Post by treetop on Nov 21, 2019 15:31:14 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!
All good info but I’d disagree about ground blinds I’ve killed deer out of them with a bow quite a few times, but my blinds are out way before bow season starts