What is your fav. hunting method for deer?
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432 Posts
I like to find a place in the woods where the big guy travels and I do a combo of walk/stalk and aground blind without the blind.
maybe a place off the side of his route with my back against a tree or softwood thicket.
maybe a doe scent in the air to get him to slow down or stop
whatever seems like a good idea at the time
maybe a place off the side of his route with my back against a tree or softwood thicket.
maybe a doe scent in the air to get him to slow down or stop
whatever seems like a good idea at the time
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116 Posts
I like Tree stands on nice weather days, and a Ground blind on wet windy days, I usually put both up just before deer season, after scouting out the areas while i bird hunt. Great time ou the year.
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797 Posts
My favorite way to hunt deer is still hunting or tracking on snow.
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192 Posts
I bought a ground blind last year and they are very comfy on a wet day. I also use treestands and at times watch a field if it is not crowded.... which is not very often.
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46 Posts
Looks like I'm not alone on hunting out of a tree stand.
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When it gets hard hunting we will start doing a lot of walking from daylight to dark just stopping long enough to boil the kettle and have a bite to eat, trying to find out where the big bucks have held up. Would like to try the ground blind thing though as my kids are getting to the age where they want to go with me.
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1,153 Posts
i like hunting out of the tree stand in the first part of the morning then about 11 get down go for a walk around the area about a 5 km radius and then lunch....then back to the stand for the nite hunt!
this seems to be the most successful for me...i used to walk and hunt and tried the driving around also with little luck...
after my accident the walking all day wasn't a choice!!!
when hunting with a bow walking around doesn't give you much of a chance to shoot but i get to see where the deer are traveling so it helps for when it is time to sit! get to know where the deer are coming out and what areas they are traveling!
this seems to be the most successful for me...i used to walk and hunt and tried the driving around also with little luck...
after my accident the walking all day wasn't a choice!!!
when hunting with a bow walking around doesn't give you much of a chance to shoot but i get to see where the deer are traveling so it helps for when it is time to sit! get to know where the deer are coming out and what areas they are traveling!
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1,153 Posts
if you hunt out of a tree stand....how high up are you guys/gals?
i like to be 12-14 ft up?
i am just curious to see what the average is!
i like to be 12-14 ft up?
i am just curious to see what the average is!
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46 Posts
I don't mind hights so the higher up the better for me. I have enough screw-in steps to be up at least 18' It all depends on the shooting lanes if they are clear from up that high though.
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110 Posts
Hunting Deer one on one on Tracking snow , if no snow then I'll be Still Hunting .
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22 Posts
For me it used to be walk/stalk with a rifle most of the time and spend 25% of the time in a stand or ground blind. The last two years I have been bow hunting so now it's sit in the stand most of the time. It's great to watch the deer come in close, it gives me the opportunity to learn from their individual behaviors and their interaction with one another.
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1,386 Posts
I like to get in the woods find the deer travel routes, bedding area , feeding spots and then setup a tree stand in the proper location to hunt that area. I usually have a couple different options in mind for a particular area.
Plus I tend to put all my apples into 1 basket so to speak and kinda stick to that area for the entire season. I am a firm believer that if you put in your time that the spot will eventually pay off. If you move around spot to spot to spot...well your not in 1 place enough. Play the % game
Plus I tend to put all my apples into 1 basket so to speak and kinda stick to that area for the entire season. I am a firm believer that if you put in your time that the spot will eventually pay off. If you move around spot to spot to spot...well your not in 1 place enough. Play the % game
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1,002 Posts
Back when I rifle hunted years ago (1980's-90's)I hunted only the big woods on crown land (Grand John area).
I read a story in an outdoor life magazine by a guy who used a stop watch to time himself while still-hunting (or stalking if you will).
I had great success on bucks with this method. I would walk about 50 feet then stop for about 5 minutes (or less depending on the cold), then another 50 feet, and so on. While you are standing still you scan every inch of the woods for movement, and also pick out the next route to move ahead without making too much noise. I would only cover a few hundred yards in a whole morning hunting this way.
Sort of like sitting…but moving your seat every few minutes. It works great, and timing yourself forces you to not move too soon. This gives you more chances of hearing or seeing a deer before you step on a twig and give yourself away. This method even works well in the noisiest hardwood stands with frost covered leaves on the ground, or crusted snow. After all, a deer makes just as much noise walking in them as you do. You just have to be able to hear it first.
But now since I have turned to the bow pretty much exclusively, I hunt only from stands. I have two API baby grand twisters. One for me and the other for my wife. We also use "Rivers Edge" stick ladders, with ratchet straps on each section.. This puts us up about 20 feet. I have a lot of screw in tree steps and have used them quite a bit in the past. But I much prefer these stick ladders.
A few years ago I shot a buck from 15 yds at 22 feet up(put a couple of steps above the ladder).
As much as I loved still-hunting, and I do miss it every now and then.
I really love tree stand bowhunting even more.
I love that quiet stillness in the morning, and being able to watch and listen without having to watch where you put your foot every step. And I also love getting a big buck in close. I once shot a buck with my 7mm at just 15 yds when we ran into each other. That's close! But not the same thing as having one under your tree with bow in hand.
Last fall I had a big boy at 15 yds twice within 10 minutes and couldn't shoot for limbs in the way. Another local hunter shot that buck a few days later with rifle, while I was in my stand waiting out the season for him to return.
It was tough to take a missed opportunity like that, but hey…The excitement of that morning stayed with me for many weeks after. Can't get enough of that adrenaline rush!
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I read a story in an outdoor life magazine by a guy who used a stop watch to time himself while still-hunting (or stalking if you will).
I had great success on bucks with this method. I would walk about 50 feet then stop for about 5 minutes (or less depending on the cold), then another 50 feet, and so on. While you are standing still you scan every inch of the woods for movement, and also pick out the next route to move ahead without making too much noise. I would only cover a few hundred yards in a whole morning hunting this way.
Sort of like sitting…but moving your seat every few minutes. It works great, and timing yourself forces you to not move too soon. This gives you more chances of hearing or seeing a deer before you step on a twig and give yourself away. This method even works well in the noisiest hardwood stands with frost covered leaves on the ground, or crusted snow. After all, a deer makes just as much noise walking in them as you do. You just have to be able to hear it first.
But now since I have turned to the bow pretty much exclusively, I hunt only from stands. I have two API baby grand twisters. One for me and the other for my wife. We also use "Rivers Edge" stick ladders, with ratchet straps on each section.. This puts us up about 20 feet. I have a lot of screw in tree steps and have used them quite a bit in the past. But I much prefer these stick ladders.
A few years ago I shot a buck from 15 yds at 22 feet up(put a couple of steps above the ladder).
As much as I loved still-hunting, and I do miss it every now and then.
I really love tree stand bowhunting even more.
I love that quiet stillness in the morning, and being able to watch and listen without having to watch where you put your foot every step. And I also love getting a big buck in close. I once shot a buck with my 7mm at just 15 yds when we ran into each other. That's close! But not the same thing as having one under your tree with bow in hand.
Last fall I had a big boy at 15 yds twice within 10 minutes and couldn't shoot for limbs in the way. Another local hunter shot that buck a few days later with rifle, while I was in my stand waiting out the season for him to return.
It was tough to take a missed opportunity like that, but hey…The excitement of that morning stayed with me for many weeks after. Can't get enough of that adrenaline rush!
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1,002 Posts
Oh yeh!....almost forgot...Just want to remind all the treestand hunters out there to be sure and wear that safety harness. The life you save...will be your own! I like to have the tether to the tree just long enough that I can lean forward a bit in my seat. That way, if you do fall off the platform while standing up....you will not go below stand level. Also if you do nod off while sitting (yes i've done it) it doesn't scare the crap out of you waking up and falling forward a couple of feet!
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"Safe Hunting".
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