Tree stand vs ground

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
vermonthunter16
500 Club
Posts: 770
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:38 am
Location: PA
Status: Offline

Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby vermonthunter16 » Mon Aug 12, 2019 3:12 am

What are some advantages over a tree stand vs sitting ground, I have a spot where I can do either one, but the spot I need to be in is within 60 yards of a buck bed and he would see me getting in the tree. Is it worth getting in one of the trees, or just sitting ground. What would the advantage be for either? Mostly scent advantage? Hopefully I am asking this question in a way that makes sense.


-Rick
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41588
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby dan » Mon Aug 12, 2019 3:16 am

Trees are a huge advantage. You can see farther. You get noticed less. Your scent stream is elevated and you can shoot over brush
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41588
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby dan » Mon Aug 12, 2019 3:19 am

One thing we don't talk about often is the fact that a lot of my in season observations are done while hunting from a tree. In a lot of cases I set up not just to kill, but also to observe
User avatar
vermonthunter16
500 Club
Posts: 770
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:38 am
Location: PA
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby vermonthunter16 » Mon Aug 12, 2019 3:40 am

Makes sense. I wish I could put up a map and explain why I am thinking ground over treestand. But the spot is an overlooked spot and if pointed out, will be burned before I get in there in the season.
-Rick
Jdw
500 Club
Posts: 776
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:00 am
Location: SE Ohio
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby Jdw » Mon Aug 12, 2019 2:12 pm

I would choose a tree every time when there is one in the area I need to be.
But don’t be afraid to hunt an area just because there is no good tree.
User avatar
jwilkstn
500 Club
Posts: 1467
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2016 6:01 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jason.wilkerson.71
Location: The hills of Southern Middle Tennessee
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby jwilkstn » Mon Aug 12, 2019 2:20 pm

Trees offer definite advantages, but it's important I think to keep your options open and adapt to the scenario.

Setting up on the ground is almost always going to be quieter, faster, and allow you to get closer. In some cases, you can actually see better from the ground. Other times, you can be better hidden.
Not all those who wander are lost...
Josh_S
500 Club
Posts: 861
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2015 6:30 am
Location: western PA
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby Josh_S » Mon Aug 12, 2019 3:08 pm

I hunt from the ground a lot. I think it allows for more flexibility with set ups, when there is adequate cover you can set up quietly almost anywhere. Make no mistake, you can absolutely get in shooting range of bucks from the ground. The hardest part of hunting on the ground in my opinion is being able to draw your bow without being seen. And this becomes more difficult as the season progresses and you lose leaf cover. You need to have a pretty good idea of where he is coming from. If you find yourself in an awkward position where you have to turn and shoot you'll likely be seen. From the ground, I like to anticipate the deer coming in from my left (I am right handed). You can turn and shoot to your right much easier in a stand.

I think anyone's odds are better from a stand, but don't rule out the ground game. I do it because I absolutely love the excitement of close ground encounters.
Brokenarrow1980
500 Club
Posts: 1478
Joined: Thu May 16, 2019 10:53 am
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby Brokenarrow1980 » Tue Aug 13, 2019 2:58 am

Its easier to shift if the wind changes on the ground. If given the choice I'd rather be in a tree, but if ground hunting is your only option you can't kill them on the couch
It's all fun and games till someone looses an eye..... then its just fun
User avatar
Coolhandluke
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2019 2:39 am
Location: Illinois
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby Coolhandluke » Tue Aug 13, 2019 3:42 am

I prefer to be in the trees for the vantage point but have actually had some of my best encounters on the ground. Nothing like being on their level. I think you can truly catch them off guard from the ground almost like they aren’t expecting it. I shot a 5 year old this year from the ground (with a gun) in a little depression in the terrain and he hadn’t a clue what was happening until i stopped him. Shot an 8 pt in high school from the ground and watched him crash nose first into the dirt. That’s when I started believing in it. It does limit your options/movements but is important to keep in the playbook. That 8 pt jumped a fence then had to go down a dip in the terrain allowing me an opportunity to draw. Always plan out a way to draw. This is the hardest part for sure at ground level.
mipubbucks24
500 Club
Posts: 1417
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2015 8:56 am
Location: South West Michigan
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby mipubbucks24 » Tue Aug 13, 2019 3:45 am

If you are hunting in a thick bedding area like a marsh. It’s hard to hunt on the ground because you can’t see anything, the cover is too high. It’s not impossible but the deer will
Be right on top of you by time you see them. Even in trees it seems like I can hear the dear moving through the marsh before I can ever see them just the way the dog wood and grasses are.

I love hunting from the ground, you have a ton of mobility and you can adjust really fast, but everything has to be the right situation. Some spots are ground spots but most on public for me are tree locations.
mheichelbech
500 Club
Posts: 4188
Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2013 10:00 am
Facebook: mheichelbech@gmail.com
Location: Charlestown, IN
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby mheichelbech » Tue Aug 13, 2019 3:50 am

Killed a good one sitting in tall grass, I had one lane, it was all or nothing and it worked. If there had been a tree around I would have been in it.
"One of the chief attractions of the life of the wilderness is its rugged and stalwart democracy; there every man stands for what he actually is and can show himself to be." — Theodore Roosevelt, 1893
User avatar
<DK>
500 Club
Posts: 4484
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2014 10:02 am
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Aug 13, 2019 3:57 am

I tried a little ground action last year, this season I plan to morning hunt from the ground. Especially early season Im tired of the stand slowing me down or getting busted midway up in the dark. I just wait until grey light and slip in slowly.
SteveD
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 1:43 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby SteveD » Thu Aug 15, 2019 3:32 pm

Both, Windwalker Pack and Ghillie suit and the "one stick method", have about as much covered for hunting as possible, especially as one gets along in years. Fun and mobile.
User avatar
DaveT1963
500 Club
Posts: 5196
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:27 am
Location: South
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Thu Aug 15, 2019 11:07 pm

Pros of hunting from the ground:
1. it will open up a lot of new low pressured hunting ground - sorry but most hunters just refuse to hunt where they cannot sit in a tree. Some fo my best hunting areas are in thick green briar/plum thickets where a tree stand will not work.
2. Your scent stream is far more confined to a smaller area. Hunting from an elevated position your scent will carry far further downstream.
3. Deer are getting used to looking for humans in trees
4. Usually a lot easier to break up your silhouette in late season
5. Making a move is easier and quicker

Disadvantages
1. Harder to draw your bow while deer are in the area - you are at eye level with deer in most cases
2. Can have limited visibility - harder to see and hear deer approaching
3. Snakes, and other critters, can crawl next to your for warmth (don't ask)
4. You can leave more concentrated scent in that exact area (especially if you sit on the ground)

I actually like hunting from ground in my kill suits and in those areas where there are no trees - I don't get near the company as I do in the areas with trees.
jwangle13
Posts: 62
Joined: Sat May 18, 2019 7:11 am
Status: Offline

Re: Tree stand vs ground

Unread postby jwangle13 » Fri Aug 16, 2019 8:47 am

vermonthunter16 wrote:Makes sense. I wish I could put up a map and explain why I am thinking ground over treestand. But the spot is an overlooked spot and if pointed out, will be burned before I get in there in the season.


I have had my saddle platform in a 4 inch diameter tree practicing for setup. This will be my first platform hunting year. I am 225 lbs. Maybe worth looking into.


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 81 guests