If you have had second thoughts about hunting Maine Black Bear from the ground let me provide you with some information that I think will change your mind. If you watch very many hunting shows on TV you will notice that more and more TV hunting personalities are hunting from the ground.
Some of the reasons we enjoy hunting from the ground are:
COMFORT You may be spending 5 hours per day for possible 6 days on a 2X2 foot tree stand platform. Even with a cushion it will get very uncomfortable. Many times in September as the air begins to cool we get a lot of wind and trees sway making a long sit dizzying sometimes. In your blind you will be in a comfortable chair of your choosing and can even read a book if you like. On rainy days it is much more comfortable to sit for 5 hours when you are dry. Many people sit in a blind on a nasty day when they would not sit in a tree stand.
SAFETY You have the danger of falling asleep after lunch and falling from the tree, even with a safety harness on,or falling on your way up or down. If you have physical impairments it may be difficult to make the 16' climb up and down especially after dark. No danger getting hurt in your ground blind.
MOVEMENT If you are uncomfortable or your back or legs hurt you will move. Any movement in the tree stand will jeopardize your Maine Black Bear Hunt. Very often a black bear will circle the stand and try to see if anyone is there. The bear know the stand is there and your silouette is something new to them. You cannot be seen in your ground blind.
SCENT CONTROL The higher scent is the more it is dispersed by the wind, so with you in a tree that is exactly what happens. In the evening the air is cooling and your scent will disperse and then drop to the ground in a much wider area than with you on the ground having most of your sent contained in the blind and out of the wind.
SHOT PLACEMENT Black Bear can be very difficult to track and kill. Being on the ground gives you the opportunity to have full penetration of both lungs not just one from a steep angled shot
I know you will enjoy the comfort of hunting from a ground blind. I have had many more Black Bear climb a tree to get a better look than ever come near a ground blind, plus you have a weapon. I hope the above explanation helps you understand why we like ground blinds.
Gary Tourtillotte
|
