Taking whitetails from the ground

[540-Virginian]

Are you planning ambush on deer trials, or stalking beds?

for the former, if I’m lucky I sit behind a tree and try to lay back as far as possible hopefully have a nice head upper back rest. Your face better be completely covered, a cheap mosquito net works best as it hides your eyes too. Also leafy jacket, good up. Once a deer passes, I’ll sit up slowly. However, I’ve only done this muzzleloader hunting.

For still hunting/stalking deer beds. I have a stick I use as a ‘third leg’ and make very subtle grunt noses every now and then with my throat, and use stick to pretend I’m a deer walking. I walk 10 steps, stop and feed, move again. All while scanning for movement. When I get closer to a bed I’ll ditch the stick and shuffle my feet some instead. I’ve shot two does 20 & 30 yards this way. This strategy however has not gotten me close to a buck... yet.

the above sounds crazy I know but it works for me.

 

[J.Wells]

Are you planning ambush on deer trials, or stalking beds?

for the former, if I’m lucky I sit behind a tree and try to lay back as far as possible hopefully have a nice head upper back rest. Your face better be completely covered, a cheap mosquito net works best as it hides your eyes too. Also leafy jacket, good up. Once a deer passes, I’ll sit up slowly. However, I’ve only done this muzzleloader hunting.

For still hunting/stalking deer beds. I have a stick I use as a ‘third leg’ and make very subtle grunt noses every now and then with my throat, and use stick to pretend I’m a deer walking. I walk 10 steps, stop and feed, move again. All while scanning for movement. When I get closer to a bed I’ll ditch the stick and shuffle my feet some instead. I’ve shot two does 20 & 30 yards this way. This strategy however has not gotten me close to a buck... yet.

the above sounds crazy I know but it works for me.

More then likely I'm gonna be trying to find deer trails

 

[Foggy Mountain]

One thing strikes me and I’m pretty surprised no one has mentioned this. You can build the best most perfect blind, sit on a perfect trail but what would make them use it while you’re there?
Most trails at least the ones by me are nighttime use next to farm felds
You say big woods, now you’ve really got a problem. There’s prob little to no real trails in the big woods, Even if you found the bedding which way will they go? You’re on the ground, you’ve got to get in, get out, sit, consider where the deer will go, play the wind pretty severely. That’s Bowhunting 101 but is it?
Years back in Bowhunting October Whitetails Rick Blasé said something that makes good sense. He said find what’s less. In areas of great cover (big woods) find the FOOD. In areas like the Midwest (lots agriculture) find the bedding. The deer are concentrated around those areas. I’ll add in years of drought find water, areas of massive flooding find the dry spots.
Ok so without knowing anything cause you haven’t told us anything, key in on the preferred food sources. As they deplete move to the next ones. Use the wind and shoot straight. Good luck to ya

 

[RockinRam96]

Very tough to stall a whitetail as many have mentioned. However, it is possible. I have been successful with a “spot and stall” method as well as walking through the woods. As mentioned, if you move slow enough and quiet enough you can sneak up on them.

Couple tactics for you.. Once I spot them I always keep them in my sight. I try to get behind as much cover as I can. When they have their heads down eating I move. When they pick their head up I stop. Don’t look them in the eye.

As mentioned above, when I’m still hunting through the woods, I try to stick to 3-5 easy steps. If I break a stick I stop immediately. I do grunt along the way. Sometimes grunt if I break a stick.

When pre-rut hunting, don’t be afraid to try some rattling. I’ve had lots of luck rating both big and small bucks in.

Rut season, find the does and you’ll find the bucks.

Good luck. And have fun!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Newtosavage]

99% of my kills have been from the ground.
Taught myself to still hunt in my 20's.
Nothing more satisfying than taking a big buck while still hunting.(not stand hunting)

You've killed 100 deer from the ground?

 

[Super tag]

I have had a lot of success doing this over the years, we have taken all our whities from the ground, we like to camouflage well and hide behind a group of trees very near a travel route, absolute dead still, no moving or fidgeting, patient, stop them when they’re close, I found it’s surprisingly easy if you pay attention to and hunt the right wind.

 

[*zap*]

From the ground is hard with a bow especially a longbow. If your going to wait in a spot then pick a spot that will give you elevation over where you expect the deer to be.....you know, up a ridge a bit or on top of a rock outcroping....that will help a bunch because you will be above the deer's line of sight...just make sure your not silhouetted.

Good luck.

 

[Foggy Mountain]

From the ground is hard with a bow especially a longbow. If your going to wait in a spot then pick a spot that will give you elevation over where you expect the deer to be.....you know, up a ridge a bit or on top of a rock outcroping....that will help a bunch because you will be above the deer's line of sight...just make sure your not silhouetted.

Good luck.

Good advice

 

[J.Wells]

From the ground is hard with a bow especially a longbow. If your going to wait in a spot then pick a spot that will give you elevation over where you expect the deer to be.....you know, up a ridge a bit or on top of a rock outcroping....that will help a bunch because you will be above the deer's line of sight...just make sure your not silhouetted.

Good luck.

Ok awesome! We are going scouting on Saturday I will keep an eye out for anywhere I can stay Elevated

 

[J.Wells]

The area I'm gonna be hunting almost 1500 acres and is managed by Missouri conservation department so it has 5 or 6 fields that they keep cut but I don't think they grow anything. In the fields. They have a couple of ponds that they made and then a river runs along one border of the area.

It's a super diverse chunk of land we are just gonna have to get in there and really check it out.

 

[J.Wells]

Could we sit over one of the water holes and wait for deer to come in or would that not be recommended ?

 

[NorseNW]

Finding a travel corridor and setting up in range will work for this circumstance. Some camo and natural blind material would be helpful. As mentioned before staying still is the biggest aspect. I grew up hunting whitetails in Pennsylvania on public land. Seemed like my best technique was taking a nap because nearly every time I woke up to deer walking by!

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have killed 2-3 white tails a year in the north east Using a combo of still hunting and mobile ambush. I set up at first light and then still hunt until I find a place I like and then set up for a while, rinse and repeat until I set up again at last light. I focus on trails and travel corridors. think like a deer and try to be between where they are and where they will be at points in the day. Between feeding and bedding areas has been good to me. Linear features (cliff bases, drainages, fences) and choke points are high probability. With a bow range you have to basically be in their line of travel or lucky, or both.

Stalking up on a deer is a rush but super, super hard. Try it and you will learn a lot. I do it all the time but TBH I get busted a lot. wear socks or water shoes. Rain helps. Wind helps.

I use a lot of natural cover - trees, rocks, rock walls to hide behind and a lot of terrain features to mask movement. I have a mobile ambush set up that consists of 2x $12 walmart leafy camo nets strung on para cord with zip ties. That gives me about 20 linear feet of cover for $25 and about 2#. If I find the right place I can make a blind quietly in about 2 mins. I have had deer and turkey walk within 5 feet of me and not see me. Highly recommend it because it allows you to turn a spot with little or no cover into an ambush site and unlike a ghille suit, it masks the draw of your bow As well as other motion while you sit.

 

[FLATHEAD]

You've killed 100 deer from the ground?

No, of course not. Probably only 75-80.
Averaged 6-8/yr for many years.

 

[Newtosavage]

No, of course not. Probably only 75-80.
Averaged 6-8/yr for many years.

I was just ribbing you for the 99%. It was a math joke.

 

[J.Wells]

I have killed 2-3 white tails a year in the north east Using a combo of still hunting and mobile ambush. I set up at first light and then still hunt until I find a place I like and then set up for a while, rinse and repeat until I set up again at last light. I focus on trails and travel corridors. think like a deer and try to be between where they are and where they will be at points in the day. Between feeding and bedding areas has been good to me. Linear features (cliff bases, drainages, fences) and choke points are high probability. With a bow range you have to basically be in their line of travel or lucky, or both.

Stalking up on a deer is a rush but super, super hard. Try it and you will learn a lot. I do it all the time but TBH I get busted a lot. wear socks or water shoes. Rain helps. Wind helps.

I use a lot of natural cover - trees, rocks, rock walls to hide behind and a lot of terrain features to mask movement. I have a mobile ambush set up that consists of 2x $12 walmart leafy camo nets strung on para cord with zip ties. That gives me about 20 linear feet of cover for $25 and about 2#. If I find the right place I can make a blind quietly in about 2 mins. I have had deer and turkey walk within 5 feet of me and not see me. Highly recommend it because it allows you to turn a spot with little or no cover into an ambush site and unlike a ghille suit, it masks the draw of your bow As well as other motion while you sit.

Love this!!!!!! I'm gonna that's a really solid strat for quick cover

 

[go_deep]

Could we sit over one of the water holes and wait for deer to come in or would that not be recommended ?

Walk around the edge of the pond with rubber boots on so you don't sink it up and see how many tracks come to it, but I'd guess there won't be many. I'd look for a river crossing first, then try and find a trail leading to oaks or field edge.
Look past the land you have to hunt, might be a bean field or hay field just a few hundred yards away on the neighboring property, deer might be coming from where you are going that way.

 

[Btaylor]

When you go scout either take a small note pad or use onx if you have it and drop pins on features and food sources to reference later. Mark things like white oaks with good ground cover within bow range, creek crossings, pinch points or funnels with good ground cover in bow range, etc. Afterwards look at the map and see if any of the points you marked or noted are related such as a pinch or funnel within close proximity to a creek crossing or a crossing close to a primary food source. Linking key features in close proximity may up your odds of higher deer usage for a particular area. The key features may not have good cover in bow range but you may find a spot of good cover between them to take advantage of the movement between spots.

 

[J.Wells]

When you go scout either take a small note pad or use onx if you have it and drop pins on features and food sources to reference later. Mark things like white oaks with good ground cover within bow range, creek crossings, pinch points or funnels with good ground cover in bow range, etc. Afterwards look at the map and see if any of the points you marked or noted are related such as a pinch or funnel within close proximity to a creek crossing or a crossing close to a primary food source. Linking key features in close proximity may up your odds of higher deer usage for a particular area. The key features may not have good cover in bow range but you may find a spot of good cover between them to take advantage of the movement between spots.

I've got OnX and I intend to use it! It's looking like I'll have all day Saturday to go scout.

 

[J.Wells]

After talking with you guys I've really dialed in on this area. It's about a mile deep and there's a couple food plot areas within 200 yards of the river. I called our conservation agent this morning and he said it's hit and miss on whether or not they plant it so I'll just have to check it out in person. I'm gonna look for trails along those clearings and then spend some time hiking the river trying to see if they are crossing into near by hay fields.

I'm gonna be marking down and tracks trails or sign I'm seeing and also gonna be looking for good places to set up an ambush