Ground blind vs Tree stand

I've used both, but tend to find sit-on tree stands uncomfortable, and limiting in the area I can swing the gun and shoot. Ground blinds are good, and the pop up ones can be moved so easily. Even a makeshift cover with some camo cloth or burlap strung across two trees or some bushes works well, but depending on the area, may or may not be as convenient. If deer don't see movement, it doesn't matter that the blind was just put there. Deer walk past recently parked vehicles all the time. I've seen deer walk past a truck while I was sleeping in the box, or returned to a car to find recent hoof prints right past it.
 
Stands in the Fall for deer when the leaves are gone.
Blinds in the spring for bear (to protect against the blackflies).

But my fav by far is a box blind with windows and heat and a comfy chair.
 
Where I hunt on private property we have both

Permanent tree stands with wooden sides to conceal movement if you move your legs etc or pour a coffee
Tree stands are cedar posts with 2x4 nailed to keep them together and pine sides (stay away from plywood --the porkys will eat it up)

Permanent ground blinds with sides and a roof to keep the rain off and conceal movement

One is just a bunch of logs placed around a chair with some burlap wrap
One is 1x12x8 pine nailed to 4x4 posts in deck blocks with a 1x12x8 pine pitched roof
Works great

We have shot deer from every stand we have set up
 
I use both. Have never fallen out of a tree, and if you use a fall restraint you won’t have to worry if you do.
I prefer Ladder stands to hang-ons. Now While I do use them I hunt from a ground blind far more often. I like the ability to put on a spot and stalk, quickly and quietly if a deer changes a pattern, or stays slightly out of range
 
For my first thirty years of hunting, I used no blinds, or stands of any kind. I either walked, or sat motionless. Then I tried ground blinds, and eventually stands. In all cases, being motionless is the key element. Stop fidgeting! Get in tune with your surroundings, there's lots of little things to keep you entertained once you learn to look for them.

The issue with both blinds, and stands that bug me most of all is the lack of mobility. Got a deer behind you? Not so easy to turn around. Want to shift your position? Good luck with that! This is the main reason I build most of my tree stands, and they are large and comfy. The store bought versions are too damned small, even the "two man" versions. Blinds are, if you build them yourself, less confining. The rest IMO are too damned small.

Leave all that crap you tend to play with in the stand back at camp.

You don't need snacks if you're just a short walk from home, they just create excuses for movement, and extra smells. If you want to be successful get serious.

Remember, even with store bought stands, every time you go to the stand, have a good look at it for safety.
 
John Y Cannuck said:
For my first thirty years of hunting, I used no blinds, or stands of any kind. I either walked, or sat motionless. Then I tried ground blinds, and eventually stands. In all cases, being motionless is the key element. Stop fidgeting! Get in tune with your surroundings, there's lots of little things to keep you entertained once you learn to look for them.

The issue with both blinds, and stands that bug me most of all is the lack of mobility. Got a deer behind you? Not so easy to turn around. Want to shift your position? Good luck with that! This is the main reason I build most of my tree stands, and they are large and comfy. The store bought versions are too damned small, even the "two man" versions. Blinds are, if you build them yourself, less confining. The rest IMO are too damned small.

Leave all that crap you tend to play with in the stand back at camp.

You don't need snacks if you're just a short walk from home, they just create excuses for movement, and extra smells. If you want to be successful get serious.

Remember, even with store bought stands, every time you go to the stand, have a good look at it for safety.
Click to expand...

Great advice
 
Good info in here. I have access to a small piece of private land that I currently have a tree stand on. I might add another tree stand, and indeed a ground blind as well...give myself some options for the upcoming season!
 
I love my Primos 360 surroundview blind. Big and heavy but i bought one of the blind bags that is like a back pack so it isnt so bad hauling it in to the fields for turkey. Havent tried it for deer as i normally use a tree stand since there is so much brush where i set up for deer i think a ground blind would limit my chances.

Got my first deer last year out of a tree stand, if i was in a ground blind i never would have seen him in the neighbouring field.
 
For a ground blind, I went to the big cat 350. Others I have used are too small for me to use my bow unless I am pretty well on one knee, and tight for shotgun/rifle and x-bow, but manageable.
I hunted out of my treestand most of last year. I love the vantage point, but I don’t care much for the exposure level.
The one I end up using the most out of all is my primos “up and down” with my turkey chair.
The hub blinds get dropped before season, and don’t move till it is done. The treestand doesn’t move. So if I feel like mixing it up, I’ll grab the up and down and find some new scenery for the day.
 
I must say that any enclosed deer blind - say an 8 x 8 with a camp cot and a nice chair and a wood stove - sure makes a cold damp rainy or snowy day easy to take. Adding a few tree stands hear and there makes for pleasant changes. In my experience, when using a ground blind, the deer always show up behind you.
 
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