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Post by royalcoachman on Oct 7, 2009 5:17:12 GMT -5
Alright, now you all have me hooked on wanting to give a ground blind a try (I'm still going to Menards). I think I'd like to set up a ladder stand on one end of the property and then place a ground blind at the other end and select which to hunt based upon the wind direction. Stupid question, but during the rut will bucks ever charge a ground blind?
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Post by oldhoyt on Oct 7, 2009 10:39:04 GMT -5
Ground blinds can be anything that gives you some concealment. I prefer improvised blinds made of a few sticks/logs/branches. I generally sit against a tree with a seat that attaches to the tree. These are great for public land, as they don't tip others off to your stand location if they are made right. I also stillhunt quite a bit, and often stand for an hour or more in one spot that gives me some concealment before moving toward the next stand. I've shot quite a few deer from the ground, most with a gun, but several with a bow.
I've never been charged by a deer. Some people say it has happened to them. Most cases they were wearing some attractant scent like estrus or dominant buck urine. Anything is possible, but to me the chance of getting charged by a deer ranks somewhere below getting struck by lightning while purchasing a winning powerball lottery ticket.
I have had deer run past me at very close distance (a few yards), but these deer had no idea I was there.
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Post by royalcoachman on Oct 8, 2009 7:28:28 GMT -5
I like this idea. I intend on putting together a rudimentary ground blind this weekend. My cousin has been generous enough to ship me one of his two dozen locking stands from Georgia that will probably be here in a week or two. For as much land as I'm hunting that ought to be plenty...my next task is finding out who owns the land adjacent and behind where I'm hunting to make sure I don't step on any toes when I go to retrieve any deer I may shoot.
Is it true that deer move toward water when injured?
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Post by oldhoyt on Oct 8, 2009 8:26:42 GMT -5
Be sure to clear the sticks and leaves where your feet will be, so you can shift your position without making noise. In Indiana, you do need permission to retrieve your deer from a neighbor's property. Always a good idea to ask ahead of time. If a neighbor will not allow it, consider your stand location carefully. With a gun, the "high shoulder shot" will anchor your deer. Be sure to learn deer anatomy if you want to make that shot. A CO MAY be able to help with a stubborn neighboring landowner, but I don't think the CO can force the issue against the owner's wishes.
Gut shot deer often go to water. You'll also find them in thick, nasty cover if there's any around. Heart/lung shot deer seem to simply run in just about any direction with no real plan. I think they are dead before they can think about where they are going.
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Post by 36fan on Oct 8, 2009 20:27:18 GMT -5
Is it true that deer move toward water when injured? Not necessarily. Like oldhoyt said, it depends on where they are hit. It also isn't true that they always run dowhill. The buck I double lunged last year ran uphill away from water, out of the woods into a picked bean field to expire. It made retrieving him real easy. ;D
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Post by Woody Williams on Oct 8, 2009 21:07:15 GMT -5
Is it true that deer move toward water when injured? Not necessarily. Like oldhoyt said, it depends on where they are hit. It also isn't true that they always run dowhill. The buck I double lunged last year ran uphill away from water, out of the woods into a picked bean field to expire. It made retrieving him real easy. ;D I'm the opposite... My bucks will usually run into that toughest spot in the world to get him out of. A buck I killed two years ago expired in the bottom of a ten foot deep ditch. Took a hour or better to get him out. Fortunately I have good, strong and young son to help. He wasn't going to water. He was just on his way back to the spoil banks and didn't quite make it. The water thing holds pretty true on gut shot deer..
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Post by Woody Williams on Oct 8, 2009 21:11:45 GMT -5
................ My cousin has been generous enough to ship me one of his two dozen locking stands from Georgia that will probably be here in a week or two............... Do yourself a favor and get a set of climbing sticks. They are MUCH safer than screw in steps. If you do not have a full body safety harness to wear PM me your address and I'll send you one free of charge - IF you promise to wear it.
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Post by duff on Oct 8, 2009 21:24:32 GMT -5
Another alternative is to use an old antena tower if you can find one. I found a guy who had a few in his yard and he gave me one set about 15 feet section.
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Post by steiny on Oct 9, 2009 18:54:05 GMT -5
If you have access to some free steel and are handy with a welder, you can make some great stands for nearly nothing. I have a bunch of ladder stands built from 1-1/2" pipe as the ladder verticals, rebar rungs, and a piece or steel grating as the platform. The are rock solid, heavy duty. Only downside is you need to drive pretty close to where you are setting them, and you'll need some help, they are heavy.
If I was only going to buy one store bought stand, it would be a climber, so you can be mobile, and not have to hunt the same place too much.
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