I'm planning on starting my foray into bowhunting next season (2014-2015) at Loch Raven, Liberty, and Prettyboy reservoirs. I'm using a crossbow. I was curious, of anyone else who bowhunts these areas, do you tend to use treestands or do you still/stalk hunt? I'm not planning on dropping any money on a treestand next season and wanted to make sure I wouldn't be the only one wandering the woods aimlessly haha. Any other advice on bowhunting these areas is much appreciated!!
I used to hunt Loch Raven and Liberty myself. If you are doing ground hunting, I would do some serious scouting to find places where you have a sharp downhill slope. I have used a ground blind before, but it you just pop up a blind, deer will notice it and shy away from the new, large lump in the middle of their home. Both places are great to hunt, but will require scouting to find trails and sign. Loch Raven has several nice places near Paper Mill Rd and I have had success there and saw a very nice buck, but didn't get a shot. Good luck!
Your best bet is going to be to suck it up and get a climber. You will have way better odds of scoring a deer
