How do you guys setup on the ground for deer hunting? Do you guys make blinds or use natural brush as a back ground? Me and my uncle rely on good camo and just some small samplings stacked around us and the deer walk in our lap BUT this is more of a compound bow setup due to letoff it allows us to draw and hold until the deer walks out so they see no movement.

I once had a buck walk in 10 yards and look right through me with a stickbow he would have spooked if I would have draw as he walked in. What do you guys to stack the odds in your favor?

Here are a couple of set ups I had from this past season. I took a 15 yard shot from the one with me in the red flannel shirt.

Thanks Jerry so its as simple as that huh?

Thats very similar to the setups we use except all the limbs in yer background go around us.

You don't see it in the pics too well, but I like a little some thing out in front of me. In the second pic, that big downed tree is between me and where the deer should come from, though I had 3 big bucks fighting just behind me one morning. As long as you have good back cover, you can get away with alot. Have fun, and good luck.

Another thing to do is point the bow at the first deer you see.  Two main reasons for this are 1- if the first one is a doe and is followed by a wall hanger there will be less movement to get your bow on the wall hanger and 2- movement while drawing will be less noticable when that movement is directly away from the deer than swinging your bow to aim.  The movement on the draw will be more of a change in depth that anything moving from side to side.

I use as much natural cover as I can. I also use a 12' x 4' piece of camo burlap I picked up from Bass Pro Shops, that I use if needed. It is important that you have a solid backdrop, so that you are not silohuetted in any way. I also found overhanging branches an advantage too. Many of my blinds tend to be in and around hemlock or juniper trees.

I stillhunt and try to find a blowdown situated on a trail. If it is a good setup I will stand in it the first time and then take a fold up chair or tree seat to use after that.  I have had several walk by close enough to touch (or get kicked).  I located one Saturday morning while turkey hunting that I am going to set up for next October.

The last three deer I have shot I used this method.

Dennis

Those pics got me excited.looks like some of my setups.I have several on my hunting property set up for guests that dont like trees and they usually at least see game even if they miss when they shoot.Sorry Easy Ed (Father In Law).As long as the winds right theyre as good as any tree in most situations.

Thanks guys when it gets warmer and I go turkey scouting ill go look for some good spots. Anyone else got any tips?

jerry,what are you sitting on in those pictures?

Bucky, here is the seat I use. Mine is a bit rougher than this, but same deal.
 http://bowyersedge.com/treeseat.html

Actually, I used a tripod stool in the second pic, but I almost never use that one though it is good for sitting in blow downs.

jerry,what kind of bow do you shoot and how long is it?

Here's a picture of a "hasty" ambush alongside a down tree.

It worked well enough that I was able to shoot a nice little whitetail buck from it... 15 yard shot.

Background is as important as or maybe even more important than cover in front.

Getting the shot is a whole subject by itself. If you try to shoot while they are looking at you or even in your direction, it won't turn out well for you.

A moving animal is less likely to catch you moving than one standing looking around... forget that junk about making noises to stop the animal. Learn to shoot at a slowly moving target and run with the opportunity.

 

Man this stuff reminds me of some of the setups I did this year(now I know I'm at least on the right track).This was my first year in a tree and though my kill came out of it with a compound my most memorable hunts were with ambushes on the ground like that with my recurve.Got 2 shots and rattled in my first buck from the ground.It's nice to see others like playin the ground game too(got some weird stares when I've talked to other bowhunters about how fun ground hunting is).

Cool

Very simple setups but they look to be effective my uncle has always taught me you can get a deer close enough to step on you if you dont move and you have a good back drop. I remember one year we had a very similar setup to the one that Charlie is showing I was behind 3 trees and some turkeys came behind us I was adjusting my head and caught some movement out of the corner of my eye then a deer tore out of there. I was rock still the deer seen my uncle trying to get a shot at the turkeys and spooked we found the deer's tracks and it wasn't 4 yards from us!

Bucky, I'm shooting a 62" PSE Talon. It is a TD recurve. At my draw length about 56#. I also use a 58" Red Wing Hunter about 51# at my draw.

If more of you could add some picts of your setups, that would be very helpful.  I would really like to see some setups that have worked for y'all as I am going to hunt in P.A. this year - primarily off the ground.
Thanks - this place is a WEALTH of info.
John

I was standing, wedged back into a treetop that had fallen over late one fall (no leaves)deer hunting. I was wearing Predator Fall Brown wool. I hear a noise and about 30 turkeys file past me at about twenty five yards heading to their roost which turned out to be about 50 yards away.

I slowly grabbed my binos and raised them up to get a nice look at these birds. All that movement and not one even "batted an eye" so to speak...

Convinced me of how effective natural camo and good artificial camo can be...