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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 19, 2019 13:29:37 GMT -5
How meny have taken a deer from the ground with a bow? I have always been a tree stand hunter unless weather was bad then I would sit in a ground blind. But that usually happened in gun or muzzelloader seasons. I have killed with a gun but never a bow. I always wanted to take one with bow from the ground but felt the tree stand gave me an advantage and I need all the help I can get.
Onebentarrow
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Post by esshup on Nov 19, 2019 13:30:43 GMT -5
x-bow, pop up blind on the ground. 20 yds.
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Post by 36fan on Nov 19, 2019 13:56:09 GMT -5
I've killed a deer from a blind and just standing/sitting in the woods with muzzleloader and a firearm, but I've never been able to with archery equipment from the ground. I've tried many times, and I just never seem to see anything when I'm on the ground with archery equipment.
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Post by elmo on Nov 19, 2019 14:02:41 GMT -5
My first bow buck was from the ground standing amongst 3 trees. He walked past me on a logging road and I drew and shot.
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Post by swilk on Nov 19, 2019 14:20:59 GMT -5
Have killed a few to several from the ground, with a bow, that I can remember. All female deer from what I can recall.
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Post by scrub-buster on Nov 19, 2019 14:59:01 GMT -5
I killed a mature 8 point from the ground several years ago. I had been sitting in a stand watching deer cross a creek at the bottom of the hill for a few days. I decided to sit on the ground closer to the crossing. The first time I hunted from the ground a buck pushed a doe right under the stand I had been sitting in. I turned around and made the uphill shot. At the time it was my biggest buck.
I came really close to getting one from the ground with a longbow a few times this year. That is my next hunting goal.
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Post by scrub-buster on Nov 19, 2019 15:04:12 GMT -5
Here is a picture of my first ground bow kill. I've done it with a handgun and a crossbow too.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2019 15:15:23 GMT -5
My good friend does not like heights and has always hunted on the ground. He takes does and good bucks every year. Going on at least 15 years. I hunted last Friday in a chair and had a doe at 5 feet.
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Post by bill9068 on Nov 19, 2019 15:17:25 GMT -5
I did years ago by accident, I got down from my climber and was walking back to the house when a doe jumped up 5 yards from me and ran about 10 yards and stood there. I knocked a arrow and shot, she fell over right there.
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Post by bowonlykindofguy1 on Nov 19, 2019 15:19:38 GMT -5
Shot a buck from the ground one time! Saw it bed down 80 yards from the tree i was in,when i climbed down i had to see if i could stalk it. He stood up at 25 yards and i was ready since i knew he was there. Thats the only one for me.
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Post by INhuntin on Nov 19, 2019 15:38:36 GMT -5
All my bow taken deer are from the ground because I don't use a stand until gun season. I just sit with total camo on in a small 3 legged chair leaning against a tree & wait for something to come by, you have to sit real still because it's movement they see first. I had a big 10 point sneak up on me I had to freeze & stay that way for about 10 min(felt like hours). As he stepped behind the first big tree, I stood up & as he passed behind the 2nd tree I pulled to full draw. As he stepped from behind some brush being up wind of me I could smell him, I put my 30yd pin on him & touched the release. The arrow hit him high & stopped when it hit the opposite shoulder blade.(maybe I should have used the 20yd pin) He turned to run by a tree & broke off the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. He wasn't losing much blood for as bad as he was hit & as he exited the woods he made a hard turn, that was where the blood trail stopped. A buddy said he saw him run along the edge of the lake to only disappear into some tall reeds. We searched for hours trying to find him but without a bloodtrail I didn't have much to go on. I really hated losing that one.
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Post by 10point on Nov 19, 2019 16:00:05 GMT -5
Especially as I get older I love sitting in a blind with a crossbow. Killed several from ground with xbow but I don't think I ever did with the vertical bow.
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Post by whitetaildave24 on Nov 19, 2019 16:05:10 GMT -5
My first buck was with a compound from the ground. Pretty neat experience. Little 4 pointer. He came in behind me and I made the 25 yard uphill shot. He didn’t run 30 yards before falling over.
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Post by beermaker on Nov 20, 2019 6:57:41 GMT -5
My second bow-kill ever was from the ground. I sat in a tree stand on the edge of a woods for several evenings and deer would always come from a property that I did not have permission to hunt. There was a pond in the middle of the field on the property I did have permission to hunt and the deer would slowly migrate across the field, get a drink, and then it would be dark by the time they made it to my area. I decided to sit on the pond dam in some tall johnson grass. Sure enough, the field filled with numerous does the first time I tried the strategy and I harvested one. I was able to drive my truck up next to it and was on my way home before dark. That was Halloween about 17 years ago.
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Post by tynimiller on Nov 20, 2019 7:14:58 GMT -5
Thinking back, I believe I've only done it once. Setting by a cedar tree in the bitter cold and snow one year on the final day of the season. One of my most memorable hunting memories!
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Post by greghopper on Nov 20, 2019 7:46:51 GMT -5
Not all ground blinds are good bow blinds.... same as the chair your use!
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Post by chewbacca on Nov 21, 2019 9:19:21 GMT -5
Onebentarrow harvesting a deer from the ground with a bow is not as hard as it seems you just have to have some things in your favor. First of all, about half of my hunts each season are ground hunts. I usually start the season off by stand hunting but once the activity at my stands begins to die out (due to overuse) I start hunting from the ground in areas where we don't have any stands. Here are some things I've learned over the years:
1. Get rid of the ground blind. I used to hunt from a ground blind but I'll be honest those things are waste in my opinion. I've never shot a deer from a ground blind with my bow but I've had blinds cost me a few deer that I believe I would've harvested outside of a blind. One exception...build a pallet blind with an open top where you can sit down but if a deer comes into range you can "pop up" and shoot it.
2. Look for tree clusters. I have had way better luck hunkering down inside of a cluster of trees. I would recommend doing a little scouting in the offseason and y using a map/gps app on your phone start marking good tree clusters and start utilizing these spots during season. I have at least 20 of these spots marked on my phone between all of my properties. I shot an 8 point this season from one of these clusters.
3. Do NOT hunt from the ground on calm days! I can't stress this enough. It is next to impossible to get a shot off when there is no wind to mask your movement. Also, your scent just hovers all around you on calm days and it is very hard to get deer in range without getting busted.
4. Play the wind. You really have to have the wind in your favor for a successful ground hunt. Try as best as you can to walk to your spot with the wind in your face. Better yet walk to your spot with the wind in your face but pick a spot where your scent blowing out into the field as to not alert any deer in the woods that you are there. In other words don't go deeper into the woods than you need to especially if your property is not overly large.
5. Don't be afraid to be mobile. The spot and stalk is a great method to coincide with a ground hunt. However, this is much more difficult with a bow and caters itself more to gun hunting. I have come really close with a spot and stalk with my bow but I've never quite connected.
6. Calling seems to be much more effective when you ground hunt but you are much more likely to get visually busted. About the only time a call while ground hunting is when I've spotted the deer but it is showing no signs of coming to me. Once I call I keep a close eye on it because I know it could come in looking for me.
7. If a deer is coming to you draw your bow much earlier than you would from a stand. You really need to have the poundage of your bow set to where you could hold a full draw for upwards of 5 minutes if you have to. If you wait too late to draw there is almost no chance.
8. Always have pruning sheers and a screw in step with you. I have them at all times in my backpack. The sheers will help you to quietly trim up an area to make it feasible for hunting and will also help to trim some shooting lanes if needed. The screw in step is for hanging your bow so that you don't have to make a lot of movement trying to retrieve your bow when I deer is coming in.
9. Always have binoculars at the ready. Binos help you to determine if a deer you see is one you want to shoot or not way before it gets into range. Also, my binos have spotted dozens of deer just by slowly scanning a woods and looking for movement. The key to successful ground hunting is being able to spot the deer way before they have a chance to spot you.
10. Believe it or not I usually stand up when I ground hunt especially when I am hunting in a tree cluster. I think a lot of guys think you have to sit down to successfully ground hunt but I've found that standing up gives me more mobility and I need less movements to prepare to shoot plus I generally can spot the deer sooner. The only time I sit is if I'm hunkering down behind a fallen tree.
11. Still hunt in high winds or when leaves are wet and quiet. Still hunting is actually more sitting than it is walking. Many guys do it in a hurry and that's why it doesn't work for them. When I still hunt I just slowly move from tree cluster to tree cluster. Once I reach each cluster I sit and wait for a bit before moving to the next one. You have to constantly glass for deer with this type of hunting.
Ground hunting can be very exciting. There is nothing like harvesting a deer with a bow on the ground. It is something you will never forget. I've taken 2 bucks and 5 doe from the ground with my bow over the years. I've had several others that I was fully drawn on but opted not to harvest. I would highly suggest this method of hunting to anyone especially if you are looking for a very rewarding challenge. Go out and have fun with it! Good luck!
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Post by Woody Williams on Nov 21, 2019 9:37:37 GMT -5
Excellent information Chewbacca!
Thanks for sharing!
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Post by medic22 on Nov 21, 2019 10:14:16 GMT -5
I did it this year without a ground blind.
I ground hunt a lot amd IMO it requires a mix of good visibilty and good cover. The most common issue I have is getting busted drawing, its all in the set up.
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Post by elmo on Nov 21, 2019 12:38:58 GMT -5
I clear the leaves in the tree clusters as soon as I get there so that I can move for a shot silently.
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