Ground VS tree

[Ketchup]

Looking back over the past 30+ years of deer hunting it has been pretty even as far as the amount of time spent in a tree, versus a ground blind or next to a tree. I feel better 20’ up, but at times that is not much of an option. 
 

Do you hunt more on the ground than in the air? Pop-up blind or next to a tree? 
 

I used to carry a 48” x 8’ long camo burlap rolled up in my backpack on public ground. I would attach it between 2 trees, set up my folding chair and fall asleep, i mean hunt. Lots of animals within 30 yards behind that setup. 

[fishinwrench]

I've killed an equal number of deer from the ground as I have from a tree while bowhunting.   But I never did set stands up very high.  Usually just high enough to have branches breaking up my outline.   

Some (most) guys set up so high that they have hawks flying under them.  I'm too freaked out about heights for all that. 😅

[nomolites]

Tree.  20’.  Hang on.  I’m primarily a bow hunter; better visibility and better chance of a clean path to the vitals.  Where I hunt it is too thick(bush honeysuckle) to hunt from the ground effectively with a bow(or a rifle for that matter).  I did invest in some tethers this year as I’m getting older and don’t heal quickly.  If I was going to hunt from the ground I’d be toting a rifle pushing a heavy, blunt, projectile that would be less sensitive to bush honeysuckle like a 45/70.  That hurts just thinking about it.

Mike

[tjm]

Back when I was fit enough to bowhunt, I stayed on the ground, tried trees but I found out you can't any closer from up there and stalking to less than 10 yards was where all the fun was. A dead deer is just a job. Up a tree is in jail.

It's also my observation that in hill country deer spend more half their time looking up, in a tree more than a few feet off the ground is in plain sight .

[BilletHead]

         I used to hunt from those nosebleed heights. Not anymore. Have a friend who still does. I am not as agile as I once was, and I think a bit smarter. Another friend had a bad accident falling and admits he shouldn't be alive, and he spent a long time in the hospital and rehab. Multiple surgeries and another coming up.  Still use short ladder stand at times and tie in. not as mad at them as I once was. We hunt for meat and getting out in the fresh air. 

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

The only deer i ever killed was on the ground, Then i realized i would rather have been fishing that day. Never hunted since..just not for me....The biggest factor is the land you have access to, not how good you are at it.  

[Dutch]

I don’t deer hunt any more because I have gotten to the point where I don’t like the taste of deer meat.  When I hunted I bow hunted from trees and rifle hunted from a lawn chair set next to a tv tray with coffee and food on it or from one of the ground blinds that I had scattered around the farm.

[Seth]

Mostly in a tree, but I do hunt a few pop up blinds or brush blinds on the edge of ag crops. Shooting deer with a bow from the ground is more of an adrenaline rush than doing it from the tree. You really have to know when to draw on them or else they will pick you off in a hurry. For comfort and hunting with young people who move a lot, it's hard to beat a elevated blind.

[fshndoug]

I like to hunt from a ladder stand. I have had many deer and I mean many deer walk with in a few feet of my ladder stand. I have had multiple deer standing all around my stand at the same time. Kinda cool to watch their behavior when they are 10 feet from you. Seems like a lot of hunters like stands on the edge of fields. I always place my stand in the timber next to multiple deer trails. You have a chance of seeing deer at any time of the day when your stands are in the woods. Elevated stands allow you to see further and also get the deer in closer. I know I have never killed a deer further than 100 yards because one I generally get deer much closer while hunting out of a stand. I seldom still hunt from the ground although that is a fun way to hunt. Always wear a safety harness while stand hunting. Never haul a loaded gun up to your stand and never let a loaded gun down from your stand. I hope everyone has a successful season. Remember to be sure of your target before you shoot.

 

 

[fishinwrench]

Have you ever noticed that when you're in a tree everything sounds like a deer walking, but when on the ground you can easily distinguish the sound of a squirrel or a fox/coyote prancing through the leaves ?  

I had a badger come in on me once when I was in a tree,...... growling, snorting, and carrying on........ and I honestly thought I was about to have my first bigfoot encounter. My heart was in my throat.    Never had seen one before, and haven't seen one since.