Long hours in a treestand

[JamesV]

I hunt mostly afternoons, go in the woods 4 hrs before dark, climb a tree and hunt till dark, then climb down and head to the house. I can stay alert and excited about the hunt for about 3 hours, then it is time to go home. The deer will be there tomorrow and being retired I can too.

[rcheryhunter1949]

I hunt mostly on the ground but when I do hunt in tree stands, I ALWAYS have a Lifeline attached to the tree.  It is just a 30 foot rope with a prussic knot to allow you to slide it up or down as you climb.  If you set your stand with a lineman belt (or rope) and then attach the lifeline to the tree, you will NEVER be untethered from the tree when you climb in or out.  You connect to Lifeline on the ground before climbing up and disconnect after you climb back down and are standing on the ground.  I have been able to hunt higher a lot more comfortably with the Lifeline system.  It is in my opinion the safest system out there for tree stand hunting. (I use Lone Wolf with a Gorilla seat pad and have had many all day sits, but I do stand a lot.)

[stabow]

2 hours at the most I'm to old to sit all day if they want me to kill them they need to shoe up when I'm their.....

[Hoyt]

I came up hunting quail with my Dad and the bird dogs from just after sunrise to just before sundown, but always hunted deer twice a day or once in the morning or afternoon.

Older I get the shorter the hunts. I can hunt all I want and when I get tired of sitting in the tree I get down. I know I could kill a lot more deer if I would stay up there longer, but I seem to come up with something I'd rather do after about 6hrs of it.

[Orion]

Ryan:  I've been keeping a journal for more than 30 years documenting the times of all deer sightings. During the rut, first two weeks of November in northern Wisconsin, I see more bucks from 10 a.m. to 2 pm. than any other time of the day.  Morning is the second best time. Afternoon the third, but the last 45 minutes of the day are usually pretty good.  Before the rut, when deer are still int heir normal patterns, I see more bucks before 9 am. and after 4 p.m.  I should add that these sightings aren't a function favoring/hunting one time period over another. When I hunt, it's almost always dark to dark.

[Cwilder]

For me with hunting in a tree stand. I stand about 90% of the time I only sit for very short periods of time. People I hunt with ask me how I can just stand and lean against the tree for such long periods of time. I tell them I have been caught off guard far too many times.

Hard for me to stay longer than 4-5 hours. As the season wears on, my sit time gets less and less.

Bisch

[Sam McMichael]

Can't sit there any more for more than 3 hours or so at a time. Old butts just aren't able to stay very long, at least not like when we were young. Be sure to properly employ your safety harness!

[Yankee Bill]

+1 for the Millennium M100. I have back issues as well and need a stand with good lumbar support in order to sit for more than just a couple of hours at a time, and without fidgeting.

The M100 and the Summit Viper are the only 2 stands that I've tried (and I've tried a bunch in the last 30 yrs.) that allow me to stay on stand comfortably for an all day sit. During the peake of the rut I try to stay on stand from 45 min. before legal shooting light until end of legal shooting light if my back holds out. Other times, I usually go back to camp or scout for an hour or so around noontime, more so to just stretch my legs and break up the monotony (sp) than anything else.
YB

[Todd Cook]

Originally posted by Ryan Rothhaar:
Hmmmmm, how do I sit 6 hours in a stand?  That about 3 in the AM and 3 in the PM.  I tried sitting all day once.  Made it till noon.  Never again...that makes it "work" for me and hunting is supposed to be FUN.  95% of your chance to shoot a good buck are in the first and last couple hours of the day...I don't see the cost/benefit of sitting an extra 6 hours through the day for the 5% extra chance.  I can spend my mid-day hours better scouting other areas to hunt than sitting in a tree watching my fingernails grow.  I know...I'm gonna hear the "shot my biggest deer at noon" stories...good for you, congrats!  

Well, I guess that makes me a non-hardcore deer hunter, eh?              

I still seem to do OK though...

Ryan

My thoughts exactly

[tippit]

I picked up a Hunt Comfort dual layer cushion with memory foam that is great.  Even when hunting from my Waldrop PacSeat which is very comfortable after about 2 hours my fanny gets sore...no more.  They also make some specifically for Lone Wolf tree stand seats  that can be adapted to any seat.  Sure allows me to sit longer.  They are a little pricy compared to just a piece of foam BUTT well worth it for me...tippit

 

 

[jax]

Exactly what Ryan said. That is how I hunt

[manitou1]

Many manufacturers offer some type of "sling seat" on their stands, especially climbers.

I was referring too the padded cloth seat and back that suspends from the stand horizontals via nylon web straps.  Very comfortable seats.

[Bowwild]

Since starting hunting from trees in 1970 I have never stayed all day.  I have hunted  from daylight until about 11am and then back in at 1PM till dark.  

My usual stints are 30 minutes before light for about 3 hours.  Then I often return  about 3 hours before dark and stay until legal time is up.

I know I miss some activity in mid-day but, like others have said, I try hard not to turn hunting into a chore.

I try to spend the first 30-45 minutes standing in the AM and the last 30-45 minutes standing during a PM hunt.  I do this because these are prime times and I want to be extra-ready.

I do a lot of day-dreaming in the stand.  I have friends who can sleep in the stand. I have never gone to sleep in a tree stand in more than 45 years. I wish I could read in the stand but I've tried and I just can't concentrate for fear I'm going to miss the twitch of an ear or flick of the tail.

[wvtradbow]

Sling seats are the way to go,I just got a Millenium M25 for a recent bear hunt,most comfortable stand I've ever sat in,not the lightest but for sure the most comfortable..

[Mint]

I picked up the Hunt Comfort seat made for the lone wolf stand and strap that over my stands seat. It isa pleasure to sit for long hours now. I usually don't sit all day though, i'm in at 5 and out by 12:00 for lunch and then go to a different spot for the afternoon and in at around 2:00 to dark. I take my Hunt Comfort seat in and out with me.

[KSdan]

I agree about key rut times and midday. Many of the biggest. . .  

I have had many all day sits.  And I am not afraid of getting down and taking a nap on the ground.  However, as I crossed the 50 mark here the past few years I find it getting more difficult. I do think I have blown a couple evening opps as I was tired and mentally wore out after all day.  

I stand often, change position often,(all which is better covered in a tree than on the ground) and modify my stands to be more comfortable.  I actually raise the height of my seats so I am not so crouched.  I also found you can mount the seat in such a manner that when the seat is raised up against the tree you can actually rest your buttocks on it while standing.    

My 2C
Dan

[TGbow]

Thanks for all the feedback. I was looking at the open shot treestand but I dont think I will spend the money this season. My hat's off to you guys that  
can sit in a treestand for 6 hours. I do have a bulging disc in my lower back but it doesn't really bother me much until I sit for long periods in a seat that isn't comfortable. I've killed all my deer on the ground so I guess I will hunt on the ground this season. I have some spots where the deer move any time of the day, got a couple shots last season but no meat, little bit of action though. I sat one day for 9 hours in my chair but I did stand up occasionally.