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Like most guys, I love hunting whitetails from an elevated position. In fact, I currently have 23 ladder stands positioned at strategic ambush points on the land my family manages for whitetails in Minnesota.
But many times, a tree stand isn’t the ticket when pursuing big bucks. Sometimes it’s because a hunt calls for a “run-and-gun” approach where the noise and movement of hanging a portable stand is a detriment. Or, it’s because the habitat where big bucks live is often devoid of trees. Swamps are prime examples. Bucks love the security of a swamp, but without a tree in sight, a hunter has no choice but to hunt at eye level.
Whatever the case may be, hunting from the ground is not only exciting and rewarding, it’s doggone effective. So today let’s talk about some ground hunting tactics that can put venison in the freezer and antlers on the wall.
Portable Ground Blinds
In the not-so-distant past, there was no such thing as a “blind department” at sporting goods stores. Today, the retail aisles and magazine pages are filled with blinds from multiple manufacturers. That’s a good thing. The desire to cash in on the growing ground-hunter marketplace has spawned excellent innovations as companies try to develop the perfect hunting blind. As a result, blinds have become lightweight, rugged and easy to set-up.
Do your homework before investing in one brand over another. Some things that are critical to your choice are these:
- Multiple viewing/shooting windows. You never know where a critter will show himself, so you need to be able to look and shoot in all directions. Some blinds, like the Double Bull Matrix 360, allow you to do this from one continuous screened window that goes all the way around you.
- Tight fabric. Many blinds have flimsy fabric, which is fine if it’s dead calm. But when the wind blows, the fabric flaps and causes movement and sound that’s unnatural and can therefore spook game. Choose a blind that has rigid fabric when erected and you’ll be glad you did.
- Black interior. Darkness is your friend inside a blind. The blacker the better, because you don’t want your silhouette to show inside. You want a flat black interior. And when you dress for hunting inside a blind, where black clothing and a black facemask for total stealth.
After you’ve located a good-looking spot, clear all the leaves and debris from the location so you can move around inside without making a sound. Also, take extra precautions about scent control. Sometimes an elevated tree stand allows your scent to blow up and over the animals below. You won’t have this luxury hunting from the ground. I always spray myself, my equipment and my entire blind with Hunter’s Specialites Scent-A-Way spray. It can make the difference between being winded and going home with a buck.
Use a Tree
One of the best blinds in the world is a big tree. I’m talking about a tree that’s twice as wide as you are. If you find one downwind and within range of a deer travel area, use it! Start by clearing all the sticks and leaves from around the trunk. Clear yourself a 10-foot swath all the way around so you can circle the tree in silence. This also has another benefit. It releases all the robust natural smells of the earth to help cover your scent.
Keep the tree between you and where you think the deer will approach. When a deer does amble along, move slowly and keep the trunk between you and his keen eyes. Keep doing this until the deer passes and offers you a quartering-away shot. Works like a charm!
Swamps and Tall Grass
Here’s a dynamite tactic for hunting in long vegetation. First, find a pounded deer trail. In the tall stuff, bucks will often use these main “highways” because they typically feel so secure in this environment (especially during the pre-rut and rut). Now, cut yourself a shooting lane in the junk downwind from the trail and bisecting the trail at a 45-degree angle in the direction of deer travel (so that when a deer steps into the lane, he is quartering away from you). Next, cut yourself an inconspicuous “sight lane” bisecting the deer trail 45-degrees in the other direction.
Ideally it works like this. You’re sitting on the ground looking down your sight lane. You see a big buck walk through it. You now have time to draw your bow or prepare for your gun shot. Moments after seeing the buck in your sight lane, he walks into your shooting lane, quartering away, and you let the arrow or bullet fly. Game over.
Give hunting from the ground a try if you haven’t already. You’ll agree that it’s one of the most exciting and flexible methods for taking bucks in the thick stuff.
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