I want to know what you guys think. I had my first hunt out of a ladder stand last night. I felt so exposed. I thought I was just to out in the open. The deer I saw didn't see me but I felt if I made a move for the bow I would be busted. I have hunted in a pop up blind before and no matter what I did ( bath in scent-free soap, spray scent killer, scent-lok clothes, cover scent)I always got busted. I just think up in the air is the way to go. Your thoughts?

I used leaners/ladders where straight enough trees are available or tripods where they arent. I dont care for popup blinds for same reasons u mentioned. When i set up ladder/leaners i always use a tree where the limbs can somewhat break up my outline. Still get busted now and then but seems to work well for me!

Never had much luck on the ground.. up in the air is the way to go.. make sure you have a good back drop and use burlap to wrap around the frame to conceal at least your bottom half..

How long before you go hunting do you go put out the popup blind? If you put it up to early the deer will always bust you! Most of the time the hunter doesnt think this but you always leave you scent behind when you put up the pop up! I have killed plenty from a pop up! Now in a tree of tripod i have the worst luck!! Wow i am the opposite from everyone else lol!

The key is picking trees that have limbs or other trees near them that help break up your outline. This usually requires trimming out a few stubble branches or limbs to position your stand. And when possible, it's good to follow the same approach that turkey hunters follow and pick out a tree that's large and wider than your outline.

I don't use climbing stands but I'm sure they come with their own set of challenges since you can't climb above tree limbs. For that reason, you probably have to get higher to become less obvious. I remember hearing a camera operator on one of the hunting shows say that climbers need to be at least 20 feet off the ground to be most effective. There isn't a deer in the woods that's worth getting that high off the ground, at least for me.

I am 100% on the ground. I hunt with 1 small window open and wear black clothes from the waist up. I can move around all I want and the deer never hear or see me. It does get hot on those warm days though. If you hunt in a high deer population area, it is tough to get drawn on a deer from a tripod with so many eyes at the feeder. Just my thoughts.

I have good back drop but I think I will have to burlap the bottom of the stand.Its only a 12ft stand so I think I need more concealment. I have a 2 person ladder for comfort reasons. I was unprepared yesterday and didn't bring my face mask. Big no-no! I wasn't planning on hunting but the stories of everyone's hunts from the weekend got me pumped up!I will be better prepared this weekend.

Have to play the wind like a pro not to get busted in a pop up.

I use zip-ties and put cedar on the bottom platform and on any branches around me. it helps conceal and cover your scent.

Good Luck

I bow hunt out of a ladder stand, and rifle hunt out of a small single-man pop up, at least 50 yds away from feeder. 75yds is better.

I hate hunting from the ground. If that's my only option on a place I'm likely to not even bother hunting it.

If you're gonna get in the air, get as high as you can stand. Help with scent and movement. Remember, a deer's world is from your waist down. They will only look up to smell you or hear you. Otherwise, they have no reason to raise their head up. I hunt from the ground a lot. I find it better to not put up a blind. Get a camo chair and sit behind a laydown or bush. Don't sit in the same place and take your chair with you when you leave. You must be completely still. You are already right in the middle of their sight line. Sometimes there's just no tree to hang a stand. I'm hunting a young pine plantation. All the trees are too small to put a stand in. Lots of hiding places though!

While I most often hunt from a ladder stand, there's an area in one tract that I hunt where a ground blind works best. That's because it's a creek bottom area where you can see much farther from the ground than you can from a treestand. Being a flood-prone area, most of the tress don't have branches and leaves for about eight or so feet from the ground.

I find all these ground blind comments helpful because I actually bought one of the single-person "huts" last season and used it a time or two. My thoughts were that it might also be a good way to hunt the area and stay dry in the rain.

Do most of you leave your blinds up so that deer will "hopefully" get used to them, or do you only set them up when you hunt for a greater element of surprise?

^^^^^this^^^^^

I prefer in the air but I've had success on the ground as well.

brush blinds work well..but they can be snake houses as well..be sure to make him high enough though..

depends on what crawlers are on the ground, they can get right in there with you.

I have had exactly the opposite experience with popup blinds. I feel that they contain your scent pretty well.

Last year I had several deer that passed within 10 ft of the popup and not a single one smelled me. I only leave two sides of the blind open though and utilize the shoot-through mesh. I love it - I can draw on deer that are looking around 20 ft from the blind.

You need to control your scent either way, I've had luck with both. I really enjoy the pop up because its easy to move for wind direction, I carry pruners and try to brush it in, and only open corner windows I have possible shots through. Also, if you bowhunt from an elevated stand, you might want to shoot from similar heights to make sure you understand how your arrows will hit.

(razor sharp broadheads only)

I usually hunt in a tree stand or box blinds but this year I headed to the woods hanging 40# feeders in the trees and setting up near rubs and scrapes.
I am really enjoying the ground pop-ups. I feel more comfortable and can move around a little more. I am less on edge with my head movements, etc and dont get as stressed out trying to stay completely still.
I would also think it contains your scent a little.

Im kind of shocked yall say you don't bow hunt a pop-up. I put my pop-up out in the first week of september and brush in. A few weeks later im 25yds away looking at the feeder through shoot-through mesh. I use doe urine and make sure I am as odor free as possible but truly i've not had any problems in the past.