Ground hunting

[TwistedX]

How do you go about hunting the ground? I know some things like no movement and scent control but do any of you have anything that you like to do that makes things a little better or easier?

[Woods Walker]

You betcha'........here goes (and I'm answering this from the perspective of NOT using a pop-up blind:
 
1. Make your set up so that your stand in in the shadows for the time of day that you expect to be hunting it. You also want to set up so that you take advantage of any terrain features. For example....if the trail that you're hunting has a loop or a bend in it, set up on the inside of it so that the deer's eyes will be looking AWAY from you as it comes round.

2. Make sure that your set up is extremely comfortable, as lack of movement on your part is even more critical that when you are 18' up in a tree. You are on THEIR turf now.
 
3. I like to have as much backdrop behind me when I sit a ground stand. I'm not too concerned about what's in front of me. A little, and I mean maybe a foot or so high, is about it.
 
4. The hardest thing about ground hunting is making your drawing move. I like to set up if I can, so that there's trees that the deer has to walk behind as they approach, so that I can take that instant to make my move. If the deer is feeding or otherwise distracted, so much the better. But be aware that deer have monocular vision, and even when they are directly broadside to you they can still see you just as well as we can when someting is right in front of us.

5. Tie a feather or a piece of unraveled unwaxed dental floss to you bow end as a wind indicator. A puff bottle is good too. I carry both. (A ripe milkweed pod with the "fluff"is also good for this also...and is free). You must CONSTANTLY be aware of the wind/themals, and you need to be mobile to change positions as the conditions indicate.
 
6. Get yourself a ghillie suit! [:)]

[Woods Walker]

A ground hunting technique that I once read about but have never tried yet, is to dig yourself a hole about 18" deep, and wide enough to put your legs into with room to move around. You then sit on the ground (I'd want to put a board or a piece of foam down first). You then put some brush behind you as a backdrop. This lowers your profile and I think would work well on a hillside, not to mention be very comfortable on a cold and/or windy day. I used this set up in the past for hunting ducks on a bare sandbar with a few pieces of driftwood behind me, and it worked quite well.

[MSHunter]

ORIGINAL: Woods Walker

[size="3"]You betcha'........here goes (and I'm answering this from the perspective of NOT using a pop-up blind:[/size]
[size="3"][/size] 
[size="3"]1. Make your set up so that your stand in in the shadows for the time of day that you expect to be hunting it. You also want to set up so that you take advantage of any terrain features. For example....if the trail that you're hunting has a loop or a bend in it, set up on the inside of it so that the deer's eyes will be looking AWAY from you as it comes round. [/size]

[size="3"]2. Make sure that your set up is extremely comfortable, as lack of movement on your part is even more critical that when you are 18' up in a tree. You are on THEIR turf now.[/size]
[size="3"][/size] 
[size="3"]3. I like to have as much backdrop behind me when I sit a ground stand. I'm not too concerned about what's in front of me. A little, and I mean maybe a foot or so high, is about it.[/size]
[size="3"][/size] 
[size="3"]4. The hardest thing about ground hunting is making your drawing move. I like to set up if I can, so that there's trees that the deer has to walk behind as they approach, so that I can take that instant to make my move. If the deer is feeding or otherwise distracted, so much the better. But be aware that deer have monocular vision, and even when they are directly broadside to you they can still see you just as well as we can when someting is right in front of us.[/size]
[size="3"][/size]
[size="3"]5. Tie a feather or a piece of unraveled unwaxed dental floss to you bow end as a wind indicator. A puff bottle is good too. I carry both. (A ripe milkweed pod with the "fluff"is also good for this also...and is free). You must CONSTANTLY be aware of the wind/themals, and you need to be mobile to change positions as the conditions indicate. [/size]

[size="3"]6. Get yourself a ghillie suit! [:)][/size]

WW,
Great tips!!! I'll try them out on Thursday, as I've not had time to practice with my stand yet due to all of the rain that's fallen the last few weeks throughout the South.

[Woods Walker]

Hey twisty.....See if Goose can transfer this thread to the new "Ground Hunting, Stillhunting, Stalking" section. This thread would be a perfect one to start it off with.

[shaman]

As  a genuine walking landform (think John Wayne gone to seed)  I can tell you that stalking can be a really hard way for a big guy to hunt deer.  There's been some good advice so far, but here are some tips from the "Big and Tall" department:

1) Get your dimensions down to a minimum-- no packs, no nothing hanging off you. 

2)  Moving unseen will be extremely hard, so move and then stay put.  Still hunt.

3) Pre-position  5 gallon buckets along a pre determined route and move from one bucket to the next, giving each bucket an hour.  Sit on the bucket and don't move.  You can put your lunch in one. You can leave your coffee thermos in another.

4)  If you can't sit, pick a big tree on which to lean.  Make sure it's big enough that you don't cause the branches to move when you do.

5)  I carry a small 4x6 nylap die-cut camo blind with cord around the edges.  It goes up between two branches and VIOLA!!! (Who invited her)  I have an instant blind.  It fits in my pocket.

6)  One of the hardest parts I've found is fighting sweat.  You want enough insulation to be able to stay warm.  If you get cold, you'll start moving too much.  On the other hand, once you get moving, in all that insulation, you'll start to sweat.  Ideally, you want things just right, where zipping up your coat keeps you warm, and unzipping bleeds enough heat to keep the sweat and stink from forming.

Even though I'm a 2XL, I regularly bump deer at close range.  I'd hunt off the ground more, but I enjoy tree stands a lot more.

[Woods Walker]

ORIGINAL: shaman

As  a genuine walking landform (think John Wayne gone to seed)  I can tell you that stalking can be a really hard way for a big guy to hunt deer.  There's been some good advice so far, but here are some tips from the "Big and Tall" department:

1) Get your dimensions down to a minimum-- no packs, no nothing hanging off you.  That'd be true for everybody.

2)  Moving unseen will be extremely hard, so move and then stay put.  Still hunt. But that 'taint stillhunting, that's standhunting.

3) Pre-position  5 gallon buckets along a pre determined route and move from one bucket to the next, giving each bucket an hour.  Sit on the bucket and don't move.  You can put your lunch in one. You can leave your coffee thermos in another. What about the TP?

4)  If you can't sit, pick a big tree on which to lean.  Make sure it's big enough that you don't cause the branches to move when you do.

5)  I carry a small 4x6 nylap die-cut camo blind with cord around the edges.  It goes up between two branches and VIOLA!!! (Who invited her)  I have an instant blind.  It fits in my pocket. Good idea!

6)  One of the hardest parts I've found is fighting sweat.  You want enough insulation to be able to stay warm.  If you get cold, you'll start moving too much.  On the other hand, once you get moving, in all that insulation, you'll start to sweat.  Ideally, you want things just right, where zipping up your coat keeps you warm, and unzipping bleeds enough heat to keep the sweat and stink from forming.

Even though I'm a 2XL, I regularly bump deer at close range. Then you're moving too fast! I'd hunt off the ground more, but I enjoy tree stands a lot more.

[shaman]

Woody, if I was a 4 foot pigmy midget, I'd still be talking about things as I see 'em.  I'm just letting folks know I am not near dainty and petite.

The definition of Still Hunting is exactly that-- moving from place to place and being still in between.  That's as opposed to stalking, which is moving constantly, and Standing,  which is staying in one spot or stand. They're old terms, but that's the language of it.

I probably hunt about 90% in stands and blinds anymore.   However, I was commenting that even with my big size, I still bump a lot of deer at close range--( I meant to say) even when I'm not trying.  

 

[Woods Walker]

OOOPS! You said move and then stay put, which I though you meant move to a stand and then don't move.....my bad....
 
But you still didn't answer which bucket to put the TP under? [:D]

[Hoytamania]

Let me apologize if i repeat something that was already said, i just grazed over the thread. One thing that i do though is use natural cover, such as if there is a tree that has fallen over near the area you want to hunt, try to find a way to hide in or around it. It will help when you do have to move such as draw or an unexpected shot. Also it provides more camo for you, which is huge on the ground, because i did get caught the other day when i sat under a tree with nothing around me, and i stuck out like a sore thumb ( i was scouting out a new area.) Another thing too is you dont want huge shooting lanes like you do from a treestand, these will give you a greater chance of getting busted. Instead you want shooting holes, less open areas, but one spot to spot the deer, then cover to hide your draw, and then in the next hole the chance for a shot. Good luck out there, ground hunting can be a pain, but also extremely rewarding.