After reading Frank' s post about taking a doe on the ground and not using a ground blind......I just have to give my thoughts and experiences about hunting on the ground, using camo, etc. You don' t need a ground blind!!!!! Just be broken up with a good backdrop of brush behind and on both sides of you. Many times if I am on the ground I pick out a log to sit on. Just remember.....the backdrop is the most important thing.
My two biggest bucks(both Pope and Young qualifiers), were taken from the ground without a ground blind....one at 25 yards and the other at 8 steps! I have also taken a few other deer from the ground including a decent 7 pointer that I rattled in hiding in 7' tall canes, took him at 12 yards. although I prefer a treestand. When both bucks were taken I was wearing Trebark at the time, of course Trebark was the hot camo back then.

Funny thing.......I once used camo netting in a natural setting once, but the deer picked me out. I honestly believe it was because of UV brighteners in the camo netting.

When I get my ASAT, I' m definitely giving it a shot.

I agree that you don' t need a ground blind. Over half of my hunting is on the ground finding a fallen tree and sitting in/on it. I guess I still call it ground blind hunting though. I have always been confused with the idea of a backdrop being better than stuff in front of you. I am able to see a deer in front of brush, but when they are in/behind brush they are very hard to see. Think of a pickett fence, which is easier to see something, in front/or behind it? Even if you can see something moving behind the pickett fence, once it stops it is very hard to identify exactly what it is. In front of the fence you can tell what it is moving or not. I' m going to stick with what has worked in the past and make sure I have cover between me and the deer, not me between the cover and the deer. If someone can explain it too me (yes I do know that deer see different than us) in a logical way I will listen.

I am learning to hunt from the ground this year, knee surgery can' t climb a tree. Has been interesting, but haven' t had a deer close in yet, just wondering how you guys help stop those damn pesty bugs swarming all around your face?

Ahhh, I agree Handles, having some brush in front and to the side is necessary. But just enough not to make taking a shot impossible.












Hunt hard, smart and safe. Rush Creek deer lures.....best their is

Handles, I think you already explained it. Deer see differently than us. I don' t think it matters so much to the deer whether you have something in front of you or behind you. As long as your outline is broken up. The difference is, it' s easier for you to see a wider area if the cover is behind you. Basically it' s better for your vision. As long as your still and your outline is broke up the deer won' t see you either way. (most of the time that is)

The thing I have a hard time with when ground hunting is scent. I don' t get detected anywhere near as much in a stand as I do on the ground. A lot of times a deer can be downwind of me in a stand and not be bothered. But if one gets close to downwind if I' m on the ground, forget it! They bust me every single time.

I prefer a stand myself, but a ground hunt can be pretty fun and useful in certain situations.

The biggest problem without having much in the way of cover in front of you is that you tend to get busted because of movement. While I agree that many deer are killed without a commercially made blind, I also believe that at the moment of truth (i.e. deer in range) you have a better chance of actually getting off the shot if you are in a blind. When I first started bow hunting back in the 80' s I was grounded for several years. During that time I also vividly remember getting busted frequently by deer. I couldn' t wait for the day when I could afford a treestand to eliminate as much of the getting busted problem as possible. Ground hunting can be a tough deal. Also very exciting! With all that said, when I' m not in a tree, I' ll take my chances with my commercial ground blind over the old method of ground concealment. I do believe that you must carefully select where to set up the blind though, so it doesn' t stick out like a sore thumb. To be able to relax in the comfort of the blind, move around a bit, be protected from the elements are all major benefits of the blind. Jim

I would say that sometimes you do and sometimes you don' t. I think it depends upon two factors: the deer and wind direction. I have sat in the open sometimes with camo and sometimes not, if the wind is right and you are still SOME deer will look at you and go about their business. Other deer will run at the sight of you even when in camo. Now if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction then any deer (except maybe one that' s retarded) will take off instantly if they smell you.
Yesterday I had a button-buck feed and browse all around me for a half an hour. He stopped to watch me many times. Then, at maybe twenty feet away he decided to lie down for a nap. I thought about taking him as a doe then changed my mind. After a while I had to adjust my position and in doing so I rustled some leaves. He got up and casually walked away. I guess he felt something just wasn' t right.