Hunting off the ground
 

I’ve only been out a few times this year. I set up my Ameristep brickhouse in a blown down tree that gave it pretty good cover. I cut a few limbs and added to the brush in. The first time out with it a couple does walked by and reacted mildly to it. One came back an hour or so later, so I was thinking things were pretty good. Then yesterday a small buck came around from the back side and when he turned the corner around the blow down, he pretty much freaked out and left the area. Not good.

I’m really frustrated with hunting off the ground. I fell 4 years ago and have been using a blind for the last 3. It is just not working well.

Who out there is hunting off the ground. Are you using a blind or natural cover?

If you’re hunting off the ground in natural cover, what type of camo are you wearing?

I’ve been thinking of just sitting in one of these blow downs on a chair and see what happens.

Thanks.

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I have a few natural ground blinds I put together but I also take camo blind material with me to hang it there as well if needed. The key is to be still & to face the wind and not the sun. You can't move if they look your direction but must be patient for them to look away before you move a muscle. I also carry and use a rest like Awshucks described made from an alum. crutch cut off yet its adjustable and it has camo tape on it also. The Xbow can rest comfortably on it and it willalready be pointed where I anticipate the deer will be when they get there.

I also own a "doghouse" blind but its kind of crowded with the crossbow but not bad with a rifle. I also mark with rocks or sticks the yardage so a rangefinder doesn't have to be used.

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

Ive been hunting on the ground since the start. Has for camo and cover. I am just using MO Breakup, choosing cover is the trickier part. My favorite spots are tree lines wih the old cedar fences where you can get behind the fence and tree and watch from behind. Make sure the tree is wider then you are, your best off if you can find 2-3 trees growing right close together and kinda squeeze in/behind them opposed to sitting infront of them. A mnth or 2 before your season opens you can get some dead logs/trees and make a ground blind out of them, just dont make it right on the deer trail. Have it about 30yds off. Thats my biggest prob, I always seem to want to setup right on the action. Doesnt help when you have a deer on top of ya and u cant move. My first buck I ever shot I was just sitting against a big maple tree, happened to look behind an seen him comming so I stood up while behind the tree and drew came out 10yds infront. Didnt know what hit him.

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I think when you set up something like that upit has to be up a while, like a few weeks before they get used to it. I shot my first buck off of the ground and was in the wide open, but it was first light and he could not see me good. Last year I threw together a some ground cover in an old rotten out five foot stump and then put a bunch of limbs in front of it for some cover and my nephew shot his nice eight pointer out of it. We were both on the ground with no chairs so we were pretty low. I see alot more deer now that I am in a tree but I only use ladder stands now. I about fell out of the treefive years ago and it scared the crap outa me! Now I only use ladders and feel alot better in them. But alot of guys use blinds and get deer the same day.

This year me and dad found some new swamp area to hunt and did notwant to spend any money on a ground blind and had no money for another ladder. We went out andmade a blind in a blow down also and had alot of good cover in front of us. We had three does walk right out in front of us with no problems. But dad is63and I could tell he was having a hard time on the ground so I bought a blind for chairs for dad. Both times I have been in the blind since, I could have shot a doe, but played the stare down game both times, and one time they trotted off pretty good. Do you hunt somewhere you can leave a stand or blind? Or do you need to take your stuff with ya every time?

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I have a handfull of ground blinds made up of camo burlap and a 10 gallon bucket to sit on. A staple gun and $10.00 of material makes a fine set up. Try and find the 20 feet lengths. Great for shooting an XBow out of and if you set them a week or so before you hunt them the deer don't seem to mind. The price is sure right and it is a lot easier than setting up a tree stand. The cool part about them is they are much warmer to sit in then a tree blowing in the breeze. I set the top edge just high enough to peek over. Not much good for a vert bow however as you don't have the room needed to draw comfortably.After two back surgeries and a third on the way I am very pleased. I also have a big stack of burlap bags I am going to try and use. A few zip ties and I should be good to go.
>>>>>>>>>>>>Wh ack!!!!!
PS.. Alan is right about the Doghouse blind. You have to stick the whole XBow out the window just to take a shot. Will work though.

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I have a camo chair out on the ridge i sit and hunt from, been out there a month. Its great when i hunt with a ML or Rifle. Its ok with CB and shotgun fer deers, just use the trees as cover. Some of that camo burlap would be ok after letting it unstink out side fer a while. Get the wind in yer favor is really the main thing. I have sat up against many a tree when i was young and killed a truck load of deers! Actually several truck loads:D

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

Just because 1 buck freaked doesn't mean all bucks will do it. Some deer spot hunters in trees but lots still tree hunt. I set my blind up, a Double Bull Matrix, sat evening. Had been set less than an hour and a 6 pt walked right by less under 10 yds. Looked at the blind a few times but kept right on walking. Too small to shoot and let him go but different deer react in different ways. I've personally found the better the camo the less you need to brush it in. I've had several bucks come by the blind. Most do not see it or react.

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I had simalar experance untill I learn that you have to brush them in so good that none of the stright lines show and I put mine out for 3 months before season, Lee

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

Have been using an Ameristep Penthouse blind for three years now have
had deer stick their heads in the window trying to figure out what I was
they work, like the room in mine and have had it set up for three weeks
now and will start using it this week-end,It may not be a Double Bull but
it sure works for me![8D]

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I spelled hunting wrong on the topic (I fixed it). I’m glad you guys figured out what I meant!

Thanks for the feedback. Hopefully some more people will add their input.

I like the idea of using a stamp gun and adding some blind material to a natural blind. I wish I had more time to get out there and try more things out.

I have the brickhouse and it certainly has plenty of room inside. I do wonder though if the thing shines a little.

Also true that just because one deer freaked out another may not. I was very disappointed that I didn’t see more deer on Sunday. I’ll be out there all weekend this week, so I’ll get more time to see how the deer react.

If anyone has pictures of their setup, I would love to see them. If I think of it, I’ll take a couple when I am out this weekend.

Coyote, how brushed in is it?

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I really cannot add much here. You are getting lots of good advice. I would say that the most important things said is to make sure the wind is in your face, when you hunt is when the sun is on your back if possible, the main part of your blind should be something they are accustomed to already like a dead fallen down tree, stay still. If you change the appearance of your fallen tree or if you use a ground blind you might have to wait a few days to a week, but thats not always the case. You can put up a ground blind and they might come right up to it the first day. They are more likely not to be spooked by it if you bush it up. I really like ground blinds because they work if you use them properly. Good luck!

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I have not hunted out of a blind yet. I do have one, I have heard all the previous things relative to setting them out prior to your hunt and letting them get used to it. To me, this kind of defeats the portability factor of them. I am sure that they can't look like a blind to a deer. They must be integrated with the surroundings. Also people say face into the wind. This could be important but even more important than that, to me, is don't smell like a human. Make sure you are clean. That buck might have picked up your scent rather than been worried about the blind and what it looked like.

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I agree 100%.

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I am seeing deer from ground blinds set up only a week or so before hunting. A little time to settle in and a rain or two and I think they are great.Wind direction can be a bit of a problem with a ground blind but hunt as scent free as possible just like we should out of a tree stand.
What I am liking most about them is they really are quite a bit warmer cause they block the wind. They also allow for more movement than a tree stand does. I built another one today out of burlap bags cut open and stapled to the trees. A little brush and lane clearing debris around it and I will hunt it next Saturday wind direction permitting.
I also have an Ameristep doghouse but I would have to stick the whole Xbow out the window in order to take a shot. >>>>>Whack!!

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

Had deer within 6 feet of the window on my blind,saw 9 turkeys out of
it also,no wind hard to stay awake,its a nasty job but someone has to do
the deed,hehehehe1[8D]

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I prefer elevation, but do use natural ground blinds, and took my biggest buck ever this year from the ground, a heavy 9 point with a 15.5" spread. Later my wife and I were in a nautural ground blind and had a decent buck about 8-10 yards out, but I saw it first and she was facing the wrong direction. If she had been me, he would be in the freezer.

I prefer all natural, such as the blow down you discuss. They pretty much all need improved, and I really enjoy working on a natural blind, it's somewhat of an art form. I've taken other good deer from the ground, and have had them as close as five or six yards, but they're on the prowl and aren't paying a lot of attention. You really have to be on your toes; of course, the further out you see the deer, the better your chances. Most deer will be alerted when they see you. They know the turf and know you don't belong there. It would be like you walking in your living room and seeing a deer sitting in the corner. Some will stick around, though. We had a doe look us over real good, get real antsy, but she stayed around and browsed, even though she kept looking us over.

Good luck.

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

Planter: I've read this over and over, now I gotta ask since I have the same Doghouse and Phoenix you have how you feel you need to stick the whole bow out the window?? I got enough room in mine for my fat arse, gal pal and bow, two chairs, although mines more comfortable than hers, lol. You got me puzzled!!

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

I was thinking the same thing? Me and dad have sat in ours together also. I was a little on the tight side but it worked, maybe if he was a gal pal it would be better! But when I am alone I don't even consider sticking the bow out the window.

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

Well Dan and Jason.. I gotta guess I am getting the name of my little blind wrong. It's more like an ice fishing shanty then anything else. Sure can't be the same one you guys are using. Sounds like Dan has a sleeping bag rolled out in his and I can smell cooking bacon coming out of Jason's.
If I don't stick the Pheonix out the window the limbs are hitting fabric. I should get another one but I still prefer hunting out of the right tree or a previously built ground blind. >>>>Whack!

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

Redtail, check it out!http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16003&sid=423c4d7b4d38089782ac ef7e84b95645

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

First off let me say hello all.I've been hunting on the ground for a while now. I've used natural blinds and comercial ones with success.However three years ago I tried something different and made my own. Since then I've not been busted once.I've killed around 30 deer and 4 turkey. Total cost about 70 bucks. I've had deer close enough to touch and turkey close enough to hit with a rock. Here are a couple of pics.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/grappledad/NewImage.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/grappledad/ghillie2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/grappledad/0834522-R2-021-9.jpg

RE: Hunging off the ground
 

Graopledad, looks like fun to sneak up on them!