Just Bought my first Tree Stand... questions for you stand hunters

[bearsfeet]

Hey gang,

So I have always been a ground pounder and either still hunted or done spot and stalk. This year durring our late season blacktail hunt I was thinking about trying a tree stand. I just picked up a Summit Openshot SD. Seemed like a good stand for the money. I got home to tinker with it and climbed up a tree in my backyard about 12-15'. It climbed very easy and seemed to be solid.

As of now I have a couple spots in mind that have some major deer trails on them with some old and new rubs around so I am thinking of trying this spot first. For the area the game trails are major and seeing ALOT of deer traffic so I think I should see some game and get use to how they react with me in the tree, what kind of movement I can get away with ect.

My questions are:
What do you take with you for a day in the stand?
How long do you sit?
Do you get in before light nad climb in the dark?
How far do you pack your stand?
My main question... how high do you need to be??

thanks,

[jsweka]

What do you take with you for a day in the stand?...Basically the same stuff I pack when hunting from the ground.

How long do you sit?...Depends on the time of the year.  During the rut, I may sit all day.  Early in the season, I'll sit for 3-4 hours after sun up or before sun down.  And of course if I'm so cold that things just aren't fun anymore, I get down.

Do you get in before light nad climb in the dark?...Yes.  Get a head lamp if you don't already have one.

How far do you pack your stand?...As far as I need to.  I've also got a Summit (Bushmaster) and it's light enough that a mile or more isn't much more painful than without a stand on my back.

My main question... how high do you need to be??...Depends on the surroundings.  If I've got some decent cover 8-10' is plenty, but sometimes there are those spots along trails that you really want to hunt, but the trees are all like telephone poles without any cover.  In those cases, I may go up 20 - 25'.

That's just the way I do things for whitetails...

[ChuckC]

Please use your full body harness when up in that tree.  Have fun.

I recommend you stay as low as you can get away with, but that all depends on background and cover as stated above.  Lower also gives you a better shot angle for double lungs.

I generally sit for about 3-4 hours at a time, unless it is scheduled to be an all day sit, which is hard on the heinie !

I sometimes carry a small backpack that i carry in on the stand itself.  I might leave this at the bottom of the tree, under some cover.  I do this later in the season when weather changes enough to make it likely I will need extra clothing later in the day.


Shoot straight
ChuckC

[ddauler]

I do the same as the other comments. I never sit all day though thats like work! I also seldom drag out a deer I carry my old sea bag with trash bag liner in it with me and field quarter and pack the deer out. When using a climber I strap the bag to the stand and use it as a pack frame. That is on our Ga whitetails generally less than 35 lbs of meat. If critter is bigger I reckon you have to make two trips.

[NittanyRider]

Levi - not sure what kind of stand you bought, but all of them, including the Lone Wolf that I have, can get pretty heavy after a while.  This is especially true if I have a long hike to get to the stand, as I generally put all my clothes except for base layer (and maybe my pants) into a backpack/rucksack and strap the pack to the back of my stand.  I use a short webbed-strap and buckle to attach the top handle on my backpack to the stand.  I also use a strap with a cam buckle to wrap around the pack and stand so that my pack is tight against the stand and not rattling around.  One other suggestion if your going to pack your stand in a ways from the road is to get a better set of shoulder straps.  I bought some padded mountain smith straps, with a sternum strap, that really helped make the load more comfortable.  If you want even more support and comfort for long hikes, google LockNWalk.

Good luck and like ChuckC said... wear your harness!

David

[rraming]

I have a Summit Clear Shot - same as yours except my seat is a triangle and not square - my seat developed a squeak when you flip it up and it cost me so I don't use it any more.
I never go over 16' - 14' is high enough - your area will dictate height. I am not a big fan of heights and if I go too high I can not get off my butt and shoot, too scaarrrrryyyy! Each day the wind and my mood decide how high
I bring the same stuff I always bring
Hunting here - yesterday I sat 4 hours morning and 4 hours in the afternoon. As the season goes on my time in the stand will increase, seems easier each time (the height thing gets easier as time goes through the season as well)
Arrival time is up to you, I have gone 1 hour before shooting time(climbing in the dark and use a headlamp) and sometimes I don't start walking until I can see
Distance - up to about a mile I guess, your stand is like 16-18lbs, the problem is the backpack and bow - I use a deer cart a lot and put my stand and pack on it and walk - makes more noise but too bad, it gets me there
Most of these ?'s are up to you and the deer you are after.
I'm not largely successful at hunting so maybe just do the opposite of what I do - ha!

[Yankee Bill]

I agree with what was already stated ... especially wearing a full body harness, and stay tethered to the tree from the time your feet leave the ground.

As far as stand height goes, for me, the "canopy" of the trees in the area I'm hunting usually dictate how high my stand is, and that's usually 15-20' where I hunt. You will find that you can only go up just so high before the "canopy" starts to interfere with natural shooting lanes. It won't take you long to find the right height that you are comfortable with.

I always go in before daylight, and if I'm going to hunt the same tree more than once, one thing I do that ensures I climb to the correct height in the dark is to put a screw-in step in the side of the tree right above the cable of the seat part of the stand once it is positioned initially.

I leave the step in the tree, and when I climb it again in the dark when my seat cable hits the step I know I'm at the right height. I also use that step to hang my backpack on.

If you hunt in really heavy cover, sometimes as little as a 1 foot of height difference in either direction can make a world of difference in the amount "shootable" area you will be able to cover.

YB

[MnFn]

I usually sit about 3-4 hours, but have sat most of the day also, (with a break sometime during the day).

If  possible I much prefer setting up the stand prior to actually hunting in it. Some water, something to stifle coughing are almost always with me.

Make sure you pick the right tree!  A few years ago I walked in to an oak tree that I had pre-selected for a morning hunt ( in the dark). It had a perfect position for a trail that crossed a barb wire fence, good for a predominantly NNW wind.

I walked in before light, put a scent attractor in a sapling, and put my stand up in the tree. As the dawn started lightening up the woods, I realized I was in the wrong tree.

Then the dilemma. Do I stay put or move back up the fenceline 50 yards or so? I had a lot of confidence in the other location so I decided to chance making the noise that I knew I would.

One problem, after making the move and climbing up into the tree, I realized I had left the attractor in the sapling on the other side of the first stand. But, feeling I had already done too much fooling around I decided to leave it.

About an hour later I could just barely make out the nose and the antler tips of a very large buck about an inch away from the sapling, smelling the scent left there.

Never, never, never sit in a treestand with out safety belt. A friend of mine fell out of his and was saved because as he was crawling out to the road across a CRP field(with a broken leg and other serious injuries) a guy driving by saw his hat moving just above the weeds.

But having warned you, there is something about sitting in a properly placed treestand on a beautiful fall day that I thoroughly enjoy. Have fun with it.

[awbowman]

What do you take with you for a day in the stand?

I can't sir all day hunt in any small climber.

How long do you sit?  

A normal sit is 4 hours or so for me.

Do you get in before light nad climb in the dark?  

Yes.  Let the late hunters push deer to you if you are hunting public land.  If it's private like me, I love listening to nothing as the sun comes up.

How far do you pack your stand?  I usually go in 3/4 to 1 mile

My main question... how high do you need to be??  

You don't need to get any higher than what it takes to provide some cover.  Too high limits the vital zone due to steep angle.  I TRY not to climb higher than 18' with a bow.

[reddogge]

Here's a small tip I've been using since the mid 60s. The paracord bow hauling line I carry is the proper height I like to climb. I won't go up 20-25" anymore due to the bad shot angles it creates. Anyway this is attached to my belt and unwound from that old tree step container and tied to the bow. When the line tugs at my belt climbing up I know I'm at the right height. The hook is used to lower things from the stand or retrieve dropped things like hats and gloves. If you climb long enough you'll drop your hat or glove at least once in your career and it usually happens when you are at the top and stapped in.    
 

[Yankee Bill]

Originally posted by reddogge:
Here's a small tip I've been using since the mid 60s. The paracord bow hauling line I carry is the proper height I like to climb. I won't go up 20-25" anymore due to the bad shot angles it creates. Anyway this is attached to my belt and unwound from that old tree step container and tied to the bow. When the line tugs at my belt climbing up I know I'm at the right height. The hook is used to lower things from the stand or retrieve dropped things like hats and gloves. If you climb long enough you'll drop your hat or glove at least once in your career and it usually happens when you are at the top and stapped in.    
   

reddogge, I like your hook tip, gonna put one in my pack. Wish I'da had one a few times before  :rolleyes:  

YB

[Burnsie]

I take a small day pack with my grunt tubes,  bleat cans,  extra rope...etc strapped to my Lone Wolf.
If I'm doing an all day-er, which I will do if the rut is really smoking and I'm seeing deer throughout the day,  then I'll throw in a Snicker bar and a bottle of water.  
I go up anywhere from 10' - 20" depending on the tree, the cover,  the shooting lanes,  contour of the land..etc   Although now days I'd prefer to stay right around 12' if possible.
Morning hunts I'm in 45 mins to an hour before light,  in the evening I stay until legal shooting light is gone or longer if I believe deer are nearby and I want to avoid spooking them with all the clanking and banging.  Once you start using it,  you will quickly figure out what works best for you. PLEASE WEAR YOUR SAFETY HARNESS AT ALL TIMES

[reddogge]

YB, glad to share. BTW it's just a hunk of bent coathanger too. I'm very low tech.

[Yankee Bill]

Originally posted by reddogge:
YB, glad to share. BTW it's just a hunk of bent coathanger too. I'm very low tech.

I'm with ya on the low tech stuff brother  

[bearsfeet]

Thanks for sharing guys. I'm not big on heights and will 100% be wearing my harness.

I like the idea of having some kind of scent attractor in a tree nearby to get him to stop in a good shooting spot. Also glad to see most guys are not hunting their stands all day. I don't think I could sit there all day. I'll probably try some morning and evening sits to find out when the best activity is in the area. Since I normally still hunt these areas it is going to be very different waiting for the deer to come to me!

[kenn1320]

Originally posted by bearsfeet:
Thanks for sharing guys. I'm not big on heights and will 100% be wearing my harness.

I like the idea of having some kind of scent attractor in a tree nearby to get him to stop in a good shooting spot. Also glad to see most guys are not hunting their stands all day. I don't think I could sit there all day. I'll probably try some morning and evening sits to find out when the best activity is in the area. Since I normally still hunt these areas it is going to be very different waiting for the deer to come to me!

Seems the guys already filled you in. Your stand isnt a sit and climb, but rather you hold your upper body weight on the seat and climb? With that type of stand, you cant adjust the platform angle once your in the air. Make sure you note the diameter change of the tree your hunting between the ground and the height you plan to climb. You want to start off with the platform on an upward angle, so when the tree gets narrower as you climb, the platform will start to level off. Nothing worse then getting 20'+ up and find out the platform is leaning. Take a bow rope to pull up your bow, like was mentioned. Take 2 ropes or tie your bow and pack onto the same rope. I use a 30ft rope, sometimes a 40ft depending on where Im hunting. Lower the better if you can hide, but in hill country going up 40ft might put you 20ft above the deer. Nothing beats eye level with a deer at close range, but having them walk under you while in a stand is a close second.  

[olddogrib]

Don't know blacktails, but I can guarantee you that whitetails have been trained to look up.  I put up stands before the season and I've had stands with good cover busted before I ever hunted them.  I'd say let the height and the deer's demeanor be your guide on movement. If it's alert, i.e. head up, ears forward, tail not twitching, then you don't want to be moving. They have excellent peripheral vision. I prefer standing for the shot when I can get a way with it, but practice shooting sitting also.  There is a tendency to short draw when shooting at a downward angle.  Bend at the waist and try to keep the upper torso in normal shooting alignment.

[VictoryHunter]

Bottle water, a light snack, and most important is a rope to haul up your bag and bow. I generally sit until 11 or so in the morning and well after dark in the afternoon. As far as the morning hunting goes, I feel that it is key to get in early in the dark at minimum 30 min before sunrise. My climber is pretty light and I have packed it as far as two miles before to get where I wanted to hunt. The height of you stand varies depending on your location and amount of cover but generally I hunt at about 15 feet up. Also as far as hunting from a stand goes it is really important that you hang your stand on the opposite side of the tree that you expect the deer to come from, this helps give you cover. Wear a harness! Happy hunting!