stands in barren trees

[The Night Stalker]

When picking a tree, who places their stands on barren trees. If you use a climber, you have to. When I was young, I use to use stands on barren poplars and routinely get shots under the tree. It seems that the older does around the farm have got into the habit of looking up. It is very hard to get a consistent wind in the mountains. It seems like the wind is always  swirling. The other day, I was using a trick told to me by Barry Wensel using fly glow yarn. The floater blew their way and imidiately they started sticking their nose in the air and started looking up in the trees for the source. Not bad for a dumb doe (yea right). The good thing is I think they are use to human smell around the farm. I have been trying to thin them out for about three years now. During that time, my stepson and his friends have been bow hunting the farm. I changed tree and only hunt trees with great cover. I always hunt the wind the best I can considering the mountain winds.

[LV2HUNT]

I almost exclusively hunt from single trunk "barren" trees whether they be pines, poplars, or occasionally oaks. If deer smell you it does not matter what kind of tree you are in.

I also exclusively hunt public land so I am quite used to educated deer that look up. If you are really concerned about getting picked off then just hand your stand on the opposite side of the tree and shoot them when they pass. That way they only see a tree trunk till it is too late.

You will also have more leeway hunting the morning due to the thermals. If you have a tough spot try hunting it in the morning.

[awbowman]

Pedator, ASAT or something open and with light colors in the camo world will help.

[Stumpkiller]

I pick a tree with as many branches around me as I can.  I don't want to look like an olive on a swizel stick.

 

[dixiearcher]

I agree with LV2HUNT...I haven't hunted out of a stand much this year but the one I do hunt is on a barren pine. I just placed the stand with the trail behind me and my best shot lane is right as they walk past me. I am set up so that I can see them coming from left to right but there is lots of small limbs and brush between us. by the time they get to where I am in the open all they can see is tree trunk. also, this gives me that split second I need to stand up and get ready before they walk into my opening. Seen lots of deer but have yet to be busted?

[MI_Bowhunter]

When I hunted more with a climber I used to make sure I had a denser trees or masses of tree's behind me to break up my outline.   I would also try to position myself so that I was not highlighted in the sunrise/sunset.

The less cover I had in a given area the higher I would climb.  This would often get me out of the deers field of view but created other issues with steep angle shots if animals are in close.

[mark land]

In GA you better have some cover around you, the more the better, but in the midwest I am not as concerned about it although I still try to have some trees around me or at least some branches, anything that will help cover my movement as I draw and to not be silhoueted so badly as well.

[JimB]

When I started bow hunting in the early/mid '60's you could get 6-8' off the ground and deer were oblivious.A few years later,when people had stated catching on to tree stands,deer started really looking up and you needed to plan on that.A few years after that,I back packed into a wilderness area and used trees that I could climb.It was just like back in the old days.Those deer hadn't learned to look up.

This day in age,it is a good idea to have as much cover as you can get.

[Cootling]

I often sit in really sparse little trees that are sitting' out on the prairie, all by their lonesome.  After leaf-fall, I usually wear snow camo with a sparse branch pattern.  Works like a charm against the sky.

[KentuckyTJ]

Never.

[kennym]

Only in one tree, it is in THE spot. Call it the power pole stand, we tied and ziptied a bunch of pinoak branches with leaves on them to it, the deer don't notice it has oak leaves on a cottonwood....

[The Night Stalker]

I got a treestand up in the big poplar tree tonight. It is so close to the pine that I had to trim some branches. The deer will approach from behind the tree and I should get a shot as they pass. I need a NW wind.