Public Land Hunting From the Ground

[justletmein]

Our whole group, friends, wife and kids, are successful every year from the ground. We do put up the occasional tripod and we do sometimes deploy ghost blinds, but the bulk of our hunting is brushed in on the ground or hiding low in the grass. Abandon any ideas of a pop-up, nothing scares Texas public land deer faster than a pop-up. Watch where you step and don't step on snakes, we wear hiking boots.

Edit after reading the thread. I have two of those Millennium T100 tripods, got one new on eBay for around $300 and got one from the classifieds here IIRC around $225. Easy to carry half a mile or so, after that it's a bit cumbersome but doable indefinitely if you're not tucking through thick brush or changing a lot of elevation. I've gotten to where I don't even stop and just switch shoulders while walking. There's a Hawk Transformer tripod with wheels that are great for places with long hauls down flat roads on foot, they're expensive too though. One of those went cheap last fall here in the classifieds.

[BarBBar]

[QUOTE Edit after reading the thread. I have two of those Millennium T100 tripods, got one new on eBay for around $300 and got one from the classifieds here IIRC around $225. Easy to carry half a mile or so, after that it's a bit cumbersome but doable indefinitely if you're not tucking through thick brush or changing a lot of elevation. I've gotten to where I don't even stop and just switch shoulders while walking.

I like my Millennium T 100 because it is aluminum, rust proof and lighter than steel, but I can't carry it as far as I used to. They make an attachment for a rifle rest as well. It is good to take on draw hunts.

[jkelbe]

I've had two successes from the ground on public. Two things that both setups have in common. I was in a dark area. (Heavy shade, against thick cover) Second, I had a way to get a glimpse of an animal then have it pass behind dense cover to get a shot. (this gave me time to draw when the deer couldn't see me)
One time I was on a small stool under a mesquit tree with tall grass behind me, the other I was kneeling in a muddy ditch. For me, the easiest way to find a good spot is to find where you think the deer will be, then look for the darkest hole near by and get in that hole. It could also be useful to use paracord or fishing line to tie off a limb or two out of you shooting lane or create more cover around you.

[justletmein]

I've had two successes from the ground on public. Two things that both setups have in common. I was in a dark area. (Heavy shade, against thick cover) Second, I had a way to get a glimpse of an animal then have it pass behind dense cover to get a shot. (this gave me time to draw when the deer couldn't see me)
One time I was on a small stool under a mesquit tree with tall grass behind me, the other I was kneeling in a muddy ditch. For me, the easiest way to find a good spot is to find where you think the deer will be, then look for the darkest hole near by and get in that hole. It could also be useful to use paracord or fishing line to tie off a limb or two out of you shooting lane or create more cover around you.

Good nugget right there. I've learned to setup with only two possible shooting lanes (holes really) and exactly as you say, see them pass through the first one then draw while covered and wait for them to enter the second one.

[Kirby86]

Take 3 4 ft sections of 1 inch PVC. Spray paint it, drill holes in it for bungee cord.

Carry a machete/big knife. Attach grass/brush to the pvc via bungee. If I’m scouting/hunting a new area I’ll carry this with me in addition to my stand.

I usually put them out 4-5 Ft from me to break up my silhouette but mostly to be able to cover my being able to draw before they hit a shooting lane. Your backdrop matters a whole lot more than what’s in front of you.

There’s some study out there on deer vision, and they pretty much have 20/200 eye sight. While they don’t see as good as we do, they detect movement and “new” stuff in their environment so I try to make sure I’m setting at least 45-90 degrees adjacent from the trail I assume they’ll be using. It never seems to fail that mature deer skirt that trail, and utilize a faint trail adjacent to it so try to give yourself options instead of just pigeon holing yourself into a rat hole with a single shooting lane.

[tdwinklr]

killed at least half the deer I have from a ground blind or brush blind. Its not rocket science. If you can block your movement, the other concern is
only scent, mainly.

[El Paisano]

I carry a Niff-T-Seat. I use the leafy kind of camo to break up outline, and cover face and hands. I tied unwaxed dental floss to both ends of my bow (longbow) and play the wind. I use 6X30 Leupold Yosemite binos and take apart everything in sight with each step. Move SLOW, if you find a hot spot, use the seat. Wind shifts, you move. The most exciting hunts that I've had were hunting this way. Of course, there are more things to go wrong, and they do.