timekiller
No, you can't pet him.
I do it quite a bit. My advice is to set yourself up behind something so that the deer has to walk past you before you draw to shoot. If you think that they can pick you off in a tree just wait until you try to draw on one from ground level.
Also, I generally only hunt from the ground over food sources, hoping that they'll be more occupied with eating then busting me.
Good Luck it's a blast.
Also, I generally only hunt from the ground over food sources, hoping that they'll be more occupied with eating then busting me.
Good Luck it's a blast.
turtlshell
PMA Member
I've tried with not much success because I never had a blind. I've got a pop up now and I'm interested in setting up along a hay field that has no suitable trees for a stand.
Sure takes away from the long distance vantage.
Sure takes away from the long distance vantage.
Ghost
Life Member
I love to still hunt in the wind and rain. To still hunt with a bow you really need wet leaves to mask your sound and wind to help mask your movement.
Bucks love to move when a weather front is pushing in.
Shooting a buck from the ground while kneeling on your knees is quite a rush.
Getting a blast of mother nature right now, wish I was in the timber. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
Bucks love to move when a weather front is pushing in.
Shooting a buck from the ground while kneeling on your knees is quite a rush.
Getting a blast of mother nature right now, wish I was in the timber. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
There is a big diff between ground hunting and stalking. I have taken a few deer just sitting on a bucket behind a pile of branches, and I now have a Ameristep blind. Truthfully, I think the branches work better in the short term because it takes the deer so long to get comfortable around a pop-up ground blind. I did get a buck out of the ground blind last year and passed up a few smaller bucks in Kansas out of one a couple years ago, but frankly, I think it's a tough bet for whitetails unless you can get it covered in corn stalks or soemthing to make it almost invisible, or like I said, have it out for a couple weeks before you hunt out of it.
When you talk stalking you are really talking something that makes my heart beat faster. BAck when the CRP program first came in during the late 80's and early 90's I went berserk spotting and stalking whitetails. That's about all I did for several years, rarely sitting in a treestand. I created quite a system that I used to be pretty successful. I wrote an article for NA Whitetail back in about '93 I think it was, titled "CRP means big bucks" or something like that. I had so many close calls and blown stalks, I could tell great stories for hours about them. I had a milk run every day... I would race around in my pickup at daylight every day from late october through november, looking over all the best areas where I knew some buck activity was likely to take place. If I saw a good one, I would watch him through the spotting scope until he bedded down, and then put the sneak on him. Sometimes it would take all day. But man you talk about adrenaline. I figured I would get within range about 10% of the time and actually get a shot off less than half of the times I got within bow range (I shot a few this way with a shotgun too but that's toooo easy compared to a bow).
A very small number of the stalks actually resulted in getting the deer, but man what an exiting way to hunt... and when I actually got one that way, I felt like a million bucks because I knew I had done something that very few people have ever done. One of the best aspects of it is this: By far the best time to do it is during lockdown when the bucks try to move the does out into the open and keep them away from other bucks. One other factor about this has changed. I had permission on dozens of farms, and it was really easy to go find a farmer and get permission real quick to go after a buck. It's a lot harder these days to get permission, especially on short notice.
If you spend the time to find good locations and get good at stalking deer, you will be as hooked as I am.
When you talk stalking you are really talking something that makes my heart beat faster. BAck when the CRP program first came in during the late 80's and early 90's I went berserk spotting and stalking whitetails. That's about all I did for several years, rarely sitting in a treestand. I created quite a system that I used to be pretty successful. I wrote an article for NA Whitetail back in about '93 I think it was, titled "CRP means big bucks" or something like that. I had so many close calls and blown stalks, I could tell great stories for hours about them. I had a milk run every day... I would race around in my pickup at daylight every day from late october through november, looking over all the best areas where I knew some buck activity was likely to take place. If I saw a good one, I would watch him through the spotting scope until he bedded down, and then put the sneak on him. Sometimes it would take all day. But man you talk about adrenaline. I figured I would get within range about 10% of the time and actually get a shot off less than half of the times I got within bow range (I shot a few this way with a shotgun too but that's toooo easy compared to a bow).
A very small number of the stalks actually resulted in getting the deer, but man what an exiting way to hunt... and when I actually got one that way, I felt like a million bucks because I knew I had done something that very few people have ever done. One of the best aspects of it is this: By far the best time to do it is during lockdown when the bucks try to move the does out into the open and keep them away from other bucks. One other factor about this has changed. I had permission on dozens of farms, and it was really easy to go find a farmer and get permission real quick to go after a buck. It's a lot harder these days to get permission, especially on short notice.
If you spend the time to find good locations and get good at stalking deer, you will be as hooked as I am.
Wiggleworm
Member
Spot and stalk is way to adictive. Dont try it. Just kiddin. It can be the biggest adrenaline rush out there. Iowa1 brought up all the good points I was going to say. Lockdown is by far your best chance for success. The one in my avatar was my first blood at stalking. Snuck up to 7 yds of him and a doe on a terrace and laid the smack down!!! That was back in 01'. Since then I've made six attempts and had success on two of them. So it's not a high % game, but certainly a fun one.
LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
I've taken quite a few deer off the ground, just standing or kneeling. I like to stand/kneel near food sources or another good thing to do is to ground hunt over a decoy. If the deer locks in on the decoy they are a lot easier to move/draw on, also a rush to have a buck side stepping at less than 20 yards and let the air out of him.
blake
Life Member
Hunting from the ground with a bow for whitetails is a great experience. I have tried several methods and have been successful a number of times. I like spot and stalk, I have had some success with still hunting when the forest floor is wet. My best luck has always been hunting in snow while wearing snow camo.
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Field Service
New Member
Spot and stalk works. Move very very slow, like a step/minute. This guy was caught napping in a jungle of sudan sorghum at 8 yards. High winds kept the noise up in my favor. Drew on him three times before I could get him to stand. Loud rabbit squall finally did the trick. One of my most rewarding bow hunting days ever…
Spot and Stalk means you see the deer then you sneak up on him. That's different than still hunting when you move slowly through the cover, looking for deer. Both are exciting ways to hunt from ground level. If you like to still hunt, you need to read Tim Wells' book Relentless Pursuit. Darn good book but it has been out of print for a lot of years I think. Not sure if you can find it anymore and I ain't giving my copy up!
mkjruh
Member
God I love this site!! Thanks everyone for the advice and info!! I tried it a couple of times last year and saw a ton of deer and I wanted to do it more!! You guys are all right though it is addicting!! I want to try it some more this year and I would really like to hear if anyone else tries and how it works for them. If it does work I would love to see pics and hear some stories!!! Thanks guys!!! GOOD LUCK ON THE GROUND!!!
Okay you asked for stories so here's one of many (many, many, many).
Middle of November 1988. Just after daylight I see a doe standing along a fencerow out in the middle of nowhere. This section is very flat with almost no cover except a small marsh of about 10-acres on the south end. There are three farm groves on the east side and it's divided up into quarter sections by fences. Very typical of the places I used to do this. Matter of fact it's two miles south of Thompson if you want to Google Earth it and look at the terrain.
Anyway I put the spotting scope on her and look it over really good. I'm looking at her at 45 power from 1/2 mile away. I watch her for 15 mninutes because I am just certain she is there for a reason. Finally she decides to lay down and when she does, I see the rack turn and look at her. All I can see is tips of antlers above the grass. He's laying with his back tight up against the Barb-wire fence. After looking at him a little longer I can tell he is defintely a shooter, at least 150, maybe 160... a perfectly symetrical 10-pointer. Light breeze out of the northwest so this is going to be tough. I take a mental note of EXACTLY where he is because it always looks a LOT different when you get out there. I count fenceposts and take a mental picture of the vegetation around the pair. They are laying one fence post apart, probably about 20-25 feet. The cover is only about 8 feet wide along the fencerow.
Even though they are less than 1/4 mile from the north road, I am going to have to come all the way, more than 3/4 of a mile from the south because of the wind. I go around to the south road and park my truck in a low spot. 45 minutes later I am within 60-70 yards of them, about 40 yards from the fence in a low spot in the field, but I cannot see them. Although there were a few places I could walk at a crouch, I had to belly crawl several hundred yards of the stalk through frozen moldboard plowing. If you have never done that you have NO IDEA.
Through my binoculars I could see the posts they had been laying by, but I still couldn't see them. I had no clue if they were still there. After all it had been over an hour. I spent the next 20 minutes alternately crawling a few feet then looking through the binoculars. Nothing. Dang. FInally I am only five yards from the post where she was laying which would make him about 12 yards away. I had a shot of adrenaline go through me when I saw antler tips move. Now if you have ever spent an hour and a half doing this and most of it wondering if he would still be there, then finally realizing you are within 12 yards of a tremendous buck you know what kind of a surge of adrenaline that can result in.
I moved a little closer to him to where I felt I could get a shot through the grass when he stood up. Plus I didn't want the steel fence post between me and him in case he happened to stand with his vitals protected. I was now just out of the dead furrow. I still felt the doe was there but I could not see her at all. SHe would have to be 8-10 feet from me now and this was going to be tricky.
I rolled over on my back with my left side toward him, put my grunt tube in my mouth, and drew my bow. When I sat up I put the pin where I thought his chest would be when he stood up and blew the grunt tube. I can still see that rack in my mind, it is so vivid, it spun quickly around to look my way but he did not make a move to get up. What happened next was kind of a blur because I realized that the doe had stood up when I made the sound and was now standing, staring right at me from the length of a fishing rod away on the other side of the fence. I HAD to get that buck up and FAST. I grunted again and dropped the tube from my mouth. All within the next split second, the doe stomped, the buck stood and I released the arrow right at his vitals.
The arrow hit the barbed wire fence and stuck into the ground at his feet.
I stood and watched them both go across the field at a dead run. What a great buck. Man he looked wide going away like that.
That's the kind of thing that got me up before daylight every day for the whole month of November. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Getting that close is almost as good as getting one. Some of you know what I mean, some of you don't.
Middle of November 1988. Just after daylight I see a doe standing along a fencerow out in the middle of nowhere. This section is very flat with almost no cover except a small marsh of about 10-acres on the south end. There are three farm groves on the east side and it's divided up into quarter sections by fences. Very typical of the places I used to do this. Matter of fact it's two miles south of Thompson if you want to Google Earth it and look at the terrain.
Anyway I put the spotting scope on her and look it over really good. I'm looking at her at 45 power from 1/2 mile away. I watch her for 15 mninutes because I am just certain she is there for a reason. Finally she decides to lay down and when she does, I see the rack turn and look at her. All I can see is tips of antlers above the grass. He's laying with his back tight up against the Barb-wire fence. After looking at him a little longer I can tell he is defintely a shooter, at least 150, maybe 160... a perfectly symetrical 10-pointer. Light breeze out of the northwest so this is going to be tough. I take a mental note of EXACTLY where he is because it always looks a LOT different when you get out there. I count fenceposts and take a mental picture of the vegetation around the pair. They are laying one fence post apart, probably about 20-25 feet. The cover is only about 8 feet wide along the fencerow.
Even though they are less than 1/4 mile from the north road, I am going to have to come all the way, more than 3/4 of a mile from the south because of the wind. I go around to the south road and park my truck in a low spot. 45 minutes later I am within 60-70 yards of them, about 40 yards from the fence in a low spot in the field, but I cannot see them. Although there were a few places I could walk at a crouch, I had to belly crawl several hundred yards of the stalk through frozen moldboard plowing. If you have never done that you have NO IDEA.
Through my binoculars I could see the posts they had been laying by, but I still couldn't see them. I had no clue if they were still there. After all it had been over an hour. I spent the next 20 minutes alternately crawling a few feet then looking through the binoculars. Nothing. Dang. FInally I am only five yards from the post where she was laying which would make him about 12 yards away. I had a shot of adrenaline go through me when I saw antler tips move. Now if you have ever spent an hour and a half doing this and most of it wondering if he would still be there, then finally realizing you are within 12 yards of a tremendous buck you know what kind of a surge of adrenaline that can result in.
I moved a little closer to him to where I felt I could get a shot through the grass when he stood up. Plus I didn't want the steel fence post between me and him in case he happened to stand with his vitals protected. I was now just out of the dead furrow. I still felt the doe was there but I could not see her at all. SHe would have to be 8-10 feet from me now and this was going to be tricky.
I rolled over on my back with my left side toward him, put my grunt tube in my mouth, and drew my bow. When I sat up I put the pin where I thought his chest would be when he stood up and blew the grunt tube. I can still see that rack in my mind, it is so vivid, it spun quickly around to look my way but he did not make a move to get up. What happened next was kind of a blur because I realized that the doe had stood up when I made the sound and was now standing, staring right at me from the length of a fishing rod away on the other side of the fence. I HAD to get that buck up and FAST. I grunted again and dropped the tube from my mouth. All within the next split second, the doe stomped, the buck stood and I released the arrow right at his vitals.
The arrow hit the barbed wire fence and stuck into the ground at his feet.
I stood and watched them both go across the field at a dead run. What a great buck. Man he looked wide going away like that.
That's the kind of thing that got me up before daylight every day for the whole month of November. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Getting that close is almost as good as getting one. Some of you know what I mean, some of you don't.
Windwalker
Life Member
The first worst snow storm of the year and snow camo is a blast ! I walked up on coyotes sleeping ! Fawns its just too easy. Watch the wind and move so slow its painful /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
bowtine
New Member
Early season I love to hunt along grassy fence rows and waterways. I just sit in the standing corn. Three or so rows in. Its the perfect blind they have a really hard time making you out. I just shot a doe the other night using this tactic. It was awesome.
Might be alot of people using this method during the rut if it doesn't quit raining so the farmers can get in the fields!
Might be alot of people using this method during the rut if it doesn't quit raining so the farmers can get in the fields!