Hunting from a tree stand vs. from ground...
 

Most will hunt from the tree stand but certain areas I prefer to shoot from the ground.
What's your preference guys? I personally think both is about equal in terms of success.I even prefer to be on the ground when air temp is cooling down, as cold air current pushes your scent to ground level making being in a tree stand a disadvantage.
When you do use a tree stand, how high do you go?
I prefer about 15ft. and no higher so I can get a sure shot at the heart or get to shoot double lungs.
OK let's hear it from the experts down here.

I hunt both ground blinds and climbers and it depends on the situation.

Ground blind
Pros- easy to get in and out of,
can sleep without worrying about falling out of tree,
good when the weather is incliment,
and an option when you can't find a tree to climb.

Cons-
restricted field of vision,
wary deer will always know where the blind is and be wary of it regardless of how well you have brushed it in, and how long it has been there,
brush in has to be refreshed periodically.

Climber/tree stand
Pros-Climbers are portable enough that you could hunt several hunt sites in as many days,
less restrictive field of vision and the ability to see over brush and smaller trees to prepare for a shot,
less claustrophobic

Cons-
You have to find a tree that your stand will fit on,
you have to climb the tree,
not as easy to sleep,
not comfortable when raining, snowing, or really cold,
more chance of injurying yourself.

You will never find me up a tree...............I prefer to still hunt !

I prefer to hunt from a blind in colder temps and treestands in warmer temps. That being said I find it a lot easier to stay in a tree stand for longer periods when it's warm out. I also like to walk around and still hunt during the midday.

I always try to use elevation as an advantage so I prefer tree stands but if I'm still hunting I try to use elevation to my advantage when ever possible.

I hunt both ways actually. My tree stands are set up for wind direction that will be predominate when the foilage is gone, usually November. Earlier in the season the wind will not be right when I can hunt. Thats when I still hunt w/ ghillie. I love to get down on the ground and mix it up with them in their living room, no better feeling, the excitement, heart pounding, adrenalin flowing to the extreme, thats what hunting is all about for me. I can get pretty lazy up in the tree, still hunting keeps my skeeeels sharp, and my senses even sharper. When the leaves fall, you can bet your last dollar I'm in that tree.

I enjoy both but I prefer ground blinds.

Depending on the terrain I like to ease around myself.

I use both but prefer ground blinds I like the freedom to move around some without being detected when I do use treestands I go 15-20 feet up

Not a personal choice
 

Choosing between the tree stand and the ground was never a personal choice. I had hunted for years in colder climates and was satisfied with ground locations. Especially with all the leaves gone from the trees.

Going south, I noticed that I had to change, regardless. First the heat produced sweat. In areas with leaves on the trees, far later, it made the sweat more noticeable to the deer, in the closer encounters in the forests and woods. With the heat, the sweat, and leaves on trees, close encounters convinced me, tree stands made sense. On the ground, the deer scent of me, beat me.

I beg to differ. I don't believe it's even remotely close!

I've done a fair amount of hunting from ground blinds and they are far more difficult to conceal and keep undetected from mature animals! You may be able to fool the younger and inexperienced animals but mature animals are VERY spooky when in close to ground blinds that aren't made ofnatural cover.

When serious pursuit of a mature animal is the goal... I would MUCH rather take to the trees at a height of 20 to 25 feet with plenty of cover to break my outline.

im very big on videoing so it is more convinient with a ground blind but with a little technology it is just as easy in a tree stand but in all reality ive had just as much sucess in a treestand as well as on the ground in a blind. and just my 2 cents but we killed a 4 1/2 yr old and a 6 1/2 year old out of a the same blind and i missed a 3 1/2 140 out of that blind in about a month or so

I prefer hunting from a stand, but I have a lot of areas I hunt where there are no good trees to set up or there's too many lower trees like hollies that block a good view from a stand. I have shot most of my mature bucks from a tree, but then again, I've only started hunting from blinds the past two seasons.

BTW - I unfortunately find it a whole lot easier to comfortably fall asleep in my Summit than the chairs in my blinds w/o a head rest.

Mike

I hunt in the SE USA. Lots of god sized trees. Prefer tree stand. Usually use a climber. Set-up as high as I can go, and work my way to limb/leaf cover .... up to 25' - 30' off the ground. Have several steel ladders out. All are 16' to 20' to the seat. Cannot recall last time I "ground hunted" deer. Probably mid-1970's ??

I almost always hunt from my climber , its just so much easier to spot game, and stay concealed. I will always be ready to shoot while walking back to the truck though, ya never know what ya might kick up.

Yeah, my Summit Titan is pretty comfortable, but I have a big old chair in my ground blind that is just as comfortable. I'm thinking about putting a big old recliner in there next year.

Someone mentioned the wind as a consideration. That is an advantage to a climber, IMO, because I can reposition to another stand site depending on the wind and how I want to hunt it.

I deer hunt the prairie....what's a treestand ? With tens of thousands of acres of land to hunt on the prairie the odds are pretty low that some hapless deer will mosey by close enough to one of the four trees. Spot and stalk all the way.

Depends on what kind of hunting you are talking about. Bow hunting I've had much more success out of a tree stand, although I have taken a couple deer shooting out of a ground blind.

However, I prefer a ground blind later in the season when hunting with a muzzleloader. Sure, the deer sometimes notice that it's there, but they don't pay much attention to it from 100 yards out - that's the range I usually take them down.

I hunt only public ground and have no confidence in a ground blind because I can't leave it up to let the deer get used to it. If I left it up, it would be stolen within days. I love hunting 20-25feet up and prefer it over any method. I like to be able to see the deer from a distance because it helps me adjusts my set ups and lets me analyze the bucks I may shoot.

For the past 35 years I have used both portable tree stands and blinds. As I got older, portable stands become an added burden and I have elected to hunt from the ground.

[QUOTE=IL-Cornfed ;3588755]I beg to differ. I don't believe it's even remotely close!

I've done a fair amount of hunting from ground blinds and they are far more difficult to conceal and keep undetected from mature animals! You may be able to fool the younger and inexperienced animals but mature animals are VERY spooky when in close to ground blinds that aren't made ofnatural cover.

When serious pursuit of a mature animal is the goal... I would MUCH rather take to the trees at a height of 20 to 25 feet with plenty of cover to break my outline.[/QUOTE

Let's put it this way one buck I shot a few yrs. ago I couldn't get from a tree stand because he was always late coming out plus always changing his habits. Towards the end of the season I decided to follow his coming and goings and opted to ambush him on the ground, no blinds just standing corn for a cover. With proper wind and ambush site everything came together and I was rewarded with a 10 yard shot and a buck I wouldn't have had if I have not opted for the ground.

I prefer a stand because I can see alot of terrain from up there. I also feel I have greater odds of at least seeing a deer and maybe find a better place to put up my stand on the next hunt. Once I have hunted a property in several locations, then I can pick a good place to put a blind or a permanent stand.

I rarely hunt on the ground unless I absolutely cannot get a stand in where I want it to be. I was fortunate enough to harvest 2 this year from the ground, having never sat on the ground in my life with a bow. My reasoning for hunting out of a tree 90% of the time is due to my sight which is a pendulum.

Well that definitely depends on the woods you're hunting. With so many low lying trees in most of the woods I hunt in MD, I can typically only see about 20 to 50 yds from most trees. On the ground in that same spot, I may be able to see as far as 100, doubling my distance. That being said, I still prefer hunting from a tree, but use both.

i hunt mainly from a tree saddle much much more versitile then a climber, i rarely use my blind, but will sometimes

i have a tree stand that i might as well sell. only used it 6 times. i'm a ground hunter and don't even use/own a blind. all i need is a tree to lean/sit back against and no other cover is needed.

tree stands or ground blinds
 

Hi Huntrfishr

I have just joined the forum so this is my first post.I live in england and, most of my farm deer control takes place out of a high seat over farmland,i find that when you have large groups in front of you its easier to pick the one you want.you are right about success when the rut is on,when those stags and bucks start getting at it,i recon i could stalk them with tin cans tied to my legs.I think that its your personal choice with what you feel comfortable with.

Regards,
Chinese Water Deer.

tree stands or ground blinds
 

Hi Huntrfishr

I have just joined the forum so this is my first post.I live in england and, most of my farm deer control takes place out of a high seat over farmland,i find that when you have large groups in front of you its easier to pick the one you want.you are right about success when the rut is on,when those stags and bucks start getting at it,i recon i could stalk them with tin cans tied to my legs.I think that its your personal choice with what you feel comfortable with.

Regards,
Chinese Water Deer.