Aggressive ground hunting
Whitetail Deer
Recently I've been checking a little more into this strategy. One example is these guys that go by "whitetail adrenaline", they put out DVD's and while I do not own any of them nor have I seen them, I've listened to the owner or founder of it talk about his tactics on a podcast. It was pretty interesting. They stay extremely mobile ground hunting on public land exclusively, many times using a homemade decoy. Another example is using say the "heads up" decoy to move in on white tails. Anything like this, even just spot and stalks. I've read plenty about hunting from natural ground blinds and very slow still hunting off the ground, but not as much about these very aggressive tactics. Anyone with experience care to chime in?
The guys on whitetail adrenaline do fairly well. Looks like they spend a TON of time driving around looking for the perfect opportunity. It seems to work. I own about 5 of their videos. Definitely not your normal hunting videos. They arent for everyone but they make me laugh.
^^^. I don't even buy anyone's hunting videos but theirs. Just pre-ordered the new one coming out. Can't wait to see the footage of the giant Jared killed with his longbow.
I used to do it when I hunted whitetails. Doe hat, on the ground, calling and actively decoying. If the Heads Up had been available then I'd have used it too. Killed some very good bucks for our area with stickbows, missed some other great ones when I rushed the shot or dropped my bow arm. It's a fun way to hunt if you have the right terrain and enough land to hunt.
I cannot sit in a tree unless I know for certain there is a very good chance a big one will come by. I have wandered and still hunted with bow in hand because of this and I have literally had dozens of encounters with big bucks over the years at close range- far more than if I would have wasted the day in a tree..
Thornton - the unfortunate thing is that you don't know what would have happened had you stayed in the tree... would those "encounters" have turned into "kills"? ;)
Nothing against ground hunting - I've also had some great opportunities on whitetails. In my terrain, turning an encounter into a kill is a lot easier from a tree as crappy as it is to sit up there all day.
I hunt a lot of hilly, open ground in KS. Except for land I own, all the wooded stuff I used to hunt has long been leased or the owners died. Some of the ravines I stalk, you could sit there for weeks without a shot so stalking/walking is the only way to see deer most days. I have seen rutting bucks in the Flint Hills cover a mile in just a few minutes so sitting in a tree in on those areas and on those days is stupid.
I've always run 'n gunned for turkeys, and am doing it more for whitetails. Definitely keeps it interesting and is fun being more proactive.
I've got a couple perfect spots for it...thousands of acres of unbroken, rugged bluff country. Only concern at 64 is the drag/pack out...I do keep that in mind.
"Thornton - the unfortunate thing is that you don't know what would have happened had you stayed in the tree... would those "encounters" have turned into "kills"? ;)"
+1
" I have seen rutting bucks in the Flint Hills cover a mile in just a few minutes so sitting in a tree in on those areas and on those days is stupid."
It's gonna take him only a few minutes to come back too...lol
Bowhunting the WT I can't see usually works better than the ones I can,but both ways CAN work if I don't give up my perch.
I love the ambush so I actually enjoy figuring out where they're gonna be, get in their way and remain stealth. I've seen Hawks hunt this way and they do well. I've killed some deer on the ground but they were usually killed by seeing them from a far and jumping in front of them.
When I hunt public ground I prefer to let the other hunters move about and remain "on post" at my funnel. I guess in summary whitetails see more human behavior than any other specie so I try to avoid the behavior they are used to seeing.
Good luck bowfisher!
Genesis- you obviously have never seen what I'm talking about. The bucks rarely "come back". Some years back on my favorite 800 acre pasture there were 2 distinctive bucks seen. The first was a 200" nontypical seen by the neighboring lessors and the squatters and the other was a tall, nontypical that I saw in person. Both were old bucks at least 6+ years old and neither were shot. Both were chasing does in huge ravine with little tree cover. The squatters put stands in every ravine for a mile and cameras. The 200" was never seen in season again but his sheds were found 1 mile to the east. This is what the terrain looks like and it has a lot of elevation changes of +/- 100 ft
The draw on the left is a huge bowl. After literally years of hunting it, one of the squatters finally killed. 3.5 yr old buck because he camped over a feeder. Many of the nice bucks I saw while walking it during bow and rifle season were never photographed on the camera in that draw or the other wooded draw on the right. The distance between the 2 draws is close to a mile. Like i said earlier, sitting in a tree is a waste of time here.
Thornton is spot on in this if your hunting terrain like this.
I have hunted the same stuff and rarely seen those big hogs walk in the wood ravines because thats were all the tree stands and hunters are at.
I have seen them scent check those draws from the wide open to avoid actually walking up the draw like one would think.
Now if there is no pressure around thats a diff ballgame.
While I prefer a tree stand in a nice thick bottle neck, sometimes its not a reality and one must decided if wants to be a deer watcher or try and make something happen.
I shot this buck @ 4 yards from the ground after 10 days of not seeing a good buck with in 1/2 mile of a tree.
He was in area with 0 trees.
I'm trying to come up with some type of ground hunting tactic for north central PA, just acres and acres of timbered mountains. I've tried rattling along a clear cut every 500yds or so, moving every 20 - 30 minutes. Gonna try calling more, have to read up on that.
Bow attached decoys seems like the "new" rage for ground "aggressive" hunting.
For those of us who have spent 1000s of hours in a tree stand or ground blind, putting the boots back on the ground seems like a refreshing new way to hunt.
Here in Colorado (10 big game species to hunt) aggressive ground hunting for elk, mule deer, bear, sheep, goats, is the norm except maybe for WTs and pronghorns in elevated blinds and from ground blinds.
I used the HeadsUP turkey decoy this year and was successful with this aggressive hunt after setting in a blind for many hours. A few years ago, I killed a good buck in Kansas at 10 yards while stalking along the side of a standing corn field.
Eye to eye-- ground level hunting is very exciting and can be a great hunting tool and a refreshing way to hunt. It just may be the ultimate test of ones hunting ability.
My best, Paul
Nice buck Paul.
A couple years ago I shot a nice P&Y eight point from the ground, but only after I spotted him from my ladder stand coming across a large bare soybean field. I had a good idea of where he would enter the woods and slipped out of the stand and posted up on a funnel he was heading to. It stands out as one of my favorite hunts. It sure is exciting hunting from the ground.
I'm super aggressive during the rut. While sitting in the stand I'm always ready to bail out and go after a buck that is locked down with a doe. Once jumped out of the stand and ran down the creek to get in the game where several bucks where chasing one doe. Doe they where chasing almost ran right into my broadhead. Had the most mature buck in range and at full draw, but the biggest one was out of range. Was to picky that year and had tag soup. I'll never set back out of the game if I think I can get in close by being aggressive.
I hunt in WV and have tried the Heads up Decoy last year. I would put it out and I would be in a tree. EVERY doe that saw it blew and stomped and made a raucous. If a lone buck came in he would get curious and check it out.
I quit using it because it spooked every doe that came in, and I am sure they in turn spooked some bucks.
The heads up decoy is not the decoy used in the video. I'd like to get my hands on one. Really has some nice features. Pretty sure it's home made. I think it has real WT fur.
Bowmania
Genesis- you obviously have never seen what I'm talking about. The bucks rarely "come back".
Funny,I've noticed the same thing....
Sounds like a good way to burn out an area quick!
I've seen places go dead because the guy thought he had to sit in the same tree every day..
This spot "went dead" because of aggressive ground hunting with the doe hat. :)
Saxton, the Heads Up isn't made for static decoying. It's made for dynamic, active decoying with movement. The only problem I have with the doe hat or Heads Up is having does run in on top of me and pinning me down. I need to be careful when I "show" them.
One thing I've noticed during the years I've been hunting on the ground - bucks seem to react differently to encountering a person on the ground in different random spots than encountering the smell of a human coming from the same place multiple times.
A person walking through the woods may be a more naturally-occurring incident that a person sitting in the same spot(s) all day every day. I had several encounters with this buck over a month before finally getting a good shot. (I missed him once when I rushed the shot and dropped my bow arm). He was the dominant buck in the area that year and never left the country even though I goofed him on the ground several times.
Some great insight so far, does anyone have more experience ground hunting in heavily wooded ground?
I have tried that as well. Have had many close encounters in person and in a blind. Never shot anything with a bow other than does. I will say if the woods are too big, you may not see 80% of the deer in there walking around. It is a food way to burn a spot out here in KS.
