ground or stand

[catdaddy]

every time i went squirrel hunting on the ground this year, i saw 1 or 2 small does , but once archery season kicks up the deer arnt no where around when iam up in a treestand,the same on rifle hunting for them, well i got board of it and took too the ground hunting agian and low and behold i shot a fat doe. what is the REAL ADVANTAGE of yousing a tree stand, its not like it camoflages your scent, and your movement is more singled out since,well your up in a tree,and its more sporting to hunt on the ground,and you dont get board and fidget as much since if nothing happens at that spot , simply slowly walk another 300 yards to anoth tree to sit by. the only advantage i can think of is that you can see farther, are there any others

[SHOOTALL]

I tried a ground blind this year , it works !

[dukkillr]

The advantage to me is that you don't move.  You climb up in that tree and it keeps you from wandering around.  That, in turn, allows you a better opportunity to see deer before they see you.  I've killed deer still hunting, and during the rut you may even kill a good buck that way... but most of the time the good bucks will be gone before you see them if you're on foot.  A doe or young buck is a different story.  In addition, you can see better, have a safer shot angle, and can (if your stands are positioned correctly) be well hid.

[tscott]

Of my 100 or so bucks since 1959, I have shot perhaps 6 from a tree stand. I could go on and on over the pluses and minuses. At 61 I think the biggest advantages for deer hunting are staying in reasonable shape, and just basic woodsmanship. I have never shot a deer with a rifle / muzzy off the ground. Although I have no issues, I have grown uncomfortable ratcheting myself up trees, etc. and this has paid big dividends, in returning to my Catskill roots here in the south. Finding those oak ridges, places that look unusual, that just hold deer. I am just more observant on the ground, and prefer the non canopy shooting lanes as well. I will spend the off season pulling my remaining tree stands, perhaps  they will work well in ground cover, but I don't want them to be a giveaway to my spots either. My observations are that deer hunting has moved to stands, corn , 4x4's, etc. and away from just good woodsmanship, and observation.
I dunno, maybe I'll go back to the red plaid jacket, eschewing the Mossy Oak!!!

[SHOOTALL]

don't forget the L L Bean boots !

[reyn 61]

For me it is a stand. One place i hunt visibility is about 50yds. I get busted almost everytime from the ground. Last week i was hunting a new area that was clearcut. No trees to climb so i sat on the ground. 6 does beelined straight towards me. When they got about 20yds away they spooked. They slowly turned and went back the way they came. Any chance i had of a buck following their trail was gone.

I have killed one from the ground but i got lucky and saw him coming from about 50yds. It was kinda thick and when he got to 30yds he looked straight at me. Luckily i got the shot off before he bolted. That was one afternoon. Went back the next morning to the same tree. 1 hour after daylight a doe with a buck behind her came in. She saw me first and they bolted.

I do hunt a fairly steep ridge behind my house from the ground but im watching the bottom from about 50ft up. If the ground works then use it but for me i have been more successful from a stand. I mainly use a climber.

[Hunter_Smurf]

HELLO I'M NEW HERE BUT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK MY 2 CENTS ON THIS.

i am a big man with medical problems, if i hunt from a stand it has to be a ladder type which i hunted from for several years before my medical situation. i have never taken a deer from one till this year.the stand was concealed and located perfectly and the deer with the one i harvested ran and stopped within 8 feet from the base of my stand.

I preferred to hunt ground and blend into my surroundings. i have had deer walk withing 2-3 feet from me and never know i was there, i have taken many deer from the ground just sitting and letting them come to me.

now i go in and have to sit in a folding chair or make a ground blind if possible. its not the same but i make do.

so both ways can be very productive if you set the situation to your advantage.
still hunting has several advantages as does stand hunting. it is more of a preference then a " one is better then the other" don't rule one out because of other peoples opinion.. give it all a try and let yourself decide what you want to do from day to day. i like to have a stand i can use if I don't feel like ground hunting .

another thought.. if you have a stand up and ready to hunt doesn't mean you have to use it.

[Jal5]

+1 to dukiller. I am moving more when on the ground and I don't see as far obviously as when I am in the tree stand. the negatives for me on some of my tree stands is that as I get older and my back acts up more I cannot sit long periods in the tree stand. some of them are fine if the seat is good and comfortable though! my favorite is a shooting house we built on a crop field adjacent to a woods line- not very high, maybe 15 feet up but big enough for two plastic porch chairs and all your gear. I had does walk literally right by the stand several times during the season plus a flock of turkeys. We took at least 6 good deer from that shooting house this season alone.

Joe

[.308 Win.]

  I used to hunt exclusively from a tree stand but no more.  I have a couple of tree stands (ladder type) and a couple of ground blinds.  I think which you use is determined by where you're hunting.  In places where there are good trees with back cover, then I use the stands.  If it is going to be in tight cover where I can blend the blind in really well or if it's butt cold and the wind is kicking hard, I use them instead.  Have killed deer from both but I think my favorite is the ground blind. I've just had them get so close and I get a kick out of that.     

[beemanbeme]

Where I hunted in Tenn, you would be lucky if you could see 10-15 feet on the ground. And it was flat. If you could find a spot where you could share crop a bigger area, the deer avoided the open area like the plague.  You had to get up in a tree or stand in order to be able to see.
Here in Wild and Wonderful, I hunt on the ground but I keep to the high ground which is the same thing as hunting in a tree IMO. I think how open your woods are and your terrain pretty much dictate how you hunt.  Whether you're in a tree or on the ground, you've got to be still.

[KenSel]

I've killed a few handfuls of bucks and all of them were from the ground while still hunting/stalking.  The mature bucks I've taken were either in the rut or there was a good ground cover of snow for me to track them and kill them.  I'm just to impatient to sit and hope a deer comes along, to me that's not hunting.  I prefer to still hunt/track/stalk to me that's what hunting is all about.  Even with my longbow, I stay on my feet on the ground.  Sure I've had some good bucks get away from me, but I may not have even seen them if I'd been sitting on my butt somewhere and the few that have gotten away have taught be better hunting skills.  I'm not downing the folks that sit on the ground or up a tree, if it works for you do it, but until the day comes that I'm not able to walk then I'm gonna be out there putting my hunting and woodsmanship skills to the test.  If I were hunting an area that were mostly open with only a small piece of woods/cover then I would have to change my tactics but as long as I've got a lot of acres of prime hardwoods  then I'm gonna be chasing the deer.  With this style of hunting most of your shots are at a running deer and shooting at a moving animal is not everyones cup of tea but it has become second nature to me.  No matter what style of hunting you prefer, I hope you have a safe and successful hunt.

Ken

[KenSel]

beeman, where at in WV are you?  I grew up in Pocahontas county.

Ken

[beemanbeme]

Braxton county. Between Frametown and Rosedale.  They both have Post Offices.  I live up Two Mile Run. 

[K.K]

I hunt from both here in Northern NY. I have a lot of stands and blinds all over my property. I like stands now that I have a good harness, but if the weather is nasty, or the wind is wrong, I have no qualms at all about hunting in a blind. I find it comfortable,  I can carry more gear, and evn squirm around a little!  Either one works well, in my opinion.

[Mohawk]

   I tried the ground this year. Actually, I was just standing behind a bush. And, ironically, the deer I shot was just 20 feet away. But, I do think that being in a treestand does help with your scent.

[High Brass]

Where I hunted in Tenn, you would be lucky if you could see 10-15 feet on the ground. And it was flat. If you could find a spot where you could share crop a bigger area, the deer avoided the open area like the plague.  You had to get up in a tree or stand in order to be able to see.
Here in Wild and Wonderful, I hunt on the ground but I keep to the high ground which is the same thing as hunting in a tree IMO. I think how open your woods are and your terrain pretty much dictate how you hunt.  Whether you're in a tree or on the ground, you've got to be still.

While never hunting in TN, I do live and hunt in eastern NC.  I am originally from WV and hunt there every year and I agree 100% with this post. 

[ToadHill]

I built a small stand,(hut) on the bed of an old hay wagon. At 64 with bad knees climbing is not a fun project. I tow the hut out to the spot I hunt from in Sept so the deer can get used to it and with windows and a roof I don't worry about the weather and wet cloths anymore.

[GRIMJIM]

I have a bad habit of falling asleep in the woods so I stay on the ground.

[*ROCK-MAN*]

I believe one reason for elevated stand hunting no-one has mentioned is when baiting.The more elevated you are the less likely the deer will see or smell you.I feel better about taking a shot from the air because the bullet will not travel somewhere it shouldn't after the shot.That being said I also hunt public lands and national forrests from the ground and do a lot of stalking.Again it all depends on circumstance.
Good Hunting,
Rock

[giturgun]

I have 2 permanant stands , T he closest to the house is about 150 yds. The farthest is about 250 on top of the ridge. The one I use for high power is around 40 feet off the ground and the shot I use every year is about 100 yards away. They come off the far ridge and cross the creek . I like to drop them in the road, Back the truck up to em after cleaning them up. Then stop at the house and wash out the body cav. with water before checking them in. farthest I have dragged 1 was about 20 yards across the creek

[backstrap]

i hunt from a box blind i made and put it on a small trailer so me and the guy i hunt on can move it even though we never have,just leave it out there year around in the pasture,where i hunt there is a lott of open wheat, and alfalfa Field so i can see a long ways on the ground have deer walk up to my blind just a few yards of it every year, a tree stand wouldnt do me any good because there isnt many trees around where i hunt, around here your starting to see these box blinds on legs wayyy up there in the air i guess this lets them see forever ,so these guys that dont know how to hunt very well will have time to get ready. i do all my hunting on the ground