Treestand or ground blind?
 

The reason I post this is I'm scared spitless of treestands. I crawled into a treestand once, and it proved everything I already suspected. It's nuts. If I could put a trampoline on the ground below me, wear three harnesses (one on the body and one on each leg), then hunt only days with zero wind, maybe.

Living in MT, with our long seasons, and being kind of a weapons slut (I'll use anything- rifle, bow, or whatever's in season), I really haven't hunted whitetail much with a bow. My bow season is pretty much for elk hunting now, but I'd like to get more into bowhunting for deer. We can kill does with bow only from Dec 1 to Jan 15, up to five per hunter.

My question is: how many people use ground blinds, and how much of a handicap is it for a bowhunter to sit on the ground versus in a tree?

RE: Treestand or ground blind?
 

Dirt, the only time I use a ground blind is when I'm bowhunting turkey. When I first started bowhunting for deer, I was also kind freaked out with the height. But back then, I was in a climber that was very unstable and I was nervous the whole time I was in it. After buying a quality sturdy stand and a good harness, the height was no longer a factor. IMHO, the scent-control of being up higher is a big plus, but for where I hunt, the better visibility is priceless! If you decide that the height is too much, there are ground blinds that offer scent-control "interiors" that will certainly be a help when deer hunting.

RE: Treestand or ground blind?
 

I have a couple of ground blinds and in the right setup, they work fine. I have a lot of trouble climbing up on the roof with a ladder but I can sit all day on a piece of metal that measures 20"X30" and be 20 feet up in the air. Go figure. I do put two extra straps on my fixed position stands, which is probably going overboard, but it makes me more comfortable.

RE: Treestand or ground blind?
 

I hunt everything from my ground blind and its
been three years since I have used a tree stand![8D]