Treestand height
Pennsylvania
What's average treestand height for guys here on pa forum ? I climb 15 feet .sometimes I don't think it's high enough. Don't like steep angle for 20 feet nor do I care to hunt that high getting older. Lol.I have killed pretty good share of deer at that height.
In my old age I have become very fond of ladder stands. Some of mine have deer trails within a couple feet of them. I have taken some nice deer out of 15 footers but I prefer the 18 to 20 footers especially on the steep hillsides I sometimes hunt. They help when a deer is at 15 yards and level wth you.
Depends on the set up and the tree. I don’t go out with a height in mind Tomorrow I’m gonna sit a stand right next to a driveway and it’s only 14’ maybe The tree, the cover, the back drop cover,Topography all play into it but. If I had my choice. 18 to 20 platform height
Bill v
Yea .I've been busted a few times in the same tree about 15 feet can't get no higher , big branch won't let me, I'm goin to move 10 yards to a different tree hopefully it helps, mostly I try to climb 16 feet.I hear you horsetheif about ladder stands I hunt 99 percent on public land can't trust no one will still your stand plus giving up your location. I looked around last night I don't have a good back cover behind me.
Yea .I've been busted a few times in the same tree about 15 feet can't get no higher.
Once you are busted in a tree, game is over for that tree. Deer are smart and they will remember to look up at that guy in that stand.
So Roy, you have been busted for being a little high, but you want to get higher?
Yes Art and I was hoping you would share some of your good stash?
Nowadays I hunt on the ground, but when I hunted from treestands, I went what most would consider 'too high', generally. When I used a climber, I went 20' easy, often quite a bit more. Bow rope was 30' long, and I'd drag the bow up as I climbed :^) I usually used a climber, and would go as high as I needed to, relative to canopy height, tree shape, terrain conditions, etc. It all weighs in. I never asked anyone "How high are your stands". Didn't care, or put much credence in, what others did. Just figured it out. Hunt by feel, by experience. Trial and error. Pass or fail. Learn. Adapt. It's easy. Ya just do it.
My highest lock-on was 43' to the platform, saw several higher than mine, and my all time most favorite stand was 27' to the platform, in a black oak with over a hundred limbs between the ground and my stand. Most of my steps were limbs. I NEVER got busted in that tree. Not once. I once grunted a buck in to me at that spot 4 times before I got the shot I needed. He fell within sight to my back/right. First selfbow kill. It was a glorious bottleneck, 12 yards from a creek, with a small maple tree in front, that always had a scrape under it. Bedding area to the right, apples and acorns to the left(and right under me), Up high, they don't even know you're in the same county as them. More than one bowhunting friend got to within arm's reach of that stand and reversed course, came back down and said they wouldn't hunt it. Too high. I laughed. I could scurry up there in the dark and pull my bow up through that spiderweb of limbs without a light. I should go back over there and hunt it again. My BEST mushrooming spot is also less than 90 yards away.... and that's a good bowhunting spot too :^)
Shot angle concern? My highest stand resulted in one of my closest shots... measured from the base of the tree. 8-9 yards. Dead within sight. Biggest arrow killed buck I've taken.
I've always wanted to take a deer on the ground with a bow, when I first started bowhunting as age13 I hunted the ground, till I got my first tss treestand , and my brother had the baker stand or should I call it a death trap.
99 percent of bowhunters hunt up in treestands , deer have learned that, when I started bowhunting in the 1980 s , we use to climb 10 feet deer would walk right under you at that height back then.
My stands used to be 12' to 15', depending on cover. I was comfortable at that height and liked the shot angle.
Other than the ladder stands at hog camp I've been hunting from the ground the last several years. I absolutely love still hunting. It is the ultimate challenge.
I am going to say my average is about 16. I've killed deer from 6 to 25. The situation dictates how high you need to go.
Cover and positioning is everything. 12 to 20 feet depending on terrain, cover and lay of the land
And sometimes conditions call for a ground blind
Primarily place ladder stands on my property, both single and double, and the height is usually 15 ft, some were only 12, and place in Hemlock trees. Usually most of these lower branches are dead to cut away to put stand against the trunk, then just trim some branches for "shooting windows". Concealment is fantastic. Canopy also helps keep you dry in light snow or light rain. Or in some places where there are branches overhead I can tie a small tarp to create a roof, then totally dry. If no branches, use a tree umbrella. Comfy. Sat in these all day during good rut days.
I would think back cover mattered more than height. It always has. One of the best whitetail hunters in the country, the late Roger Rothhaar rarely went higher than twelve feet. Pick the right tree and have good back cover and stay off your cell phone.
Ok George- I’m puttin’ It away! ;-)
My stand height depends on location and terrain.
I'm 51 and still climb up to 20 -25 feet. Never had luck with blinds.
30' min... Hang on and climber alike.
I always set my stand height based on background and the availability of having a smaller cover tree near or under me. I also liked triple trees as I felt I could hide better. For me it's just as important that I feel like I'm well hidden than actually being well hidden from the deer's perspective.
