The place I hunt has a ton of small-medium sized trees which means on the ground it looks open, but about 15 feet up youre entirely surrounded by branches. If you have you scent controlled and you have the wind in your favor, has anyone ever tried hunting deer like turkey? Just plopping down against a tree?
absulutely!scent control is the key!you must have a steady wind in your favor,and figure out what thermals are going to do.air will rise up hills in the morning and drop in the evening.I love hunting from the ground.it may not be as effective,but some ofmy biggest bowhunting rushes have happened on the ground!
well I hunt in a very flat area of Ohio so there are not really any hills for my scent to rise to.....
I did this a lot when I was younger, and had a lot fun. Killed a couple deer too. I have done it a few times in recent years in the late season. I usually grab a couple branches for cover/backdrop if possible, or try to sit near a pine. I killed a deer two season ago in late December by sitting in some standing corn. Just knocked down a couple stalks so I could shoot. I always have this in my truck just in case I get the itch to hunt like I did when I was a kid. This one is much fancier though. The one I used as a kid didn't have a back. Oh, and clear the leaves from around you so you can move your feet quietly.
Two weeks ago my hunting buddy and I went to hunt a set and someone was already there. It was late, rather than drive 40 min. to another set we popped in a small track of timber 300 yards wide by 1000 yards long. We didn't have a blind or any extra stands with us. We walked .3 miles down into a good south wind, down a dry creek bed and popped out on a flat in big timber. We immediately spooked a flock of turkeys and 3 or 4 deer. We backed off about 40 yards and set on a downed tree. 40 minutes later we had a spike buck and a 2+ year old doe walk in and eat for 15 minutes no more than 20 yards from us in the open timber. At one point the doe locked onto me. She stomped her foot and bobbed her head multiple times. I minute or so later she went back to eating. As soon as the doe put her head behind a big oak my buddy went to full draw. She took 3 more step, he let the arrow fly and she was dead when she hit the ground 35 yards later. If you can control your scent and movement anything is possible! It wasn't a monster buck but probably one of the best hunts of my life. We finished by celebrating by knocking fists and a man hug. Total time in the field was less than 2 hours!
hunted OTG yesterday in the rain from 12 to 6. Got totally soaked, didn't see anything but I'd rather get wet and hunt than stay dry and have no chance of filling a tag.
We have more blinds that tree stands (5 tree stands, 9 blinds). We can't afford to put a stand in every place we want to sit, so we make it with what we have. Usually we cut down a few branches and surround a chair. Like vito said, make sure you clear the ground of all debris, as you will want to be able to change position silently.
2 years ago I rifle hunted from the ground. I was completely inexperienced and was wearing what ever I could find for clothes. I had no clue what direction the wind was coming from (read as I had ZERO scent control going on). Maybe I was just lucky but I saw 6 doe that day and 3 of them came within 10ft of me and 1 was close enough for me to reach out and touch with the rifle. I will probably be hunting off the ground Saturday evening because I only have 1 stand but really want to hunt this other location. So i plan on using 2ft blind that is tall enough to hide me moving my hands around on the ground to get my bow and stuff. But I have a feeling it will be pretty easy to get busted on draw back since you are at eye level.
As they said DEFINITELY clear the ground around your feet. It's worth making the noise to clear it out because when a deer is in bow range you wont be able to make the slightest noise or it's game over
And be alert and ready at all times cause things happen really, really fast and minimal movement is critical.
I love hunting the ground, I have gotten less than 3feet from deer in the past. the trick to hunting the ground is setup, I don't use a blind , all I do is make sure that I have a good back drop and the forest floor is clear of debris. I use Mossy brake up camo from head to toe face paint with a sentlok mask that covers everything but my eyeballs. My chair is a homemade deal that allows me to rotate with almost no noise and tilt without getting up. Learn the wind in your area get the best camo that fits your surroundings and think of every possible situation that can happen and prepare of it, there is no rush like getting close at eye level with a nice deer. I have learned form failure and feel that the way I hunt is one of the best for the total experience. Get a big buck looking you down at 15yards eye level and if you get a shot or not it is still a MONSTER RUSH
I do it sometimes with a gun, never tried it with a bow although I walk around quietly through "fire lane" trails as we call them.. and try to jump deer.. Works sometimes..
I was raised hunting on the ground. No blind, cheap camo, metal folding chair. Me, Dad, Uncles, etc. all the same. Hell, Uncle Murray started hunting with a double barrel black powder percussion cap shotgun. RIP Murry C. Ballard - Veteran, Hunter, Role Model
I am strictly a Spot and Stalk/Still hunter.... I haven't been in a stand for a long time. I try and control my scent but IMHO playing the wind is FAR more important. I have stalked plenty of deer in just a camo coat and my dirty old work Carhartts. If you stay down wind of the deer and take it slow then you should be alright.
First time I ever went hunting (be it with a gun), I hunted from the ground. I had so much blaze on that I was brighter than a hot air balloon in a clear blue sky, wearing boots that were normally used to mow grass in and wearing hunting clothing that was fresh off the store shelf. Needless to say - I wasn't trying to hide from anyone or anything... 50 yards the dumb a$$ of a 8 point buck walks in on the exact path that me and my personal hunting guide walked in on. Turned broadside and I smoked him, smoked him in the spine. Got up to run and put another shot on him, sheered his damn antler off at the base. True story... He's on my wall. Love hunting from the ground!
Where I used to hunt had a small river run through it, and i'd put my back up to a tree and blend in the best I could right next to that river (setting on the ground of course) Got a buck that way one year...it can be done, I just think you need to be additionally careful...much more so than if in a tree stand or deer blind, because every little movement will spook any deer in sight.
