Tree Stand Jitters! (Pics Added Page 3)

[Wannabe1]

I have never hunted from a tree stand before as I usually prefer to be on the ground moving around. Well, there is this area that is just an interstate of deer tracks but, the only problem is the wind swirls around in there like the water in a washing machine!     :(     A buddy of mine and I talked it over and came to the conclusion that to have any success, we would need to get above the currents. Well, I got a stand but, I'm having reservations about sitting 20 or so feet above the ground with such a little platform. Can any of you stand hunters give some pointers on getting used to being that high up and remaining calm?    

[GMMAT]

I hunted my first bowhunt in 2005.  Like you, I was hesitant about going "up".  I started mid-season, that year.  My advice....get your stand early, and practice.

I've been up well over 300X (280+ in a climber), since then.  I feel MUCH more secure in my climber (than a lock-on).  I also feel more confident.

Good luck.

I tether to the tree when I get 8-12' up....and I unhook when I step off the platform.

[Hogcoots]

My suggestions:
First, get a good safety harness that gives you a sense of security from falling.  

Second, start small.  If it is a hang on stand or climber, then place it on a tree 3 or 4 feet above the ground and practice from it.  Once you are comfortable at that height, then go a little higher.  Repeat the process until you are comfortable at the height you want to hunt at.  Again, always wear your safety harness.

[ishiwannabe]

First off, safety. Attached at all times, setting up-climbing-and sitting.Do a search about 100% contact. If you are already nervous about it, then the chance for a missed step or slip increases.
Only thing that works for me is just doing it. Im not scared of heights either, but there is a level of discomfort that diminishes after the first few sits.

Another option would be to change your stand type. Ladder stands are generally bigger. Climbers are generally more comfortable(to me). It may be that one type or the other makes you more comfortable, and that will help you relax a bit.

Hope it helps. And good luck with that spot.

[bornagainbowhunter]

I almost always hunt out of a treestand. Like has been mentioned earlier, get a harness. I use a Locon Windwalker 95% of the time. They are small stands but they keep you tight to the tree which eliminates a big mass hanging off the side of a tree, therefore reducing the chances of being spotted.
 
I try to get some cover between me and the ground, between me and the sky, and only a little to the sides. This lets you have a larger area to move your bow, i shoot a 66" LB. Remember, higher is not always better, wind is funneled through trees, and just because a tree offers more shot opportunities don't mean that it's the "killin' tree".

[PASQUINELL]

Can any of you stand hunters give some pointers on getting used to being that high up and remaining calm?  

Crown Royal?... JUST KIDDING! I am afraid of heights and found wearing a safety vest gave me a much more "secure" feeling although I am still careful in my climber.

[bornagainbowhunter]

the only thing that i would say about being high and getting rid of gitters is practice from a stand that is about 1 foot high. Move around on the stand, lean out, do EVERYTHING that you might need to do when hunting. If you have enough balance and location awareness to do it when your low you CAN do it when your high.
i used to work construction on these tall buildings. We built the forms for the slabs to be poured so we were always on the very top of the building. When I first started walking those "I" beams with nothing else around, i got nervous. Some of those buildingd were over 200' high. The beams were just as wide as a curb on the sidewalk. I knew i could walk the curbs without falling, so I just had to make myself realize that those beams were no different. If you can stand hunt low, the only thing in your way of hunting high is your mind.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Safety harness, not just for those TV hunters.

set it up about 3 feet off the ground, put on a safety harness and ware a blindfold. just stand and move slowly turning then sitting. do this a few time to help you get the feel of the stand.

Now with that said. do you know if there is a lot of fox or coon in that area? if so, use cover scent. If this hunt is for Next hunting season. start now to get the deer used to that scent. You can also hang a shirt that you have worn and spray with the cover scent and then hang it in that area.

Change the shirt and location in the area so the deer will get used to the smells. Where I used to live and hunted I did a lot of work cleaning up the woods on the land I hunted. I would hang a shirt that was dripping with sweat and sprayed it down with fox scent. When the winds when good or bad I had deer all around me.

Doing this in the off season helps to keep the deer calm when the start of the season comes around. Now I'm not saying this will work for everyone or every area, but it worked for me in more then one area.

[Santiam]

A ladderstand might help...I feel secure in mine...Something about it reaching all the way to the ground..    LOL

 I also have a hang on stand that took a little getting used to...A good harness helps ease the jitters and now it doesn't bother me at all..Just have to get used to it is all..

 I plan to do a lot of tree stand sitting in April when spring bear opens..

[Whip]

As already mentioned, a quality safety harness is your first consideration along with a system that allows you to be tethered every time your feet leave the ground.  It takes more planning and a small amount of time to set up, but doing so will give you the complete confidence you need to hunt in the trees.

That being said, being above them does not prevent a deer from smelling you with swirling winds.  Air currents swirl down as well, and while being in a tree stand can help, it might not work the way you are hoping.  

Your scent travels out from your body in a cone shape - the farther away it gets the wider the "cone".  And that can include going down, so if the animal is some distance away from you they will still have a very good chance of catching your scent.  Actually, your scent has a better chance of traveling over the top of them when they are very close or underneath you.  But then the ground scent you leave when you walk in can be a problem.

[JEFF B]

i am a ground hugger i leave the trees for the birds    but if ya must safety is a big must i sure as hell would not climb one without it. but after saying that i did climb a ladder stand it was 12 foot high and i felt safe after a while.but loved the fact that i had something to hold on to all the way to the ground oh yeah got to love that ground!!!  

[SuperK]

TREE SADDLE!  For the money you are going to spend on a stand and a safety harness, you will come out cheaper and be better off with the Trophyline Tree saddle (IMO).  You are attached to the tree from the time you leave the ground and you can't fall out of it!  You can also shoot just about 360 degrees as well as straight down.  You can wear it in and out so it can't get stolen.  I don't like heights but I LOVE my saddle.  Heck, you can even take a nap in it if ya want to!  Try that (Please don't!) with any other stand.  Check out their website.

[Wannabe1]

Thanks for all the great advise here.    I definitely will not be up a tree without a harness of some sort. I think I need to step back and soak all this information in, and then plan my next move. This weekend I'll play around with the stand about 3-4 feet off the ground and see how that goes.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Wannabe1,

just take your time in the stand. If you don't feel 100% safe standing or moving in the stand even being a few feet off the ground. It would be worse 10,15 or even 20 feet up.

Now you didn't say what kind of stand. Is it a climber or a lok-on stand?

[crotch horn]

I am scared to death of heights. I bought a ladder stand almost 10 years ago and never used it until 2006. I climbed up it a few times before that in the summer but could not get comfortable. Finally I bought a safety harness vest and that did the trick. I started hunting out of it and took a buck and a bear both with my bow. The stand is only 10 feet to the seat so not very high. Once I got used to it I started using climbers as well. Never do I go up without the safety vest. I am 275lbs. and no problems. Everytime I climb up it takes a few minutes to calm down but I do. Good luck and give it time.

[Guru]

Originally posted by Whip:
That being said, being above them does not prevent a deer from smelling you with swirling winds.  Air currents swirl down as well, and while being in a tree stand can help, it might not work the way you are hoping.  

Your scent travels out from your body in a cone shape - the farther away it gets the wider the "cone".  And that can include going down, so if the animal is some distance away from you they will still have a very good chance of catching your scent.  Actually, your scent has a better chance of traveling over the top of them when they are very close or underneath you.  But then the ground scent you leave when you walk in can be a problem.

That's very well said Joe...I agree 100%!

A lot of people think that by getting off the ground, their scent will just stay above their quarry...not so!

Being up in a tree is hardly any different than being on the ground as far as scent is concerned. You still have to take every precaution as you would on the ground as far a scent..... down wind is still the only sure way to not get "winded".

Being up off the ground might help a little, but it's not "automatic" by any means....

The biggest advantage's you'll see being in a tree is the ability to not get picked off as easy when shooting and better visibility(sometimes)around you. I always seem to get away with a lot more movement when in a tree stand.

[Apex Predator]

All stands are not created equal!  I've spent most of my life hunting out of tree stands, and some are just too small for a secure feeling hunt.  What stand do you have?

[xtrema312]

If you have a hang one use a multi section climbing stick tree ladder.  That will give you the best grip on things to climb.  Get a good harness.  I would also recommend on of the rope safety lines so you can be connected from ground to stand.  After that just get in the thing and set there.  I hunt a lot from trees.  The first couple sits each year I always feel a little confined and hesitant about moving around.  After a few early season hunts I settle down.  By the time I get hunting serious I feel like the thing is huge, and I move around freely without worrying much about anything.  Off season it is best to shoot from it a lot if you have a spot to hang it in your yard.

[Quickblood]

I don't like heigths either, but 15 feet I can handle and that seems to be enough as long as wind, approach, cover, etc. are in order.  Good luck.

[George D. Stout]

No one needs to be twenty feet up in a tree.  Do you really know how far twenty feet is?   Maybe twelve to fifteen tops if you choose the right tree.  Anyway, you would probably stick out like poop in a punch bowl at that height.

Being in a tree will not help you much in swirling winds; those type winds confuse the deer as much as not and you may be better off on the ground in a decent blind.  A fear of being in a stand will take your mind off of making a good shot when the time arrives, and your focus needs to be a hundred percent on that shot....not staying on a platform.

There are two types of people who use tree stands; the ones who have fallen, and the ones who will, so if you are going to do it, get a good harness that will protect you.