10 Minute Ground Blind

[Species8472]

Tomorrow morning is supposed to be a south wind and none of my stands at my planned hunting location are set up for that. So in about 10 minutes with a pair of pruning shears I set this up:



You can just see the top of my tripod to the left of the stump. Ground drops off about 10 inches or so behind the stump with two good shooting lanes looking uphill about 25 yards onto a main feeder run in/out of a bean field. Never tried this type of thing before but I have hunted successfully off the ground with my hardwoods ghillie suit so I figure I will wear it and hopefully blend right in. Now I just need the wind to cooperate and actually swing around to the south overnight.

[twostroke]

here I thought you had made a tiny door in the back of that stump and were a midget lol ...jk.........very innovative hope it works out for ye and you get on e on the ground.

[Splaker]

My 2012 deer was shot off the ground. NO blind, I was just sitting up against a big tree... the damn doe was just staring at me stomping its hoof and couldn't figure out what I was I guess... had my crossbow set right on it and this lasted for about 2 minutes.. I was starting to shake from fatigue.. as soon as it moved a bit, bang... 10 yard shot and it ran no more than 50 yards. found it in 2 minutes. Was my easiest hunt. I was just wearing regular camo stuff.. face was partially covered by my hat. Not much else.. Weird how I've been busted concealed much better... I think it came down to wind direction

Looks like you have a good spot.

[JMatthews]

Good luck. As long as the wind is blowing towards you, just stay still and you'll be golden.

[Zr2Paul]

I use to hunt on the ground with no blind all the time. One time I was posted at a peak about 10m above the ATV trail and all of a sudden an 8 point buck walked right up to me on my right side. The only thing between us was a fallen 10" tree. This buck wasn't sure to make of me, he snorted and stomped like crazy. Quite intense and the only reason why I didn't swing and shoot was because I had a tree to the right of me that was blocking me and that buck would have bolted. Anyway...We have always had great success on the ground...funny thing is, we now hunt out of tree stands and blinds and it seems like our success rate has dropped.

[Splaker]

Ground hunting is obviously effective but there are disadvantages, and Zr2Paul pointed it out... in a stand you probably would have had a chance to swing over and get that deer... also, you can't see deer coming from the ground, oftentimes... From a stand, I've seen deer coming hundreds of yards away allowing you to prepare for potential shot.. but the ground has it's advantages and place... I love hunting the ground..

[ambush]

some spots visibility is much better on the ground, because of a heavy canopy.

[GW11]

I find that I have more encounters with deer on the ground, but get busted a little more often trying to get in position for a shot. The big advantage over using tree stands is versatility. You can adjust where you are going to sit based on conditions from day to day and surprise more deer.

Like Splaker says, from a tree stand you can see them coming from a long way off and get ready, but now I wonder how many deer used to see me from a long way off that I never knew were there. Our success rate as a group went down collectively when we started using ladder stands. I think the deer were used to seeing them in the area but would avoid them if they noticed a new "blob" sitting at the top. Last season we ditched the tree stands for the gun hunt and tagged out. I like being on the ground much better.