In this episode of Dropping Pins, Derek talks with good buddy Matt Streim who owns Weathered Oaks Game Calls and is co-host of the Okayest Fisher Podcast. Although Matt cut his teeth as a Northwoods tree stand hunter, circumstances have since changed and Matt has found himself hunting areas that are lacking trees large enough to hunt from. This has created the opportunity for him, along with the family members he hunts with, to explore ground hunting mature whitetails. No blinds, no enclosed hunting shack, just a homemade stool/ chair and experience with how to blend into the surroundings.
Matt talks about some of the challenges of hunting from the ground, and how one of the largest hurdles coming from a tree stand background, is giving up visibility and basically only being able to focus your shots to one side of you, rather than 360 degrees.
Matt discusses things he has learned and how he uses these techniques to stay super mobile and keep the deer unaware of his next moves. Matt dives into an awesome story about one of the closest encounters with a mature buck I’ve ever heard. The story offers all sorts of learning moments, from time of year, pre-rut behavior, ground cover and positioning etc.
This is an interesting and effective tactic and hopefully after hearing Matt explain the process and its benefits, you give it a try and add another deadly tactic to your hunting tool kit.