tree stands or ground blind

[leadball]

Which do you all hunt from? I either use an ameristep ground blind or just the ground cover. Fell out of a tree at 22 and never got back up in one since :redface:. I watch the wind and movement and the deer never know what hits them :winking:

 

[Birddog6]

I don't use tree stands as far as climbers go. Once in a while I will go up & sit in a steel ladder type stand I have made. But usually I hunt from the ground & use the banks & natural blinds for cover.

I shot a nice sized 5 point on Tuesday afternoon with a .54 cal. G.Jaeger flintlock. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

I hunt from both tree stands and ground stands...treestands are semi-permanent "Loc-On" brand.

I prefer sitting on the ground leaning against a tree as the most comfortable way to stand hunt and have my legs stretched out, etc, but hunter safety, wind, and line of sight movement are issues;

I like sitting in a tree stand as I'm safer from other hunters, and wind, line of sight movement are less of an issue, but they're work to put up and cut shooting lanes, not as comfortable, subject to theft, etc, etc;

I decide which type I'll use depending on how the wind normally acts in a particular area that I hunt every year, and if there's hilly terrain affecting AM or PM air current flows.

My 'druthers' would be to just walk in, sit on the ground against a tree, lay my flintlock across my lap, and take a nap!
::

 

[roundball]

Birddog, congrats on the buck! :RO:

 

[Keith]

I ground hunt. I just use natural cover or a little blind I got that folds up like an umbrella. I tdoesn't provide a lot of cover but it helps. Treestands do have their tempations. I keep thinking about a climber, but I am cheap and hate heights.

 

[B.Habermehl]

During our early muzzleloader season a tree stand is a advantage. The foliage is still on the ground brush and visibility is usually a problem in the places I hunt unless your at a higher vantage point. I use a Timber Tall climbeing stand, carry it in and out. 16 lbs total. I hunt verry brushy woods where the deer are. It seems no cover no deer. Unless there is a decent acorn crop on the ground then the deer will brave the more open woods around here.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I tie a plywood seat onto a tree so I can sit with my feet on the ground, or just find a blowdown to nestle into.

Charlie's Tree Seat - click for thread

My favorite spot is a bunch of vines and sticks I have formed into a ground blind. It's very productive opening morning when the deer are panicked and heading for the thick cover nearby. After the first two mornings, I pick a likely spot and sit until 9 or 10 AM and then still-hunt, pausing for hours at a time with the tree seat or a blow-down.

 

[riarcher]

I use both,,,, at different times of year.
Being a swamp hunter in New England, most of my year was bowhunting. Season starts Oct. 1st for bows. At that time I prefer a stand about 6-10 feet up so I may see/shoot just over the brush just off a trail.
Blackpowder season is mid-late Nov. Sometimes the leaves are down, sometimes not. Anyways, I'm not all that patient in a stand (never found one that is truely comfortable) and sometimes use it in the early morning or late evening when deer are more likely to be on the move. By 10:00 I'm back on the ground, usually "stillhunting" (my preferred method) with occasional "natural ground blind" breaks in nice looking areas. At this time I maybe small game hunting as well (depending on the weather). Some years it gets cold, damp, and windy during the season and I find the ground much more to my liking (warmer, steadier, etc.).
There's a lot to be said for stands, and blinds. But don't neglect the still hunting method either. Stalking a deer you can see for a good shot is an experience in the tangles of the swamp.

 

[bob1961]

from the ground has been good to me.........................bob

 

[KyFlintlock]

I hunt with a climber if I'm in a tree most of the time, but enjoy a good ol' stillhunt best of all!!! :thumbsup:

Good luck and safe hunting.
Wess

 

[rabjr]

Ground blinds for me, haven't figured out how to get into a tree yet. Might someday lol but for now I'm grounded.

 

[Huntinfool]

Thanks Stumpy for the link to yer seat and to Deans site. I used to have a seat similar to that. I've been thinkin' of making another . Again I say Thanks! :RO: :redthumb:

YMH&OS,
Chuck

 

I see more game from tree blinds but prefer the ground if it works for the area. We have turkey, deer and hogs, which have a different set of preferences in my opinion. If I have the option, I prefer tree blinds if at all possible.

 

[cayugad]

I have three tree stands on the property and two ground blinds. Depending on the wind and the weather I will use one or the other.

I have had excellent luck out of tree stands. I am up above the under brush and can look out into the woods with binoculars and I just check all the trails that lead in and out of the woods. When I see them on the trails I have spots where they have to cross... That is their mistake.

Never saw a deer today. Sat in the tree and watched squirrels and grouse walking around but no deer...

 

[musketman]

Ground blinds made from material on location...