While hunting from the ground might sound like a good way to spot more deer during the early part of the hunting season when green vegetation still hangs from understory plants, that doesn’t necessarily mean hunters should hunt out of ground blinds.
In fact, some hunters spurn ground blinds entirely and find a comfortable spot on top of a log or a stump.
“I wouldn’t hunt out of a ground blind,” veteran Pearl River bottomland hunter Allen Williams said. “They offer a lot of concealment, but in these kinds of conditions like you’re going to hunt at Old River you never know which way a deer’s coming from.”
Hunters also don’t know how many animals there will be when they decide to move down a trail. For Williams, sitting in a ground blind stifles his hearing and his visibility.
“I want to be able to see 360 degrees all around me,” he insisted. “I don’t even like leaning up against a tree because I can’t see what’s behind me.”
If you think sitting out in the open like this means you’re going to scare off deer, don’t worry. Sure, you can’t just park it on a stump and move around all you want without putting every deer within 100 yards of you on guard, but if you keep your movements to a minimum it’s unlikely you’ll get picked out.
William’s rule of thumb is to blend in to his environment as best he can with camouflage and scent-killing spray. And when he sees a deer, he moves only as quickly or slowly as the deer is moving.
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