Ground Blind or Tree Stand for First Time Bowhunter?

[andersonjk4]

After 25 years of hunting whitetails in Eastern WA with rifles and muzzleloaders I am finally gearing up for my first season with a bow. I have my bow and have been shooting for a couple months now. It’s time to start planning actual hunting tactics and get my self either a ground blind or tree stand so I can start practicing out of it. I mainly hunt the Palouse for whitetails where it is mostly open crop land, but there are enough suitable trees for stands. What are the pros and cons of each that I should be considering?

[CP]

The main drawback to a tree stand is the obvious, falling.  A few seasons ago I decided that I was no longer comfortable up there and I’ll be doing all my hunting with both feet on the ground from now on.

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

I think, as long as you are tied off in the stand, the worst part of stand hunting is being tied to one location.  I've been hunting whitetails for a few years now and hunting in a stand over bait is effective, albeit almost too easy sometimes!  I have a ladder stand set up on a bait site that has produced for a few seasons.  I own a climber stand that is a little more versatile however it's kinda heavy to pack in more that a few hundred yards.  The climber is nice though because you can hang and hunt a new location nearly daily.  I enjoy being on foot and stalking or ambushing game especially during the day when most deer might be bedded.  I've been looking into getting a tree saddle recently-these things are the real deal, light weight, safe, versatile, and effective.   If I had to do over again I'd buy something light weight and easy to pack so I can change spots within minutes.   

[throwingsticks]

I like blinds, but there are a few disadvantages
1) you will be shooting from your knees, not something most people practice
2) you need a blind big enough to pull your bow back. I have "two person" blind and I have to setup everything just right so I don't wack the side when pulling back
3) it gets darker faster, I will be in blind and still have that valuable last 20-30 min of legal shooting light but it will be too dark to see my sights well. This is worse when the blind is in a wooded area, but that might not be your issue.

I have a $40-60 blind and it works great, I would pick one up and see if you like it. If not the kids have fun playing in it...

[BULLBLASTER]

Let the location dictate your tactic. You have to hunt the deer where they are. That said i normally prefer a treestand but have done very well from a blind also.

Let me know if you have specific questions relating to where you will actually hunt. Your secret spots are safe ish with me. 

Angles are important for either. In a treestand you dont want to be facing directly at the most likely shot place, but off toward your 9oclock for right handed shooting that way you can stay sitting and not move much to shoot. You dont need much cover in front of you but make sure there is cover and limbs behind you to block your sillouette from the deer. I also tie up an old shirt around the tree trunk so that if i move my clothes dont make any noise against the bark.

Same goes for the blind. Sit facing so you look left to see the shooting lane. It also helps to set the blind so that you are drawing corner to corner and shooting out of the corner.  A small lawn chair or stool works great for sitting and shooting from the blind. A bow holder that stabs into the ground is very helpful. Also keep all of the windows closed except the one you are shooting out. You want it dark in there. Ive shot plenty of deer through the mesh windows.

[andersonjk4]

Good info.  I may have to just splurge and get a blind and a tree stand.  So as far as tree stands go, hang-on and sticks or climber or saddle?  I like the idea of a climber, but I've never used one so I'm sure they have their issues.

[idaho guy]

I prefer to hunt mobile on the ground rather than sit in one place but when i do sit I have had more luck with the ground blind getting away with movement and its way more comfortable. I cant believe how close deer and elk have been with the mesh window covering. I wasn't sure about shooting through those but we did anyways  and I have had mixed results. Anyways if you can shoot through the mesh its been a slam dunk I will have to experiment a little more this summer with the mesh on targets. I have a climber tree stand lightweight and super easy to get in a tree but for me is way uncomfortable for any length of time. My climber has been super handy if you want to move around a lot but I am leaning towards a tree saddle if I want to do that. 

[greenhead_killer]

I prefer tree stands. Get a nice hang on and some climber sticks. You can still be mobile within minutes when you have it down. Yes you are more exposed, but it’s a much better vantage and you get the full use of hunting light. Most importantly, get all the safety gear!!! Cannot stress that enough. Harness, safety rope, al of it. (Maybe that’s all of it lol) have that and you’ll be fine.

[Call em in]

+1 for ground blinds!

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[Buckhunter24]

I do all my whitetail hunting out of a ground blind, it allows you to move around more. if you haven't sat for long periods I would suggest starting with the ground blind before trying tree stand.