hide, you'll do just fine.

[SuperK]

I hunt from the ground a lot after the leaves fall.  I do have a better hit ratio from the trees.  When you get'em eye ball to eye ball I sometimes rush my shot.   :rolleyes:   It ALWAYS gets the old heart pumping though!

[Blog on Bottom]

Originally posted by Fattony77:
Blog, I'm plenty interested in hearing about your developed tactics. I haven't (yet!) successfully killed anything but time in my woods wandering, so I'm always looking for advice from those that are experienced to learn from.

One of the big eureka moments I had was last year, and it came from some "Voice of Customer" and LEAN training that I had. I asked myself, what is my goal here?
I figured out that while my goal should have been plainly stated "Get a good shot" or "Get in range of a good buck", it turned out that as I was still-hunting, my unintended - but actual - goal was to "Not spook any deer". Therefore, I was not getting as many opportunities as I should have. I sure was good at not spooking deer, though!
Spooked deer are a part of still-hunting if you are trying to maximize opportunities. I found out that while I was not spooking deer in previous years, I also was at a plateau in how many deer I got shots at, or was within range of.
When I changed my goal to "Maximize sighted deer and shot opportunities", then I experienced a huge increase in deer within bow range.
Once I accepted the fact that during the rut, if I spook a doe and/or yearlings that are not in heat, then I've not lost much. I started getting into doe chases and traveling bucks much more often. But that's just part of it  
Of course, my strategies involve having a lot of ground to hunt. It won't work on 50 acres...

[Johnny Reb]

Tried tree stands back in the 80s when they got popular,never cared that much for them, never was one to sit still for long & ground hunting gave me the perfect excuse to explore.

If it were meant for me to be in the trees I would've been created with a long bushy tail.