Tree Stands or ground blinds?

[alexboyprin]

Hi guys! i am just about to start choosing locations for tree stands or ground blinds. Since i do all that alone, it can be quite a task to build 2 or 3 tree stands. (bring the chain saw, cut branches to sizes, climb the trees with nail, hammer and branches) in fact, that could be dangerous. My question is: should i bother to build tree stands or just make ground blinds? (because ground blinds are easier to make). But, what about the deer getting my scent if i am on the ground?

Thanks for your comments.
Alexboy

[835]

Build ground blinde and buy a self climbing tree stand. Problem solved!
If you are bow hunting i'd rather be in a tree. Although i have never bow hunted but it seems best. If you are rifle hunting you can do both but you can make ground blinds pay just as well as tree in the right place.

[markt308]

835 nailed it! I own a ground blind and use it when i find a spot that perfect for it. I also use a climbing stand. sounds like you need one of those! you can buy a climbing stand from your local shop, or they are on ebay for under a hundred bux. Having both is real nice.

[bighornbob]

How far are shot going to be?? If you are hunting the timber where you can only see max 50m then I would get a tree stand. Never had much luck with a ground blind in such tight spots. Way better with a tree stand, you can actually see farther in a tree stand then at ground level as you can see over a lot of the ground cover. Also forget building a tree stand and get a real one, either a self climber or a chain on type.

If the shots are farther like looking into a clearcut or downa powerline etc then a ground blind is great.

BHB

[muledeercrazy]

I am not a big fan of a climbing stand, after owning several. You will have to make up your own mind. What you should really do is figure out where you want to hunt and how the deer move through that area. Then figure out if you can hunt it effectivly from the ground, or if you need a tree stand to do it. Remember that when you are in a self climber you wont do very well with deer that decide to skirt around behind you, and you will make a bit of noise getting up and down the tree. Usually you dont want a tree stand for mule deer, but that can really depend.

[alexboyprin]

Build ground blinde and buy a self climbing tree stand. Problem solved!
If you are bow hunting i'd rather be in a tree. Although i have never bow hunted but it seems best. If you are rifle hunting you can do both but you can make ground blinds pay just as well as tree in the right place.

...my god!! i did not even know about self climbing tree stand! i am all set now! thanks a bunch!

[Brian011]

I've built tree stands and made ground blinds. I prefer groundblinds, not just cause they are easier but I find you are much more limited in a stand. Sometimes you can see better and farther but then sometime you can't see as much cause you get above all branches and they block all of your view. It all depends on the surroundings of the area you are hunting. I also like the option of being able to get up from a ground blind and go for a walk without the hassle of going up and down a tree with all your gear. It also depends on your patience, if you don't mind sitting the whole time in a stand then that might be what you want to do.
I suggest doing both at one or two spots and see what works for you.

[bearhunter338-06]

Ground blind for me. I don't get along with heights...:-)

[Geo.338]

I have had a tree stand for 17 years .I have hunted from it a handfull of times .One of the firs times hunting from it ,after a 3 hour sit ,I got the feeling I was missing out somewhere else .I got down and started still hunting .Less than 100 yds from where I set up I bumped a abachelor group of 3 bucks .A big 2 point ,a little 2 poit and a tiny 2 point on one side and a crab claw on the other side .I followed them along for a bit and 1 by 1 the bigger deer distanced themselves leaving only the crab claw buck .

I ended up getting an arrow into him and with that I had my 1st archery deer.I have been aground blind hunter since.For me I like being able to put a stalk on a deer that you may be out of range from a stand.I think stand hunting makes you a better hunter in that after so many close calls you learn about your prey more intimately
and you will eventualy put your stand on them more often .

One day I will get my 1st archery deer from a stand but I feel a bit more confident on the ground.

If you go with a stand get a climber.

[huntwriter]

Hi guys! i am just about to start choosing locations for tree stands or ground blinds. Since i do all that alone, it can be quite a task to build 2 or 3 tree stands. (bring the chain saw, cut branches to sizes, climb the trees with nail, hammer and branches) in fact, that could be dangerous. My question is: should i bother to build tree stands or just make ground blinds? (because ground blinds are easier to make). But, what about the deer getting my scent if i am on the ground?

Thanks for your comments.
Alexboy

Deer will get your scent regardless if you're on the ground or hunt from a treestand. It's one of the big hunting myth that a treestand will prevent deer from smelling you. Have a shower before each hunt, wear clean clothing and hunt with the wind in your face or a crosswind, it's all you can do.

If you hunt with a bow (need to get the deer close to the stand) I would not use home built stands. Deer are intricate familiar with their surrounding and get very suspicious when big changes occur. Besides that, I find that home built treestands are some of the unsafest equipment a hunter can use.

I hunt 90% of my time from treestands and own several different models of ladder,- hang-on,- and climbing stands (there is no such thing as a self-climber :) ). Sometimes I hunt from the ground. For this I use material that I find in the direct vicinity of the stand location and I am very careful not to overdo it, because as I pointed out, deer are familiar with their surrounding and I do not want them to get suspicious. All I do is arrange a few branches to further break my human outline up. I am going to wear camouflage too. There is no need to build a solid wall.

Which model of my treestands I use or why I chose to hunt from the ground is solely dictated by deer movement patterns and terrain. I do not look for a tree to hang a stand. I scout for deer movement patterns and funnels and then find the best ambush spot. When that is done I will find a stand in my collection that fits the tree that happens to be on the exact spot I chose. If there is no suitable tree I build a ground blind right on that spot. In my opinion looking for a tree that can accommodate a treestand is equal to selling yourself short of killing a deer. Look for the perfect spot to kill a deer and then use whatever tree happens to be there or build a blind.

Hope this helps.