I love to hunt from the ground, especially in a stick 'n move fashion. I prefer to hunt light, taking only what fits in my pockets or can be stuffed under my jacket. All of the blinds I use are natural blinds, either pre-existing like blowdowns, brushpiles, or drainage ditches, or put together in advance by tying a framework of branches together and filling in with brush. Sometimes I augment them with a small piece of leafy military netting that I can stuff under my jacket.

In the mornings, I like to sit a couple of hours in a brush blind, then stillhunt through the thick Pennsylvania woodlot(s). If it's wet or windy I always bag the blinds to take advantage of such perfect stillhunting conditions. I usually carry a small pair of hand pruning shears in my right pocket to quietly trim thorny limbs out of my path instead of noisily battling my way through them. If I'm not seeing action in one spot, I often move to where I think the deer might be.

My most exciting hunts are the times when I spot deer making their way across or along a field. I'll drop everything but my quiver and bow to sprint the long route around a field or through a woodlot to try to intercept them. Depending on the situation, I might have no time to spare (or cover to hide in) and literally have to dive behind the tallest weeds I can find to lay in wait. Time permitting, I prefer to quickly and quietly finding a more suitable spot, or even stalk them if our paths will converge at the same time. I've killed three of my last four deer in two years doing this. I can honestly say that no other type of hunting gets my heart beating faster than sprinting a 1/4 mile with mear seconds to spare before releasing an arrow at an approaching whitetail. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I even practice shooting while laying on my belly, but as of yet, I haven't had an opportunity to take a shot at a deer like that.