| June 30, 2008 |
| The Art Of Treestand Placement |
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There are those who walk through the woods, look at the trees, and decide here is a great spot for a tree stand. Sometimes they are right, but more often they are dead wrong. The chosen tree may be good for the hunter, but it may be all wrong for stand location. It may offer little or no chance for a sportsman to get a clean shot at a buck. A good tree stand, whether it is manmade in a factory or created by the hunter, must meet several criteria. It must be somewhere downwind and within 20 yards of where two or more active deer trails connect. It must offer some concealment from approaching deer that are out of sight of the hunter. A tree that stand will be placed in must have an open spot where a stand can be easily placed without having to cut big limbs out of the way. It also should offer hunters at least one clear shooting lane without having to trim away limbs. A fifth reason, and this is a personal thing, is I prefer that deer approach me from behind and on my left side. The tree and other limbs or pine boughs should cover most of my body silhouette. A cedar or pine tree in the midst of some ash, maple or oak trees is good. You’ll hear the deer approach from behind through the leaves, and once they pass the stand, they will offer a quartering-away shot. How high is just right? I like most of my stands between 15 and 20 feet high. If you have the right set of circumstances, there may only be one open area for a shot, and it’s up to you to know where the deer travel before establishing the tree stand position. Some hunters act like they are married to a tree stand, but a wise hunter will have three or four stands to cover various wind directions. Get one step ahead of other hunters, and have a stand set up for an east wind. You’ll be able to hunt when others cannot. Pick your sites wisely, and only after watching deer move through an area. You must know the stand location, and how deer utilize it, before the stand is in place. Steer clear of stands along the open edges of fields. Granted, you’ll see more deer this way but may have fewer shots. The deer often move out into a field and be too far away for an accurate shot. Pick spots 100 to 200 yards from an active feeding field, and find where two or more trails merge. Check around, and find a good bushy tree that is downwind, but within easy bow distance. Watch deer travel through the area for several days, and learn which side of the tree the deer will pass, and you’ll have narrowed down the search. I prefer either a permanent stand or a ladder stand. These two, if properly constructed, are very safe. I wouldn’t use a climbing stand at my age, and I want to feel safe and secure in a stand. It has to be anchored securely to the tree, and accessing the stand must be easy. The stand must offer good concealment. I dislike open hardwood trees that lose cover as the leaves fall. The only other alternative is to climb higher, and my preference is to shop around until you find the right area with the perfect tree in the perfect location. Add a stand, and make certain it is securely attached, and stay out of it until the season opens or whenever the wind is perfect. Too many hunters play with fire when choosing stands. A perfect stand must be perfectly placed to work. A poorly positioned stand in the wrong area will ruin more deer hunts than anything else. Pre-season scouting is the key to choosing tree stand sites wisely. Watch key areas, see where deer naturally travel, and don’t forget about having two or three entrance and exit routes to prevent being patterned by deer. Don’t crowd too close to bedding areas, and don’t get too close to the edges of feeding areas. Deer are most comfortable at 100 to 200 yards from the food site. This often offers much thicker cover, and hunters must spend enough time watching an area to know precisely how the deer travel through it. Put time into pre-season scouting, narrow your stand placement area down to the best possible location, place the stand well so deer will come from behind you without being downwind, and choose different ways into and out of the area without having to cross deer trails. Get all of it right, and you’ll be hunting in a hotspot.—The Whitetail Wizard
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