# Tree stand, ground blind, or just set on the ground.



## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Which do you prefer? 

I've done a lot of treestand hunting and have probably killed the majority of the deer I've ever taken. But, sometime I just don't want to mess with carrying my bulky treestand out there and setting it up.

I have also taken several deer while just settin up next to a tree while wearing my homemade ghillie suit.

I have a ground blind that I purchased last year and I've never tried it out yet. So I've been wondering if a person should put it out several days before hunting in it, or just wait till the day I go hunting? It would be nice this year if I could bag a deer using it.


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## OkieDavid (Jan 15, 2007)

I mainly use stands but have probably taken as many deer just sitting on the ground (rifle hunting). For bow hunting I have to be off the ground. I began using a pop up style ground blind several years ago when the kids began hunting with me. Sitting in chairs is more comfortable and the kids can move around more without causing steam to spew from my ears. I haven't noticed the deer showing any reaction to the ground blind. I would typically set it up as we hunted and just leave it up for the weekend we were out. If you are hunting on private land where you can leave it up, don't forget it out there. They don't handle long term exposure very well.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

Depends on what weapon one is using, but I have shot all my deer from the ground, rarely using any blind of any kind. I like still hunting the edges, meaning slow walking where field meets cover. Sometimes I park my butt on the snow, if I am sure the buck I am after will use the trail I have in mind. I did end up with a wicked "blind " I may use more. On some secluded land we recently bought, there is an old farmyard with ancient outbuildings, and old trails in the bush. The one building is situated extremely well, near a clearing and two branches of an old road. I got my deer last fall, while sitting on a lawn chair in this building. Talk about the hilton!!!


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Have shot deer with the bow from an old Baker climbing tree stand and a few from home built tree stands. Have gotten even more just hunkered down by a tree with a rifle. Have never gotten one from the Ameristep pop up blind but see hundreds of deer from them. I always sert them up about a week ahead.
I have even gotten a couple stalking years and years ago when it could be down in the area we hunted back then.
Today I plain like my high dry out of the wind built blinds.


 Al


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Most the guys that hunt my back 40 use tree stands, some "still hunt" from the ground but run the risk of then having to pick off ticks after the hunt. No one around here uses a blind, least wise that I'm aware of.......

As a side note my SonInLaw got 2 deer this weekend - Sat a smaller doe via muzzleloader; Sun a nice sized 4 pointer via rifle; all within 5-600 feet of the house.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

alleyyooper said:


> Today I plain like my high dry out of the wind built blinds.
> 
> 
> Al


This is what I've pondered on. Seems the older I get the less I like that cold air and have thought a ground blind would be great on those days when the wind would blow right through you if your setting in a tree or on the ground. And it's suppose to be cold this coming weekend here in Oklahoma. It's also opening black powder season for us too. 

It's just a plain old cheap pop up blind, would it still keep your scent under control?

I'm going out to set it up now, hopefully it will still be there come Saturday morning>


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I've done them all, but generally prefer trees.
Woods here are super thick with undergrowth, so the view is better, and on the huge bean fields, you get a better view and a *safer angle* to shoot.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Although the bulk of my deer have been taken from the ground, either stalking or sitting, best shooting has always been about 15' up in a tree. If within 50' of a well-used trail, one can often stop a running deer in its tracks by simply yelling "Stop!". Their instinct is to indeed stop and look for the source at ground level rather than up in a tree. 

Martin


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## DavidUnderwood (Jul 5, 2007)

Funny as it sounds, it works most of the time.
Just don't mess around, the deer won't!


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## coup (Feb 28, 2007)

i don't use a pop up blind,because i can't get the durn thing folded back up..
my son says he has had them walk right by the same day he puts them up..
he says they seem to help lots with scent.........might as well try it.....

i mostly scout with my bow from the ground and get lucky occ....i really like my shooting houses with shingled roofs,windows and propane heat for rifle season....


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

Seems to me Blinds Spook Deer.

I like Tree Stands have killed many Deer from them.

I can no longer hunt from a Tree Stand so I hunt from the Ground.I've kill many Deer with Recurve but have to admit easier with Crossbow.I just get back in the Brush cut Shooting Lane out and watch my movement.

big rockpile


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I have a small 4'x4' perment blind easy to keep it warm with body heat most days during our firearm season. another 6'x6' perment isn't so easy to keep warm with body heat as it I feel is just plain to big of one guy. I use a small back pack colman unleaded fuel stove to heat it just enough to stay warm.
Right now I am working on a 4'x5' perment blind on a skid frame 8' in the air. I am thinking that will be the perfect size for me. and I can skid it to a new area* CAREFULLY*since I'm sure it will be top heavy.

I have the Ameristep pop up blinds. Follow the instructions in the bag to refold it. My problem with them and why I do not recommend them is the exposed zippers. Here in Michign during fire arm season you can have mild temps and dry, or freezing with lots of snow, or some thing inbetween and freezing rain and sleet. I have had snow melt during the day and get in the door zipper and freeze it shut. I have also experinced freezing rain do that to all the zippers. It cost almost as much to take the blind to a canvas shop and get flaps sowen over the zippers to protect them and make them really user friendly. 
I contacted Ameristep about the problem and they suggest I take the blinds in every night and not to stake them down so I could crawl out if the door zipper froze during the day.

 Al


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## jaredI (Aug 6, 2011)

We own a ranch. It has been in our family for over a hundred years, and everyone has been active hunters during that time. Up till about 8 years ago we always hunted by walking and setting people up at the choke points.
We came upon some free cargo crates, about 4x8x8 made of plywood. We put tin roofs on them, cut holes where we wanted windows (6 windows, 2 front and back, 1 on each side), put old trailer house windows in them (nothing fancy a couple boards holding them in place allowing them to slide up and down) a nail in an over sized hole to hold the window up, and a small door to crawl into. We placed these on posts anywhere from 4-10 feet off the ground (depending on location and how much help we had to lift them. They aren't real light, my father and I just put on up at about 6 feet high, but it wasn't a pushover.
We have coleman cook stoves in each one. That with 2 people per shack and people stay pretty warm. 5 gallon buckets with padded plywood seats lets a guy sit comfortably and spin around with ease.
We are constantly adding ideas to these, such as window screen stapled on the outside of the windows, allowing it to flop in the breeze (conceals those inside and deer get used to a little movement at the shack.
Now it is very common to have deer walk right under the shack while we are in them. Rarely do we need to take a shot over 40 - 50 yards. The sheer number of deer we see now is far superior to what we used to see.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Since I was a kid I used tree stands and a lot of ground hunting for deer. When walking on uneven ground became a problem I used tree stands almost all the time. On cut over timber ground I just set up behind a stump. I have 2 little wagons built as portable ground stands now, 4'x4' and they have worked well the last 2-3 years. I use a swivel boat seat for 360 sight. I set them up in cover, the same as tree stands near lanes that the deer use a lot. Safer than tree stands for me. I do have one permanent treehouse stand 12' high with stairs. I only rifle hunt. Elk and bear are ground hunts only....James


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## Gregg Alexander (Feb 18, 2007)

According to where I am hunting. I use all 3 on my place. On the hill side over looking one of my pastures I use a tree stand, down in the pine and hardwood , I use a ground blind. In the swamp I just set on the ground using natural cover while watching trails.


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## foxfiredidit (Apr 15, 2003)

I've used them all and liked every sort of set up I could think of. But I just got tired of the time and effort it takes for figuring out a set up that I at best, could only hunt an area when the wind is right. So I quit them all. I guess since the land I hunt is fairly open and good walking on the rolling hills made me change my method. It may be called spot and stalk but that ain't really true, because once spotted a white tail ain't much inclined to let you stalk it. I guess it would be the spot and shoot if you got a shot method. I enjoy the walking part immensely, just easing down the logging trails, taking a seat on the ground at a good spot then moving on when I get bored. It's just take what comes along as I am just hunting bucks for the freezer not the wall. My guests seem frustrated when I show them the six food plots then explain there are no box stands to hunt from.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Well I tried the ground blind today. At first I began to think I scared all the deer away as i didn't see any deer at all this morning. I headed back to the house for lunch and went back out about 3 and got back in it. Didn't see any deer till it was almost dark. Finally a doe and a yearling come walking by. 

I don't think they were scared of the blind at all. Maybe they had already gotten use to it. But I started moving around in it to get a good shot and this alerted them. They started running back and forth from side to side and then they would sneak up close and look at it and then start running back and forth side to side again. 

I had the barrel sticking out of one of the windows, with the sites dead on both deer at least one time and never pulled the trigger. The yearling was just too small to kill and I didn't want to shoot it's momma and have the little one to have to fend for itself. 

Finally the momma doe started snorting and running back and forth untill they finally disappeared into the darkness. By the time they left it was too dark to see my front site. I still use the old smoke pole with iron sights. 

Maybe I'll have a nice buck come by tomorrow sometime!


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Well no nice buck today either. I got in my ground blind this morning before daylight and was there for probably an hour after daylight when 4 does come sneaking by. When they got somewhat close to my blind they ran by it very fast, not presenting a shot at all. The wind was in my favor but they had crossed my tracks when they got close to the blind.

I stayed in it till noon and didn't see anymore deer. Then I came back about 3:30 and those same 4 does was bedding nearby my blind and I spooked them away when I was coming back in. It's kind of like they know when I'm in it and know when I'm not! That's my kind of luck! 

I didn't stay there long when I saw another hunter coming thru. Look like he was carrying a lever action centerfire rifle. Since he was walking all thru the woods looking around I decided to just call it the day. It's only black powder season. 

I think I'll just wait till the day I'm going to hunt before I stick my blind up. It's easy to set up and take down. I think leaving it there for several days was more of a warning to the deer to be on guard.


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