Blinds VS Treestands for rifle hunting

[Borngeechee]

Whats your preference and why?

Edited August 6, 2014 by Borngeechee

[GreeneHunter]

ladder/Tree  Stand ...... sometimes I take a nap and they cant hear me snore as well when I'm up a tree .... LOL

[stoneam2006]

I know this isn't a choice but I prefer to walk and stalk and sit in various places for a short time. cover more ground and I think I tend to see more deer that way

[GreeneHunter]

I know this isn't a choice but I prefer to walk and stalk and sit in various places for a short time. cover more ground and I think I tend to see more deer that way

I used to do just that , now I let my son push - err I mean walk and stalk !  And yes you do see more deer that way IMO !

[fasteddie]

I prefer a Treestand while bow hunting to give me more visibility and hope that any of my scent would dissipate by the time it gets to ground level . I think a stand helps for close up hunting .

When gun hunting , I prefer a blind to be out of the cold wind , rain and snow .

[Woodjr55]

For bow a treestand during gun I'd say 50-50 between a treestand and walking and sitting. I prefer a treestand but I'm a lazy hunter

[stoneam2006]

I used to do just that , now I let my son push - err I mean walk and stalk ! And yes you do see more deer that way IMO !

That's exactly what my dad and uncle do i always know exactly where they are and stay just far enough to not disrupt their sit but still help coax deer in toward them...it's paid off pretty decently

[NeverSeenNorHeard]

Depends on the terrain but I tend to prefer stands, especially in areas with elevation changes such as ridges, rolling hills and the like. I have a stand in such a location that lets me see tons of ground. But if I had it my way, I'm a tower stand on the edge of a farm field type of guy. 

[eagle rider]

always prefer tree stands.  Scent management is often a little easier, and you get a much better vantage point.  See deer frequently further out.  

[Elmo]

Borngeechee, I think you need to specify whether it's rifle hunting or bow hunting because that'll make a difference.

[Borngeechee]

Borngeechee, I think you need to specify whether it's rifle hunting or bow hunting because that'll make a difference.

good idea

[thphm]

As I said in the Bow Blind thread, that's what I am using this year,no more tree stands for me, staying dry, warm. Opening day of gun I might mosey around to see how many people cannot read posted sighns.

[skeets716]

I strictly gun hunt, got my biggest deer last year (in profile pic) and it was out of a tree stand.  After completeing the Hunter Safety Instructor course, I probably will not hunt out of stands in the future.  Too many variables that can be out of your control.  I know stands can be hunted safely, just my personal preference.  Going to try a blind this year and / or just stick to the old leaning against a tree blending in.  Had a buck within 30 yds last year sitting on a stump and have had a doe within 20 ft snorting up a storm trying to get me to move.  Amazing what just freezing and standing still will do if you are camouflaged correctly.

[NeverSeenNorHeard]

 I probably will not hunt out of stands in the future.  Too many variables that can be out of your control.  

 

 

I worry about my old man climbing in and out of stands.

[Two Track]

The deer I have taken were all stand shots.  That was private family land that we could drive out in the orchard and drop the 70+ lbs steel stands off by the trail that accessed the abandoned woods road.  That was fairly level terrain.

 

Since moved here and gained a few pounds, I am not carrying that 70+ lbs stand up and down hill on public lands.  Or leaving it set up on public lands and finding someone else sitting in it.

 

If I was hunting on private land that was monitored, I would set one up just before season and take it down when done hunting.  You can see much further from the stand and see over pile of brush or bushes that may be concealing a deer.  May be safer in a stand from hunters on the ground taking a shot by being above them.  Just don't take a nap in a stand and fall out.

 

If it is very windy or raining, I stick to the ground.  I am not very comfortable with a swaying stand in the breeze, or a slippery ladder to climb up/down.

[Two Track]

NeverSeenNorHeard

I know what you mean.  My dad built a new two person stand on a friend's land for them to hunt from together.

 

My dad is not the best carpenter.  Hope he added more under-floor supports since I saw it under construction.  The floor plywood sheet was about 1/4 inch thick and was flexing a lot with one person in it. His friend was in a serious tractor accident that he almost died from and now walks with a cane. At least the ladder is more of a walk up than a climb up for them to get in it.

 

Since dad is now over 65, I don't think a fall will be something he could recover from as well as he use to.

He is still young and very active for his age (plays tennis, on a softball team, etc).  He knows he is getting older, but has not slowed down yet.

 

I am 2 states and 5 hours drive away from him.  So have to hope it all goes well when he is out there.

[NeverSeenNorHeard]

I hear ya TT. My dad just takes chances - too many for my liking. My stand is a few hundred yards walk from his, and it seems too far for me. I have him call me when he's in the stand (guys too old to text). I can see him with binos if all the leaves have dropped so I'm lucky for during the day but the early AM walk-in is another story. 

[BizCT]

Neither. Never owned a treestand. Sitting against a tree or rock walk early morning and before dark. During the day still hunting at a snails pace

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited August 7, 2014 by Biz-R-OWorld

[Doc]

I have many ground blinds for gun season scattered all over the place. They are mostly to provide some convenient gun rests for shooting, but do offer some concealment. I simply pick the stand based on known escape routes, and expected hunter patterns and wind direction. After opening day it is all still-hunting.

 

My still-hunting is actually a combination of very slow walking and then standing. Stop and go walking until I get to some known security spots for deer. And then everything slows down considerably. My still hunting becomes a few minutes of very careful walking and then 15 or 20 minute stands at the base of any convenient tree that offers good visibility. That is so that I can glass every inch of the area for bedded deer. Then another 50 -100 yards (or to whatever farthest spot that I could see before), and then another sit-and-glass period. This is for all of the season other than opening day, so that really doesn't involve ground blinds or tree stands.

 

No treestands. I don't do treestands anymore.

[phade]

I have many ground blinds for gun season scattered all over the place. They are mostly to provide some convenient gun rests for shooting, but do offer some concealment. I simply pick the stand based on known escape routes, and expected hunter patterns and wind direction. After opening day it is all still-hunting.

 

My still-hunting is actually a combination of very slow walking and then standing. Stop and go walking until I get to some known security spots for deer. And then everything slows down considerably. My still hunting becomes a few minutes of very careful walking and then 15 or 20 minute stands at the base of any convenient tree that offers good visibility. That is so that I can glass every inch of the area for bedded deer. Then another 50 -100 yards (or to whatever farthest spot that I could see before), and then another sit-and-glass period. This is for all of the season other than opening day, so that really doesn't involve ground blinds or tree stands.

 

No treestands. I don't do treestands anymore.

 

I am jealous of those who can still hunt. It's something I've never been able to learn, partially because I had small acreage to hunt when I was younger and still hunting wasn't plausible. It's a skill largely being lost on newer generation east coast hunters.

[Woodjr55]

NeverSeenNorHeard

I know what you mean. My dad built a new two person stand on a friend's land for them to hunt from together.

My dad is not the best carpenter. Hope he added more under-floor supports since I saw it under construction. The floor plywood sheet was about 1/4 inch thick and was flexing a lot with one person in it. His friend was in a serious tractor accident that he almost died from and now walks with a cane. At least the ladder is more of a walk up than a climb up for them to get in it.

Since dad is now over 65, I don't think a fall will be something he could recover from as well as he use to.

He is still young and very active for his age (plays tennis, on a softball team, etc). He knows he is getting older, but has not slowed down yet.

I am 2 states and 5 hours drive away from him. So have to hope it all goes well when he is out there.

i hope he treated that plywood otherwise after this year it will probably be shot

[Doc]

I am jealous of those who can still hunt. It's something I've never been able to learn, partially because I had small acreage to hunt when I was younger and still hunting wasn't plausible. It's a skill largely being lost on newer generation east coast hunters.

For me it isn't so much a skill as it is simply impatience. Having spent untold hours sitting like a stump throughout the bow season. And the doing my marathon all day sit throughout the gun season opener, I am simply ready to get up and change the scenery for a change. Besides, I know that after opening day of gun season, the deer kind of go underground. I also know that most hunters quit after the opener, or simply sit all day in their space-aged warm clothing, so there is nothing happening to get the deer moving. So, I slide into my "I-go-to-them" mode.

 

In terms of acreage, I do have huge amounts of land at my disposal, but the fact is that I really only actively hunt small chunks of it. I pretty much burn through most of it just to get to those little honey-holes where deer traditionally go to escape hunters. A lot of these spots are little 300' x 600' areas (about 4 acres). Many of them are even less. So even large open farms with little small woodlots here and there would be great for still hunting.

[Elmo]

Yeah, I can't sit still that long.  I typically sit in either the blind or tree stand (depending on which spot I use) during the morning hours and evening hours.  During the mid-afternoon, I still hunt.

[ATbuckhunter]

I prefer tree stands over ground blinds but I have spent a lot of time on the ground and had some luck. 

[Doc]

I prefer tree stands over ground blinds but I have spent a lot of time on the ground and had some luck. 

There is a bit of an added bonus when hunting from the ground. That is the heart pounding excitement of being a few feet from your prey, with an eyeball-to-eyeball direct threat of discovery. I once shot a doe that was walking tight against the very same tree I was hiding behind. That was a pretty good impact to my nervous system that day as I circled the tree while she walked by. I believe I could have reached out and touched her. That doe provided one of the deepest memories of any deer that I ever shot including some nice bucks. Back in the days when I was still hanging from trees, I used to have deer walk under my stand, but none of them ever got my nerves worked up like that doe.