Hunting white tail from the ground?

I prefer a comfy lawn chair in a ground blind. depends on the spot. some paces you have to get 15 feet up to see. ive shot more deer from a ground blind and lawn chair than a treestand. bow included.
 
My wife and I have shot all our deer on ground level. In Sask, we have to wear orange, red, white or yellow on torso, with red or orange headwear. Camo only in strictly bow & muzzleloader season. Once rifle season opens, then full color applies. We successfully harvest our deer spot and stalk, or sitting quiet and still with good wind. Occasionally we hunt from a ground blind. A lot of it depends on how much area you have access to hunt. The large tracts of crown land give a hunter the ability to walk, stalk and track. If you only have access to 4-5 acres, then maybe being elevated IS your best bet. There's so many factors that would come into play in each different hunting spot. It's hard to say which is the best tactic without a bunch more info. Terrain, feed, cover, hunting pressure, weather, time of season, preferred method of hunting (bow, rifle, x-bow), budget for hunting gear. All of these, and more, can be factors in which set up might be more productive.
 
I've killed (and eaten) about 50 Whitetails over the many years. All from the ground. Most I stalked, all were on the edges of fields. When I hunt in November it's too cold to sit long.
 
bandit86 said:
Is it possible? Everybody seems to be up in the trees on stands. How would up I hunt them from the ground?
Click to expand...

Here's a quote from my late father DOB 1917 when he found me looking at tree stands in the Cabellas catalog one day many years ago. " your going the wrong direction when you start climbing trees boy " he just carried a gun when he was hungry and shot one when he saw a tasty looking one and couldn't understand why we made such efforts for a deer . I can't stand tree stands , cold boring and they sway in the wind , so no more monkey for me
 
bandit86 said:
Is it possible? Everybody seems to be up in the trees on stands. How would up I hunt them from the ground?
Click to expand...

Hmm. What can I say. I've shot all my white tails "from the ground". In my area, we still have the odd field with a tree or two left. We are in a deer slump, so it may not be quite as easy as it has been at times in the past. I love to get in a nice well treed pasture on a dull Fall day, preferably bordering a crop. I am not the most ardent hunter any more, but I think walking slowly, stopping every few yards is my favorite method. Spent many happy hours doing just this over the last 50+ years.
 
I have shot a few dozen whitetails from the ground and many times more than that from treestands... I generally spot and stalk "to and from" stands and during mid-day, and spend the first and last three hours of legal light in a stand... it works.
 
I hunt from ground blinds - not much room to roam on my modest acreage. Do some scouting, put out some cameras, work with the wind, try some estrus scent, do some rattling. Lots of ways to have fun hunting on the ground.
 
I hunt from both but found wind direction play a significant role as well as ground blind vs tree stand.

If you an archer then it may be more important to be on a tree stand than vs a gun and another important factor is how well can you sit quietly or conceal your movement.

I have seen hunters fill their tags by siting under a tree quietly with the right wind direction.
 
A few of the recent deer I shot with the crossbow were hunted by finding fresh tracks in the snow and stalking the animals to within range before making one shot kills between 10-15 yards. You need a few inches of fresh snow, patience, and silent gear. Seeing how close you can get is addicting.

If the ground is too loud for stalking just setup a natural blind near a good food source which should be easy to locate at this time of year.
 
Only taken 2 from a tree stand, the rest from my feet. Still hunting, for me, provides the most satisfying hunt. It makes me feel as if I'm more involved with actually hunting.
 
I either set up in a blind, or a stationary position with good cover. The biggest thing to remember is to keep still. Movement gives away your position fast.
 
I only hunt from ground blinds now, it can get very cold during our rifle season so I run big buddy heaters with a 20lb tank so I don't have to pack small propane bottles in. The blinds seem to cut down on scent a bit as well. I can't say enough good things about them and won't be going back to tree stands in my area.
 
I should have been more specific, I meant bow or crossbow only, I had lots in sight that I could have got with a gun, but guns are no go in this WMU. My current setup I can do 5 inch groups at 50 yards, I'm still practicing going back further but time is never enough. I. Think in a few weeks I ca probably get comfortable with taking 70 yard shots but I'd rather play it safe for the deer's sake. While hunting we came across some others who were trailing a wounded deer they shot in the "shoulder" I don't want to do that. As my hunting mentor said, it's better to have a clean miss than a close hit that you have to spend hours trailing.
 
Thanks for the clarification. Tactics vary with the weapon. In my experience, ground blinds are a good option for the special challenges of bow hunting. Not only do they let you get a shot at close enough range ( 50 yards is a good limit even its you can shoot accurately farther ) but they effectively mask movement. Waiting near a trail downwind, while being very still and breaking up your outline beside a tree trunk can work OK too, but limits opportunities compared to a blind. If you want to try spot and stalk with a bow, you will probably find it very entertaining but you must be highly skilled (or lucky) to kill many deer that way.
 
bandit86 said:
I should have been more specific, I meant bow or crossbow only, I had lots in sight that I could have got with a gun, but guns are no go in this WMU. My current setup I can do 5 inch groups at 50 yards, I'm still practicing going back further but time is never enough. I. Think in a few weeks I ca probably get comfortable with taking 70 yard shots but I'd rather play it safe for the deer's sake. While hunting we came across some others who were trailing a wounded deer they shot in the "shoulder" I don't want to do that. As my hunting mentor said, it's better to have a clean miss than a close hit that you have to spend hours trailing.
Click to expand...


If you can shoot 5 inch groups at 50 yards, you should probably practice more before worrying about 70 yards. I can shoot 2" at 80 yards with my crossbow but would only do that as a follow up on deer...listen more closely to your mentor. The other thing to consider is how much energy is left at that distance, how much force is required to remove the arrow from the target is a pretty good indicator.
 
freezer filler said:
If you can shoot 5 inch groups at 50 yards, you should probably practice more before worrying about 70 yards. I can shoot 2" at 80 yards with my crossbow but would only do that as a follow up on deer...listen more closely to your mentor. The other thing to consider is how much energy is left at that distance, how much force is required to remove the arrow from the target is a pretty good indicator.
Click to expand...

Good advice, and one more to add is the time you give a deer to react to the sound of the shot. To me 40yd is max with a bow/crossbow and that is on a relaxed deer, not one that is on high alert. Just because you can stick an arrow in a target much further than that, does not make it an ethical shot. And yes, I'm sure lot of people have heard stories of guys killing deer at 70yds or more. The thing is they never talk about all the wounded ones they shot at and never recovered at those ranges
 
My experience with tree stands can be summed up with "cold and cramped". At my old property I had a built a 6'x6' little house on 4"x4" x 10' pressure treat frame so it wasn't swaying or falling down. I had a friend have a life altering experience when he came out of a tree stand unexpectedly, he is now in a wheel chair.
On this property I have a series Ameristep Dog House ground blinds set up. Comfy and out of the wind and weather, if you only keep a couple zipper slits open slightly it prevents air passage in and out of the blind which virtually eliminates your scent from waffling around. I have had deer come right up to the blind and sniff while I was sitting there trying not to breathe. It also hides any movement, such as raising the gun. I spend countless hours every fall watching the deer from my blinds and seeing what noise and movement they will tolerate. Depends on the deer, and how keen there sixth sense is. They can see and notice the end of a gun barrel slowly being put through a 3/4" slit in the hide at 50yds.
Tree stands are effective for sure but I really enjoy my series of ground blinds they are perfect for a fella like me with two heart conditions, and the farthest I can fall is out of my Cabelas swivel chair.
I have shot away more deer from sitting quiet on a stand than I ever did stalking. If you walk/sneak up on a deer it is because it "allowed" you to. It at least heard you. It maybe could not get your scent and was curious to what you where, or it was careless deer not paying attention to it surroundings. Like I said I spend hours watching deer react in interact with there surroundings. The average mature deer is very aware, and wary, especially old does with fawns. I swear a deer can hear a pin drop into a pile of feathers at 100yds. Hearing, detection of movement, and smell are highly developed in a deer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom