Hanging Stands
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.
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.
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.
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