Whitetail hunting with a bow.

[MHWASH]

I'm thinking about archery hunting for deer again next year. The closest general season around me is the early whitetail hunt. I believe the best way to hunt them is from a tree stand, my problem is I don't like to  stay put very long. Do I even stand a chance hunting hunting on the ground with out a blind?

[Hornseeker]

Honestly.... Not for a mature buck, but you can kill does and small bucks from the ground! A big buck is pretty tough on the ground though....

[MHWASH]

Pretty much what I was thinking, but there is always hope.

[turkeyfeather]

That would be pretty darn tough, but luck could be on your side.

[gjbruny]

Honestly.... Not for a mature buck, but you can kill does and small bucks from the ground! A big buck is pretty tough on the ground though....

c'mon, E..... it can be done.

actually, the one i killed this year was from a natural groundblind that i built years ago. just some logs, limbs, and brush but it is very effective. i was actually forced to use it on that bruiser this year because of the wind direction the day i killed him. but i did kill a 145" buck from it at 5 yards in '01 as well.

having said that...... the biggest mistake most new bowhunters make is assuming that they can kill one from the ground and/or using the same tactics they used when rifle hunting. to kill one from the ground and especially without a pop-up blind, conditions have to be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT or you will get busted 9.9 times out of 10.

now if you are thinking of still hunting them with a bow..... you better be able to shoot out to 100 yards with pinpoint precision cause sneaking up one one is almost impossible.... atleast in heavy cover.

not only that, but if you are hunting ground where there are other bowhunters, you will definately screw up their hunting opportunities. big bucks don't put up with hunter mistakes. bowhunting whitetails..... and mature whitetails at that, is 99.99% an ambush game.

but then again, bowhunting is also a game of patience. hunting big whitetails is like the ultimate game of chess..... trying to anticipate his next move.... if you can deal with the waiting..... the game itself gets very addictive.

hope this helps

[bow-n-head]

I hunt from the ground all the time. I hunt aggressively, if something isn't happening close to my tree I will get out and go to the deer. It can be allot of fun. I hunt elk most of the season, but the one day I went to the river to hunt whitetail I sat on the ground, got within 32 yards of a 150 inch 5X5. Just as I was settling my pin on his boiler room he scented me and bolted. 2 more seconds and he would have been mine

[boneaddict]

I never hunt out of a blind and have killed a couple doozies, so yes its very possible.  (ALL early season too.)

[MHWASH]

Definatly not spot and stalk, I was thinking more like sitting on the ground for as long as I can then moving to another spot to sit a bit. I'm pretty sure I would be the only one out there in this particular spot.

[boneaddict]

You need to remember they aren't as mobile as they are during the rut.   You'd have to concentrate more on bedding/feeding areas and hunt late and early

[MHWASH]

You need to remember they aren't as mobile as they are during the rut.   You'd have to concentrate more on bedding/feeding areas and hunt late and early

Ya, that's part of my "dilemma" I'm just so impatient I think I already know my answer.

[Gutpile]

You need to remember they aren't as mobile as they are during the rut.   You'd have to concentrate more on bedding/feeding areas and hunt late and early

Ya, that's part of my "dilemma" I'm just so impatient I think I already know my answer.

You are a gun guy MH. Stop the madness!!!

[ribka]

Honestly.... Not for a mature buck, but you can kill does and small bucks from the ground! A big buck is pretty tough on the ground though....

c'mon, E..... it can be done.

actually, the one i killed this year was from a natural groundblind that i built years ago. just some logs, limbs, and brush but it is very effective. i was actually forced to use it on that bruiser this year because of the wind direction the day i killed him. but i did kill a 145" buck from it at 5 yards in '01 as well.

having said that...... the biggest mistake most new bowhunters make is assuming that they can kill one from the ground and/or using the same tactics they used when rifle hunting. to kill one from the ground and especially without a pop-up blind, conditions have to be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT or you will get busted 9.9 times out of 10.

now if you are thinking of still hunting them with a bow..... you better be able to shoot out to 100 yards with pinpoint precision cause sneaking up one one is almost impossible.... atleast in heavy cover.

not only that, but if you are hunting ground where there are other bowhunters, you will definately screw up their hunting opportunities. big bucks don't put up with hunter mistakes. bowhunting whitetails..... and mature whitetails at that, is 99.99% an ambush game.

but then again, bowhunting is also a game of patience. hunting big whitetails is like the ultimate game of chess..... trying to anticipate his next move.... if you can deal with the waiting..... the game itself gets very addictive.

hope this helps

Some good advice. I've killed 80% of whitetails from a treestand. But, I have no problem spending 6-8 hours in a treestand. The big ones I have killed on the ground were during the rut or late season in ground blind by corn fields. But,  I limit my shots to 30 yds when hunting with recurve and long bow.

I have had deer, does, small bucks, walk by ground blinds early season within shooting range. These opportunities came in the morning when  hunting areas between feeding and bedding areas.  Never a big buck yet early season on the ground. Maybe some day. Very big challenge to take a big wt early season from the ground. Good luck

[huntnnw]

My dad is a ground hunter, still hunts. Calls and moves... he does quite well on nice bucks. In my begining of archery hunting I soley spot and stalked whitetails for years.. we had a area loaded with bucks in wide open country.. alot of fun.. miss it

[gjbruny]

 I limit my shots to 30 yds when hunting with recurve and long bow.

I have had deer, does, small bucks, walk by ground blinds early season within shooting range. These opportunities came in the morning when  hunting areas between feeding and bedding areas.  Never a big buck yet early season on the ground. Maybe some day. Very big challenge to take a big wt early season from the ground. Good luck

been shooting stick bows since i was a child (and building them for 10-12 years) but i've been working my butt off with my shooting abilites with them for about 2 years to truly get scary accurate with them..... no more snap shooting or heavy draw weights...... just good solid form (more olympic style but with 3 fingers under) and i currently feel confident out to 35 yards or so on whitetails and 40 or so on elk though those distances have never really presented themselves (always closer). like you, i also spend HOURS in a stand at a time and actually spent most of the night in my stand before i killed my buck this year..... done plenty of all nighters to beat bucks up the mountain.

having said that, i have had better luck on the ground with mature bucks during the early season..... they are just so much more relaxed than after the gun season. so long as i play the wind and work the scent control when entering and exiting hunting areas, i can get freaky close to them.... especially in a ghille suit and a natural blind.

we had a area loaded with bucks in wide open country.. alot of fun.. miss it

wide open country (no timber, just tall grass and/or sage) is the key for spot and stalking big whitetails..... couple that with a good wind to mask sound and it can be one of the most fun ways to hunt big deer. "slipping rows" in standing corn fields is also a BLAST!!! too bad we don't have much corn around here.

my problem is, i pick one buck a year (atleast in our state) and everything else gets a pass.... so for me, ambushing them always seems to be the most successful after having spent the pre-season patterning them and will almost always give me multiple encounters with him if i stay patient and hunt smart.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

wide open country (no timber, just tall grass and/or sage) is the key for spot and stalking big whitetails..... couple that with a good wind to mask sound and it can be one of the most fun ways to hunt big deer. "slipping rows" in standing corn fields is also a BLAST!!! too bad we don't have much corn around here.

my problem is, i pick one buck a year (atleast in our state) and everything else gets a pass.... so for me, ambushing them always seems to be the most successful after having spent the pre-season patterning them and will almost always give me multiple encounters with him if i stay patient and hunt smart.

Wide open country is definitely key for stalking the wary whitetail. I don't know many people who have put a successful stalk on whitetail in thick cover. I have also found that it helps to be in areas that allow you to take advantage of slight changes in terrain as opposed to areas that are pancake flat. I don't get to do it often but if I see a whitetail in a good stalkable location I like see how close I can get even if I am not hunting.

I love chasing "the one".