Christmas trees worked into deer stands

[jeffluelf]

Does anyone happen to have a picture of their deer stand (hang on or ladder) with a Christmas tree worked into the tree? I have a stand in a tree right off the creek that I’m canoeing into come November to access it. I’m skylined pretty good if a deer were to look up. Thanks in advance.

-Jeff

[JR Chambers]

I do all my ladder stands like that. Now on my new property I use old fake trees. I cut the wires off at the post and drill hole in some small pVC and push the branches in there. I then attach that to my ladder stands. I will post a pic of it. You can adjust the limbs to your liking. It is deadly. I only get up 10 feet or so but can dance a jig in the stands.

[BAK]

Pictures no, but I have one stand that I "brushed in" using an old artificial  tree and it has lasted years and works very very well.  I'd do more if I could find more old artificial trees.

[J. Cook]

For what it’s worth - in that picture you aren’t skylined in my opinion.  The opening is below your stand.  I think you’ll be fine with the cover as is. 

[Pat B]

I agree with J. Cook.  How high is that stand?

[JR Chambers]

My stand are not up any higher than where the tree is. The deer can't see me and I have a better shot angle.

[jeffluelf]

It’s 19’ up. I have enough coverage on my left and right to draw my bow. I know I’m covered at my 45* on each side. I have a licking vine/scrape dead center in front of me 12 yards. I’m hoping the scrape will get his attention and I’ll be safe and not busted. I’m putting another scrape about 20 yards away from that one on the trail that will give me a nice chip shot to my left. I just finished Mr Barry Wensel’s Out and About DVDs and finished both Bobby Worthington’s books. I really want to get this right. Lol. I have a mile long canoe ride to my stand right off the creek. I believe I can hunt and hunt this stand without compromising getting patterned. I need a W, SW, or NW winds blowing towards the creek to do it. I’ll take another look but I found a cheap $30 tree. Here is a pic of the stand from the map in yellow. Thanks

[JR Chambers]

Good Luck

[Terry Green]

You can get the greenery that goes on mantles, stair railings, doorways for cheap after christmas, and also might see some at the street where folks are throwing that stuff away.  The greenery is much easier to work with an can be molded how ever you need it.

[kennym]

We use pin oak limbs and zip tys and an occasional rope around tree, cut when green the leaves stay on all winter.  We have no shortage of them here.  If public land, probably not allowed?

[LookMomNoSights]

Take a 6 foot length of 2x4,  drill holes along the edges,  whatever angle you wish.  Give it a camo paint job.  Bungee or ratchet strap that bad boy to the back of your tree,  opposite your sitting/stand position.  Now you can plug in the branches of a fake Christmas tree (or any branches for that matter!) into them holes on the 2x4 edge and you got very effective back cover.

[Ray Lyon]

I’ve used bow hangers screwed into back of tree (down wind side) and then cut a sapling and zip tie a 5-6 foot section across the bow hangers.  Cut oak branches (especially those with a ‘V’ that you can hang over the sapling branch) and attach to the sapling.  Make sure the sapling is above your stand so as the branches hang down covering your silhouette from a deer looking up.
  I’ve used Christmas tree leftovers in pine trees that needed a little more cover, but I feel they create an unnatural blob in a hardwood tree. 

[Terry Green]

  I’ve used Christmas tree leftovers in pine trees that needed a little more cover, but I feel they create an unnatural blob in a hardwood tree.

Yes Ray.... just use them sparingly and sparsely .... prune if necessary.

[Nomadstalker]

You aren’t terribly skylined now, but you may be when the leaves drop. Brushing it in now will pay dividends later.

I personally can’t shoot a trad bow accurately enough to hunt that high. My stands are 10-12’. I get picked off more, but the shot angle is better.

[StxHunter]

Reading your thread title I immediately thought of my friend Bobby Worthington because of his mentioning of using an artificial Christmas tree in his book. Then I read your signature line in his voice. I don’t think you’re too skylined and I don’t think Bobby would think so either.

[Barry Wensel]

I'm on the road but just saw this. I've been adding artificial Christmas trees to a lot of my ladder stands for 30-40 years with great results. Gene doesn't like the way they look in the timber. I do have to admit too much of anything is too much. When used in single hardwoods you have to be careful not to overdo them. The bulk could actually attract the deer's attention thus defeating the purpose. Be somewhat conservative. BUT...several years ago I found something I like even better. I was in a Wal-Mart just after New Years one year. All the Christmas stuff was on sale. They had a bunch of those Pine needle garlands discounted big time. They generally come in 9 or 10 foot lengths with the diameter five or six inches. The ladies like to wrap them around the outside porch railings, the stairway bannisters, etc. for Christmas decorations. The regular price was like $5. but they had them on sale for .50 cents each. I bought fifty-two of them and wiped Wally out. Then I went home and called one of my buddies. He went to another Wal-Mart and bought forty more. This past January his loving wife stumbled on another thirty more. Yes! They work absolutely great to wrap around the uprights of ladder stands. We brush the tops in to give us fresh cover each year. But after the live leaves die and fall off, the skeleton of the branches remain. You can weave several 10 foot strands of the garlands into those remaining branches for a great functional effect. They're inexpensive; last for years and work well. Merry Christmas to all. Ha.  BW

[Tedd]

I have been wanting to try that idea. We have walnut trees in some our best tree stand locations. Walnut trees lure you in, looking like the have a month left in them, even still green leaves. Then start to lose their leaves as soon as you hang a stand in them! And most have no lower branches to hide you anyhow. It's like using a phone pole.
Being wide open cost me a shot at a little buck last year. But that still seems like the best tree to be in.
Tedd

[Gun]

I've been getting old Xmas trees off kijiji (canada craigslist) around the holidays. I cut the branches off w a bolt cutter as most are too heavy for me to drag up whole. Plus they go further in pieces.

This is a small poplar in a fence line only 10ft off the ground. There is also some cheap camo netting from Amazon.

[Gun]

Hmm. not sure why that's sideways

[Terry Green]

Martin McMahon use to put back drops on the trees behind the stand tree.