Ground hunting advice.

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
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backstraps
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby backstraps » Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:07 am

I am almost always sitting flat on the ground. I practice at the house shooting in all kinds of sitting positions. This is also a great way to test yourself to make sure you are not pulling too much draw weight. Sit on your rear, legs straight out in front of you... If you cant draw straight back and smooth, without pointing the bow in the air, then it too much draw weight... anywho I don't use a chair, but this has cost me an opportunity before. Because the deer had came in so quiet and I didn't see it until it was too late for me to turn and draw etc.

As for a bow holder...I either keep the bow laying across my lap, but the last hour of light I have it in my hand, standing upright, with the bottom cam resting on a glove, or something to keep dirt out of the cam channel.


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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby Rubline » Wed Dec 04, 2013 4:42 pm

Lots of good advice from the posts above. I use a chair as well, a folding camp stool. This year I tried one of those turkey chairs, very comfortable. One tip I will share is have some blocking cover that allows you to get the bow drawn. This will block your view of the target coming in, but allows some movement without getting busted. I will take old roles of fencing wire to use as blocking cover if nothing is there.
I prepare setups in April so when hunting season arrives everything is normally to the deer. I have used a holder for my bow, but I will also lay out one of those therm-a-seats with the back rest on the ground and lay my bow on that.
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Zap
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby Zap » Wed Dec 04, 2013 5:20 pm

If you can get set up with a few trees or small conifers between you and the trail you will have the opportunity to draw when the deers head is out of view.

Ratchet pruners are a must have item.
I recommend the Big Game ratchet pruners.
Lotsa power and will last a long time.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Big-Game-Deluxe ... 4614d46654

I do landscaping and have used the same pair for three seasons on the job.
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Hodag Hunter
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Wed Dec 04, 2013 9:20 pm

Snow and snow camo is a great aid when on the ground.

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dreaming bucks
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby dreaming bucks » Thu Dec 05, 2013 12:54 am

Zap wrote:If you can get set up with a few trees or small conifers between you and the trail you will have the opportunity to draw when the deers head is out of view.

Ratchet pruners are a must have item.
I recommend the Big Game ratchet pruners.
Lotsa power and will last a long time.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Big-Game-Deluxe ... 4614d46654

I do landscaping and have used the same pair for three seasons on the job.



Zap, have you had any luck with shooting a good buck from the ground? I know you have hunted from the ground, but not sure how much.
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Dec 05, 2013 1:06 am

Zap wrote:If you sit still and the deer are not in your scent stream they will walk past a few feet away.
Its pretty cool, actually.

Their visual acuity is motion based.
Just try to blend and hang out.



This is right on, and what Stanly said...lots of guys are intimidated by hunting on the ground and don't need to be. Its just important not to be a swivelhead...but IMO you don't need 3-d camo like a ghillie for deer on the ground. I hunt a third to a half the time on the ground, and my "blinds" are 3-4 big branches leaned up against a tree and me sitting amongst them, or just a deadfall or a big rock in the right spot, thats it. Two of the biggest bucks I shot with a bow, inches wise anyway, were on the ground, one where I was setting in between a few big branches leaned up like I said (made during the summer) and the other where I just sat in a small clump of sumac, thats all the cover I needed. Sometimes you need a seat sometimes not if there is a log or rock to sit on. Guess I should take pics of a blind or two to show you guys.

In thick brush sometimes you can see better on the ground than even 10' up a tree.
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby mheichelbech » Fri Dec 06, 2013 4:24 am

I killed my biggest buck (154) on the ground at age 17, hunting, essentially beast style at the time (sans the tree stand) without knowing it. Located a primary scrape area under a pear tree within a bedding area in large thicket, basically CRP about 200 yards from the road. Sat the first evening surrounded by rose bushes and tall grass, buck came through right at last shooting light, 17 yards away. I guess the wind was right at the time...lol. My brother thought I was dumb for hunting there....since then, he has hunted the area for the last 30 years. Although I just picked it all back up 2 years ago and I still have a lot to learn, the one thing that night taught me was about thinking outside the box and not going with the traditional norms for mature bucks.
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby bigwoodsmn » Fri Dec 06, 2013 10:51 am

Zap wrote:If you can get set up with a few trees or small conifers between you and the trail you will have the opportunity to draw when the deers head is out of view.

Ratchet pruners are a must have item.
I recommend the Big Game ratchet pruners.
Lotsa power and will last a long time.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Big-Game-Deluxe ... 4614d46654

I do landscaping and have used the same pair for three seasons on the job.


I carry ratchet pruners on every hunt. I use them almost every day when I'm hunting on the ground.

I've been using these Fiskars but I dropped them a couple weeks ago.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005YX2S/ref=s9_cxhsh_co_g86_i4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-3&pf_rd_r=014KBDPZF0YWPW3BHZKT&pf_rd_t=3201&pf_rd_p=1280661842&pf_rd_i=typ01

I have some of these ordered -same design but they look a little more durable.
http://www.amazon.com/Barnel-B888-Aluminum-Straight-Ratchet/dp/B000PSFVWE/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1386283281&sr=1-1&keywords=barnell+888

I'll probably get some of the ones Zap pointed out also and then figure out which ones I'll carry...
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby jonsimoneau » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:48 am

I have changed a few things that have helped me 200% when hunting on the ground. I hunt with traditional bows so I need them close. I use a ghillie suit. Specifically, the one that Marc Anthony designed. This suit is super lightweight, not too hot, has the bow arm trimmed, etc., and is very effective.
The biggest thing I have done that has made a MAJOR difference is to completely cover all exposed skin. I get the cheap halloween paint. Buy a bunch of it. Its cheap. I don't just use a few streaks across my face. I completely cover it including my eyelids! I then cover my bare hands completely. The only white that is exposed is the whites of my eyes. As far as sitting on a stool or standing, I now much prefer to stand. Buy one of those cheap seats that you strap to a tree. Strap it up high, so you can half stand and half lean against the seat. Choose a tree that is as wide as your waist. Doing this has given me much better visibility and has resulted in me getting busted less because when a deer is coming I completely melt into the large tree behind me. It is also easier to pivot at the waist when its time to shoot.
I always carry prunners with me and will cut honeysuckle and jam it into the ground in front of me. You can do this quickly and quietly. Between doing this, and wearing a full ghillie suit while leaning against the tree, deer will walk right by me. Sometimes they will look at me but they don't see me. They will occasionally glance my way, but then flick their tail and keep going.
As far as shooting, since I am already standing, I get the bow up in front of my face before the deer gets into my lane. I tuck my lower bow limb into a pocket sewn into the inside of my pant leg. This allows me to hold the bow up for extended periods of time while the deer is getting into position. I try to wait till the deer has walked past me and then shoot them quartering away. I used to hate hunting on the ground because I was constantly getting busted. I learned a lot of these little things from a friend of mine who is very successful at ground hunting with his recurve.
I still prefer to be in a tree, but sometimes there are places I hunt where getting a stand in there is not always practical. Also, I don't get off of work till 5:00 p.m. So often times for me the only hunting I will get in after work will be quick in and out hunts. Hunting on the ground is often my only choice in this scenario.
While I used to hate ground hunting due to getting busted, after doing the things above I get busted MUCH MUCH less. If I get busted now, it is normally due to movement at the wrong time.
The rush of killing a deer on the ground with a longbow or recurve is extremely satisfying.
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby jonsimoneau » Sun Dec 08, 2013 7:12 am

I should also add, that I'm not a big time successful ground hunter....but my buddy is. The stuff I mentioned above are some things he told me that consistently works for him, and have also worked for me since trying it.
dreaming bucks
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby dreaming bucks » Sun Dec 08, 2013 8:44 am

jonsimoneau wrote:I should also add, that I'm not a big time successful ground hunter....but my buddy is. The stuff I mentioned above are some things he told me that consistently works for him, and have also worked for me since trying it.


thank you much, great info from everyone.... I'm hoping to shoot a doe yet this year, so I hope I can pull it off. ;)
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Re: Ground hunting advice.

Unread postby justdirtyfun » Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:14 pm

Jonsimoneau has good info and ground hunting is challenging even with practice. Personally I believe in pre-sets to create lanes, get cover into correct placement and plan entry/exit. This will almost aways be well in advance but with hot sign and a lucky layout it might be hunted that night. My go to seat has been a 5 gallon bucket with swivel seat and carry strap. I find that brush can be knocked down to just clear the arrow in 2 gaps and I'll still have my outline hidden.
With a field of crp or big blue stem, seated ,most views will be blocked and so people don't try it.
Try to picture spokes on a wheel with you in the middle. 2 works but 3 spokes work better. My outer spokes in both directions act in this order...deer appears in spoke, position and draw behind cover, shoot in next spoke.
Did that make sense?

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