Tree stand trad tips?

[Tim Reese]

Not sure where you live but my LW climber is my most used stand. I’m lucky I can 99.9% of the time. But do have a saddle and LW sticks for areas I need to. And GO!!! That’s the best advise I ever got and tell others. Just go. I go and go and go. And almost always pays off. And don’t be afraid to move around. I don’t sit in same spot I move around or hunt other properties

[Jcarroll611]

Terry funny you say your number one tip is to stand. A good friend of mine never sits because he says he always falls asleep. But he has killed more big deer than anyone I personally know. I’m sure it has contributed to his success.

[Dave Lay]

Check limb Clearance with your bow canted if you shoot that way and drawn, last year I hit a nice buck poorly when my lower limb hit my seat that was flipped up

[Longbowwally]

I like my climbers - LW and now XOP......I have no trouble finding a good tree where I want to set up.....Like Cory said you learn how to use other trees and such for cover - almost an art in itself....I use hang ons when necessary.....Can't beat a good climber for safety, mobility and ease of climbing in my opinion. I've climbed more than once and then see a deer nearby that never heard me climbing - climbing quietly is not hard with the good climbers and taking your time.

I use a rock climbing harness from the ground up so am very safe...

Find what works best for you and become an expert in using it....

[John Krause]

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned. I always walk into my stand so the deer won’t hit my scent trail before I get the shot. That of course, is from the way I think they will/should come. Doesn’t always go as planned. I have seen them pass my trail without a blink and blow up like there’s no tomorrow 

[John Cholin]

I have been watching this thread.  There are a lot of great suggestions here!

I almost never select a straight tree for a stand.  I don't own a climber.  I am lucky to have my own 28 acre patch of woods and I have about 6 or 7 stands set up.  I look for forked or multi-trunk trees and use those whenever I can.  They obscure your outline and if a deer can make you out from 50 or 75 yards away you won't have to worry about making a 15 or 20 yard shot.  So I rally focus on a set-up that keeps my silhouette obscured.

But a mediocre tree in a great spot is better than a great tree in a mediocre spot.  I am dealing with that this weekend.  There is a great spot on my place but the great trees are all 50+ yards away.  Last weekend I lugged a steel ladder-stand to a mediocre tree that has a young white pine growing behind it.  (What a pain in the butt those steel ladder-stands are!)  This weekend I plan to cut a couple of cull white pines and lop off the top 15 feet of each, drag the tops to the the ladder-stand site and wire them upright next to the ladder stand to "enhance" the cover around the stand.  Artificial Christmas garland is a great tool for this but I didn't buy enough after Christmas last year and I am out. 

Most of my stands are hang-on stands that I make myself out of structural aluminum shapes.  At 71 I am getting less fond of screw-in steps and I make ladders out of PT 2x4s with 1x6 PT rungs.  They are MUCH lighter than a steel ladder stand so its much easier to move a stand if the sign dictates the need.  I have to make 2 more for this upcoming season.  I just lean the ladder up against the tree, climb up and lash the top of the ladder in place, install safety line, hang my stand, and I am ready to hunt.

With every stand I have an access plan - a path I take for the last 20 - 30 yards to get to the stand that is made quiet.

All this is easy when you have limited-access land.  For public land it is MUCH harder!

Stick a big one!

JMC

[Bow Bender]

A lot of great tips, keep them coming.  I like to tie a 6 /8 inch piece of un-waxed dental floss to the top tip of my bow and a similar piece to a branch where it is visible.  The slightest bit of breeze will be detected and if the air movement gets wrong you should change stands rather than take a chance of spooking your targeted animal out of the country.

[MCNSC]

I don’t normally use a bow holder , preferring to just hold on to my bow. Occasionally though the situation will arise when I need to have both hands free. For instance, putting on a jacket, digging in my pack to see what’s in there or perhaps I had too much coffee. Anyway , I have a knot in the end of my safety rope ,  just wedge the rope at the knot between the bow string and limb and it will just hang there. Beats hoping it balances on your knees. Probably won’t work with a longbow.