"Cover" strategies for stand hunting

[GMMAT]

I'm "good" with finding cover, prior to leaf drop.

Hunting with trad tackle, though....my self-imposed limitations force me to hunt lower than with the compound.

Since I hunt with a LW stand....I'm thinking of ordering the x-tra long belts and my strategy will be to hunt lower and get in the biggest tree I can....so that the trunk will hide my ouline (when viewed straight on).  Of course good camo will help, here.

What do you guys (who are in the same boat as me RE: hunting lower with trad gear) employ as a late(r) season tactic?

Thanks.

[KSdan]

I don't like large trees as it limits your ability to draw because your elbow hits the trunk.  I like trees with the limbs.  I also stand a lot while keeping my body in the same profile as the tree.  

I do wear ASAT and Predator. . .

The last thing I do is hunt new set-ups everytime-staying portable with LW and sticks.  I do not like to educate deer.

[sgrogg]

Using a climber at 15' to 20' on skinny trees with no cover works for me as long as I'm dressed head-to-toe in ASAT.

[bowmaster12]

bring cover up with you i made brackets on my stand that holds branches i haul up for extra cover also the new tree stand pattern by mossyoak is the best treestand no leave patteren ive used

[knobby]

Nothing better than a multi-trunked tree for concealment. You only have to be high enough within the trunks to be able to draw and shoot. Now, finding one in the right location is another matter, but when you have that to set up in, they're the best.

[Fletcher]

Great trees and great spots don't often come in the same package.  Some leafy branches can make a world of difference.  Don't forget to get some behind you.  Most hardwood branches will hold their leaves thru the season if they are broken off or cut before fall.  Oaks are the best around here.  Here are a couple of brushed in stands:

 
 

[Plumber]

nice set up fletcher! you wont be seen in there too easy.

[Gaff]

im a big fan of settin up in pine trees. they never lose there cover, and you can nestle into the branches.\\

gaff

[Mo. Huntin]

I would say  you are already on the right path with the lone wolf stand and sticks. You already know what you are doing.  I would just add that I have killed lots of deer from treestands no higher than 10-12 feet off the ground some with black carharts and a camo top.  I quit using climbers so I could be in the exact tree I need to be in and sometimes I am only 10 feet off the ground.  I do think you will get busted more hunting that low because you have to stay still and wait for the deer to go past and shoot it. I maybe should say that my kills so far have been with a compound but I could have killed them just the same with a longbow.  One of the best big buck killers around here tought me you don't have to be that high and sometimes  we hunt out of trees 22 inches around and that aint very big. I would rather have cover but if that little 22" tree is where I need to be I won't hesitate because I have seen the bucks killed that way.  Good luck

[Bowmania]

I don't know how you hunt, but I choose a stand where the deer are moving and THEN figure out what to do so they won't see me.

[jcar315]

Personally I am a big fan of multi-trunk trees. I have become more aware of being hid while drawing with my longbow so I try to get additional cover around my stand. Having some branches between me and the deer is something I look for too. Our bow season here opens mid Sept and ends late January. A well hid stand in Sept sometimes isn't so well hid in January. John

[SELFBOW19953]

I seldom leave a stand in the woods, I carry my Alpha in and back out each time I hunt and I use strap on steps.  I like to hunt near holly trees for cover.  I try to get a couple of branches below me to break up my outline.  I also like to hunt from multi-trunk trees or near a major fork in the trunk.  By the way, I physically cannot draw my bow if I'm much above 15'-too scared of heights. I do get busted sometimes, but I know guys who've been busted at 30'.

[JC]

I'm learning to love my new treesaddle; let's me get in trees I wouldn't have before, offers way more shot angles than a conventional stand, and I think the deer see you as just another "fork".
Out of it and conventional stands, if I can't have both cover in front/behind, I'll take cover behind me over cover in front of me any day. Around here, human outline skylined will leave you with an empty freezer every year and that cover behind you helps whatever camo you use work that much better at breaking up the outline.