Bow Hunts Exclusively From The Ground

[RTF]

I wanted to start a thread on bowhunters who hunt from the ground. Post your pics and stories of your ground hunts here whether you stalk or hunt from a ground blind. I myself only recently became a hardcore ground hunter with the bow in the last few years. Ive decided my fat ass is just too big to be climbing trees anymore and I just cant last in a tree stand like I once did.

This season has been a blast hunting from the ground. I have seen many deer, called in a mature buck that made me pee my pants, have been at full draw on several deer that I decided to let walk and have been busted by a few deer. I have not connected with anything yet but here are some ground pics from last Saturday of an area I like to stalk through. It was very windy and we had on off snow showers.

Edited November 7, 2012 by Clifford

[sits in trees]

im a realist and realize that one day i wont be climbing trees anymore. and i have no shame, i will use whatever tools that will keep me in the feild another few years as i age. so ground blinds and crossbows are definatley in my plans. but for now i head out to climb up into my 18 foot treestand..

[sweet old bill]

At 61 years old I fell just less than 12 feet and broke my right leg in 9 places. It took me a full year to be able to walk in the woods again so it has been 9 years of hunting 100% on the ground. I have found that my about of taking deer went from 2 or more a year to one every 4 years or so. The key tips is always play the wind, use natural ground blinds ( fallen maple tree ), make sure the deer head is down as you try to get the bow up to draw and shoot. I also found that it sure plays to keep washing the hunting togs with baking soda thru out the season. As deer sure seems to have super noses. I also found being on the ground the shot went from 30 yards and in to more like 20 yards and in. Due to the amount of brush in the way as a deer is feeding to the blind. But one of the other major issue is you still can take a deer when it is eye ball to eye ball and that old heart sure seems to beat like a young man again...

[Meat First]

I have two stands on my field about 100yds apart. Out on opening weekend and if I was in one stand the deer would be under the other. This happened for three hunts in a row so now one morning it starts to rain so I get down from the first stand and move to the second one because it has a roof. Of course around 1030am it stops raining and lo n behold a doe stands up form her bed and walks right under the stand I started in. So I've really had it at this point so I decide screw this treestand crap I'm going after her...stalk to within 25yards she spooks but gives me a broadside but I put one over her back. Got a good shot of adrenaline because I haven't shot at a deer from the ground in a long time! Missing was frustrating but a good hunt none the less.

[Elmo]

I had a stand accident earlier this year and broke my stand. While it was generous for others to offer me their stand (plus I could have used my brothers stand) I noticed that I encountered deer while on the ground but have yet to even see a deer while on the stand. I'm a relatively new hunter so I have a very small sample size to work with. I noticed by chance, 2 of 3 spots I've scouted, a tree stand would not have given me any additional advantage. Of course, murphy's law, that 1 of 3, I happen to be hinding behind a tree and a doe snuck in from my left side, sniffed me out, and ran. She came within 5-10 yards of me. But I didn't have a shot from that angle. Had I been on a tree at them moment, who knows? I might have gotten a angle to take a shot or she might not have came through at all because that's just my luck.

[Grizz1219]

I know I've started to hunt more from blinds and I'm loving the up close and personal with deer!!! What a rush!!!

[accman]

The hardest thing from the ground is scent control. Normally, I wash the clothes each week, scent up, and try to be as cognizant of the wind as possible. Last weekend, when I missed the chance at mine cause he got wind of me, and hightailed it back out, I now realized I hadn't washed the clothes cause of Sandy. In fact, I just got the power back on last night. I'm sure he smelled some fumes of gasoline and exhause fumes from our generator cause I didn't have the clothes bagged up. I'll be washing everything tonight and getting ready for Saturday morning.

[Doc]

I've been hunting from ground blinds for quite a few years now. I've had situations where I could almost reach out and touch the deer. There's no bigger rush than that. Here's a few pics of a some of the stands. At one time, I had 110 stands similar to these, scattered all over the valley.

Some of these stands are in some tight quarters. This picture is what I see from one of these "thicket stands". A real good producer. At the end of the shooting lane along the right hand side is a big old wild apple tree that normally produces a lot of apples.

Tremendous stand that watches what used to be an old pole-line road that was used years ago to maintain an electric line that ran up over the hill to another dirt road. The deer have used that as a trail, 20 yards from my stand.

Another stand along the old pole-line road.

Lately, I have been experimenting with pop-ups. Had a few close encounters, but nothing that I wanted to shoot .... yet.

Not every stand is some grand construction .... lol. This big old fat tree has accounted for an awful lot of venison. It's hard to tell from the picture, but that tree is more than 4' in diameter. We have quite a few of these monster trees scattered around the hill. Many of these provide cover without any additional material.

[Paula]

I like the last picture Doc, are all those spots on your land or state land?

[TreeGuy]

I never mind sitting on the ground, ive invested alot in scent elimination gear and sprays. You always feel that much closer when ur on the ground. To me though, i HAVE to have the perfect wind or i will move on to another spot or stand. I prefer to keep my spot/stalk for when i have a firearm cause i dont like bumping deer at all during bow on my property. Either way, it is definately a big accomplishment to stick one from the ground...eye to eye and nose to nose.....i love it! Good luck to all the ground pounders!

[Doc]

The tree picture is on state land. The others are on my property.

[dirt_a_KISS]

I've been hunting from ground blinds for quite a few years now. I've had situations where I could almost reach out and touch the deer. There's no bigger rush than that. Here's a few pics of a some of the stands. At one time, I had 110 stands similar to these, scattered all over the valley.

Some of these stands are in some tight quarters. This picture is what I see from one of these "thicket stands". A real good producer. At the end of the shooting lane along the right hand side is a big old wild apple tree that normally produces a lot of apples.

Tremendous stand that watches what used to be an old pole-line road that was used years ago to maintain an electric line that ran up over the hill to another dirt road. The deer have used that as a trail, 20 yards from my stand.

Another stand along the old pole-line road.

Lately, I have been experimenting with pop-ups. Had a few close encounters, but nothing that I wanted to shoot .... yet.

Not every stand is some grand construction .... lol. This big old fat tree has accounted for an awful lot of venison. It's hard to tell from the picture, but that tree is more than 4' in diameter. We have quite a few of these monster trees scattered around the hill. Many of these provide cover without any additional material.

That last tree you just show, the state land i have has two or three and they would be perfect for ground hunting. I love hunting on the ground because i have this feeling of being able to be right there where the action is occurring just love it!

[RTF]

Did not get to go out last night, but I did the night before. It was dead calm which in turn pretty much kills any still hunting and stalk hunting with a bow. So Im standing in a line of pines watching a field below me. For some reason I peaked to my right around the tree to look up the hill and I see a deer at about 70 yards running full bore from left to right. I dont have a clue why it was running. The wind was in my favor and the deer wasnt coming in my direction. I had been standing in this spot for 10 minutes. Dont have a clue what was chasing this deer or what spooked it.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Clifford

[noodle one]

I have been hunting on the ground for many years now and would not think of hunting out of a tree stand, When I first started bow huntiing 50 some years ago, I started on the ground for a few years with very little luck so I went to hunting out of home made treestands and started getting deer every year that way. After about ten years of hunting that way I told myself that it was to easy to kill deer from a treestand and time to go back to hunting on the ground. I made up my mind that if I was going to hunt on the ground I was going to have to find a way to be the best that I could be hunting on the ground. I have become what I think is pretty good at it. I have taken one or two bucks a years now for as long as I can remember back. All from the ground.

[Five Seasons]

I enjoy a good stalking with the gun, although i occasionally hear that gun shot in the distance and know i just pushed one someones way.

This would take some skills and patience to stalk with the bow. very cool idea, not sure i could do it.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I shot my buck last year from the ground with my bow, it was a whole different experience than shooting one out of a stand. I cant wait to have the chance to do it again.