As most deer hunters I have either hunted in a box blind or in a tree stand. Over the past several years I have started to hut on the ground and have found another way to enjoy my time in the woods. Although hunting from a tree stands or a box blind is still very effective, I have truly enjoyed hunting on the ground, and it has proven to be quite the challenge.
When your hunting in a box stand you can bring your heater and be quite comfortable and even move around a little bit, or in a tree stand you feel like you don’t have to be as still as possible since your up above the deer.
When I am talking about hunting on the ground, I am not talking about necessarily hunting in a ground blind, although that is one option. What I have done in the past few years is literally hunting on the ground. I have been amazed at the number of deer that have come close enough to shoot with me being on the ground.
One of the things I love about ground hunting is that you are somewhat mobile, so you don’t have to sit in the same tree stand. Your able to move as the winds change and dictate what direction you need to be. One of the other benefits is its easy on the pocketbook. Get yourself a good hunting chair and a bipod or tripod for your rifle rest and you’re ready to go.
When I am searching for the best place to sit, I’m looking for an area that might be a dip in the land or at the bottom of a creek. I love creek bottoms as they give me a great deal of cover and I’m hardly visible. If you don’t have a creek the try to find the lowest point around and sit up there, or find brush or trees to hide yourself in.
One of the big things that I have learned is to be almost motionless, which is hard for me lol. I have learned though that if your as still as possible and your camouflaged properly, you will be amazed at the deer that get close.
I was hunting last weekend in a creek bottom and saw a very large buck about a hundred yards away and thought I would wait to see how close he would come. Over time he wound up about thirty yards away and it was an easy shot for me. I was also was amazed at the number of deer that got that close or closer.
I know that this probably isn’t for everyone but if you like a challenge and are willing to be patient and try something new, I think you will really enjoy ground hunting. It has given me a different perspective and has certainly made me a better hunter and appreciate the different perspective hunting on the ground has shown me. Try ground hunting and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Just one more way to hunt game. God Bless you and happy hunting