# Still Hunting with a Recurve??



## MikeOGNR (Jul 17, 2012)

Hey guys I am stuck between buying a ground blind or a tree stand. I don't really no which one I should get and I figured why not ask,but does anyone still hunt deer on foot like track them and walk in the woods and try to get within range and shoot them??? If so Id like to know how successful you've been and if I should consider it.

Thanks
-Mike


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## reddogge (Jul 21, 2009)

If you want to eat deer meat get a ground blind or tree stand and stay still. If you like long walks in the woods, fall colors and the occaisional glimpse of fleeing deer try still hunting. I admit, shooting one like that would be the ultimate thrill for me but I see it as too unproductive.


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## MikeOGNR (Jul 17, 2012)

Which would you recommend a ground blind or a treestand??


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

reddogge said:


> If you want to eat deer meat get a ground blind or tree stand and stay still. If you like long walks in the woods, fall colors and the occaisional glimpse of fleeing deer try still hunting. I admit, shooting one like that would be the ultimate thrill for me but I see it as too unproductive.


Truer words where never spoken  


My vote goes to tree stand even thou I've killed a lot of deer on the ground


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

This sounds like it might be worth trying, as much as I like walking around and watching deer run away


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## rickstix (Nov 11, 2009)

Very difficult to come up with a solid answer to your question(s) because deer hunting occurs in many locations of varied geographical features and habitat…and, without more information, I just don’t know what you’re looking at.

Tree stands often work well in a number of situations…but may not be the best option in areas that are too open and leave you overly exposed. A ground blind also has it’s uses in certain circumstances, but may not be the better choice in others. Either way, it’s usually the getting out there and doing “something” that often brings up what else might be a better alternative.

IMO, at its best, still hunting is nearly an art form…and especially when it comes to getting within the range most feel comfortable with to close the deal. Add to that you have every eye, ear, and nose in the forest to beat…and you’re really at a disadvantage if circumstance (such as wind) doesn’t work in your favor. And, I could go on and on, but there are shelves full of books on hunting…and more to be written.

I do still hunt every season, and I do a fare amount of hunting every year with a camera. It just takes time to understand the animals…and learn not to screw things up. God Luck…and Enjoy, Rick.


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## sharpbroadhead (Feb 19, 2004)

Personally - I like a treestand better than a groundblind overall - though there are some places that a ground blind is the only way to really get in.

Groundblind hunting to me is very boring - not much to see and if it is warm out - it is HOT in the blind - though in the winter - the warmth is nice.

I like climbers best - but they are hard to be concealed in - ladders are nice - but they are heavy to get in and out and set up - a hang on with a climbing stick is best overall - but I would always use a Fall Guy restraint with one.

As far as still hunting goes - it requires a great deal of patience - you have to move VERY slowly - if you think you are moving as slow as you can - you are still moving too fast and should go half that speed - and lots and lots of stopping and just waiting and looking.

For me - still hunting works best if I see a deer - if I see one i can move at a snails pace and stalk right up on them - once to where I could have touched it - a spike buck - but if I dont' see a deer - i have a very hard time moving slow and would rather sit in the tree.

good luck


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## MikeOGNR (Jul 17, 2012)

Also Does anyone have any info on 3D archery competitions during the winter??? and if there is any prize money involved


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

My hat is off to anybody that can put a buck in the bed of the truck still hunting in the areas I hunt. Definitely the epitome of hunting skill...:set1_CHAPLIN3:

I like to hunt from treestands, but there is nothing more intense than hunting from a natural ground blind. I've never had a pop-up blind, every time I go look at them I feel claustrophobic and think I would miss out on so many secondary rewards from my time in the woods. I know they are effective though.

Hang ons are the most versatile, but I like my Lone Wolf hand climber when I can use it. I feel safer in a climber than putting up sticks and a hang on. You need a straight branchless tree for a climber though. 

No right answer for all conditions. Consider your terrain and make a choice. I'd starve to death if I could only eat what deer I killed still hunting.


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## sharpbroadhead (Feb 19, 2004)

MIke - where I am from the only 3D in the winter is indoor - and we have some pretty cool indoor ranges up here


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## UrbanDeerSlayer (Feb 10, 2012)

In the hills / valleys of Southwest PA, swirling winds make it difficult to hunt, and the tree stand gives you the advantage. However, I have more than once accidentally walked right up on a deer, and was more stunned than the deer itself (and not ready to shoot). I guess it depends on a lot of things but you have to play the wind to your advantage if able.


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## Wayko (Dec 22, 2011)

As I've got older & injuries have taken there toll, I always like treestands if the area would allow it, but nowdays most of my hunting is from the ground, when ever I can I like to brush in a spot at a fallen tree, or clump of maples, also been thinking real hard on ghille suits.
Now days still hunting is very limited for me (what sharpbroadhead said about if you think your going slow is still to fast, I've found is SO TRUE) a back injury has cost me about 30% of the feeling in my left leg, nowdays my still hunting for whitetails is done only when the wind is above 15 mph & there's a light rain falling, & the temp is ok for me to wear only stocking feet, (I prefer 2 pairs of wool socks) I like to work around oak ridges looking for feeding deer, I like to practice this sometimes during small game season if the day is right for it, somedays when everything comes together for me & the deer took there stupid pill that day, a person like me can be amazed how close a human can get.


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## Long Rifle (Dec 8, 2011)

I like stillhunting or "slippin" as I call it but as has been said, there's no such thing as too slow. May take me an hour to move 50 yards. Give me some relatively thick areas with scattered openings, a good pair of autofocus binos, and a small three-legged collapsible chair...I'll kill a deer if there's one in there. I use to live in the trees but the past few years I've spent increasingly more time on the ground in either popups or natural blinds and done just as well.


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## Old Sarge (Sep 9, 2008)

You have to try and pick the right technique for each situation. For still hunting, which is my favorite here are some suggestions:
Move Very slowly as has been said, Always have the wind in your favor to stalk with the wind at your back is pointless. Also it is easiest after it rains because you can move much more quietly. Carry a little squeeze bottle with powder to constantly check the wind. Don't look for an entire Deer. Try to spot ears, a flicking tail, legs, or other body parts and also look lower toward the ground than you think. 
Good luck!


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## JINKSTER (Mar 19, 2011)

Ground blinds are okay if you're turkey hunting on the edge of a field but..for deer?..treestand all the way..i have two old "warren and sweat" climbers in the shed i'll never get rid of...back when i was young hunting a lease in georgia i was feel'in all mountain man and built a natural ground blind using a treefall...spent hours in that blind hearing deer all around me but never got to see one..had i been 20' up?..i'd of had meat in the cooler...stupidest move i ever made...never made it again.

Still Hunting?..I love it...especially with a stickbow..cause they're quicker...but it has it's place...like mid-day scouting ventures and/or...at times?..still hunting can be a viable option when hunting high pressured area's..but i call it the name when it was first taught to me.."Two Stepping"...(and no...not the dance)...cause my pace is..

"If i'm covering more than 100yds an hour?..i'm moving to fast."

and once identfied?...that's how i approach bottoms and known bedding areas.

so...either death from above (morning/evening/feed-times) and/or?..learn to become a mid-day bush sniper...or both...but save the ground blinds for turkey season..jmho and 2 cents worth..good luck and L8R, Bill. :cool2:


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

reddogge said:


> If you want to eat deer meat get a ground blind or tree stand and stay still. If you like long walks in the woods, fall colors and the occaisional glimpse of fleeing deer try still hunting. I admit, shooting one like that would be the ultimate thrill for me but I see it as too unproductive.


Nonsense! The skills are hard to master but just because most people don't put the time/effort into developing them doesn't mean they aren't just as viable as a stand or blind. 

Some areas don't permit hunting with one method over another. Can't generalize though, as I got both of my deer last year on the ground and got within a couple nice bucks during season. Didn't get the legal one because of my shooting, not because of being on the ground without cover... or camo:wink:


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## swinestalker (Oct 28, 2009)

Been doing it with good success for 25 years. Like anything else there are little tricks that make it more productive. Some of the big things I've learned over the years are: Ghillie suit, smoking up for scent control, recognizing the types of terrain that give you the most advantage and accepting the fact that you will make noise, but learn not to sound like a human. Definately not as productive as stand hunting, but definately do-able. If you don't have lots of hunting time, are not ready for a severe learning curve, or are looking to fill the freezer for sure, seek another endeavor.


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## Mo0se (Sep 24, 2002)

I've shot many more from the ground than a tree stand, I find or create large brush pile between bedding and feeding areas, and situate myself for the shot. That was back in Kansas on farmlands, I realize not everyone has that kind typography but man is it fun! I was liberal with scent control and used camo. You can used natural deadfall to construct a blind as well. My 2 cents. Still hunting can be done and still is, it's just very difficult with fall leaves and no snow to mask the footsteps. Especially in coniferous typography, where the ground is mostly chert and leaves. I like a challenge as much as the next guy, but a natural or commercial blind or trees stand gives you better odds. It takes nothing to pack a handsaw in and construct a natural blind in less time than it takes to stand in line at the large sporting goods stores.


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

sharpbroadhead said:


> As far as still hunting goes - it requires a great deal of patience - you have to move VERY slowly - if you think you are moving as slow as you can - you are still moving too fast and should go half that speed - and lots and lots of stopping and just waiting and looking.


I think I need to work on that some more  Patience, caution, and awareness.... Good to have goals.


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## Alpinbogen (Jun 18, 2009)

It's been a few years since I've hung a treestand, opting for the simplicity and challenge of ground hunting. In fact, I've been selling them off. I have one of those pop-up ground blinds and hate it. Can't see from it, can't hear in it, can't move around, feels unnatural, can't get comfortable for a shot. The deer don't like it much either. One good windstorm usually relocates it somewhere across a field. So I have a strong preference for natural ground blinds. It could be something as simple as hiding behind a large tree or fallen log, or sitting in tall grass, to clipping out hollow hiding areas in brush, to piling up limbs and brush to make more elaborate blinds. I REALLY like stillhunting and doing spot and stalks. The windier and wetter, the better. I've had luck with natural blinds, stillhunting, and spot and stalks. You will jump deer when moving about more often than staying put, but it's fantastic. Here are a few pics of some of my stillhunt / spot and stalk deer over the last 10 years.









This buck was chasing a doe when I shot him while stillhunting. The crazy part is that he didn't feel the hit. The doe actually led him in a circle around a rosebush after the shot, then ran him straight at me. Both passed literally at arm's length. I started to think I had missed, until I looked down at my feet and saw blood on the ground.









I spotted this doe (in a group of does) crossing a field. I did a wind sprint around the field to intercept them at a fence break, where I thought they might cross on the other side. I literally did a baseball slide into the fence break and pulled an arrow from my quiver when the lead doe (this one) stepped through the break. My lungs were still burning a second later when I drew back for the shot.









Most recently, I spotted and snuck up on this one in the rain, and planted a 15 yd shot with an English longbow. 

Some typical natural blinds:









Tree cluster with some limbs piled up for additional cover. I've killed a couple of deer from this one.









View looking out from a natural blind, between brush and tree cluster backdrop.

So, it depends on what you want to do. If you want to maximize your chance 100% in getting a shot at a deer, treestands have the edge. I've buried a few of them in the limbs so well, that I thought I probably could have done jumping jacks without being seen. If you want an eye-to-eye challenge on a level playing field (and eliminate falling risks which claim lives every year), then hunt from the ground. A pair of pruning snips, some paracord or light rope, and possibly a small saw or packable axe will let you build any natural blind you can devise. I prepped two ground blinds tonight in fact, with just a Gransfors small forest axe.

If you want to stillhunt or spot and stalk, have at it! I don't neccessarily move at a snail's pace the entire time. I tend to move swiftly and quietly through areas I think are dead, then slow down through the hot spots. Binoculars are your friend when doing this. Focus them beyond the brush you see in front of you to scan for life buried behind it. If you don't see anything, don't waste time moving up to the next spot to scan again. Again, wind and rain is your alley with this method of hunting. If it's dry and crunchy, sneaking within range of anything will be incredibly difficult. Stick with your ground blinds on those days.


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## Wayko (Dec 22, 2011)

swinestalker said:


> Been doing it with good success for 25 years. Like anything else there are little tricks that make it more productive. Some of the big things I've learned over the years are: Ghillie suit, smoking up for scent control, recognizing the types of terrain that give you the most advantage and accepting the fact that you will make noise, but learn not to sound like a human. Definately not as productive as stand hunting, but definately do-able. If you don't have lots of hunting time, are not ready for a severe learning curve, or are looking to fill the freezer for sure, seek another endeavor.



A fellow smoker, I like that, I use a bellows type bee hive smoker, was wondering what you use?


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

Personal challenge: get a deer while still hunting on camera to show how not-impossible it is. Hmm....


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## reddogge (Jul 21, 2009)

I've given you my observations of 45 years of bowhunting but let me add one more. If you are still hunting on your own land or private land on which you are the only hunter around that is OK. But if you still hunt on public land, or a lease with other members you will be considered a very unpopular fellow. Most don't want hunters creeping around on the ground playing "silent stalker" while they are in their treestands. We had this very same scenario on a military base I hunted some years ago. 

Now back to the romance of still hunting.


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

reddogge said:


> I've given you my observations of 45 years of bowhunting but let me add one more. If you are still hunting on your own land or private land on which you are the only hunter around that is OK. But if you still hunt on public land, or a lease with other members you will be considered a very unpopular fellow. Most don't want hunters creeping around on the ground playing "silent stalker" while they are in their treestands. We had this very same scenario on a military base I hunted some years ago.
> 
> Now back to the romance of still hunting.


You make a good point, exactly what I meant with some areas favorings others. Any time I've been on land where I know there are others I just wait in natural cover as to not dusrupt other hunters- just as if the ground is too dry and crunchy to stalk through the entire area. However you can't generalize all ground hunters because of a few people who didn't know what they were doing. Stalking is a difficult skill to develope, and is not common place. It is effective though. Your comments are just like folks who use compounds believing recurve and longbow shooters are just "playing Indian". It's rude and untrue. . 

I also don't do it for any romantic notions, I do it because it's effective. My lack of success starting out was due to a lack of shooting skill, not the inability to get close to a deer (under 25 yards) on the ground.


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Hunting from blinds can be very successful

Still hunting in the right conditions rainy,windy, etc. can also be successful 

Walking up on young deer can also be done. Stalking up on mature Whitetail is an entirely different scenario and the op asked what would be his best options between stalking ,tree stands and blinds and for that I am going to stick with tree stands 

We drive deer a lot and I have shot some great deer on the ground as close as 6 yds but they came to me I did not sneak up on them 

Every now and then we get a driver slipping along when it's wet and the wind is right who gets a shot at a good buck but it is few and far between with a bow. A slug gun or a rifle is another story but even then your chances are better letting them come to you

I have shot deer from tree stands, natural blinds, store bought blinds , drives , and stalking but if you added them all up stalking was the least successful. I am speaking of mature Whitetail bucks


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## BLACK WOLF (Aug 26, 2005)

MikeOGNR said:


> does anyone still hunt deer on foot like track them and walk in the woods and try to get within range and shoot them???


I absolutely love it...even though most of my time is spent chasing animals in the deer family a little bigger than your average sized deer :wink:

Even when I lived back home in Illinois it was the primary way I hunted. It just fits my personality better than sitting in a treestand or blind all day.

Ray :shade:


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## jusoldave (Apr 28, 2012)

We don't have trees here; nor do we have much that most folks would consider "cover" or "concealment". So bowhunters here either (1) learn to still hunt using wind, terrain, and micro-terrain to advantage, and/or (2) learn to use either natural or commercial ground blinds.


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## swinestalker (Oct 28, 2009)

Wayko said:


> A fellow smoker, I like that, I use a bellows type bee hive smoker, was wondering what you use?


 I'll bet the bee smoker is handy. The simple indian method has been all I've done for many years and it works great. Take some natural vegatation, set it on fire and then drop some green or damp vegatation on it to make a thick smoke without flames. I keep a lighter in my pack and smoke up 2 or three times on an all day hunt. I play the wind as best I can, but in these Mississippi swamps a steady wind is a rare luxury. Few people realize how truly effective smoking up really is.


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## Wayko (Dec 22, 2011)

swinestalker said:


> I'll bet the bee smoker is handy. The simple indian method has been all I've done for many years and it works great. Take some natural vegatation, set it on fire and then drop some green or damp vegatation on it to make a thick smoke without flames. I keep a lighter in my pack and smoke up 2 or three times on an all day hunt. I play the wind as best I can, but in these Mississippi swamps a steady wind is a rare luxury. Few people realize how truly effective smoking up really is.




Many years ago when I started I was showed to hang our wool in the smoke of a campfire, then over the years I started using the no-scent/coverscent products on the market, seemed like about 8 or 10 years ago I was spending more money on those products then on my bow & arrows & for me I found that they really did not work any better/sometime worst then the smoke I learned at the start. Someone had told me about the little bee hive smokers, found them to be cheap, ($20 to $35) my current one is 4 years old, there small & fit behind the seat of my truck, I can control the smoking & smoke many items at a time, I use whats on the ground, & add the green from pines & cedars for the smoke, add alittle water if very dry out, always amazed at how much smoke I can get out of a handful stuff, (guess them bee keepers now there stuff).

To the OP, sorry for geting alittle off topic.......Was reading some of the post on stillhunting here, & would like to add, if your in a area of high pressure public land & want to lessen your chance of geting some PO'ed hunters arrow in your butt, something that has worked for me on whitetails, when the woods are full of hunters, is, if there is a blacktop road that goes though the public land where there good cover(found dirt roads & 2 tracks don't work as well...to many people) is to park off to the side, enter the woods about 30 yards & still hunt along the road, don't look for a deer, but only look for the head, I've been amazed at how many big deer are laying there when the pressures on watching the cars going by...now it can be hard to get a clean shot at a laying deer in cover, sometimes it's better to wait for it to stand, or figure out the best ya can on where it will walk to & wait there, my warning is the odds are your going to see many nice bucks than you'll never get a opening for a clear shot...but I guess that's why it called hunting, & when your head hits the pillow at night, you'll be thinking alot of.....if only if, maybe if I only, etc. LOL.


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

MikeOGNR said:


> Hey guys I am stuck between buying a ground blind or a tree stand. I don't really no which one I should get and I figured why not ask,but does anyone still hunt deer on foot like track them and walk in the woods and try to get within range and shoot them??? If so Id like to know how successful you've been and if I should consider it.
> 
> Thanks
> -Mike


Yes... that pretty much is the only way I hunt. I rove when I hunt too.... and when I stop to pick up an arrow, I look around to see what might be seen. It works, especially in more open terrain where you can glass. Sometimes the thud of the arrow will startle game and cause them to move... giving me a heart skip... I love spot and stalk, I love still hunting. You get to really enjoy the forests and meadows, plains... (not here.. we call them kipukas... grass in the lava) or lava forests... 

I've been in tree stands for bear... and that is a challenge of its own... but I prefer walking around... I've set up ground blinds in areas where there is a real potential for momvement, but those are blinds of opportunity... and if not action... time to move along... :grin:

As for ground blinds, my hunting buddy has a pop-up blind we have used on occasion and they are cool... but I prefer the fishnet kind that you can set up and roll up when you are movin on.

Aloha... :beer:


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## reddogge (Jul 21, 2009)

Sorry if I ruffled some feathers but the OP wants to know what is the best option and it sounds like he doesn't have a lot of experience or is hunting elk, pigs, or land devoid of trees. So the best and easoets chance will be from the trees over a hot trail. Second best is make a ground blind and ambush one. Third best and hardest of all will be still hunting (stalking). But hey, I'm a realist. Good luck.


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Reddogge your absolutely correct in everything you said


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

I didn't mean to say that still hunting was "best" but it's certainly more than just walking through the woods watching deer run away. A lot of people CAN'T move quietly on the ground. That's fine. Doesn't mean it's not an effective way of putting meat in the freezer- don't need to be hunting trophies to do that.

Stands and blinds are great, but they aren't the only way to hunt, simple as that.


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## BLACK WOLF (Aug 26, 2005)

kegan said:


> I didn't mean to say that still hunting was "best" but it's certainly more than just walking through the woods watching deer run away. A lot of people CAN'T move quietly on the ground. That's fine. Doesn't mean it's not an effective way of putting meat in the freezer- don't need to be hunting trophies to do that.
> 
> Stands and blinds are great, but they aren't the only way to hunt, simple as that.


:thumbs_up

Ray :shade:


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## BLACK WOLF (Aug 26, 2005)

reddogge said:


> but the OP wants to know what is the best option


I didn't read the OP's initial post like that. I read it as him asking if still hunting was a viable 'option'...and IMO...it can be....depending on the individual, their skills, their personality, the terrain they are hunting in and the animal they're hunting.

I believe every option is based on the specific circumstances. There isn't necessarily a one size fits all answer.

Ray :shade:


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## Wayko (Dec 22, 2011)

Just a thought, how's about, still hunting to your treestand or ground blind, I'am thinking it's been known to work a time or two, & ya can cover more of your bases. LOL


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## scout4 (May 18, 2010)

I never tree stand hunt, but I'll do both ground blind, if I know the woods I'm hunting and in the right weather conditions or stalk the woodlot if its rained or fresh fallen snow and quiet. If you have not found this to be so, that, traditional archery bowhunting is a very practice of patient skill set.


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## Roadsnakes (Nov 29, 2016)

I found this video simple and interesting.
'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sfNLkmUyyw


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## WP79Vet (Jan 21, 2016)

I've killed 5 elk and a couple of deer by still hunting with bows, but in addition to moving slowly and using all of your senses, conditions have to be right. Thick brush, dry leaves, crunchy snow, or variable breezes make things very difficult. Fog works very well - it makes footing quiet, and I think that deer and elk are blinded by it to a much greater extent than we are - their eyes see much farther into the UV than our eyes do, and fog scatters blue/UV light to a greater extent than longer wavelengths. A stiff wind is ideal - rattling leaves and branches cover the sound of your movements. Ditto for rain.

Here are a few other things which improve the odds for still hunting:

One of the most important aspects of still hunting is to learn what calm animals sound like when they move, and then move in ways that mimic the sounds that they make. You can get away with a lot more noise if you do that. Humans are the only creatures that make a steady crunch, crunch, crunch as they move through the woods, and all animals know that.

Controlling your own movements is key. The eyes of prey animals are optimized for nearly 360 degree vision and picking up movement, rather than for picking out detail in a motionless scene. Our eyes are just the opposite. It's therefore essential to move all parts of your body as little as possible, especially your head and hands, and to move very slowly when you do move.

Spend most of your time looking as far into the woods as you can see. If you can pick up the presence of a deer or an elk when it's still far enough away to be mostly obscured by the vegetation, you have a much better chance of getting close enough for a shot. Use your binoculars constantly. They allow you to see farther into the vegetation, and identify ears, noses, antlers, and patches of hide in the clutter.

Use your nose. Deer and especially elk are smelly creatures, and you can pick up their odors at surprising distances if you pay attention.

Best times to hunt are when the animals themselves are up and moving around - first or last light, and when they get up at mid-day to stretch their legs, move into or out of the sun, or get a quick bite to eat and a drink of water. More difficult to walk up on a bedded animal, although under good conditions I've done it surprisingly often.

Find out where the deer or elk go when there's lots of hunting pressure, and hunt there. Other hunters move the animals around, which can work to your benefit.

Optimize the use of your time. Go into "moving stand" mode when you're close to animals or in a high-percentage area. Move more quickly when you're not picking up indications that animals are close, or when you're moving between high percentage areas. Most hunters move too slowly in low-percentage areas and get bored, and they move way too fast and spook animals when they're in high percentage areas, even when they know that they're close to animals. At any given time 90% of the animals are in 10% (or less) of the area. So... your goal is to spend 90% or your time in the same 10% of the area that the animals are using.

Plan the use of your time so that you're in high percentage locations during the times that the animals are likely to be up and moving around.


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## danreid27 (Dec 30, 2018)

Scouting the property you hunt is the only way to understand deer movements between food & beds. Look for busy trail intersections & narrows with natural hideouts nearby.
Only time spent afield will lend the info you seek..


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## huntmaster70 (May 26, 2006)

I haven't read all the replys prior to this and maybe this has already been said but if your only objective is just to secure meat use a rifle or go to the market & buy a steak. To me if all you do is hunt from stands or blinds (although effective), you are now stuck in one spot. Ground hunting opens up many opportunities to see other things & its not impossible to take deer or whatever game you're after from the ground. You don't have to keep on a steady walk or movement, stopping occasionally at areas that you like or "feel" right will beat the boredom of stands & blinds.


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## WP79Vet (Jan 21, 2016)

huntmaster70 said:


> I haven't read all the replys prior to this and maybe this has already been said but if your only objective is just to secure meat use a rifle or go to the market & buy a steak. To me if all you do is hunt from stands or blinds (although effective), you are now stuck in one spot. Ground hunting opens up many opportunities to see other things & its not impossible to take deer or whatever game you're after from the ground. You don't have to keep on a steady walk or movement, stopping occasionally at areas that you like or "feel" right will beat the boredom of stands & blinds.


Yup! Moving around while minimizing the disturbance that your presence causes so that you can see and hear and smell what's going on and learn from it is enough reason, in and of itself, to spend many quiet, observant days where the wild things are.


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## oscar-eleven (Jul 15, 2008)

It's a viable method of hunting. I don't live in a tree rich environment so you have to adapt. Cat-tails, corn fields and CRP have been good to me especially if you find a spot where all 3 meet. Tree stands are probably the best but it's not the only way. Pop ups work good but need to left up for awhile, at least IME and if you screw up they'll be looking for you the next time. I once helped a color blind friend of mind track a buck he'd shot and when we got into his tree stand I could put my chin on the platform, seriously. BTW, I shot my deer this year at 37 paces from the ground.


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## roosiebull (Oct 3, 2010)

I have never been in a tree stand or ground blind, I may sit in a natural blind at times, but I'm a mobile ground hunter. 

This will be my first year with a recurve, but I have shot 90% or more of my game inside 25yds, there is always a way. I call, spot and stalk, and most commonly "spot and ambush" I enjoy hunting on the ground


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## Muzzy 75 (Jul 4, 2008)

I have been very successful using terrain to my advantage and a Guille suit.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## BWlongbow (Jan 28, 2011)

Here in the southeast still hunting for deer is a blast, if you like standing still more than moving and if covering distance is not important. I have had deer as close as 10 yards but also have been busted more times than I can count. It is fun thou.


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## Beendare (Jan 31, 2006)

Wow, old thread.

The only animals I've had luck with still hunting with my recurve are Wild hogs and Javelina. Those are tailor made for bowhunting.....


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## Stub (Aug 13, 2013)

Know its a old thread, but I took a doe last year on the ground. Sitting behind some trees along a creek crossing.

I kept seeing new tracks everytime I came up to this creek to get do my stand. Decided one days I would dig out a little spot to sit in behind a cluster of trees. Then sure enough, about an hour later had a group of 3 come in on opposite side of creek. Red circle in picture where they came in at.

Enjoyed it so much I ended up buying another tag and hunted the rest of the season on the ground.


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## roosiebull (Oct 3, 2010)

Beendare said:


> Wow, old thread.
> 
> The only animals I've had luck with still hunting with my recurve are Wild hogs and Javelina. Those are tailor made for bowhunting.....


at some point, still hunting becomes spot and stalk, correct? have you ever hunted black bear with your recurve? it seems stalking through bear habitat could be fun, or glassing and stalking. they are another easy animal to close the distance on, if you can keep the wind... and the bigger challenge, if you can get them to hold still long enough for a stalk.

fall bear seem to be much more stationary than spring bear, spring bear seem to never stop, just browsing through, and they spend lots of time in big openings and noisy areas (like clear cuts) but if you can find one of those big boars that is frequenting an area that lends good stalking conditions, you can get away with a lot on bear.... especially big ones, the smaller bear seem to be more nervous.

i'm really hoping to draw a spring bear tag this year, even though it's not likely, but I have some good areas to break out the recurve, especially early season when they are in the bottoms feeding on reed grass mostly.


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