When you’re trying to stay under the radar when hunting on public land, and it comes to the exact spots that you hunt, there are many methods to stay discreet. For treestand hunting, trim the absolute bare minimum number of branches to get your treestand up in the tree. Some areas may not allow any trimming, which can make choosing a tree difficult, so be sure to check local regulations before sawing off any branches.
Putting in the extra effort to stay undetected on public land can go a long way to gaining more shot opportunities each hunting season.
At eye level it can be surprisingly easy to spot trimmed branches on a stand tree and in shooting lanes, even when you’re not looking for them. Plus, you have to wonder how obvious it is for a mature buck to notice the sight and smell of fresh cut branches, especially when you didn’t have time to prep the tree long before the season began.
Leaving accessory hooks or quick-attach treestand mounts up in a tree can make your setup time faster, but again, those leave clues to other hunters that someone else thinks this is a good spot to hunt, and they might take advantage of that.
Pop-up ground blinds are awesome to hunt out of for comfort, scent control and hiding eye-catching movement, but they can be heavy and cumbersome to carry and set up for short hunts. The temptation is definitely there to set them up and leave them where legal. Again, try to resist that and use either a very light, quick-set pop-up blind, or a simple but effective camo netting blind. These are very effective for staying concealed, and are lightweight and extremely portable. By all means clear out any leaves, sticks and debris from the ground inside the blind to help stay quiet. Then before you pack up and head home, pull that same debris back over the bare ground to hide any trace that you were there. It takes only a few seconds and can make a difference.
Ground blinds made of natural materials such as branches, deadfalls, logs, etc. can be highly effective for staying concealed. But it takes some time to gather the materials and build them, and also to disassemble them after the hunt. An easy alternative is to simply tuck yourself back into the edge of thick cover right where you would want to construct a blind in the first place.
After becoming accustomed to using manufactured, fully enclosed blinds, many hunters would be utterly surprised at how well camouflaged and hidden you can get. Tall grass, deadfalls, cattails, boulders, upturned tree roots and thick pine trees all offer extremely excellent and comfortable cover. Take along a small folding stool or chair, tuck yourself back into and under these surroundings, and make sure you have a couple of open shooting lanes. If the wind is right and you stay quiet and still, you might be surprised at how many shot opportunities you’ll have.
One of the best things about this strategy is that when you pack up and leave, no one will be the wiser that you were ever there.
