Stand or blind?

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Captainkirk
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Stand or blind?

#1 Post by Captainkirk »

Do you prefer hunting from a tree stand or blind, and more importantly, why?
Please differentiate between fixed, portable or climbing stand, or pop-up or self-made blind.
It's also OK to say both, or other if you have a different setup.
Aim small, miss small!

Carpdaddy
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Re: Stand or blind?

#2 Post by Carpdaddy »

I have hunted from a climbing stand so long that I wouldn't feel like I was hunting if I wasn't sitting in a tree. Just love having a light climber with me and ready to go up when I find the sign I'm looking for. I plan every season to try and stay on the ground more but end up feeling like I'm not really hunting, yes I do know that's crazy! I also can't seem to stay in one place if I'm on the ground, I am always seeing a place not far away that looks much better, at least till I get there.

Captainkirk
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Re: Stand or blind?

#3 Post by Captainkirk »

Carpdaddy wrote:I have hunted from a climbing stand so long that I wouldn't feel like I was hunting if I wasn't sitting in a tree. Just love having a light climber with me and ready to go up when I find the sign I'm looking for. I plan every season to try and stay on the ground more but end up feeling like I'm not really hunting, yes I do know that's crazy! I also can't seem to stay in one place if I'm on the ground, I am always seeing a place not far away that looks much better, at least till I get there.
It's not crazy-talk, Tony. I get it completely, though I find the whole 'shinny-up-a-tree' scene a PITA and confining. I'm not scared of heights but I am very guarded and cautious 'up there' and admittedly, somewhat on edge. None of that on the ground. My past year's experience put me within 20 yards or less of multiple deer who did not know I was even there. The only advantage a stand would have brought would have been the ability to draw without being seen...admittedly, a big advantage.
Aim small, miss small!

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Dan
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Re: Stand or blind?

#4 Post by Dan »

I like hunting from the ground more than from a tree, but have shot more deer from a tree with a bow. I'm still trying to get a deer arrowed from the ground still hunting. I've had many close encounters but haven't sealed the deal yet.

Captainkirk
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Re: Stand or blind?

#5 Post by Captainkirk »

I've certainly spent more time in a tree than on the ground, but I much more enjoy the freedom of a natural blind. I don't like swaying trees, safety harnesses, or 15MPH breezes in your face when it's 20 degrees out. If I don't like where I'm sitting, I can get up and move. And I saw more deer on the ground than I ever did from a stand.
Aim small, miss small!

Kybownut
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Re: Stand or blind?

#6 Post by Kybownut »

I prefer hunting from the ground but I know there's a lot better chance of being busted. Just something about trying to sneak off a shot at eye level without them seeing you.( did I say heart pounding). There are a couple spots within easy walking distance where I may try to put a couple stands this year for short hunts since I'm home daily.
While hunting from the ground seems like blending into the cover behind you is as much or more important than trying to hide behind something.

Gamestalker
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Re: Stand or blind?

#7 Post by Gamestalker »

Captainkirk wrote:..... And I saw more deer on the ground than I ever did from a stand.
The only problem I see with that is something that I read in the 1960's when I first got into hunting. That is the fact "for every deer that the average hunter on the ground sees, there were 9 others that saw him first." I know that someone that spends above average time in the woods will lower that ratio, but the odds are definitely stacked against you far more than if you're up in a tree.

Carpdaddy
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Re: Stand or blind?

#8 Post by Carpdaddy »

I also see more when I am on the ground, especially when moving. The problem is that I usually see them from behind, the white flag part!

Captainkirk
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Re: Stand or blind?

#9 Post by Captainkirk »

Gamestalker wrote:
Captainkirk wrote:..... And I saw more deer on the ground than I ever did from a stand.
The only problem I see with that is something that I read in the 1960's when I first got into hunting. That is the fact "for every deer that the average hunter on the ground sees, there were 9 others that saw him first." I know that someone that spends above average time in the woods will lower that ratio, but the odds are definitely stacked against you far more than if you're up in a tree.
Sounds like Dr. Ken Nordberg's writings...
Aim small, miss small!

Stiknstring
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Re: Stand or blind?

#10 Post by Stiknstring »

Because I am an "elk hunter" more than a "deer hunter" I hunt from the ground.
Usually hiking for miles to locate elk and then figuring out how to get within range of one, blinds and stands are not part of my own personal arsenal.
However, in my last few years guiding I have had issues getting my clients to understand the importance of slowing down when we locate elk.
I hunt with my ears, as well as my eyes. I listen to the sounds of the forest, take a step and stand still while looking and listening... One step at a time.
It seems no matter what I try, they (client) either are riding on my back pocket, or get way ahead of me on the trail and spook the elk.
In my experience, the one,two step and stand still, look, listen (some times call) listen some more, then one,two steps...listen...listen some more...the wind in the trees, the birds chirping, or wait a minute...could those be cow elk talking to each other? It can be excruciatingly slow but I tend to see animals before they get spooked and run off.
It might see more animals when moving at a "normal" walking pace, but usually as they are leaving the area.
Great for scouting, or if you just want to see game, but when the objective is to see them first, you must move at THEIR pace.
Unnatural movement will put them on alert just as fast as them winding you, either a sudden stop, or obvious "sneaking" and all you see is the south end of a north-bound animal.
What I decided to try this year is to set up a few tree stands and a blind along travel/escape routes, then having one hunter wait at the stand/blind while I bring the other one in from the other end of drainage.
I have one pop-up (Double Bull) , one clamp on, and one ladder stand.
The pop-up will be in a place full of vine maple and shrubs (no big trees) where the elk seem to like to feed along as they move towards their bedding area.
The clamp on will be on a small bench along a ridge where they go to bed, and the ladder stand will be in the big timber in a creek bottom they use as an escape route.
I figure that if I cannot get my clients to slow down, I will make them sit down.
In my experience, most hunters don't realize how much noise they actually make when compared to the normal sounds of the forest.
They might think they are being quiet, but if you do not hear the wind rustling through the trees, you wont be able to distinguish the sound of the leaves rustling from feeding animals.
Or the slight clicking sound of a bedded animal chewing its cud.
You don't have to see every animal, but you do have to get close enough to the one you are going to get a shot at.

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