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Ground Hunting

I really hate hiking into state land with a climbing stand, especially at my age. I am also not great with heights, so once up in the stand I am not exactly happy.

I am planning on ditching it for the most part this year and just hunting from the ground. I know I am giving up a lot of hunting advantages, but I just want to have more fun and be more comfortable. Anybody else hunt from the ground primarily? Any tips?

Maybe bbb will come out of the shadows,it takes him 45 min to get out of the parking area..lol...Go sloooooooow..and if you think you're going to slow,go even slooooooooooooower

I'll be following this, it's my only option.

I asked For a camo cast, only had hot pink and white.

Do they have camo duct tape?

Notme - I know my limitations. Stalking with a bow is out of my wheelhouse.

Thinking more in terms of sitting and waiting on the ground in a makeshift blind or behind some cover.

I’ve rarely hunted off the ground with a bow because it’s so freaking hard, unless you have a nice place to ambush a deer before they see you. But, I would take the top part of a climber and use it to sit against a tree to break up your outline and make your sit comfy.

X2 blood. I’ll occasionally use my top portion and sit on the ground. Usually I’ll do it if it rained the night before. I don’t like climbing wet trees in a climber. I just ordered the new lone wolf. They aren’t shipping yet.

I recommend getting a bow stand of some sorts and a small armless chair. Easy to get comfortable on the ground but not so easy to grab your bow and shoot ...

I recommend getting a bow stand of some sorts and a small armless chair. Easy to get comfortable on the ground but not so easy to grab your bow and shoot ...

Toonces, I know you’re a long time hunter, but I also only hunted on the ground when it was crunchy. That way I could hear the deer approaching and get up and get ready.

I have used the top part of my climber before during ice conditions. This way I was able to pull back without having to move.

I may still have my crutches that my wife wrapped up in duct tape when I was laid up and hobbled out hunting. Gladly let you borrow them. I would like to see BBB show back up. He did have something to add to the conversation. Let me go look for those crutches

Found them lol

Ground hunting can be a blast. But frustrating. Cover behind and some in front. Sit extremely still for long periods, must have comfortable seat. I like having a large tree or two in front of me to cover my draw as deer goes behind it. Ghillie or leafy suit is a big help. Enjoy animals getting in your face close. Try to get a shot. I've only shot 3 deer and a turkey on the ground with bow. Two deer with compound, including my first. One deer and turkey with my longbow. Commit to getting it done and you will learn quickly how to set up.

Obviously if you find a smoking hot spot you can construct a good blind with tree branches and anything else natural nearby

Toonces, Expect to educate deer and yourself on if the ground is your choice. Super difficult and rewarding when it happens. You might want to screw a bow hook into a tree and hang the bow close. Eliminating movement is key so keep your body in a position to draw as much of the time as you can. Best of luck. You will make it happen. Look forward to seeing it.

One of my favorite things to do is still hunting with a bow. You have to go in light with soft shoes and preferably slightly damp conditions. Overcast helps because shadows and shine are the enemy. Follow the topography and stay as low as possible. Keep some pruning shears Handy so they can be retrieved with minimal motion. Take only two steps at a time with the heel of your stepping foot not passing the toe of your lead foot. Then you bring up the trail foot and then put the lead foot in front again. Get your weight, right And look around slow motion 270°. You will be amazed that the deer rump that was invisible to you 2 steps ago is now in Plain-view. Sometimes I see an “deer part” and then rock backwards a little bit just to show my self why I couldn’t see it a few seconds ago . This is an exhausting process. If you are traveling more than 100 yards an hour you’re going to fast. Low magnification binoculars strapped. high just under your chin help. Arrow must be knocked unless you have to crawl for a little bit. The lowest topography where you need to be, is usually the thickest vegetation . That’s where the pruner comes in. If you have squirrels nearby you’re probably doing it right. It is fun but tiring so take a rest now and then. Either sit on something or even just lay down for a few minutes. Although I have been caught lying down and I hear a deer coming and there’s nothing I can do about it. I have occasionally spotted a bedded deer and moved in for the kill but that is rare. I once was taking a break on one knee behind an old, rotten dog and shot an eight point at 8 yards with a longbow. Sitting in a pop-up blind is my least favorite way to ground hunt. Building a blind is not great because you always feel you could be in a better spot 10, 20, or 50 yards away. But you put so much effort into building this blind, that you stick it out even though the nearby spot looks better. My method is low, success rate, high satisfaction, when successful, and always, exhausting Try it sometime when it’s lightly drizzling as the sound of the rain covers you better. But the dry crunchy woods aren’t too bad because the deer make so much sound you hear them before you can see them and they can see you. If you can’t avoid making some sound, try to sound like a squirrel . One time I stumbled all the way to the ground so I used my hands and made some deer trotting sounds with my fists on the leaves and then stopped. Then I did a few dough can calls, and I had some deer around me within 10 minutes. If you make a mistake, you must try to cover after the fact, with some kind of natural sound either turkey, squirrel or deer or even a cow if they are in your area . This might sound kind of nuts, but I’ve been doing it a long time and it definitely works. The worst thing to do after inadvertent sound is keep moving or stay totally silent because anything around you will be fixed on your location for longer than you were going to be willing to wait in their first move, will not be towards you, but away.

Sorry for all the typos, but I dictated most of it. There’s an old book called Stalking Deer by Don Groves. It’s really good.

I don’t know why ground hunting is all taboo. It wasn’t that long ago that all hunting was done from the ground.

I hunt from ground as well. Can’t use stand’s anymore- so I get sit along down trees, brush or make shift blind. Have had great success

Dr.D...good of you to take time for your informative post (dictated or not , LOL). Your method involves as much mental discipline as physical and can be deadly. I tracked for decades in N. Me. and the" stepping" you're describing reminds me of the end stage of a successful tracking endeavor. Good stuff.

Yeah BD, when I say it is exhausting, it's all 90% mental. The slow motion saps a bit of energy but it's far from aerobic. As you know, it's examining every stick, sapling and shadow in sight and asking: is that a leg? Is that V-shape a tail? Is that black spot a nose? Just talking about it gets my juices flowing to begin some roaming in ten says when I am back east. I used to be Cali/Conn but now it's UK/Conn. Same difference.

Ground hunting is the best. We have so much elevation change in Western CT and SENY, that you can sit on a rock cliff or against a stonewall and see plenty. The deer can't pick you off in a tree. They come in super close. Exhilarating with bow and gun.

Thanks all,

Dr. Deer - your post explains in detail why I suck at still hunting with a gun and certainly with a bow. I have the patience to sit still for long periods of time, especially on the ground, if it's a spot I have some confidence in, but I lack the discipline to still hunt effectively. I have never been able to go that slow. If I am moving I tend to want to move.

Agree on the elevation changes helping. Inventorying in my head the various spots I like to hunt there is usually an elevation change somewhere nearby that offers an ambush point.

Woodsnut,that set up blends right in, looks deadly

Due to the anxiety I’ve had the last couple years I mostly sit on my stool and hunt. The huge pro is its light the huge con is drawing up on a deer but I did manage 2 deer. I have yet to get picked off unless I move. I enjoy it give it a try!

NeHunter, new member of the broke leg club. In 2005 I broke mine badly and had two surgeries. I was post-op and non-weight bearing by September but managed a few Double Bull blind set ups. By December, still in the immobilizer, I could walk but was not allowed to remove the apparatus. So I wore several super heavy socks, then the immoblilizer, then a ScentLok bootie over the top and was able to git-er-dunn on a few deer that way. I gave those blinds to friends as soon as I didn't need them because I love hunting but hated just looking out those stupid holes. Hope this experience is something you can use later in the season.

Notme, nice natural blind.

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