Ground hunting pressured whitetails

[MallardSX2]

This is a huge fundamental point and one that cannot be underestimated. If you can't draw your bow straight back you're pulling too many pounds.

This is a fact. I drew my bow straight back slowly and quietly. My wife even commented on how quiet on the draw I was and how the deer had no clue we were even there. She was sitting 2 feet from me.

 

[LostArra]

I don't care what anybody says, whiletails are SWITCHED ON compared to mule deer. I swear some of them can hear you think.

Amen! I've been busted when they heard me blink.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Amen! I've been busted when they heard me blink.

People alwasy talk about whitetails' nose. Yes, it's crazy acute, but whether on the ground or in a tree, movement or noise will bust you more often in my experience. Especially in pressured areas when does have busted hunters in trees before. Those old nannies have a memory like an elephant I swear!

 

[LostArra]

Tip 4- The best days for this strategy are those with a decent amount of wind. 10-15mph or faster increases consistency in flatter terrain and also gives you some cover for your noise when approaching.

Excellent

Those old nannies have a memory like an elephant I swear!

At a farm I used to hunt there was an old mama doe who did everything in her power to ruin my hunt. I'm sure she recognized my truck. She would search the woods for me morning or afternoon blowing the whole time. She saved the lives of many bucks. I hated her.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

I do this and found that the one thing that increased my odds of making a kill on the ground is drawing the bow as soon as I hear something and anticipate the buck stepping into my shooting lane. I really feel for most of this type hunting you have to be at full draw when the buck steps out so the first movement you make while in his visual field is settling the pin on his vitals. If you wait until youre in the bucks visual field to draw the game is over as there is no way you will consistently be able to get to full draw on a Whitetail while within bow range on the ground.

Now, even at that it is a low percentage way to hunt. The deer will win and pick you off more often than you are able to make a kill shot. But thats what makes it run and rewarding.

 

[Dos Perros]

Wanted to throw in a perspective on timing. I've had my best chances at rutted out bucks, like end of rut, post-rut. Either still with a doe but exhausted, or post-rut and exhausted and recovering solo. I can stalk in on those bucks and get an opportunity. Pre-rut bucks are switched on, and during the rut they move too damn much that they don't sit still long enough for a stalk. They'll bed down at 930, and I'll watch them for 30 minutes making sure it's a good bed, and as soon as I'm packing up my stuff to stalk they get up and go for a two mile circular walk, and end up moving into some spot I can't go.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

At a farm I used to hunt there was an old mama doe who did everything in her power to ruin my hunt. I'm sure she recognized my truck. She would search the woods morning or afternoon searching for me blowing the whole time. She saved the lives of many bucks. I hated her.

Oh yeah, I know the type. Head bob and stomp under your tree, bound off 20 yards and snort and blow for 20 minutes, etc... They are the first I try to kill with antlerless tags early in bow season before the rut. If I can't get them then, they are prioritized during gun season.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Wanted to throw in a perspective on timing. I've had my best changes at rutted out bucks, like end of rut, post-rut. Either still with a doe but exhausted, or post-rut and exhausted and recovering solo. I can stalk in on those bucks and get an opportunity. Pre-rut bucks are switched on, and during the rut they move too damn much that they don't sit still long enough for a stalk. They'll bed down at 930, and I'll watch them for 30 minutes making sure it's a good bed, and as soon as I'm packing up my stuff to stalk they get up and go for a two mile circular walk, and end up moving into some spot I can't go.

Agree with this. I've killed most bucks on the ground the last half of November.

 

[Dos Perros]

Top buck had a single doe with him. He slept all damn day but got up to feed close to last light. I stalked to within 63 yards and sent an arrow at him a few moments after he bred his doe. The wind carried the arrow back into his guts, and both deer ran across the main draw. He bred her again with my arrow sticking out of his ponch. Never found him.

This buck bedded at 930, and then got up and went for a 2 mile walk wherein he circled back by his original spot but still went off onto some private.

 

[Rich M]

Amazing what they do and how they do it.

I started deer hunting before tree stands were the norm. We hunted the ground, used to call it stump sitting.

Stalking a wt on open prairie! Might as well chase antelope.

 

[Long Cut]

Recurve or Crossbow sure

Compounds are more challenging on the ground. Not as easy to shoot quickly.

 

[ddowning]

Ghillie suit is a must. Leafy suits are B.S. for dedicated ground hunting deer. I have literally sat with my back against a fence post with nothing more than knee high grass around me and killed deer with a bow.

-Lighten your draw so you can draw straight back and very slow if needed.
-Get a stand for your bow so it is sitting up. makes it easy to just slide you hand in and lift it up a few inches.
-clear the ground around you to reduce noise and so things don't catch on clothing or your bow.
-Be in a ready to shoot position the whole time
-If you know the main direction of travel...set up the shot so the deer is slightly past you(quartering away) I've shot many deer out of make shift chicken wire blinds with no holes cut to shoot through. Just have the blind/cover blocking where the deer will walk by you and leave it open so when they get just past you, you have a shot. Same with a natural material blind.

This is the way. Not much to add except leafy suits have worked well enough. Still need some back cover though. With a ghillie you can damn near hide in plain sight.

Also, to drive the point home, I have drawn with a deer looking at me from under 10 yards. Took 10-12 seconds to draw. If you can get to full draw without them bolting they will usually stand and take it.

 

[marcbateman]

Great thread, for sure. Fun read

 

[snakesrobinson]

Archery only but no crossbow.
No blind other than available brush.
Who does it?
Ultimate challenge for me.
I get close but drawing the bow is my downfall. I probably need to practice holding at full draw longer.
Not seeing the deer until they are "right there" is also a problem.
Might try a decoy.
Any pro tips?

It's not impossible but your best bet at least by me where pressure is brutal (SE WI) your best time to do that approach is during the rut. I am not discounting hunting from the ground but you will want to consider at minimum hugging tight to an oversized tree for cover. Just my two cents...embrace natural surroundings, if you do decide to set some type of blind do it way in advance so they get used to it.

 

[30338]

My last two archery deer have both been on the ground. First one I rattled in and he came in stiff legged to a decoy. He caught me drawing bounded in a semi circle and stopped at 30 yards to reassess. That cost him since while he was bounding I completed my draw and nailed him when he stopped.

Last year hunting pressured whitetails in mid Nov I had a big buck go into a thicket at 9:30 am. Put my son in my stand thinking the buck would walk past him. I sat 400 yards away on a brushy fence row just to enjoy the scenery for the evening. I sat on a lawn chair next to a cedar. Had tree loppers with me and decided to cut a 3' lane through some sumac brush to a mowed lane I had cut months before. The nice 10 point with big brows came out, looked my son's direction, cut across the field and came walking down the mowed lane. It was getting dark but I could just make him out doing a steady walk towards me. I slid off the lawn chair, dropped to one knee, drew and nailed him at about 12-15 yards.

I kind of think in pressured areas that deer may start getting wise to popup blinds and anything odd up in a tree. If you can take advantage of a downed tree or a cedar to sit by, it can turn the odds in your favor. And a light pulling bow or one you can handle easily is a big advantage. And doing this in the rut seems to up my odds as well. Wind direction is of course key as well.

 

[VaBruiser]

Great thread. Like @Swamp Fox I also hunt Virginia big woods. I’ve never killed a buck from the ground, but this gets me fired up to learn

 

[Pilarczyk85]

Im doing the same thing here in ohio woods. Ground cover. Compound bow. I do some stand hunting but im terrified of heights so I don't do it often. Anyways. I don't know if anyone mentioned it but i clear a spot to dirty in a big circle that allows me to move if need be and silently. I also on have like max 3 shooting lanes. So far I've only killed does. So im limited on experience but man it is absolutely thrilling.

 

[jacobmaas32]

Never tried ground hunting but might have to this year

 

[crawford1775]

When I first started bow hunting I had some success from the ground just stringing some camo burlap on some 550 cord.
Then moved to trestands and now a saddle. I had some really cool encounters from the ground and hope to try it again this year.
Got a leafy suit and plan on using my saddle platform as a seat and sitting on the ground kills my back.

 

[PlumberED]

I am really impressed thta you guys can kill whitetail on the ground with a bow.