I can't help but feel exposed...

[Kopper1013]

Hey ground guys, since I killed a nice basket 8 already this year, I decided to spend the rest of the season on the ground in my Timber ghost Asbell zip up hoodie and a pair of brown pants.

Today was my first real day trying this out and had success with a spike at 25-30 and a button buck around 20. But I can't help and feel sooooooo exposed. Ive always hunted tree stands and wore camo and you def. can get away with more up there. Now I feel like a mature doe is gonna pick me out like a soar thumb.

Do you guys really just sit infront of a tree and get shots at mature animals. My confidence is just really lacking, figure maybe you experienced ground guys would have some good ideas without using a blind to feel more invisible to a whitetail.

[Lee Lobbestael]

I would like to hear some of these answers. Killed a dumb buck during the rut at six yards but don't feel like that would ever work on a old doe. Heck they pick me out 20' up in a tree sometimes!

[newhouse114]

In 42 years of bow hunting, I've killed exactly ONE deer from a stand. Everything else has been still hunting or spot and stalk.

[Cavscout9753]

Start with natural back drops. Bring pruning clippers. Trim small branches and build around you in a semi-circle. Keep them about eye level. Keep the front open. Sot on a stool or something. Keep your bow in hand. Mind the wind. Keep back from the trail about 10-15 meters. Move slowly, always. Use your ears first. Break up your outline. Terry Green's hat in his avatar is a great example. I'm confident these principals work both with un expectant game as well as deer who have learned to search the trees for danger. This is my first season on ground, about 5 hunts (a couple with my son but those are discarded as any data mining examples) and have had 4 doe, one coyote, 2 raccoons, and several pigs close enough to hit with a brick. The only one I tried to shoot was one of the doe and I flubbed the shot as she was really too close and walking and I shot. She stopped as I shot. Arrow landed right in front of her. A better shooter would be eating backstraps right now instead of crow, haha. But I digress, killing game on your keister predates the tree stand. And you'll see the woods in a totally new light. I guarantee it. But, it can be an art that requires total commitment on your part. Good luck! Ill never climb a tree again.

[RedShaft]

I used to ground hunt exclusively. I now hunt from a stand almost exclusively. I always felt exposed. Unless I was tucked in to some kind of dead fall or something simar. I don't care what you do unless your wearing gillie suit, they can pic you out unless your lucky. I hunt public land and they will flat out stop dead it there track and pic you rite out. You better be hidden good. The sitting in against a tree only worked for me on yearlings and during the seeking fases of the rut.
So my advice would be to make brush blinds, climb in a dead fall, or wear a leafy suit. I hunt the north east like you. Now  un pressured land may be different. I'm hunting public and it's tough from the ground. A blind squirrel does find a nut to sustain it life but if you want consistent success with a stick bow I would do the above. Haphazard set ups(unless it's the rut) will give you poor results.

[ScouterMike]

This may sound a bit harsh but here goes...who told us deer are harder to hunt from the ground..the tree stand manufacturers...Joe Buckwhacker on Real Shrub TV?

If you are in doubt about ground hunting try this...

Dress in some plaids, plain pants will do, a hat that shades the face, war paint not needed, leave the bow at home and go stand downwind of a well used trail and be still. No pressure just watch the deer go by. When you are confident at that try drawing your imaginary bow as they pass. When you have some success at that then bring the bow. You may never go back to a tree stand again.

[ISP 5353]

I have found that a ghillie suit is a lot of fun on the ground.  Getting close is the easy part.  Drawing the bow is tough sometimes.  I hunt from stands and on the ground.  I have learned a lot about deer from my time on the ground.  Good luck and have fun!

[Roger Norris]

I almost never just sit next to a tree. I am always scanning the woods for blow downs and terrain features that I can use to my advantage. Clippers are your friend.

Just yesterday morning....I have a pop up blind at the corner of a cornfield. While I have had LOTS of activity crossing in front of me, I have noticed another major crossing about 60 yards away through the woods. After the hunt yesterday I went and investigated. Major sign along a dry creekbed, and a 1/2 dozen spots just perfect for ambush. I trimmed a couple places up, and got the heck out of there. Tonight. based on the wind, I will probably sneek into one of those places.

So no....I don't just plop down anywhere and wait. I have several places prepared (but almost none of them are a full blown "blind"). I even plot them on my GPS so I can find them easily in the dark.

[ChuckC]

we were trained to believe certain things:  

You need the newest camo, and you need newer stuff yearly.

You can't possibly kill a deer from the ground.


Well, guess what. . .  WRONG !

I have watched does and bucks looking up into the trees and one particular BIG buck (who owes his life to Wisconsin's stint with "earn a buck") walked into the marsh woodlot, scanned the trees, took a half dozen steps, scanned the trees, again, again, till he exited the woodlot on the other side.

Ya see, the deer were raised to believe something too, for many generations. . .  look up, not so much down.
CHuckC

[fmscan]

You are breaking a HABIT, always going to be learning curve and pain, the advice about is excellent and would have saved me some frustration. The satisfaction of getting deer on their level is much more rewarding. I never sit against a tree cuz they pick you off, you have to have a natural blind or natural screen. I had a fox, skunk 10 yds away and they did not have a clue. I was backed up to corn and some grass at knee level. Next, do not make you move til they look away or head goes behind a tree or something. Just remember it is a habit to think you need a tree, you are more flexible to wind and can hunt anywhere. I build brush blinds in several areas I hunt. Keep at it, I think it is more rewarding.

[Pat B]

I remember Mickie Lotz talking about hunting from the ground in Ohio during gun season wearing a blaze orange jump suit and killing a doe at 5 yards. If you stay perfectly still, have good background cover and have the wind in your favor you are virtually invisible to deer.

[Rob W.]

Pat x2  

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I think that is half the fun of it "feeling exposed".... Breaking up your pattern, whether it be wearing solid colors with a solid back ground, or camo or plaid with brush in the back ground. It really doesn't matter.... It's motion that attracts their attention and spooks an animal.

I've had deer as close as 12-15 yards looking right at me, and i know they suspect something is wrong, but can't actually see me if i'm absolutely still and keep my eyes at their feet.... you NEVER make eye contact, or the jig is up....

Also you can move very, very slow and often get to full draw with them looking straight at you... the trick of actually getting a decent shot without them jumping the string is their level of alertness.... The best gauge of that is watching their tails, and how they are standing. If that tail is up and twitching, you don't move a muscle or you are busted.... once the tail lays down you can slowly start your draw. I break up my face hiding behind my bow.....  

Oh sure.... you are going to get busted a lot. But  i think it's a lot more fun going face to face with them on the ground than doing an ambush from an elevated platform..... A hell of a lot safer hunting too.

[Jerry Jeffer]

This is how I sat today.

 

[Danny Rowan]

I used to hunt in WV, mostly from the ground. Have sat on a rock with a big tree as my backstop and had deer within feet of me, wearing plaid and a hat. Also as mentioned, have been in blowdowns and such as a blind, same expierence. I hunt exclusively from the ground here on Guam, same thing, killed a bunch of pigs within 3 to 15 feet of me. Sambar deer are another story, they are wired for everything, lol, have had them within feet, but getting a shot is really hard, but one day I will get one. If the wind is right and you blend in, you will be ok.

[mangonboat]

I hunt stands and on the ground. My sense is that its harder, in a tree stand,  to control the thing that deer are best at discerning..noise. On the ground, there's no metal or even lumber to creak if you shift your weight. I am obsessive about keeping nothing but bare dirt anywhere I might kneel or step. I think stands have a slight scent advantage in some cases but you will get caught in a tree or on the ground if you haven't planned for the prevailing wind, updrafts and downdrafts, etc. So that leave's deer's poor vision, and I do just as well sitting in front of cover that breaks up my silhouette as behind it...if you're moving, they will see you either way. I tend to look for double- or triple-trunk trees to hide in , behind or in front of. I also try to think about the seasonal coloration where I am hunting any given day and how to blend in while breaking up my silhouette..Ive worn a white business shirt as a top layer in snow and I've worn wild pattern Hawaiian shirts in early season.

[Kopper1013]

Thanks for the ideas guys, gonna give it a couple more try's then I might throw the gillie suit on. I just feel more hidden with that and have had deer REAL close with it. But I'll def. try a pair of shears and a blowdown next. Just thought id have trouble drawing in blow downs and hides like that do you guys kneel a lot or do more sitting I have trouble drawing and shooting well from a low seat but kneeling for 4hrs is painful.

[Bobaru]

Greg, last year I hunted a spot that was a 20 foot rock pile that is growing stuff.  I tucked myself between two wild rose bushes, and used a cut log that had been pushed up there for footing. The first buck came on the 20 yard trail, stopped, looked directly at me.  I could tell that he never saw me.  I had back cover and cover to the side of me that I was tucked up into.  He turned his head 180 and I shot, but I shot slightly high to avoid high grass.  That was my mistake because he broke his knee and lowered himself 8 inches.  The arrow passed over top.  He walked away.

I left the area for a week and came back.  The next buck came on the 8 yard trail.  Too close.  He heard my arrow slide across the riser.  He jumped 25 yards to the side, turned and looked at me.  He never figured who I was.  He walked away too.

The biggest key is back cover.  You gotta have that.  Then cover in front and sides and/or top is good because that creates more and more shadows making it more and more difficult for the deer to see you and also to figure out what you are.

I highly recommend G. Fred Asbell's book "Stalking & Still-Hunting."  In fact, for me, that book solidifies what traditional hunting is about.  And, even though his treatment of ground blinds is not complete, he does lay down the basics of the concepts, to me, of what it is to be a predator - which is disappearing  as much as possible into the natural environment around you.  I view a good predator as simply being an opportunist.  So, an opportunist looks for a setting where his stealth will be better than another place. And, if you can improve on what nature gives you, then fine, you do it.  

I hope that helps.

[Pointer]

If you can sit in the shadows against a wide tree with some brush in front of you and are able to SIT STILL, you will do fine. Sitting still is the most important thing

[ChiefStingingArrow]

I am with Reddog....I have been trying to hunt on the ground but they keep busting me(I also hunt public land) Everytime they bust me I build better blinds. At the end of the day I want blood on my arrow and meat in the freezer not a deer staring me down just to run off snorting. I am just not good enough to be successful. I hope to be able to get better at it so i can do it but right now i am going up in the trees.