Ladder Stand Height

[far rider]

Ok guys,
Since becoming addicted to traditional, and more over being bitten by the Hill bug, I have been a ground hunter. Now this suites me fine, but this year I've had to deal with some new variables. So....I took the plunge the other day and bought a ladder stand.
Now, my question is, how high do you guys like to hunt, and what do you feel gets you above the scent trail.
While placing it today, I realized that with all sections installed, I was over 20' when standing. I think I got a nose bleed!

[RedShaft]

12-15 ft the ladder stands we have

[guspup]

15 footers in hemlocks work real nice !!!

[Stumpkiller]

I just got my first ladder stand this year - 15.5 feet to the seat.  Seems a good height.

The rungs and rigging make it a little more obvious maybe, but it sure is easier to get in to than a hanging tree-stand.

[Fletcher]

15-16 ft at the foot platform is about as high as I go, lower if the tree will offer decent cover.  Ladder stands don't offer much for adjustability in height, but they are nice to hunt from.  Scent trail depends on wind direction, eddys and thermals.

[ksbowman]

15' and a lot better to sit in than to fall from!

[VictoryHunter]

We have a couple 12 footers that are great. Just tuck them back in a cedar and we have plenty of cover.

[tracker12]

I remember when I had my first home made copy of a Baker Tree Stand.  Varely did I hunt highter then 10-12'.  Slowly I crept up to hunting 20+.  Trad gear has brought me back down to a more comfortable height of 15'.  But that being said I now try to find trees that afford me to get as close to 10' as I can get.  I have not noticed that I am getting busted any more than is I was higher.  I just do not really feel comnfortable taking a steep angle shot with trad gear.

[RIng]

HiI used ,2 of the 3 ladder sections from my stand that was marked 18 ft. That put my feet at about 10 -12 ft. I think the 18 ft. was to the seat .I used to build a lot of wood latter stands , they were 8-10 ft. to my feet .I shot a lot of deer from them . That hight dos litte for your sent but is for better shooting . I do not like the sharp shooting angle that the higher stands give you .

[far rider]

Thanks guys.

I used to hunt climbers, and we have a lot of yellow pine and poplar on the farm which allowed me to climb to ridiculous heights, but I wasn't archery hunting at that time.

I noticed when I set up the ladder yesterday,(16' to seat) that the area I was focused on was an insanely steep angle to try and shoot a longbow from. I removed the lower section and it felt much more comfortable.

However...I did not seek out a good cedar, so I am kinda exposed. I may have to move it today. Darn, just when I thought I had it licked.

[dbd870]

I have 1 ladder stand. It's 17' to the seat and the ground it overlooks slops downhill. That is plenty high I really don't want any more angle than that.

[D.J. Carr]

I hunt 12-18 ft. no matter what type of tree stand I am in.  I will hunt lower if I need to, but I don't go any higher.

[German Dog]

No matter what stand you have I found that going lower than the "normal" height made it much easier to setup with out trimming much for shooting lanes.

Of course back cover needs to be considered but the last few years I set up only 8-12 feet off the ground.

[Ric O'Shay]

10 - 12 feet. Sometimes less.

[Fletcher]

You may not have to move the stand.  You can also brush it in.  old oak branches hold their leaves very well and just a few can add a lot of cover to a stand.

 
 

[TGbow]

Originally posted by VictoryHunter:
We have a couple 12 footers that are great. Just tuck them back in a cedar and we have plenty of cover.

My kind of stand if I were going to hunt from a treestand. Anything higher , I'm too nervous.
As long as you're hid with some cover that's high enough...for me anyway.

[Caleb the bow breaker]

Guys,  

Just a tough lesson I learned recently.  High is fine but make sure you really check things out because steep shot angles can really increase the chance of hitting your lower limb on the stand if you are standing when you shoot.  

C

[Bowwild]

My son and I have a few ladder stands which put the platform from 15-17'. One is a buddy stand.

Like many have said, these are plenty high, especially with surrounding cover.

I can't stand tree stands of any kind on the trunk of a solitary tree; not lock ons, ladders, or climbers. In fact, one of the reason I haven't used my 10-year old Summit climber is because it requires (if used as a climber) a naked tree trunk. I don't feel hidden enough.

Before returning to curves I liked to be about 18-20 feet. Now that I'm shooting curves again I prefer to be about 13-15'.

I too remember the Baker climbing stand days, before the hand-climber was added. You had to hug the tree (red marks on one's chest all season) and shinny up.  

I'd have a 20 foot haul line and climb, in the dark until I felt the string pull tight on my bow. It always took a few minutes in the stand, on opening day to get comfortable sticking out on that tree so high.

I wouldn't even consider doing such a thing these days. It seems now that gravity is much more of an adversary than when I was in my teens.

I rarely hunt out of my ladder stands because I don't feel hidden as much as a lock-on in a cedar or among a multiple stemmed or close-growing trees. Also, the ladder is easy to bump with the lower limb as you maneuver for shots.

I dearly love big old eastern red cedars .... so much in fact I've been guilty of putting a stand in them even if sign isn't obvious, hoping for the best.

[long time archer]

Nice pics, Fletcher. I often carry para cord with me when sitting my ladder stands (5). I hook and pull in saplings, limbs, etc., and tie them around, under, and close to stands for cover if a given tree doesn't offer enough. I have enough ladder stands to play the wind without moving once season starts.

[far rider]

Well,
My fears were realized today. Had a group of does and adolescents come in late in the evening, and they pegged me right off. Couldn't wind me, couldn't tell what I was, but I sure made them uncomfortable enough that an about face was in order. I'm guessing the big lump of tree cancer wasn't in their Rolodex of landmarks.

I will try to find some leafy filler to go around it tomorrow, and snap some pics if it works out. I did look around for a nice red cedar in the area, but nothing big enough for a stand.

More to come.