Help with a stand or potential ground blind

[Mortenson]

There's a pretty steep hillside where several well used trails converge and it sits at an inside corner. I trimmed out some undergrowth and would like to be able to sit at this spot on East wind days. No good ladder stand trees are available unless I constructed a 6' stand. I like a 3' wide hedge tree and it feels good sitting on the ground both in front of it or behind it. I could use either a crossgun or a compound bow. Options are sitting in my ghillie suit, or make a basic open top hut from branches and brush, or make an open top hut from camo burlap, or try to sit hidden behind the wide tree and hopefully hear or see them coming and be nimble enough to adjust (easier said than done). Even though I'll have great elevation over a mature buck, they still look and focus on things ground level. It's not like being in a treestand, from my experience. How would you guys handle this spot?

 

[Mortenson]

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Yikes that’s rough. I hate hunting from the ground something fierce so im not a good resource. Can you follow the trails either way to get to a tree big enough for a stand? I see a couple in the first pic I’d feel comfortable with a lone wolf in. Are you opposed to a lock on?

 

[Telemark]

I would hang a camera and see how often mature bucks use it. have a similar spot I hunt, and the mature bucks rarely cross exactly at the intersection.

I shot what I thought was a mature buck that went tromping through it in early January(Ohio muzzle loader season), but it turned out to be a small 8 pt. I shot a mature buck from my tree stand near there, but he was following a doe that had gone about 10 yards behind me. He turned and walked toward a wick with estrous urine that I hung in a tree in front of me, giving me a shot with a crossbow.

Before that, I also got busted a few times sitting on the ground near the intersection, mostly by groups of does. The lesson I learned was that my intersection was a lot bigger than the obvious spot where the visible trails crossed. A tree stand made a huge difference.

So I guess my advice is to hang a few cameras and get a better idea of how they use the area. And if you must hunt from the ground, build the best blind you can. In a high traffic area, you'll almost definitely see deer, but it is very easy for things to go wrong. I have used scents to great advantage there. Evercalm and Special Golden Estrous seem to be the most effective.

 

[35-acre]

I know a guy that absolutely swears by burlap staked out on the ground. I guess because it's similar to the color of deer so it just blends in well with just about any lighting conditions. He sprays a few lines of paint on it but not many (think ASAT camo) and then lets it air out. I feel like as long as they don't get your scent and you're sitting still you can go un-noticed.

As for the burlap - I ALWAYS overthink things. The keep it simple motto is probably key here. Once it's been aired out, go out and put it up. Deer will get used to it.

(I agree with Telemark - get a camera out there and see what's going on might help you decide)

 

[Tree Spud]

I like spots like this. Make a 6x6 top with 4' legs stand to put your ground blind on. Takes you a bit above their eye sight, can always move it if you need to to.

I have a couple of these and they work well.

Rutting bucks will check the bottoms to seek bedding does and then travel to the top to edge cover and stall to inspect a field or food source.

 

[westonwhitetail]

I like the 6x6 elevated stand for a ground blind. We did this in an area with tall grass to see into a little better. The added height is nice, as long as the brush tops don't get in your view.

Also, I have dug in a seat right in the dirt on a steep hillside like that, then use branches to create an open top hut on the front side of you. Works well as long as your head stays still and they don't sneak behind you. I guess this would work with the burlap idea as well.

 

[j-bird]

I have killed deer while sitting on a stump with no blind with my bow before. However I had the advantage of elevation. And it was a young lone deer. I like the idea of hanging a cam to see if this area is seeing daylight activity. No point hunting a spot that is only active at night!

I personally would try to get some elevation...even if it is just 6 to 8 feet. I would look into putting in a tri pod or some other sort of elevated stand in/around that hedge tree and then "brush it in" as best you can.

 

[Bill]

Set up at the top of the hill and cut a good shooting lane. You’re going to get busted down in that hole.

 

[Mortenson]

Set up at the top of the hill and cut a good shooting lane. You’re going to get busted down in that hole.

This basically is the top of the hill. It's about 10 yards from the top. That's why I like it, easy in easy out. Down below in the bottom I have a 1.5 acre clearing and a permanent blind where I do my 12 hour gun hunts.

This spot isn't used by mature bucks this time of year. In November they'll cruise through here regularly, based on observations. Kinda hoping for 35-acre's plan of keeping it simple here, since it will mostly be the rare east wind spot. However it's a fact that if I set up poorly, a big buck hunt will undoubtedly end in failure. I'm going to sneak in there again today and see if any other ideas mentioned here float to the top. Thanks for all the brain storming!

 

[Telemark]

Be careful with thermals in a spot like that.

 

[j-bird]

I would want to know where the trails are coming from and going to. And yes...if this is below the top of a hill, you are probably looking at only am hunts when the thermals will rise as the day warms. Evening hunts the air is going to sink and come from the top of the hill and down the side. Not sure about your place, but here wind from the east tends to be rare.... Me personally, I would try to wait until gun season and use the range of that weapon to back even further off the spot to help reduce the chance of getting busted.

 

[Mortenson]

Thermals and wind are tricky for sure. Large percentage of our farm is creek bottom. We do like hunting the top fields and occasionally succeed, but always looking for the next hidey hole. To answer Howboutthemdawgs question, I've basically given up on treestands for a variety of reasons. Here's a pic of the spot, if anyone still cares lol. Orange star is my go to gun blind. I don't always hunt there, but I will hunt it any wind. Blue star is the subject of this thread. Yellow lines don't exactly portray every trail, but give an idea how deer movement rounds that corner a lot. It's a rut spot and I've seen plenty of bucks on the side of that hill from the gun blind. Sometimes they drop into my opening (where I now have nearly 40 fruit trees (yes I know it's low ground)) where it's my hope to get them standing and sized up for the slug gun.

 

[BenAllgood]

Looks like a good morning spot after sunrise. I'd be tempted to just get behind that tree and pile some more limbs around the base for front cover, like a turkey hunt setup.

 

[Mortenson]

Looks like a good morning spot after sunrise. I'd be tempted to just get behind that tree and pile some more limbs around the base for front cover, like a turkey hunt setup.

Well turns out that's pretty much what I did today. Or rather, my right hand man did for me. Took his old crib and put it to good use. Will be a fun sit the first time or 2. I may give it a try with a direct south wind also. I think it can work on a big buck and if it does, I'll update this thread.

 

[Bassattackr]

Great looking pinch point. How is your access? Come in from the open field & road to the west/northwest?

I'd echo Bill's thoughts.. Setup as high up on the hillside as I could while still being able to get the right shot. Look for a morning with sky high thermals and hope to H&LL the right buck doesn't show up before the sunlight reaches the ground and the thermals are still falling.. Or better yet slip in a touch later when the thermals are already rising (typically within 20-30 minutes of sun hitting the forest floor) and the wind is right.

I would not hunt that spot in the evening, your thermals will be falling right down the hill to them. Given it's an east facing slope, the hillside will cool down earlier..

 

[jsasker007]

Well turns out that's pretty much what I did today. Or rather, my right hand man did for me. Took his old crib and put it to good use. Will be a fun sit the first time or 2. I may give it a try with a direct south wind also. I think it can work on a big buck and if it does, I'll update this thread.

View attachment 36445View attachment 36446

Gotta say, you look really young. What's your secret?