At the risk of sounding a little strange I
will tell you that I like to put my stand on
the opposite side of the tree from where
the deer are coming from. Yes, like to
play cat and mouse with my tree and the
deer. This creates a good barrier
between the deer and me. I haven’t been
burnt yet with this strategy. If I can get up
high enough this is not as important. I do
try and elevate my stand about 15-20 feet
to the base of my stand. I am not real
fond of heights so it has been a struggle
to get to this point. If you are like me I
would suggest slowly raising your
stands a little every year, only use your
safest most comfortable stands to do
this, and be comfortable with a safety
harness.
Time to Shoot
Trim some branches. I like to hang
stands as early as possible for this
reason. I don’t want Mr. Big to walk
through a week before season and all of
a sudden his community has undergone
a makeover. I think he may decide to
redirect his route after that. The later I
hang a stand the less brushing I do. I
sometimes like to bring a partner with so
that once I am in my stand he or she can
walk the deer trails and you can pick out
your shots. Remember a deer’s vitals are
about waste high on a person. If you are
by yourself I walk the trails hunched over
so my eyes are at the level of a deer’s
vitals. I look up to about where I would
be shooting from and find my openings
this way. Only clear out a few lanes leave
enough brush before and after so you
can get your bow drawn back without
getting busted. It is also a good idea to
have a couple lanes per trail in case they
zip through your first one before your
ready.
On the Way Out
We usually like to clear a little trail for a
quiet in and out from your stand. I don’t
believe in blazing a big trail and changing
the woods, just enough of a trail to get in
quietly. I will also break small trees at
about knee high this way I can follow this
type of a trail in the dark with a light
pointed down instead of flashing all over
the woods. These are some of my stand
hanging strategies I will get into more
detail about my individual setups as I
journal throughout the season. Good
Luck and be careful.
will tell you that I like to put my stand on
the opposite side of the tree from where
the deer are coming from. Yes, like to
play cat and mouse with my tree and the
deer. This creates a good barrier
between the deer and me. I haven’t been
burnt yet with this strategy. If I can get up
high enough this is not as important. I do
try and elevate my stand about 15-20 feet
to the base of my stand. I am not real
fond of heights so it has been a struggle
to get to this point. If you are like me I
would suggest slowly raising your
stands a little every year, only use your
safest most comfortable stands to do
this, and be comfortable with a safety
harness.
Time to Shoot
Trim some branches. I like to hang
stands as early as possible for this
reason. I don’t want Mr. Big to walk
through a week before season and all of
a sudden his community has undergone
a makeover. I think he may decide to
redirect his route after that. The later I
hang a stand the less brushing I do. I
sometimes like to bring a partner with so
that once I am in my stand he or she can
walk the deer trails and you can pick out
your shots. Remember a deer’s vitals are
about waste high on a person. If you are
by yourself I walk the trails hunched over
so my eyes are at the level of a deer’s
vitals. I look up to about where I would
be shooting from and find my openings
this way. Only clear out a few lanes leave
enough brush before and after so you
can get your bow drawn back without
getting busted. It is also a good idea to
have a couple lanes per trail in case they
zip through your first one before your
ready.
On the Way Out
We usually like to clear a little trail for a
quiet in and out from your stand. I don’t
believe in blazing a big trail and changing
the woods, just enough of a trail to get in
quietly. I will also break small trees at
about knee high this way I can follow this
type of a trail in the dark with a light
pointed down instead of flashing all over
the woods. These are some of my stand
hanging strategies I will get into more
detail about my individual setups as I
journal throughout the season. Good
Luck and be careful.
As I write my columns I like to write about
things that are fresh in my mind. Since I put
up several stands this past weekend I
figured that is what I could discuss. I am
very particular about each set up and here
are a few points that I like mention.
What kind of stands do I use?
I have been bow hunting for 20 years now.
Over the past 20 years I have accumulated
many portable stands. I go with portables
because I firmly believe the less hardware in
the woods the better. My stands are mostly
small platform stands. I own several
homemade stands that my uncle made for
me. These are big and heavy and attach
with a chain. Just about everything you don’
t want in a portable. These stands are hard
to carry in and put up but once they are in
they work just fine. And the best part is that
they were free. I try to put these stands in a
place where I know I may leave them for a
couple years or so. Gorilla makes my
favorite stands. I try to pick up about one of
these every year usually after the season
when things go on sale. I also have a
couple Rivers Edge stands that have a big
platform. The last stand I will mention is a
tiny API that weighs about 4 pounds. I love
this stand because I can carry it in and set
up without a noise or a struggle. I do not
own a ladder stand or a climber. There is a
lot of hardware in these stands.
What do I bring with?
As I leave my truck I make sure the stand is
on my back. If you don’t have straps just
simply tie a rope from one corner of the
base of the stand to the opposite corner and
throw it over one shoulder. My hip pack has
my screw in steps and orange marking
tape. I have a little hand held saw on my belt
along with a hatchet in a hammer holster. If
it is close to season opener I will wear my
rubber boots.
The Right Tree
Boy do I struggle with this one. Many times I
walk into the woods, find my area, then
scratch my head for about 30 minutes. I
often hope nobody is videotaping me. So
many things to consider when picking out
the perfect tree. I will typically look for a
really good deer trail and find where another
secondary trail meets it. I like this because
in my 20 years of bowhunting I can honestly
say that I can only recall one big buck come
in on a well-used trail. I feel the secondary
trails are your big buck roads will do is
cruise the secondary trails that parallel the
good trails and scent check his scrapes
during the pre rut.
things that are fresh in my mind. Since I put
up several stands this past weekend I
figured that is what I could discuss. I am
very particular about each set up and here
are a few points that I like mention.
What kind of stands do I use?
I have been bow hunting for 20 years now.
Over the past 20 years I have accumulated
many portable stands. I go with portables
because I firmly believe the less hardware in
the woods the better. My stands are mostly
small platform stands. I own several
homemade stands that my uncle made for
me. These are big and heavy and attach
with a chain. Just about everything you don’
t want in a portable. These stands are hard
to carry in and put up but once they are in
they work just fine. And the best part is that
they were free. I try to put these stands in a
place where I know I may leave them for a
couple years or so. Gorilla makes my
favorite stands. I try to pick up about one of
these every year usually after the season
when things go on sale. I also have a
couple Rivers Edge stands that have a big
platform. The last stand I will mention is a
tiny API that weighs about 4 pounds. I love
this stand because I can carry it in and set
up without a noise or a struggle. I do not
own a ladder stand or a climber. There is a
lot of hardware in these stands.
What do I bring with?
As I leave my truck I make sure the stand is
on my back. If you don’t have straps just
simply tie a rope from one corner of the
base of the stand to the opposite corner and
throw it over one shoulder. My hip pack has
my screw in steps and orange marking
tape. I have a little hand held saw on my belt
along with a hatchet in a hammer holster. If
it is close to season opener I will wear my
rubber boots.
The Right Tree
Boy do I struggle with this one. Many times I
walk into the woods, find my area, then
scratch my head for about 30 minutes. I
often hope nobody is videotaping me. So
many things to consider when picking out
the perfect tree. I will typically look for a
really good deer trail and find where another
secondary trail meets it. I like this because
in my 20 years of bowhunting I can honestly
say that I can only recall one big buck come
in on a well-used trail. I feel the secondary
trails are your big buck roads will do is
cruise the secondary trails that parallel the
good trails and scent check his scrapes
during the pre rut.
Hanging Stands
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |