Portable Tree Stand Stategy
Wisconsin
Looking to hear some experiences and tips on portable tree stand locations. My main question is, do you guys feel there is a certain height where as much cover isn't needed? I've always tried to hang my stands in trees with adequate cover branches, but always wondered if those perfectly straight trees with no branches work just as well, as long as you get up at least 20 feet.
I have always felt there are both positives and negatives regarding very high tree stand placement. What follows are a few of the things I have learned over the years and some of the factors I view as important. Do all these apply to everyone all the time? No. Are they important for all bowhunters? No. But for me they have proven themselves to be considerations meaningful to my bowhunting.
For many shot accuracy can be compromised with high treestand placement, but this can be conquered over time. Then there's the noise or commotion factor involved with a tall climb. In the pre-dawn darkness when the woods are quite and sound carries, this can alert deer a long way off. Plus, I have usually found the higher I go the more wind I encounter and later in the season, the colder I seem to get. These are some of the negative factors I have occasionally encountered. Other bowhunters do not consider these factors negatives at all and don't ever even give them a second thought.
Then too, higher stands have their advantages. Encountering a little more wind may carry your sent away easier and keep it above the level of game. A higher stand may place you out of the normal line of sight of animals and therefore allow you a bit more movement while in your stand. If you're one of those guys who can sit rock-solid still for hours on end, then this might not be a factor. But if you are like many fellows, and I am probably in this group, and you have trouble sitting real still, getting out of the normal line of sight of a game animal by being in a high tree stand may help.
I think the topography of the land is important too. Right now I have stands set-up that are only 6-8' off the ground. Yet because of the ground contours and the way the deer travel in those areas when they come by on their predictable trails, they are at least 15' - 20' below us. Whenever possible, if I am setting up on a side hill, I always try to set up with my stand on the uphill side of the major deer movement area. At the very least, I set up even with it, but always at least try to go higher.
Then too, knowing where the deer are likely to travel near the stand location I have chosen, I consider my background from the perspective of the deer. I chose never to be silhouetted against the sky behind me. If that seems likely, I add leafy branches for camouflage. Years ago, because I had so much camo around a stand, one of my hunters said it looked like a very large, giant, and oversize squirrel's nest. (Yeah, I probably over did it on that one!)
I'm not saying all this is important for everyone. But these factors are all food for thought. Temper these ideas with your field experiences and then you'll figure out what works the best for you. I wish you all good luck in the field.
Just getting 10 feet off the ground can be better than 20 feet, in many cases. If you go to high, you run the risk of getting sky lined. Always look at the height from the deer's angle that will not put you too high, and will allow your silhouette to stay below the tree line behind you. It's all about dark background and blending in. I like an open tree with no branches with maybe a couple small balsams several feet behind me, and taller than my stand height. An old hunter told me that you only need to climb up 6-8 feet in a tree to get above the brush and the deer's line of sight. Getting too high also presents steep angle shots, which can be bad if shot placement isn't perfect! My brother has had success by wearing a skyline camo pattern that has a lot of white in it. This is great if the area is really open with little background cover. Hope this helps?
Exactly what I'm looking for, fellas! Thanks, and keep it coming!
I have never been busted with my Naked North Camo, I like to go high, about 30 feet. Its tough to find the perfect spot for a climber tree stand but if you can find a nice straight tree within arms length of a pine tree with allot of branches it makes great cover. The darker your camo is the more you will look like a bear in a birch tree.
For personal preference I prefer a stand between 12 & 18 feet at the highest. Not as steady as I once was plus a much better chance of getting both lungs. I do have a friend that likes to get higher and wears his snow camo on those open trees. Says he has never been busted. Sounds like he is not the only one.
I would have to agree with MF and albino. Especially when you talk about catching both lungs. The higher you go can bring on more problems. I say once you crowd over that 30 foot mark with a bow I rarely go over 25 feet. My set up gets me to about that.
My friend went in a 12 foot treestand and shot a 150" 10 point...I could not believe it. I would have never hunted it and told him - guess who's the bozo?
Ya never know....
I'm 6ft3in and the bottom of one of our permanent hang ons is about eye level. My bil uses it cause he's afraid of heights. He says the does bust him every time but he killed two small bucks out of it. Both less than ten yds away.
"I'm 6ft3in and the bottom of one of our permanent hang ons is about eye level. My bil uses it cause he's afraid of heights. He says the does bust him every time but he killed two small bucks out of it. Both less than ten yds away".
That would be awesome to practically be on top of them.
When I hunted Dunn and Crawford the buffs were challenging. Looking down it felt like I was 70 feet in the air only to realize if the deer came "'the other way" from top down they were staring me in the eyeballs! Although I found sign to hunt on, sometimes I couldn't make it work no matter how high I got. (In the stand!!! Lol)
I hunt public land, so I put up my stands each sit. I have had a few spots where I can set my bow in the holder from the ground. Shot one from such a setup. Two bucks at less then 20 yards searching for fallen acorns. I worry more about my outline being confused by other branches... I think the worst thing is to have nothing behind you when the deer looks. A deer at 20 yards gives a pretty steep angle both for the arrow and for his view of you against the -sky-. Where other branches are not behind but below you. So there is such a thing as too high for good angle on the arrow and for not being skylined.
I use climbers only...especially with all the magic fingers on public land. That said, the older I get the lower I sit. I've got a 12' pull cord tied to my Summit....when it's "tight", I'm done. +/- a foot or so.
Couple reasons...falling doesn't scare me, that sudden stop kinda does. I'm WAAAY past the age whereby I could bend, now I'm pretty certain on breaking. Plus, I just like the shot angles presented on a lower sit.
In regard to attire, I like Predator's fall grey. My son reports it really disappears on a skyline scenario.
I just reread my post. Yes, hunting in the BUFF is challenging. But I meant bLuff!
if your hunting a new spot and put up your climber and hunt it doesn't matter much. I shot many bucks standing on a 10' tall portable ladder stand. the old adage is true "the best stand is the first time you hunt it". A buck isn't looking to spot you if there is nothing to tip him off. When you keep hunting an area and leaving scent and going in and out they look for trouble, then higher is better till it affects your shooting.
When I was young I used a Barry Tree Crotch 98% of the time (Oak Ridges) so if the crotch was 6 feet up, fine. Never had a problem & didn't set the same tree very often. That old age thing does suck. I'm glad when I can make it back down my ladder stand in cold weather now.
So I think the main consensus is cover/camo is more important than height. This makes sense because now that I've been hunting more from the ground I've found that as long as I have plenty of cover behind me, I don't need to use a blind at all.
Cammo to me is the biggest factor. The best options right now would be considered snow cammo. The big name crap you find at the major stores had too little or no white in it. White is light or a hole through an object. The dark only crap is great if you are on the ground only, sucks in a tree.
A good camo for tree stand hunting where you could get skylined is Sticks N Limbs. This pattern was around before Predator came out. Biggest drawback with their garments is they're all cotton. Very quiet but also moisture absorbing. If you don't sweat like Patrick Ewing during the 4th quarter of a playoff game, cotton will work.
You guys make me feel like my cheap Walmart crap with some white/light grey spray paint would work fine. You spent $100's on scent lock or Sitka and I'll improvise. I bet we end up about the same. Agree?????
LOL, some of my camo is 20 years old that you cant get anymore. I have two pair of Timber Ghost cargo pants that I have that I don't think there is enough fabric in spots to sew anymore. Most stuff I get is cheap. I like to find X-large shirt type items that I use for a top layer.
Crusader- My dad's friends used to get olive drab colored work shirts and "tie dye" them with bleach. Pretty cool irregular patterns.
I've been tempted to try it out on some Goodwill shirts.
Heck, the Amish use there same daily cloths for archery and they do just fine, LOL
