Deer Hunting: How Do You Do It

[batten_down]

A couple different threads had me wondering how you guys spend your time in the woods deer hunting. I'm a public land hunter, I've never once sat in a shooting house over looking a manicured food plot. And out walks a deer you have three years worth of pics. I don't know that feeling. With public land, I'm normally in my climber. I'd say over the course of the season, I'm about 80% in one of my summits, or I just stay on the ground and use terrain to my advantage. Or try to.

How about you guys? You have a couple different styles, or stick to the same type setups?

 

[Apostolic Outdoors]

I chose portable, but hunt from the ground quite a bit too. More in a tree though.

70% saddle
20% ground
10% lock on
Ish…….

 

[Rem7600]

Most times I'm in my climber if not I'm still hunting/scouting/ ground shooting.

I just love the climbers they're easy, comfortable, portable been using one for 20 years.

Now elk hunting in always on the ground

 

[JCDEERMAN]

70% lock-ons
30% saddle or climber

 

[Dennis]

Last year, with the exception of swingset/porch, all of the above,

My preference is hiding in a deadfall. But I'll get up in the air if my visibility is too restricted by sitting in the ground. On public land I stay on the ground.

 

[44 mag]

I voted stay on the ground but that could be in a ground blind or just sitting next to a tree. I don't have any shooting houses yet but I will.

 

[bloodtrailing]

I mainly hunt manicured food plots in a climate controlled shooting house. I survey the deer, sometimes watch football on my phone, until one of my hitlist bucks shows up.

 

[Gravey]

I voted fixed tree stand as most spots are ladder stands although we do have a couple shooting houses. Bought a saddle setup that I have plans of trying out at some point.

 

[Omega]

The past 15 years or so it has been one elevated shoot house or another, but I started out in CO, where you have to just walk around looking for them, then it was a lock-on for a bit when I was stationed at Ft Bragg. When I broke my ankle on a jump in GA, I switched to a climber, but after getting here and hunting Campbell for a few, I bought land and went with shooting houses.

 

[beefydeer]

Climbing stand 99% of the time. If I hunt 30 days, I hunt 30 different spots. I couldn't stand to go in and hunt the same spot day after day

 

[BSK]

Ladder stands 95% of the time. I have shooting houses over food plots, but leave those for the rainy/windy days.

 

[Spurhunter]

I've never once sat in a shooting house over looking a manicured food plot. And out walks a deer you have three years worth of pics. I don't know that feeling.

I don't know that feeling and I do hunt over food plots some. These guys that catalog their deer and age them and see them year after year is all foreign to me. I've had my lease 6 or 7 years now and I don't think I've ever had a buck on camera 2 years in a row that I knew was the same deer.

 

[Ski]

Pretty much all the above for me. I chose fixed hang on because that's probably where I hunt mostly, but it's very close to ground hunting and mobile hang on & climber hunting. I sit in a ground level shooting house sometimes, but there's no plot in front of it. I plant plots every year but almost never hunt them. Hunting a plot kills it and defeats the purpose in my experience, so I don't hunt them. If I had a playset to hunt from I would. I'm all inclusive. Hunting is hunting and i'll do whatever gives best odds be it bow, gun, stand, ground, etc.

 

[30-06 type of guy]

I hunt public so bow season I'm in a climber. When rifle season hits I'm a ground guy 90% of the time.

 

[Shanman]

Saddle

 

[Wrangler95]

In a ladder most all time!!

 

[deerhunter10]

Ladder or hang on 98 percent of the time. Shooting house, climber, have a quick set up hang on setup or ground other 2 percent. I wish killing them was as easy as you make it sound.. you along with others have repeatedly said that other people not to be named put in a ton of work, so do all those people with shooting houses and foodplots, or however they hunt Just because it's different work doesn't mean it's not work. That's not to mention working your ass of to afford land.

 

[batten_down]

Ladder or hang on 98 percent of the time. Shooting house, climber, have a quick set up hang on setup or ground other 2 percent. I wish killing them was as easy as you make it sound.. you along with others have repeatedly said that other people not to be named put in a ton of work, so do all those people with shooting houses and foodplots, or however they hunt Just because it's different work doesn't mean it's not work. That's not to mention working your ass of to afford land.

I think you have me mistaken. I'm not knocking any styles of hunting. I'm for more freedoms. More opportunities.

The goal is to have my own land with a shooting house one day. And food plots and cameras. I love that stuff. Just not where I'm at right now. I acknowledge and appreciate the work that goes into being a responsible steward of the land.

 

[killingtime 41]

I use climber 25 percent of the time. And portable lock on probably 35 percent. And a good out stool and walk and sit. 40 percent. Some years a little different each way.

 

[killingtime 41]

I'd prefer the porch swing option you got up there.

 

[Ski]

Can't rob Peter to pay Paul. There simply isn't an easy way to legally kill mature bucks. Whether you're run-n-gunning public or sitting in a shooting house over a manicured plot, if you consistently get a big buck in front of you it's because you've put in the work. Maybe even more so than the work, you've consistently been thoughtful, strategic, and made good decisions. Randomly killing a big buck can happen by accident to anybody. Killing them consistently is not an accident, and there's no easy button for it.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Ladder stands. Most of my hunting is done from ladder stands on my small farm.

 

[Chiflyguy]

I got 3 ladder stands and a ground blind.
1 ladder stand is on my neighbors property for when I just want to walk 5 minutes and hunt. I can see the roof of my house from there.
2 ladder stands and a ground blind are at my buddies 200 acres.
Ones on a mountainside looking towards a pond to my left and hayfield to my right.
Ground blind is where two fields meet. I saw deer 90% of the trips out last year.
My last ladder stand is a new one I got. That I have to figure out location.

 

[TNTreeman]

I have ladder stands , climbers, ground blinds, and this year an awesome shooting house I'll share with my wife in bad weather. I also use my climbing gear occasionally from my job and hang from a tree. I like to mix it up depending on the time of year , wind, and deer behavior. I love to be up in a tree more than anything , even in cold weather.

 

[megalomaniac]

25% ladder stand
25% bed of my truck or gator sxs
50% shoot house

I quit climbing trees about 5 or 6yrs ago. Just no longer worth the fall risk as I age, and I kill way more good bucks from the bed of my truck than I ever did from a tree. Plus I like to drink my coffee and socialize with whomever is in the shoothouse or truck bed with me.

 

[rem270]

Most of the time I'm in lock ons. We only get 9 days of mz and 16 days of rifle and do hunt from a shooting house about half of the time then but if the wind is right and it's not super cold I prefer a lock on.

 

[Popcorn]

I hunt in ladder stands, ground blinds, open stalk, elevated blinds about equally. I hunt where I work, land owners, their families and guests get priority and I get whatever is left.

 

[CliffordN]

I'm betting on crossbow out of an air conditioned truck for this weekend as a top choice...

 

[Chickenrig]

I hunt elevated shooting house because i am to messed up to hunt out of a tree any more. I still have my climbers,sticks,ladder stands and every other way to get up but i just can't do it no more . I slowly walk down back and climb up into the house and watch over my food plots while sitting in a comfy chair . I hurt from years of hard work and this is how i must do it to stay in the game . My head still wants to be a mobile hunter but the body says other wise.

 

[tellico4x4]

Lock on has always been my preference as easy to hide in the limbs & just about silent to get into. However at 69, I only have two that I occasionally hunt. Have safety lines on both & only hunt them when someone else is at camp. Quit using climbers years ago as too much sweat & noise for me. Rest of time is split between ladder stands & shooting houses. Have slowed down some but still hunt 75 days each year.