I was surprised to see so many comments pertaining to last week’s column. I wrote about how I felt you had an advantage hunting from the ground. With most things in life, you can use numbers to support your findings
I knew there were serious tree stand hunters out there, but not to the extent realized this past week. I had mentioned that I felt ground hunting had advantages over stand hunting. You would think I had insulted someone’s mother or called their kid ugly. One guy went as far as to call me an idiot if I actually thought you were better off on the ground. I decided to sit down and score how they compare. Anyone can use this method based on their own style and experience. The comparison will be based on the five S’s: Shot, smell, sight, sound, and sneak. One point will be given to the best suited set for the job.
Your ability to shoot and hit game is the most important task of the hunter. For anyone who has hunted out of a stand before, it is apparent that the increased downward angle can make for a tricky shot. The kill zone of the animal becomes smaller the higher you go up. For bow hunters, you must shoot a bit differently to be accurate. You have to bend at the waist, to compensate for the angle. This maneuver can be easily forgotten. If you do forget, you will likely shoot over the animal or make a high shot. You can easily manage opening shooting lanes on the ground. While clearing away branches above the forest floor tends to be much harder. In most cases you will have to leave branches behind because of size or danger of removal. These shot barriers once again decrease your odds from a stand. For these reasons, I feel the ground hunter has easily won the first round.
Being scented is the next category. While hunting from the ground, you will find that you get scented more often. When the wind is swirling, your chances of seeing a deer on the ground are decreased. Although with a direct wind, you will be much better off. Stand hunting wins this category hands down because the wind can blow your scent over the animals head.
Hiding yourself and not being sighted is the next category. Staying hidden and undetected is of utmost importance to the hunter. At the end of the day, if the deer doesn’t run away, you have won. Deer almost always see you whether on the ground or up in a tree. They will only run away if they are sure you are danger. It's most common for the unsure deer to look you up and down and relax after a short time. This means you have yet to be recognized as danger. As previously mentioned, you can brush yourself in on the ground or in the tree to the point that you have no shot. You will be more hidden, but less likely to make a shot. I get looked over equally while hunting from the ground or from a tree. I feel this category is a tie, and will not reward a point to either set.
On the topic of sound, the type of sound made is the deciding factor. For ground hunting, when I finish getting all of my gear on, I clear away all of the leaves and sticks around the base of the tree. This is to prevent rustling or snapping twigs as I position my feet. These sounds will alert deer, but don't always spook them. On the other hand, noises made from a stand tend to be more offensive. The clanging of a metal stand has sent deer scattering from my location on numerous occasions. I have also had stands pop as I shifted my weight, while trying to position myself for a shot. This sent the deer cross country nearly every time. I have also dropped arrows, binoculars, rattling horns, and my backpack from a stand, all of which spooked deer away. The sounds created from the ground are found to be less likely and offensive. I feel the ground setup has taken this round.
To be an effective hunter you have to be sneaky. From your walk in to the spot you choose to sit, you should be in full sneak mode. The problem with a tree stand is once you have climbed in, you are stuck there. I have had many occasions where if I could have moved a few inches to the side, I would have been able to make a shot. While ground hunting, I have got up and walked several yards to achieve a good shot angle. I regularly circle trees to provide a shot, which is also impossible from a stand. I feel in the sneaky category, ground sets win.
Alright, let’s add things up. Of the five categories, sight had to be thrown out because of a tie. This left only four to judge. Tree stand hunting only took the scent category, while ground sets took the other three. I knew there was a reason that I abandoned stand hunting years ago. Considering the fact that my kill rate has increased and that I have taken trophy deer this way, I guess I’m not an idiot after all.
Good wishes, and when trying to compare things, keep score.

Questions and comments about this article may be emailed to Sheldon at sheldonsoutdoorbusiness@hotmail.com.