I know there are several people on here who, like me, when hunting deer from stands, do so from ground level stands... But there are some here who hunt from elevated stands... What about you, and what kind of stand do you use ? ... My ground stands used to consist of simply a foam pad for my butt...but then as I got older I started to use a 5 gallon bucket or one of those little fold-up stools...both of which I spray painted camo..... What do you use ?

I ground stand for the morning first light and evening last light situations. I hunt an area I'm familiar with and have a good idea where the deer will come from and go when they are there. Therefore, I'll stay behind trees and try to ambush them. I also use the fold up stools and I have my Stoney point shooting sticks set up if I need them. During the rest of the day we walk and try and find them.

Ours always seemed to be a million feet in the air, and on wobbly legs to boot. so, you'd be up there and the wind will sway you side to side. Some spots of the land where there are stands, we might as be hunting mountain goats cause we're hunting a field on a side of a hill...and the stands are handy on days that wind is good for those. But, mostly, I like to just ground hunt...it's not so much just that I prefer the ground to heights..but mostly cause it's much less hassle with gear, and sounds don't echo so much as they do in enclosement..and, about midday when that sun comes in and makes the inside of shooting houses all toasty, I have to fight sleep. On the ground, my butt is too frozen to even think about sleeping

While I have hunted deer from tree stands. All of my deer I ever harvested were take from just sitting up against a tree or stalking.

I'm really enjoying stalking the deer when other hunters are at work and not moving the deer to hunters.

I do both. I really love bowhunting from my treestand. Then when rifle season comes in, I enjoy the slow, careful, stalk, type of ground hunting with my rifle. I'll also rifle hunt from my treestand for a chance of pace too, mostly in the late afternoons 'till dusk.

Butch A.