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Would you still ground hunt if portable tree technology exist?

HuumanCreed

HuumanCreed

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2020
Messages
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Location
Westminster Maryland
More and more recently I see guys are starting to stay on the ground. It is a tribute to the forum community that they are still sticking around because it reflect on the quality of the group as a hold.

I don't see myself hunting on the ground anytime soon simply because I love being in a tree. The view is a big part of the enjoyment for me.

I understand that staying on the ground open up a lot of locations where you cannot find a good tree that meet the hunting scenario. And unless you're setting up a blind, you are a lot more mobile.

BUT if portable tree technology exist, would you still take the advantage of being elevated?

From my understanding, elevation offer view points, hide SOME movement and scent, and some argues that vital hit from an angle produced better blood lost and pooling of blood in the lungs.
 
What form of portable tree technology are you thinking about? Is this a new climbing idea?

I like hunting elevated but as you mentioned, if the spot is good, I will hunt off the ground if that is the only option. Also, since I like to hunt with trad equipment too, I like to do a lot of that off the ground since I feel for me trad lends itself more to the ground.
 
Eh I’ve ground hunted before and been successful at it but deer are better than we are on the ground in the woods, so I will exploit any advantage I have, as long as my body allows me to get into a tree I will do it. My biggest fears in life are losing my kids and getting too old or frail to climb or hunt effectively.
 
I don't climb just to climb. If a spot requires elevation to see/shoot, I climb. If I need to climb or if climbing can hurt(yes I have spots that climbing prevents clean shots), then I stay on the ground but might still use saddle/platform to eliminate some noise and add comfort
 
A old DIY Sportsman video had me thinking of this.


I mean, 15lbs is not that horrible of a weight. Attach something like this to the top of the ladder and you're in business anywhere. I mean some of you are arguing that you had success just 10 ft up the tree.

 
I hunt using the best method at the time. I've only gotten on the scoreboard recently, having harvested my first deer two years ago and another last year. Both taken from the ground.

My doe was from a ground blind on December 31st. Once it gets really cold and I need to bundle, I don't even bother climbing. I already have enough cold weather layers to pack, and I can use ground cover to help block wind.

My buck was from still hunting. I started in a tree, but it got too windy and I didn't feel like going for a ride. I knew that the wind would cover my sounds walking, so I climbed down and started still hunting. Buck walked right in from of me at less than 20 yards, perfectly broadside.

If there was some sort of portable tree, I guess it would depend on the environment you were deploying it in. Deer tend to notice new things popping up in their area, so if it was too obvious they'd most likely stay away if they saw it. Basically the reason that people set up pop up blinds weeks in advance and brush them in, so the deer get used to them. And then you'd need to worry about the weight of this tech. I don't understand how people haul ladder stands out into the middle of no where. Screw that.
 
I seen some contraption on the interwebs that is a tripod stand that folds down and turns into a game cart....those are pretty neat....that thing would be great for hunting the salt marshes or really young pine tree rows....I have back problems and stands cause me back pain....my back let me know that I'm all saddle...honestly if I wouldn't found saddle stuff I could have easily gave up on hunting all together.
 
HuumanCreed said:
A old DIY Sportsman video had me thinking of this.


I mean, 15lbs is not that horrible of a weight. Attach something like this to the top of the ladder and you're in business anywhere. I mean some of you are arguing that you had success just 10 ft up the tree.

Click to expand...
(338) Drivers Education - Pushing the cat's - YouTube

Dan Infalt talks about using ladders in cattail marshes from time to time. He sinks the legs down to the first step and that makes them stable. This is usually driven hunts with rifles but it's not out of the question. That said, I've been in some sketchy situations on 6 foot ladders, lol.
 
MattMan81 said:
My thoughts lately.... I keep trying to make my climb more complicated with new things. Some times I just ask my self. Why not just pull up a chair and wait?
Click to expand...
Yep. For me deer hunting got to a point where the gear and the act of climbing took up as much bandwidth as the hunting. The pacseat gets that monkey off my shoulder.

Also, hunting elevated will never be as safe as ground hunting. Or as quick to setup. Or as quiet. Or as mobile.

Sometimes visibility is worse on the ground. Sometimes it's better. So that's a wash.

The biggest con is you have to be still. But, it's easier to be still if you're comfortable, and it's easier to pack something comfortable if it doesn't have get you up a tree and keep you there too.

Really, if you look back, tree climbing wasn't a thing until Pope, Young, Bear, Pearson, and Co. revived and revised archery in the 20th century. It's a modern American whitetail bowhunter thing. It's incredibly niche. If you for some reason really love a weapon that requires you to move in the presence of game that has good eyesight and has evolved successfully alongside human threats...elevation starts to become necessary to make that thing feasible.

Selling my bow and buying a pacseat means my deer hunting is more similar to my hog, small game, turkey, and waterfowl hunting. And my creek bank fishing. Any reduction in efficiency at the one sport is offset by increased bandwidth and resources able to be diverted to increasing efficiency in the others.

It's super effective
 
HuumanCreed said:
A old DIY Sportsman video had me thinking of this.


I mean, 15lbs is not that horrible of a weight. Attach something like this to the top of the ladder and you're in business anywhere. I mean some of you are arguing that you had success just 10 ft up the tree.

Click to expand...


Been thinking the same thing.

And adding one of these.
 

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Honestly, I'm not really trying to beat a nose by being elevated. I simply want to be able to prep for a shot without being in the line of sight. Alot of times I'm only taking two sticks and a platform.
 
Nutterbuster said:
Yep. For me deer hunting got to a point where the gear and the act of climbing took up as much bandwidth as the hunting. The pacseat gets that monkey off my shoulder.

Also, hunting elevated will never be as safe as ground hunting. Or as quick to setup. Or as quiet. Or as mobile.

Sometimes visibility is worse on the ground. Sometimes it's better. So that's a wash.

The biggest con is you have to be still. But, it's easier to be still if you're comfortable, and it's easier to pack something comfortable if it doesn't have get you up a tree and keep you there too.

Really, if you look back, tree climbing wasn't a thing until Pope, Young, Bear, Pearson, and Co. revived and revised archery in the 20th century. It's a modern American whitetail bowhunter thing. It's incredibly niche. If you for some reason really love a weapon that requires you to move in the presence of game that has good eyesight and has evolved successfully alongside human threats...elevation starts to become necessary to make that thing feasible.

Selling my bow and buying a pacseat means my deer hunting is more similar to my hog, small game, turkey, and waterfowl hunting. And my creek bank fishing. Any reduction in efficiency at the one sport is offset by increased bandwidth and resources able to be diverted to increasing efficiency in the others.

It's super effective
Click to expand...
You touched on a lot of the benefits of being on the ground and you are right about elevated hunting being mainstreamed relatively recently. I plan to get better and better hunting off the ground going forward since none of us are getting any younger and to stay in the game long term that will likely mean being on the ground. Maybe I'll still be climbing in 25 years. Who knows? The only real safety benefit I see to being elevated is less chance of being shot. On public land during gun season, I never really relax until I am well off the ground. Maybe that's just me and I know statistically I am much more likely to get hurt driving to and from the woods, but the thought is still there.

I will probably buy one of those Pac seats before next season. They look pretty sweet. In the meantime I may put one of these together. I have an Alice pack already.

(338) A.L.I.C.E. Pack Chair Hack! - YouTube
 
NMSbowhunter said:
none of us are getting any younger and to stay in the game long term that will likely mean being on the ground. Maybe I'll still be climbing in 25 years. Who knows?
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That's another factor I considered in the process of going back to the ground. My dad had me when he was really young, but he just hit 50 and it's quite something to see Superman start to go gray. My mom can't tell us apart on the phone, and just yesterday I got pegged as his kid by a business associate of his who had never met me. So I know if his back is hurting and his shoulder is funny and he doesn't like small boats anymore...it's coming.

I quit drinking, went what I call "grocery store vegan," started running and yoga, and have been going over my hobbies with the question "How do I do this at 75?" in my head.

I don't know if we'll have kids, so as extra insurance I'm really nice to my best buddy's 18 month old son too. Gotta hedge your bets.
 
Time. Efficiency. Odds. That is what I have honed in on as the most important thing for me at this point in my hunting life. My methods are now a pacseat, and a tree when needed. Tree will be for early archery only, and really only for 2 specific setups where I need the elevation to see over a small ridgeline to where the game path is...significant drop off on the narrow ridge so sitting at ground level isnt really possible.

I will be building several natural ground blinds this year on my property. It will allow me to sleep 20 minutes longer, be more still and quiet, warmer and maximize time in the woods as hunting time, not setup time.
 
Man I'm getting into this to get off the ground on public land. I want to see farther and manage my scent better. If ground hunting was as effective as elevated hunting, nobody would elevate with a gun or a quiver full of stabby irons. What I like about still hunting is the mobility and freedom to abandon a spot if the wind shifts, but a saddle and 1-stick gets within spitting distance of that.

If somebody invented a stable hot air balloon or something that was as cheap, effective, and stable as a tree stand or saddle I'd probably give it a try. I'd be willing to try a stepladder, but with my luck I'd set it up facing the wrong way and fall off trying to twist around for a shot, or fidget around too much getting comfortable and spook every venison critter within a dozen acres.
 
Iron_llama said:
Man I'm getting into this to get off the ground on public land. I want to see farther and manage my scent better. If ground hunting was as effective as elevated hunting, nobody would elevate with a gun or a quiver full of stabby irons. What I like about still hunting is the mobility and freedom to abandon a spot if the wind shifts, but a saddle and 1-stick gets within spitting distance of that.

If somebody invented a stable hot air balloon or something that was as cheap, effective, and stable as a tree stand or saddle I'd probably give it a try. I'd be willing to try a stepladder, but with my luck I'd set it up facing the wrong way and fall off trying to twist around for a shot, or fidget around too much getting comfortable and spook every venison critter within a dozen acres.
Click to expand...
Like everything, what is the application and what is scenario. Lot of us really try to drive that square peg into a round hole. Sometimes you can use a sledgehammer and force that peg into the hole but most times, it just easier to find the peg that fits the hole.

Going back to my earlier post, i got into saddle hinting because its the cool thing, its because I had scenarios that i could no longer ground hunt anymore and had to get elevated. I just hated climbing stands so I went to the saddle.
 
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I do and enjoy it all. Whatever the situation calls for I'm there - saddle, climber or on ground. I enjoy the view from above or that nervous feeling I get watching a squirrel getting ready to hop up my leg because it's s thick and he doesn't pick me up. (Have you seen the teeth on those things?)

Now I will say I'm more comfortable on the ground. Basically because I'm a little older and don't bounce off the ground like I used to. When the tree starts swaying in the breeze, I'm all too knowing, if this thing snaps, you are strapped in and locked in and along for the ride.
 
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