Tips for successful ground hunting??

[The Papa Files 7]

Here in Wisconsin Bow opening is Sat Sept. 15.. I was hoping to have my Mantis by now.. but not to be (Plan B.. Ground hunt Stop/stalk)..
what are your best tips for hunting from the ground??




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[Jgetch]

Nose into the wind. If you think you moving slow enough try to go half that speed. Make sure you have really good binoculars and scan ahead intensely every 10 yards or so. Your looking for ears or eyes of bedded dear or the flick of a tail. Honestly still hunting blind is very tough. I’ve done it with varying success if you count not shooting deer successful. You absolutely have to see the deer before they know your there and then plan a stalk but here in Wisconsin seeing those deer is very difficult from the ground which is why the binos are so important. A ground blind set up on a travel corridor would probably be more productive though. All that being said there are people who exclusively still hunt and do very well at it. Where at in Wisconsin? I’m in sauk co...

 

[Bowhunterr27]

ground blinds brushed in pretty good work great here till later in season after they've been shoot at from them.

 

[River Hunter]

DaveT has an ingenious video on how he makes a ground blind. Take some pvc pipe, cut one end at an angle, paint them camo, stick them in the ground around you and fill the tubes with brush. Light, natural ground blind.

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[DaveT1963]

 

[Rico]

Bow hunting whitetails by still hunting is tough. I've done it numerous times. I like Jgetch's statement, " if you count not shooting deer successful". I do count a good stalk that did not end in a kill as success. He is right about his how-to description. You absolutely have to see the deer first. In fact that's how I boil it down, it's a game of who sees who first. Phase two is the stalk or ambush. I am more successful anticipating where the deer is heading and moving to cut it off rather than a direct stalk. Patience is key. Well set up ground blinds are effective, but I find ground blinds hard to sit in for very long.
Still hunting from the ground with a gun far easier primarily because you don't have all the movement associate with drawing the bow. I find my kill shots with a gun are mostly done at bow hunting distances, around 30 yards.
Good luck you'll be learning a lot. Enjoy the process. I hope to see a you in a kill photo soon.

 

[DaveT1963]

I will add this - deer, especially mature bucks, are getting wise to tree hunters. I find most of my better bucks bedding in areas where you CANT use a tree stand and have to set up on the ground. Often right smack in the middle of CRP fields. Ground hunting can actually be far more successful on these mature bucks then any other technique outside driving them and shooting them with guns (which is not for me). Learning to move slowly (and moving your eyes more then your head), breaking up your outline, thinking through approach is what is key to pulling it off. I love setting up in a natural blowdown along a good bedding entry/exit with my pack saddle. the great thing is that I seldom encounter other hunters where these bucks like to bed (hint, hint).

Another tool that I use a lot is my bow ghillie blind. I will try to find the video on it. I got the idea from a dude called Guru I believe off of tradgang site???? I made some tweaks to suit my purposes. It folds flat during transport and sticks in your quiver like a normal arrow. Can easily be used on a compound as well. it hides the movement of your drawing arm (if you can draw you rbow with out first offering it to the sky gods). very effective for me to allow close range drawing without tipping my hand.

 

[RainingArrows]

I will add this - deer, especially mature bucks, are getting wise to tree hunters. I find most of my better bucks bedding in areas where you CANT use a tree stand and have to set up on the ground. Often right smack in the middle of CRP fields. Ground hunting can actually be far more successful on these mature bucks then any other technique outside driving them and shooting them with guns (which is not for me). Learning to move slowly (and moving your eyes more then your head), breaking up your outline, thinking through approach is what is key to pulling it off. I love setting up in a natural blowdown along a good bedding entry/exit with my pack saddle. the great thing is that I seldom encounter other hunters where these bucks like to bed (hint, hint).

Another tool that I use a lot is my bow ghillie blind. I will try to find the video on it. I got the idea from a dude called Guru I believe off of tradgang site???? I made some tweaks to suit my purposes. It folds flat during transport and sticks in your quiver like a normal arrow. Can easily be used on a compound as well. it hides the movement of your drawing arm (if you can draw you rbow with out first offering it to the sky gods). very effective for me to allow close range drawing without tipping my hand.

Awesome! I have got to try this! thanks

 

[Jgetch]

I will add this - deer, especially mature bucks, are getting wise to tree hunters. I find most of my better bucks bedding in areas where you CANT use a tree stand and have to set up on the ground. Often right smack in the middle of CRP fields. Ground hunting can actually be far more successful on these mature bucks then any other technique outside driving them and shooting them with guns (which is not for me). Learning to move slowly (and moving your eyes more then your head), breaking up your outline, thinking through approach is what is key to pulling it off. I love setting up in a natural blowdown along a good bedding entry/exit with my pack saddle. the great thing is that I seldom encounter other hunters where these bucks like to bed (hint, hint).

Another tool that I use a lot is my bow ghillie blind. I will try to find the video on it. I got the idea from a dude called Guru I believe off of tradgang site???? I made some tweaks to suit my purposes. It folds flat during transport and sticks in your quiver like a normal arrow. Can easily be used on a compound as well. it hides the movement of your drawing arm (if you can draw you rbow with out first offering it to the sky gods). very effective for me to allow close range drawing without tipping my hand.

I like that bow blind! Might have to incorporate that. Could be effective from a tree as well.

 

[DaveT1963]

Real easy to make. Take a carbon arrow, drill two small holes in it. Epoxy a stiff wire (I used a wire clothes hanger). Shep it how you want. Sew on some lightweight netting. Add ghillie material and art leaves. BAM

 

[kyler1945]

I've seen considerably more mature deer walking to/from stand and scouting, than I have on stand. That's not too big of a surprise given the ground covered. However, I have let the obvious sink in over the last several years, and spend a fair amount of time still hunting. Another reason I dig the saddle setups - clipping to the base of a tree to hang quietly and maneuver around.

Looking forward to the Waldrop Pac Seat that DaveT made me buy!

 

[The Papa Files 7]

Wealth of information... Ground hunting sounds like a whole other world... I'm looking forward to jumping in with booth feet..
Jgetch.. I'm in Waukesha County (in the city of Delafield)... Thank you all for the info and especially for adding links to videos (super helpful).. So if I'm understanding correctly basically its (wind in your face, move slower than slow, make sure you see him/her first,)... Staying positive and persistent will be key I can tell.. Man the more I learn about hunting white tails the more I realize how little I know.. Thank you guys for being wiling to Mentor us newbies.

 

[kyler1945]

I wanted to toss another thought out there -

Let's say you're stalking an area that's believed to be a bedding area. If it is a small area, and you're walking directly into the wind, more than likely you'll be walking right in the line of sight of a bedded deer - He's going to have the wind over his back, and be watching downwind. I've had success coming in across the wind or just off upwind too. Much less margin for error on the second - but it does give you the upper hand on sight.

Take for instance a deer bedding at the point of a ridge looking down into bottom below him - there's a reason he's there...he'll see you before you're within bow range if you came up from the bottom. Coming in perpendicular to the point of the ridge, or at an angle may give you enough of an advantage to get eyes on him first.

If you're completely unfamiliar with an area, then I think walking into the wind makes good sense sometimes. I've had good success getting into deer by covering a lot of ground and moving through quickly, noting the location of deer I jump with wind direction. Many times you can go back the next day or even later that day and find they've circled around and bed in same spot. The spot worked for them the first time, because it allowed an escape.

 

[Jgetch]

I wanted to toss another thought out there -

Let's say you're stalking an area that's believed to be a bedding area. If it is a small area, and you're walking directly into the wind, more than likely you'll be walking right in the line of sight of a bedded deer - He's going to have the wind over his back, and be watching downwind. I've had success coming in across the wind or just off upwind too. Much less margin for error on the second - but it does give you the upper hand on sight.

Take for instance a deer bedding at the point of a ridge looking down into bottom below him - there's a reason he's there...he'll see you before you're within bow range if you came up from the bottom. Coming in perpendicular to the point of the ridge, or at an angle may give you enough of an advantage to get eyes on him first.

If you're completely unfamiliar with an area, then I think walking into the wind makes good sense sometimes. I've had good success getting into deer by covering a lot of ground and moving through quickly, noting the location of deer I jump with wind direction. Many times you can go back the next day or even later that day and find they've circled around and bed in same spot. The spot worked for them the first time, because it allowed an escape.

Great point! Situations often dictate changing approach. The best bedding areas allow the deer to see out while giving plenty of cover and multiple exits. If your approach is below a bedding area that’s a near impossible stalk. Also if you do manage to spot a deer bedded while still hunting it’s a good idea to stop and make sure you take a good amount of time to scan the entire area. It’s usually the deer i had no idea was there that busted me.

 

[Nutterbuster]

I've killed plenty of deer ground hunting with a rifle, but only 1 with a bow. Getting within bow range of a whitetail and executing a shot is a hard way to do things for sure.

Before I found saddle-hunting, I did a good amount of work with a crossbow. I found the extra range and not having to draw it helped push the odds back in my favor. Purists gave me grief, but luckily there weren't a lot of them hanging out in the marshes I hunted. Weird...

If you're going to do it, I'd say a good blind location would be way better than attempting the ole Mohican-Sneakin'.

Stalking has its place, but I only break that trick out on windy and/or rainy days. Quiet shoes, baby steps, and plenty of patience MIGHT get you within bow range of a whitetail if it's deaf, blind, and suicidal.

 

[Buckhole75]

I have killed lots of deer off the ground with a bow over the years.Play the wind in and out of where you want to hunt.We have done well with hammock chairs and a ghost blind.The ghost blind works great on deer but is just killer on turkeys.

 

[The Papa Files 7]

Sounds like ground blind is the way to go.. just thinking of all that has to be accounted for in ground he bring us giving me anxiety.. I know, I know I just have to get out and do it.. all the tips given will be kept on file and applied as needed.. Saturday is the day


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[dueaston]

I've hunted in my double bull T2 for years now and I also recommend the travel routes and funnels. My spots aren't necessarily different from my tree spots all the time, it's just the positioning that differs. They really can be killers for thickets and fields.

 

[IkemanTX]

Dave, I painted up 2 sets of these pvc stakes today. I also used a T fitting to make a handle to press them in with when the ground is hard and dry.

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[Longbowwally]

I've had good luck with the Primos Up-N-Down stake out blind. Very easy to carry and works well....