Budbowhunter

I ground hunt also. And the tip on the camo burlap is a good one. I used it last year and it worked well. This year I didn't buy one and I'm sorry I didn't because I haven't gotten a decent shot on a deer yet from the ground. I'm like you, Scent-loc suits are out of my budget and I don't own a portable treestand because there are not many trees on my place that you could use one on. I use cedar trees a lot. I find a big one downwind of where I think the deer are going to be coming from. I then crawl under it like a turkey hunter and clip off enough limbs to open up shooting lanes. The cut limbs I break up because the smell of fresh cedar helps cover my scent. If you don't have cedars, try and evergreen. Provided your camo has a green base to it.

MissouriTrapper

I'm not much of a ground hunter unless I'm working a group of young turkeys. I used to hunt on the ground a lot when I was younger due to the fact that I really like to get close to the deer every time I went out. As I have gotten older I have learned a few things about deer. Probably the reason that you are not seeing the deer that you used to is because you have overhunted your area. Deer will learn to pattern a hunter and will not travel or feed in an area where they frequently run into human scent. Another reason that I do not like to ground hunt is for the fact that your scent is spread down low on the ground where the deer are. Deer will be able to smell anywhere you have been for several hours after you left. Most hunters will kill big deer only after hunting an area once or twice. I generally leave my very best stands and areas for the peek buck traveling season which is generally 1-2 weeks before the peek rut. If you can try to find a few different areas to go and let your spot fill up with deer, then go back and hit em hard.
Missouri Trapper

jroot

this is my first year hunting the ground and i have been within range of several deer but have been unable to get a shot also. i use hs scents earth cover scent on my camo, haven't had a deer wind me yet. the most important lesson i have learned is that when you're getting ready for the shot, draw before you make any other movement. i have got busted so many times trying to turn or sit-up to face deer, soon as they see movement they pause for a couple seconds before they run. if i had drawn at the right moment then moved to line up the shot i could have shot during there pause when they're trying to figure out what's going on. anyway that's my 2 cents.

Iowa Monsterbuck

The most important thing you can do is keep the wind in your face. They can't smell you if the wind is blowing your scent away from them.

vikingvictory

I bought some netting from the Sportsman's Guide.It has 1" holes in it.I take vegetation from the area and work it into my netting.The netting is very light and you can make about 5 ground blinds from what they send you.Wear rubber boots and gloves when setting up.The price was under 10 dollars I think.They have a web site www.sportman's guide.com.They will be glad to send you a catalog

GUNS AND KNOWLEDGE ARE THE BEST PROTECTION AGAINST TERRORISM

fredbearfan

College induced poverty ... remember it well! I think it is why I'm a cheap skate today.

I'm a lifelong ground hunter. For a blind I used plain old burlap (not printed with any pattern) glued to a piece of junk lattice. For scent control, I use plain baking soda to wash my clothes and myself before hunting. First day of the season, a buck walked to within 5 yards of me just to see what I was.

I also have had several successes just standing against a tree. Draw slowly when the deer are feeding (head down).

A big advantage to ground hunting is mobility. When the deer pattern the hunters, the hunter must re pattern the deer. Vary your stand location daily and enter the woods from different locations (and different times) as well.

This year was funny. About 2 weeks into the season all the deer in my area started feeding at noon to 2 PM. They didn't change their bedding or feeding locations at all! Big mistake on their part ... hehehe

Lilhunter

patience and location, nothing beats them! Ya have those two, and you kill deer till the cows come home! Try and figure the prevailing winds, have a couple "blind" areas set up where you can take into account the wind, dont try and get TO close, but yet, dont hope they come into range either....KNOW they will!

Best of luck. btw, you dont need no stinking carbon suit OR treestand <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>!

Ouchigan

I gotta agree with what the others have said.Keep the wind in your face and move slowly.I've also used shrubs/bushes as blinds just crawl up under them and trim any shooten holes if needed.Remember if ya are stalken to only move when there heads are down and not to take to many steps at once...few steps -n- stop it'll break up the pattern sound of a human walken.

If god didn't want us to eat animals....Why did he make them outa meat?
Jerry

bigdog02

WEEKEND UPDATE:
Friday night:
Got to a stand I had started using and the night before called in a small 6 pt and a 6-8 pt at.
Sit down and start calling, not response for a while, wind is in my face, some boulders and downed trees as cover.
About 45 minutes before dark, i start to see deer, I count 20 of them, coming down past me and going behind me, on a B line for the fields. Eventually a few caught wind of meand ran back to the direction they came from. Now that i could get to my grunt tube, I began to grunt, and immediately, the small 6 point from the night before started walking in my direction. I was losing the light fast, he got to what I felt was a worthy shot, pulled back, he looked at me, i released and he ran like hell. MISS.....there was a dirt pile which was obscuring an old logging road bed, turning a manageable 30-35 yard shot to easily 45.....damn it.

Regrouped and got ready for saturday morning.
Went to another area where I found 8 different rubs within a small 30 yard radius.
setup and began grunting. No sign of deer, and the mind begins to wander, I was watching a squirrel, or listening actually, trying to make it seem like a deer was coming. As i turn my head back to look in front of me, i hear that ever painful snuff and see the white tail bounding. I grab the grunt tube and start a series of grunts, and the deer stopped running. I continued grunt and it start to walk back in my direction, very cautiously. I got the binoculars up....8 point.
It mills around the area for about a half hour, every time it starts to walk away, i grunt nad it comes back, and I am praying it gets close enough for a shot. Finally it seem to be on a decent trail to move within bow range of me. It stops and looks around, just before and opening where I had planned to take a shot. At that moment, a squirrel working behind me, cut a branch and the branch fell, and that was too much for the deer and he bounded away for a final time.
sadness prevailed.
lol anyway there ya go, just thought I would keep you all informed.

Jennings Buckmaster Bow
.50 Cal Thompson Center Renegade

Tazman

Patience bigdog, your day will come, it took me three bow seasons and I can't even begin to count the number of deer before I had all the chips fall into place for my first bowkill this year. Take your time and go over everything you can remember and see if there was any thing you may have done wrong and try to correct it. I will be honest though, sometimes you can do everything right and still not even get a shot.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club