Your bowhunting setup from the ground will need to depend on your experience, what type of game you are targeting, and the terrain. But if you’re asking about a typical setup, it would involve shooting at an upward angle with your feet flat on the ground and not prepared yet to shoot any arrows.
As the pioneer of bowhunting, Jim Bridger once stated that “to be a good shot and to find game, one must go in the direction where game has been found.”
Bowhunting from a ground position is perhaps the most challenging type of bowhunting to master. There are several reasons for this difficulty, but chief among them is that the ground imposes its own set of demands and constraints. Specifically, gravity restricts movement by restricting your ability to jump upwards or sideways without changing what you’re doing with the arrow. This means you have to shoot downwards at all times, which makes it harder to see prey and track them as they run away from you. The only way around this is to observe for indications of where an animal might be going (tracking) so that by knowing which way they’re running, you can keep shooting approximately in front of their line of travel until they either turn towards or away from you.
When hunting on the ground, hunters must first be sure to have a more flattened stance. Secondly, they must ensure they are sitting at an angle rather than on a full seat. This will help avoid back pain and keep you relatively comfortable for hours of sitting during a hunt. Once in position, hunters must maintain this posture even while sitting, so they do not round their back and sit up too straight when standing again.
If you are hunting on the ground, and there’s a chance the shot could be missed, use a rest when possible. Otherwise, allow your dominant elbow to rest on the floor with tension in the bowstring. Then grab it at both ends with three fingers (to stabilize it).
Lean into the shot for added stability by bending one leg while keeping weight off of the other and locking your joints at that point. This will also keep your arms stiff and help you hit precise angles of 30 degrees or less.
The best way to eliminate scent is by not giving anything out. Several things could give you away when hunting, from body odor to even your breath. One thing that many hunters neglect and which can be relatively upsetting is your huffing and puffing. The air expelled in the exhalation process carries your scent along with it, so work on regulating breathing rates. Scent control also includes some common-sense practices to reduce (or erase) natural odors like sweat, for example:
The blind should be placed close enough to allow for a range of shot placement but far enough away from your quarry that they can’t see the hunter before an arrow has been released. Some hunters choose to plant false trails near the blind or use trick sounds and create fake animal tracks leading in all directions (which also may include leaving skins on bushes).
Heavily scent your hunting clothes with an odor natural to your hunting area. Some pleasing aromas that have been known to work are fish oil, diesel fuel, skunk, death lilies (not for people who haul out the big game), great horned wolf, coyote, or fox urine. The idea is to match the odor of the location you should be hunting in and make it as believable a disguise as possible. During the hunt, try and make sure that even if someone is pursuing you, they can’t tell where you came from by simply looking at which way the wind is blowing due to all of these varying smells coming off of different things in different directions.
Make sure to wear proper clothes, such as boots and a warm jacket, weather permitting. You will also need a knife for processing the animal after it has been dead, so make sure you have one on hand. Also, remember that you will need weapons to hunt with, such as a bow or rifle, depending on what animal inside the area is being tracked and if it’s legal where the hunter is located or not. Along with ammo and accessories appropriate for shooting, there may also be other things needed like hunting stands or blinds if planning to wait in an area close by until an animal comes along instead of moving around through multiple locations while searching for it.
Ground hunting is an easy way to move stealthily without giving away your position by rustling the leaves and moving bushes. Wait until deer are within range of your bow before you create noise, not unlike hunting on a blind or tree stand. A ground hunter will need two basic things; a good rifle in .30-06, .270, or more powerful cartridges for the giant game at close ranges, and some realistic air guns for birds and squirrels.
You will have to position yourself in a good spot for camouflage and visibility when hunting on the ground, considering your environment. You may be able to do this by going down low, or if you are lucky enough to know of a deer blind available, then take advantage of that opportunity. Walk with extreme care while on the ground so as not to disrupt their natural environment. Hunt with patience and caution because hunting from the ground is more complicated than it looks!
The optimal distance for ground hunting deer is 70 yards away. Position yourself behind the brush, logs, or any cover that will camouflage your size and give you a commanding view of the field. When doing so, keep in mind to not place yourself within an animal’s flight zone- this can usually be indicated by casting a shadow on the animal at the time it flees from you.
To shoot a whitetail, you need to be within 30 yards of the deer. Your back needs to be against a tree or some other form of cover. You won’t have time to take off your backpack and unpack the bow because it takes 2-3 minutes. To acclimate yourself, you’ll need to get sweaty from climbing trees with all that gear on and start making a lot of noise. The end game is getting your scent upwind where the deer are to hunt them without spooking them by using sound, such as animal noises.
Ground blinds are great for archery hunting; however, they’re only as good as the time spent to install them properly. If you have poles that are too short or need more significant pieces than your materials include, a little ingenuity should fix any problem in this department. One of the most important keys is ensuring adequate security around the perimeter of the ground trench – it doesn’t do much good to hide from one direction if something can still get up and over from an unprotected side without being seen and heard by my prey!
Hunting ground blinds is an easy way to catch a lot of animals. Ground blinds are positioned so that the hunter stays undetected when setting up during hunting season — it’s typically just a boat, tent, or camper on top, with boxes and headroom for the hunters below. The bottom of the blind should be camouflaged as well as possible (even if you use something as simple as snow).
The ground blinds should be installed as soon as the seasons change or late Winter/early Spring. Dramatic changes from major storm fronts require that you often install your blind again. When we have a big snowstorm on top of a lot of snow and ice, it doesn’t take long to cover up nets and such, so they need to be pulled out all at once, not overtime.
I hope you learned some techniques on how you can hunt from the ground. These tools can help your hunting experience become better. If you have some suggestions for improvement, be sure to include it below.
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