I’ve been reading posts on tree stands and blinds and have come to the conclusion one should at least attempt to free one’s inner hunter. I’ve said it before- you need to leave that crap behind!!! You don’t have to rely on height or a tent for concealment. You can just use natural cover for concealment and still get off a shot. However, like everything else, it takes practice. At first, you’ll have difficulty concealing yourself and won’t be able to get off a shot. Pretty soon, it starts to change. As your inner hunter takes over, you’re free to hunt anywhere you want. You can change location and tactics literally with the wind! No messing around with a bunch of crap. No worry about trail cams or setting up tree stands. None of that garbage. I would like to see everyone free your inner hunter on your next hunt!

Joe

I do agree overall, but in my case at least I had to go through many years of treestands, blinds and whatnot before I learned enough and more importantly had the discipline and patience to "free" my inner hunter and do as you say.

And "free" or more accurately free-"DOM" is what it is for sure. Being able to move as the conditions or your instincts tell you unencumbered by pounds of extra baggage and equipment adds another level of pure joy to an already fulfilling experience.

I don't think I could ever go back to hunting literally "tied to a tree".

You need to be versatile in many methods and strategy to be successful.

Yes, versatility is what you get when you unhinge yourself from all that extra baggage! It frees you to set up in a perfect spot for conditions.

Joe

If I'm not "tied" to a stand I have a tendency to get too antsy and move around too much. Stand hunting forced me to slow down! Never was a good sneak/ground hunter.

What Blueman said...say no more

Do people use stands because of marketing or because of results?

I am an old school ground hunter...and set free my inner hunter by getting into my tree stand sometimes if that what I need. :)

I subscribe to Frisky's method, and get very close to deer very often, even get a shot once in a while. Its definitely not easy, and it is not a consistent way to harvest big game, but it is really fun. And no matter what (weapon I resort to in the end), I almost always have a full freezer every year.

Gotta side with Tweed on this one. I'm definitely more successful out of a stand. Also my climber allows me to change my location at any time and rarely hunt the same tree twice.

Conditions often dictate. Around here, private land parcels are usually too small to move through very often without creating more pressure than the deer will tolerate, and on public land, it’s often difficult to move through an area without disturbing another guy’s hunt. And some of those guys get to sounding so aggressive (internet testosterone being what it is) that you start to wonder about the safety of it....

But I’m still thinking about giving it a go. Tell myself I’m just out there squirrel hunting.... that way it’s no big disappointment if I don’t see any deer!

If you're disturbing some other guy's hunt then you're moving too fast.....or "not doing it right".

And SB is correct and that was my problem with it also many years ago. It wasn't until I could sit in a tree from dark to dark that I began to have the patience and discipline to stillhunt.

One is not better than the other and for some of us is part of the evolution.

I do not hunt from trees anymore (too much junk to deal with and it's too confining to a specific area), but I do many times spend a day hunting from natural blinds that I made previously with stillhunts in between. Mostly these are blowdown trees that I snip and tie a branch or two to help break up my outline.

I like the freedom to be able to move with the change in conditions.

I've had my closest encounters not while "hunting" for deer, but simply while "browsing" through the woods. The woods is not a quiet place, squirrels, turkeys, even rabbits all make noise. It's natural for deer to hear that.

The only thing quiet in the woods are the predators. I have walked with deer through the woods on three different occasions, literally within 10 yards of them, without spooking them. On every occasion I wasn't being a "hunter", but just a fellow "browser", and in one instance walked with a doe and her fawns for almost 1/4 mile. It can be a rather amazing occurrence.

It's all about a comfort zone and whether or not you have the best chance to kill a deer. Most folks, if they are honest will tell you that they feel tree stand hunting is more likely to produce a kill....and it is. Most of us have hunted from tree stands and most folks still do and will continue.

You have to have a lot of confidence to stay on the ground, and not be worried about killing something. Your chances there are diminished somewhat but not as much as some think. Hunting from tree stands we expected to take a deer every year and mostly did. From the ground it's about one every three years, but it's much nicer to not have to carry all the stuff either. And frankly, I can fall on the ground when standing on the ground. )))

I tried to hunt naked a few times.

Always got a little hairy, so I gave it up.

Rick

Yeah, GF, if there's another vehicle around, I'll go someplace else. I don't want to interrupt their hunt if I can help it. Although, I did sneak by a treestand hunter once without him seeing or hearing me :^) We're fortunate that there's a lot of public ground around here, but I even take the boat out to access places folks won't walk to from roads. Easy to find solitude that way.

I certainly killed more deer from treestands. It's easier, but deer killing isn't the sole or main reason I'm out there anymore. I still try to kill em, but don't want to simply be an immobile spectator until it's time to shoot a deer. I like to be an involved, proactive participant in the hunt, to actually 'hunt them', seek them, pursue them, embrace the challenges and hone the skillsets associated.

I hunt any legal critters, wild edibles, useful items, new areas and experiences, which is why I stillhunt almost exclusively. I know guys who wait in the same treestand or two every time, year after year, ewww. It's neat to stillhunt in places I've never scouted or been to prior, hop out of the truck or boat on gamey looking ground and go into hunter/gatherer mode. Sometimes come out with a deer, a squirrel, arrow shafts, a couple shrooms... ya just never know.

Joe your not a killer we all know this so how can you justify what you say and say its all nonsense.

I started out with blinds this season and switched after getting busted by 2 monster 8's and a big 10 that got shot the following day from same blind. The deer busted me in the heat and when I went into them was clean as a whistle. Each time animals came in from behind me and stood right next to blind. Had I had the side window open I probably had shooting. I only had front window down to contain movement and was set to draw and shoot. Rather disappointing to say the least. After that I made sure I went up the ladder stands had enough of getting busted.

If you really knew anything about hunting you would know nothing is a given. In a tree stand you can see whats going on and there's certain rules you have to follow rather than just standing o the ground over a road kill.LOL

Plus when your hunting tight areas you can't just walk all around and it sticks up the bush when you do also so tell us just how many trophy's you have to be able to talk like you do.

Same here, Jeff. I rely on ground hunting to learn the lay of the land, patterns of the deer present there, the most likely trails and feeding areas frequented, and the fact that boredom is never an issue while still hunting, finding new spots to wait, and just learning as many areas as I can like the back of my hand, so I can have many options to pick from on future hunts depending on snow or wind, or wetness/fog/clear and crispy conditions. To sit in one spot, even on the ground, does not make for much of a learning experience when it comes to variety in places to hunt.

I never 'walked-up' on another hunting while still-hunting. If you are vigilant you will seem them, mostly they stand out when twenty or more feet up in a tree. I have seen tree stand hunters, but always at a distance and they likely never knew I was there. By the way, still hunting is not moving fast....or even slow....it's about ultra-slow movement with ten times as much watching after every few steps. Then finding a good crossing and maybe spending an hour there watching.

Ryman Cat....you keep harping about people not being "killers" and I guess you consider that a badge of honor. There's more to life and hunting than a gut pile and bragging rights. Maybe you'll recognize that one day. With all your health issues you would think you would be glad just to spend time in the woods too, absorbing many of those things that killers never see.

I find myself in uncharted waters: I actually agree with Frisky!

Joe, I concur but, My inner hunter has a fused left ankle, a blown out knee, and lower spine damage. All that ground blind "crap" allows me to be in the woods a happy 10-15% of the time I used to be. Not trying to start a fight I appreciate the basics. Hell, back in the day I would think about lying on my back with an apple in my mouth and a Buck 110 in each hand. If the deer came up to eat the apple....... Lol. No sometimes that stuff is a necessity.

In pursuit of a big deer this year I have been with in 20 yards of over 30 deer this year. I told myself that the hunt for the monster was over for the year. The day out I had at one time 11 deer with in 20 yards at the same time. Over the half hour that they kept me company, a couple of yearling does were with in 10 feet of me. I had a cedar tree to my side and i was sitting on a tree seat strapped to ten inch tree. I had no head camo, my white bow, and Carthart pants. There was an 8 pointer chasing a doe, I drew on it and saw that I had branch trouble crowding the shot so I let down. At that time there was the first group of four deer right in front of me. The raising and drawing of the white bow did not spook them. Frisky has this one right. His system would better with a longbow, so he even makes it work with his green handicap.

Exactly Calvin.

There he goes again! RymanCat shooting out of windows! The old killer gets busted because he doesn't know how to hunt, so he has to climb a tree! Like I said before, these tree stands and blinds are for handicapped hunters who have not released their inner hunter!

Joe

JOe for part of the year, I went to carbon, adjustable cane/walking sticks. Being too lazy to be careful, I had a fall in my garage getting a couple of wheels off of a shelf that had new tires on them for a guy that was fixing up an old Escort for his kid. I should have moved my car and my BMW and used a ladder instead of a folding chair. I already am disabled with my back, but I moved some ribs around and buckled my left SI joint landing on my feet after bouncing off of my shelves. While in that condition, I let a nice 8 pointer pass while I was drooling over a giant 12 pointer down the hill. I have not seen the 12 pointer for a while, time to shoot a doe.

I put inner hunters in my boat trailer tires and haven't had a flat since. They worked great.

Pearl, how did you get HOT air into those tires? :>)

From the guy that starts these stupid threads. He has all WE need.

LOL, I shot a buck from the comfort of my beach chair on Monday. (I was using my 30- 30) I did stretch a camo t-shirt over the red, orange and green fabric of the chair. I was backed up against a briar patch looking into hardwoods with a southwest breeze in my face. The buck I killed with my bow in October, I was standing behind a walnut tree in a hedge row. Yeah, hunting can be pretty simple if you let it be.

In the "For what it's worth department" I agree with George, there is a lot more to hunting for me than the taking of the animals life for it's meat, hide, sinew and antlers.

My wife and I will eat the 3 deer I shot this year and I don't need to kill anymore deer. I will spend my hunting time left this year small game hunting or turkey hinting

I hope we have a gentle winter this year. I would rather go rabbit hunting in large farm groves than deer hunt.

"Like I said before, these tree stands and blinds are for handicapped hunters who have not released their inner hunter!"

Gee Joe, what are you trying to say. Only 100% functional, elitist, traditional archers have an inner hunter in them? You might as well kneel during the National Anthem while saying that. Maybe I'm taking what you said wrong. But I'm offended. nybubba

I released my inner hunter this morning and it dang near froze off.

My inner hunter is 3 yards from a doe fawn right now. Only the sliding glass door is between me and her :>) She likes the lawn and the sunflower seeds!

Nybubba- The entire point of this thread is too offend people, lol! You should know that by now. Now get back out there and release your inner hunter!

Joe

This topic pops up about this time every year. Same old s&*t. Same old responses. Your inner hunter. Give me a break.

I'm uncertain who is more full of booolsheet Frisky or Ryman Cat.

I didn't get into bowhunting to sit in a tree. But in the vast majority of cases, if you don't do some treestand hunting, you can talk all you want about your inner hunter - you aren't hunting the same deer. And maybe that is a way to take the dis out of all of this. Yea, great, you are a ground hunter, don't pretend you have it all covered from there. You are making a decision to hunt a smaller segment of the population, that doesn't mostly include the mature animals. At least for some deer in some habitat.

It is like dry fly fishing 100 years ago, when it was supposed to be more challenging than wet fly fishing. Partly because for a good deal of the time, no fish were looking at your fly, and it isn't actually a bigger challenge to ignore the large fish that feed mostly on the bottom.

Tells ya how much guys know for sure. There's no way your getting close to 20 deer on the ground and 20 sets of eyes and then add 12 plus turkeys and if your a killer you know how that goes.

Want to walk around and play ok you can eat your tag. BTW hows the tag come out the other end do you bleed?

The thing that I don't like is with some of these guys and what they say the younger guys not knowing any different get mis lead.

Spot and stalk is good and I have done it plenty of times but when you don't have access to open ground you can't really do it.

Theres been times I have had to get out of the blind as well as get down from a tree stand to go pursue an animal. Its not that hard but it has to be the right situation as well so Frisky don't know what he's talking about again.LOL

Yes George sorry I think it should be considered as a bage of honor. It takes a certain person to kill constantly and be able to use a lot of varied methods. I hunt for the shot to kill the animal or bird no other reason.

I try to set up for the shot. Some don't mind not killing anything or every once in the while and that's ok but why act like a killer when your not is all I am saying.

Don't want to really offend anyone it naturally will though and I'm sorry. Maybe I am a pain in everyone's rear end and outspoken on it but really think about it you want to play in the woods or go get him?

Takes a lot of drive get out there and figuire it out and not to drive over one like some do.LOL

Joe, now that I know the rules I can play. Last true inner hunter realesed was in a Deliverance scene with Ned Beatty. They were shooting traditional BTW also. nybubba

LOL! Nybubba- this thread was intentionally meant to offend RymanCat. He spent his entire life harvesting game and never learned how to hunt! Now he's old and bitter and trying to re-live a past that never happened. He never was a hunter! Someday, I'm gonna go visit him and teach him how to hunt! Gonna take Ron with us.

Joe

Joe, offense meant, but I think its time that you retire that old green Edsel and start hunting with a selfbow, that would really mess with peoples heads.

True in every sport, kinda like the difference between fishing and catching. Off season I realese my inner catcher nybubba

I might get to work on a hackberry stave I have in the basement. I'd like to show the world how a selfbow expert hunts!

Joe

I was told that hackberry likes to be more of a flat limb with some sinew backing. A cop in town here is working on one.

What?......we had a green Edsel when I was a kid! Wish I had it now,they only made 900 of that style in 1958. It was a Villager wagon!

Set the hook Joe. ;~)????

Those question marks were stars.Lol

Darn I'm busted and it took Joe to do her. But ya have to hunt for dee shot now don't ya.

I am frustrated that's for sure.LOL

I haven't filled my buck tag yet this year yet and its eating at me. I don't have to eat the tag I have 4 does and a turkey to eat.LOL

Should I say 3 does left and working them off the freezer. LOL

I only had a couple decent bucks I wanted to shoot at and could not get the right shot angle and wasn't taking any chances that I would have a hard time chasing if anything went wrong. So you very frustrated and been hunting hard too way more than Dr. likes. He don't like it that I have been climbing.LOL

Yeah ya can fish all day and then at the right moment when the bite turns on you limit out.LOL

Others then think you this fantastic fisherman when you got them and others didn't. All that happened was the right time at the right place.

I sure wouldn't mind having a edsel.

Closest I could come to getting an edsel would be I meet a doe who's husband died and I take up with her and she lets me take care of it and drive her around? LOL

Kinda like Joey and Cat lady now? LOL

That love affair? LOL

You know what the worst part of getting busted was that day 2 times once in morning and the other in evening. Deer did just the opposite that we were figuring they would do. It was cool in am and very hot in PM. Was hunting 2 different bucks coming to stand a big 8 and a smaller 10 not as big as this 8.

I was wearing my Hec's suit too. Yes I bought one just to see if they worked.

Well deer stood along side blind saw them on camera. Had I had side window open could have shoot at them probably they stood right along side. I guess they got to close to blind had they come in in front then whamo. Thats what keeps ya going back.

The Hec's suit though not sure what to really think yet. I had a Turkey that I shot 8 yards from me when he got shafted. I was in a natural blind sitting in my chair. He saw me but wasn't spooked and when he turned his back to me he got it.

I know I raised Cain on the Hecs suit but oh well I told myself at least try one.

I laugh at people who think turkeys are weary. HAHAHA!!! I've never met a turkey I couldn't arrow.

Joe

Uh...I think you mean WARY Frisk!

How come I keep typing weary when I know better? I think it's spellcheck. My spellcheck even changes backstrap to backstop.

Joe

Kinda makes you weary of having to be wary, doesn't it?

ZZZZZZ

I was born a killer I guess. I was that way for many years, and didn't realize it.

The day I did realize it was a sobering moment for me. I saw a dark side of myself, that I didn't like very much.

From that moment on I set about placing restrictions/checks on myself to try to curb the blood lust some.

Yeah, that means I don't bag the game like I used to, but I still can when I decide to.

Guess what - I'm still just as happy on the hunt as I ever was. Maybe even more so.

The blood lust is still as strong as ever, BUT the challenge has actually been amplified by the honing of some self control.

Try it. You might find you like it.

Rick

My inner hunter should be out hunting this morning. Instead, my lower back muscles went on full tilt and I could not find anyway that I could get to sleep. Heck, even the ten steps to get to the jon took deliberate preplanning. How long can one go without sleep and not die. Or, how long can one have this four pad stem shocker running and not die. The other night I had 18 different deer within 20 yards of me, some of them close enough to touch with my longbow. For about 30 minutes I had eleven milling around, laying down or browsing with in a few feet to 20 yards. A funny thing happened, I forgot that I was suppose to shoot one. The best company that I have had in a long time. When one got behind me too close, maybe three feet, I could hear it breathing and chewing its cud, she snorted and scared the bunch off. I suddenly felt very much alone and headed back to my car, early. On the way I popped 4 milkweed pods in a row from 30 to 40 yards. One of the nicest hunting days ever.

Hunting on the ground, is just another tool in the bag,,, I like it all,,,, as for ground blinds I like the natural ones, but I build them in the spring,,,,, USFS rules are not non natural material, so I follow that,,,, I also build roofs and sides to them, for shelter during bad weather,,,,,, its part of the fun,,,,,

I eat a lot of wild game, so yes I kill animals, but I also respect them, take what I need no more.....

I am a very mobile hunters and my equipment reflects it,,,, My black out chair, is mounted on a So Calif Pack Mule, light and comfortable...... My hang on, is the Millenium M7, the lightest I ever found,,,,, I like the comfort of a climber, but those are cached in the woods, used, when needed, when I get there.....

I am amazed at all of the stuff, guys carry with them, to hunt, but hey, you are humping it, none of my business....

"Ounces equal pounds, pounds equal pain"

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