Newbie - Treestand placement

[Chavez]

Hi All,  I will be setting up my first treestands and am curious on which direction to face them.  I know to play the wind and have cover in behind etc, but I am wondering what direction you want to face in relation to the direction you expect the deer to come from.

Sorry if this is a basic question.  I hunt on my own.  Thanks for your help.

[ChuckC]

Well, let's think out loud.  If you can shoot while seated, having the stand face so you CAN shoot where you expect the deer to walk is a good thing.  If you must stand, that premise is a little less a problem.  If you have good cover, hiding is not a factor, but if not, having the stand such that you are somewhat behind the tree and hidden might be a good thing.  Sometimes the tree dictates how and where you get to place the stand. .,  ie if it is leaning or if there are multi trunks and no room on one side.

If you are hunting them in the morning, the sun comes up in the east (ish).  Looking at the sun as it comes up and with a deer in between makes it hard to aim and see.  Same with west(ish) in the evening.

If you are hunting near a field edge, a treestand right on the edge means everything gets to see you from the field.

If you are hunting elevation changes ( valleys, ridges, hill sides) air movement is touchy and the deer may just be right there looking you eye to eye even though you are 20 feet up a tree.

Lots of things to consider.
ChuckC

[dnurk]

SO many different concepts go into treestand placement but I will specifically answer your question.

When I locate the tree I want to be in I try to put the most likely shooting lanes between 9 o'clock and noon if you imagine the treestand is at the center of a clock face.   This is for right handed archers.

It is very easy to rotate to your left (9 o'clock) position and get a shot and should be pretty easy to shoot all the way to straight in front of you (noon.)     Shooting to the right becomes more difficult and requires more movement/standing up, etc.  

One other tip:  you don't have to get super high...you just need cover.   I'd rather hunt at 10 feet with good cover behind me in in my tree to break up my outline than I would be 30 feet up on a virtual telephone poll type tree.

Good luck and ask lots more questions.

[Tajue17]

in a perfect world I'd love the deer to come from behind the tree my stand is strapped to then by the left side about 12-15yds away, I'm right handed so that would be my perfect shot and as long as the deer doesn't see me move before it gets in my shot window it should be a done deal but sometimes they do see something even though im branched in and hardly move,,, I avoid wearing baseball hats with visors I do think the visor gave me away when I turned my head many times because since going back to a beanie or knit hat that doesn't show much movement I have more deer coming by me.

as far as stand height I like 12' max but sometimes I'm only 8' high it ALL depends on the cover I look for an oak with a 8' to 12' young Pine (early season any small tree small with leaves) growing right next to it and I set the stand to face into the pine,, then I trim just enough of the pine branches to get a shot off its just like shooting thru a natural blind, I don't like too steep of an angle at all, unless I'm after coyote or turkeys from the tree then I go as high as possible.

theres alot of advice but one more thing people forget to mention is when you find your tree look up the tree and see where its leaning, set your stand to match the lean like a recliner its more confortable.

avoid pine trees if you have to trim branches because they get sticky where trimmed and that sap gets everywhere, look for a nice straight oak.

avoid birch and any trees that look dead they can fall, theres a guy here in mass that died from that.

also this might be extreme but on my climber I actually take a file and sharpen the teeth some so they stick into the tree more, but I use it until Jan 30th when it can be down to 10 below here so the trees can be frozen with snow on them before that I had one slip a little once and thats something you won't want to feel a 2nd time. .

[Chavez]

Thank you very much for the tips!  Great stuff.

[59Alaskan]

I first consider cover.  You need back cover to hide you.  I really like multi-trunk trees where I turn the stand "in" between the trunks.  

Then I consider the fact I am left handed and which way do I expect/hope the deer to come in from and where do I expect the shot.

Then I consider the fact deer never appear from where you expect/hope and I work to have shots in a a few directions.  

I also believe higher can be better.  That's all personal preference.  Once you're over about 12' the injury risk isn't much different from 15' to 25'....you're still falling a long way if you make some mistakes.  I have had deer almost right under me at 10' and I have been spotted at 20'....cover, cover, cover...

Also consider your path in.  If at all possible, don't cross the trail you're hunting on the way to the stand, and consider prevailing winds from your trail in....I know winds are flukey but if you're setting a stand up for a specific wind direction then consider that also on the pathway in to it.

[FoCoBlackWidow]

I personally don't like to set up facing away from where the deer come from. You get a bit more cover that way, but if you're staying still and playing the wind, I prefer the visibility (especially in heavier cover where the deer seem to "surprise" you at times). As a lefty, having the main runway off of the right side of the tree is ideal but you can't always make that work with wind, etc. Finally, don't underestimate the sun in your face in the morning/evening. It makes it hard for you to see them and much, much easier for them to see you if you're in direct sunlight.

[reddogge]

I like to get on the backside of the tree so I'm turned sideways with the tree blocking my body if the intended path is for the deer to pass by the tree.

[Fisher Cat]

I’m not a great hunter, but I’ve paid attention to what worked and what didn’t.  Here’s what I’ve learned.  In general, it’s all good information.  Apparently (from this thread) there are many variables to consider when determining where to place a stand; Some I've never even thought of.  If you consider all of them, you will likely never find a place. Therefore, you must PRIORITIZE...    

#1.  The bottom line when selecting real estate is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!  You need to be where deer travel during daylight and they travel to meet their needs:

-Bedding (usually, they bed high or in thick cover, during the day)

-Water (usually found low). When they get out of bed in the late afternoon, the first thing they want is a snack and a drink.

-Food (they usually feed between bed and water, if possible) different trees producing or different crops in a field may vary things here, but the distances often aren’t that far.  You need to scout for current sign.

-Later in the year (rifle season), bucks will also travel to monitor does and rut (focus on where the does are and travel.

-They will also travel to escape danger (hopefully not you).  Use the wind to your advantage when choosing and approaching a stand. Under pressure, take into account where other hunters might travel and make sure you get to your stand before they do so.

Generally speaking (if undisturbed), in late afternoon/early evening, they will travel from their bed on a ridge to their water source, feeding on the way.  It's not just human nature to be lazy, its nature period.  That's why they follow the path of least resistance when travelling between their "needs." Focus on saddles, trails, dry water crossings etc.  Avoid the really steep and difficult, while focusing on the easier routes through that type of terrain (funnels).  Trails will run down along ridges and also along obstacles (like water).  Trail crossings increase your odds of seeing deer. Edges are great places too, but not ON the edge, rather 30 to 100 yards into heavier cover from them (generally speaking).

The best advice I ever read was in “Be the Arrow” by Byron Ferguson.  It probably originated from Jerry Simmons’s addition to the same book.  He said to place your stand above the lowest branch of the tree.  Deer seem to quit looking after the lowest branch and it provides cover.  Of course, this precludes the use of climbers, so I generally tried to emplace several fixed tree stands in good areas before the season opened.  Doing so also allows you to trim limbs from your tree and cut “shooting lanes” as needed without disturbing things much during the season.  

Personally, I never liked having my back to an approach.  Mainly because of poor hearing, but also to negate the desire to look before the deer comes into view.  This reduces movement.  You really want the deer broadside, so, allowing for lower branch locations, set your stand facing that way and try to be downwind of the anticipated route or so close, you scent will travel over them.  

The main thing is to see deer from your stand.  Once you see where they travel regularly, you should adjust your stand location accordingly.  Your mileage may vary.  Good luck and keep us posted! - John

[kshunter55]

I face my stands towards the trail or area i'm wanting to shoot for the most part.  Ive had to much trouble with longbow limbs and clearance to put them on the opposite side of the tree.  Sit in the stand and imagine where the deer will be coming from before you cut any brush.  Cut carefully and only take out what you have to to get the arrow there.  If you plan on hunting a stand throughout the year remember the leaves will fall.  Don't set yourself up to look like a black bear on a telephone pole! haha

Take your bow with you and make sure you have clearance when you draw and shoot to all the spots you want.  Do it standing and sitting cause you never know what you will be doing when big louie shows up.  Just use your common sense and when you make a mistake just smile and enjoy it.  It's all part of the process!

[old_goat2]

If you can swing a decoy, I find that is a huge enabler to being able to get away with murder moving in the stand as long as the deer can actually see the decoy before you move, otherwise you better have good cover or do your maneuvering when the deer can't see you. Where I hunt, it's giant mature Cottonwoods and its extremely difficult, actually virtually impossible to get much concealment. Decoys do not work for does though. Didn't really answer your question but makes stand placement less critical. Once the rut is over and decoys basically stop working then having the stand situated correctly and in the correct location become way more important. Also if the deer aren't coming by the stand, move it! I use the Montana Decoys.

[Sam McMichael]

Due to the shape and topography of my property, several of my stands face east, which is a problem for me since I hunt mostly in the morning. However, I slightly angle them so that I will have the deer (usually) cross through my shooting area so I am not looking directly into the sun. It still is a challenge, though.

[buckeye_hunter]

If I know for certain exactly what trail the deer are using, then I will set up on the tree about 5 to 10 yards away and put my stand on the opposite side facing away from the trail they use. Then, I shoot at the deer from behind the tree.