Welcome to the Common Ground- Common Ground Bowhunter is for the hunters who find themselves in the common man’s Whitetail woods; the heavily pressured tracts of public and private ground that the deer we pursue find a way to survive in. These are the less managed, less optimized, more challenging parcels. Common ground hunters are the majority of us; and while we are all unique, coming from varying walks and different legacies, what we have in common is the quarry we pursue, the pressure with which we deal, and the passion we possess for the game. We hunt the common places and that is our Common Ground.

Get Started– Use the links to the right to find the content you are looking for.  Explore Recent Posts or discover additional content by Monthly Archive or Category.  We are continuously adding more information to make Common Ground Bowhunter a valuable resource for hardcore hunters everywhere.

About Common Ground Bowhunter– The idea for CGB came to me prior to the 2014 Archery Season.  Previously I had found some success in my years of Whitetail hunting Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania (what I like to call the pressure trifecta), however, I still felt confused and frustrated on an annual basis as the season ticked by and all the respectable bucks we had on trail camera seemed to fall to random selection once gun season opened.

I felt like the tactics I was using were not working for my area and the pressured Whitetails I pursued.  Even the resources which provided viable solutions to the Whitetail equation felt too vague for me to apply their techniques in an applicable way to fit the land I hunted.  I knew I should hunt doe bedding areas during the rut, I knew I needed to know where the bucks were bedding, I knew I should play the wind and consider thermal drafts, yet I still didn’t know HOW.  I began to search the web for new resources which offered a “Whitetails 101” approach.  I needed to go back to the drawing board.  I needed “Square 1”.

In my searching, I did find several resources which helped me to refine my techniques.  I say “techniques” instead of “hunting techniques” because I quickly discovered a large portion of my problem was inefficiencies in scouting and reading sign.  Through the implementation of many of the tactics I was able to glean from hunters who were much more woods-wise than me, I was able to begin to see improvements in my stand selections, lower the amount of pressure I was putting on the deer I was hunting and ultimately achieve more deer sightings and better results in the woods.  I thought it would be beneficial to share my experiences and my evolution as a hunter so that it might help others who pursue Whitetails in the high hunter density states like Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, or at the very least provide some entertainment.

Soon after, I decided that I wanted to start filming my experiences in the Whitetail woods.  My motivating factor was first and foremost to have hunts on video to one day share with my son.  While that is still my driving force, I quickly realized many other benefits such as being able to review footage and document deer behavior, share my sightings with others with whom I hunt, and the enjoyment reliving moments of the hunt after season has closed.  That, coupled with the desire to create a platform for content, bore commongroundbowhunter.com and what I hope will become a destination where like-minded sportsmen and women will come to read, discuss and share experiences with other Common Ground hunters like themselves.  I hope you enjoy the website and take time to look around.  Thanks for stopping by.

I would love to know your thoughts and suggestions for the site.  Email me at commongroundbowhunter@gmail.com.

-Reuben Dourte

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