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Bowhunting from Ground- True Mobile

GodsCountry

GodsCountry

Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2018
Messages
91
There is a lot of pride in this community, for being able to climb and hunt any tree. With that said, do any of you consider ground hunting with a bow, without a man-made blind?

Obviously no trees = no saddle, but in what scenarios will you consider ground hunting?

Do you use a stool? Turkey seat? Tree seat? Ass to grass?

To camo or not to camo?

Do you make brush blinds, or lean up against a tree?

Does hunting from the ground change your set ups? i.e. hunt closer to pinch points, thicker cover?

Do you find ground hunting to be a significant disadvantage over a saddle?

What is the meaning to life?



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To start with the stock is missing on that crossbow. That is one short recurve.
I used to hunt off a stool a good bit. The area I mostly hunt is relatively flat. Most of the area is pretty thick also. Hunting off the ground just limits me to a lot of areas I don’t much care to hunt. I do believe @DaveT1963 has spent some time on the ground lately.
 
On days I feel like roving, I generally move from root hole to root hole, or stonewall/fence lines at the farm. I try to find natural ground blinds, but many times they're just not in ideal location. I hunted majority out of a saddle this last year as a commitment to learning, but feel like I might have limited myself a little. I"l be on the gound a little more this year.
 
I do in some clearcuts where I can't get in a tree. Hunt deer, not trees, right? To date I haven't shot a buck off the ground but I've had some close calls and will seal the deal someday. I did once stalk a bedded doe to 10 yards that was one of the great thrills in the memory bank.

The huge advantage to me being in a tree, whether stand or saddle is just the visibility. It's night and day. You can see the deer and have time to move accordingly. I won't bust out the hyperbole and say I never get busted, but I rarely get picked off in a tree and when I do it's always my fault for moving at the wrong time. I regularly get picked off on the ground and oftentimes its unavoidable. My take on ground hunting brushy areas is that your setup better be geared to one shooting lane, because there is no adjusting on the fly. It's like quickdraw, you better be tensed on the string and ready to draw at all times.

And I'm categorically opposed to hunting from a groundblind. To each their own but I'm not doing it.
 
Being from the deep south, I've always hunted from a tree. Hunt a few times from a ground blind, had some success. I have more confidence in a tree, so I usually will choose that over on the ground. I usually dont give a tree less area a second thought , I know it can be done but just not my "thing".

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Now that I've wrapped my brain around Kin Jong Un playing Hunger Games, time to get serious.

I've killed 2 nice public land bucks on the ground, and several does and hogs. I don't see it as too much of a handicap, as long as you are ready and committed to shooting the first thing you see as soon as you see it. The longer that deer dawdles around, the more certain it is that it's gonna bust you. Hunting elevated buys you time. On the ground, you had best draw that bow ir raise that gun as soon as you think you see/hear a deer. By the time you can see it for sure, it can sure see you.
 
I have been hunting on the ground exclusively for the past three years since I started hunting public ground in the mountains. It's just way to steep and far to lug a 23 lb climbing stand combined with all of my other gear. As someone suggested earlier, getting up off of the ground increases ones field of view exponentially which is why I have ordered my first saddle. While I don't feel handicapped hunting bear or hog with a bow from the ground, getting a whitetail within bow range while on the ground is another story. I have a Mantis and Lone Wolf hand Climber on order, and am on the waiting list for the JX 3. Can't wait to get off of the ground again.
 
I have always hunted on ground, a simple brush blind and a foot hole make one deadly combo. I have hunted three times out of a ladder stand and never felt completely safe in them. I have only recently seen the advantages of being higher than your game (and fellow public hunters) and am switching to saddle hunting. Ground and pound is a lot harder unless your in a store bought blind, but that is why ground hunting is more fun, your on eye level with the animals.
 
Got my furthest kill from the ground with trad gear at 38 yards. Have spot and stalked hogs with trad gear on the ground also. I don't hesitate to hunt from the ground if there is no tree to get into and the sign is so good I can't pass it. One time I got to the tree I was gonna climb and realized I forgot my ring of steps. It was a dried up slough and the trails were hot passing through it. I had to hunt it. Sat behind a log and propped up some drift wood. It was a very open blind but the vertical drift wood really broke me up well. A doe came straight in to me to about 3 yards. I thought about just stabbing her with an arrow but let her pass and get about 15 yards behind me before easing around for a shot. My nerves were so shook up I shot right over her back! LOL But it was a cool hunt. I use a ghilli suit sometimes too.
 
if you are after mature bucks, especially on public,, then you absolutely should scout the area where tree stands dont work. I assure you deer dont overlook them.
 
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I have a yearly goal of at least 1 deer off the ground . If I start getting close to mid nov and haven't got it done yet Ive got a place I hunt on a point where I have had good luck. Plenty of weeds for a good screen. Its fun but certainly not as effective as a tree and you burn spots twice as fast.

Never killed a good buck off the ground but it can be done.
 
At home I have tried several times and got busted every time. Out west I was able to shoot a good buck but that’s not the same.

I’m just talking bow hunting.
 
I hunted from the ground a fair amount last fall. I really did enjoy it. I had young bucks at 8- 10 yds with them not having a clue, but the does would know something wasn't right 60 yds away and we would have the staring contest and I would always lose. It is a hobby for us and life and death for them. I suppose we would all learn to be better hunters if we didnt have a grocery store to go to.
 
I have been wondering if anyone hunted in a saddle from the ground with a bow using a bigger tree for a cover, seems like being able to swing around the tree would work maybe even steps at ground level.
 
Niff t seat is where it’s at for mobile ground hunting without a blind or doable saddle trees from the ground. Great packable and versatile little product!


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I'm not flexible enough to sit on the ground,etc. Construction was hard on my old body. I can sit on a stool in a ground etc, but moving slowly to get a shot from my butt or knees on the ground is out for me.

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gumby said:
I have been wondering if anyone hunted in a saddle from the ground with a bow using a bigger tree for a cover, seems like being able to swing around the tree would work maybe even steps at ground level.
Click to expand...

I killed 2 bucks that way this past season. Weren’t huge trees, but I was a foot or two off the ground
 
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