Posted: 11/23/2011 1:50:01 PM EDT
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Do you guys put your stands up the morning you go out or before?
If before, how long before you hunt them? Thanks |
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Where I hunt is restricted to portable stands, so I just try to get into the woods before daylight and get set-up. Of course, I jump deer all of the time walking in there, especially if it is completely dark and I have to use my light just to see how to walk. In my experience, once you get settled in and quiet, the woods will settle back down and wildlife will start doing their normal thing again within 10-20 minutes.
If you got hills, I also try to travel low along the sides of the hills and avoid walking along ridges, so at least the ridge line provides some cover. Animals tend to look toward the direction of sounds, but usually won't spook until they see (or otherwise determine) you're a human. Sometimes even getting down from the tree, the clanking and banging around seems to attract bucks. They must think they hear a couple of bucks fighting off in the distance. I have had bucks show up just as I got down from the tree because I was getting impatient/anxious and wanted to move. If I'd only have stayed in the stand 5 minutes longer, but then again, maybe if I didn't come down and make the noise that attracted them, I wouldn't have seen them anyway. Or maybe it's just bad timing and they were just passing through on the obscure, faint deer trail, you so happened to identify from your years of experience in the woods that told you to put your stand there. Sort of that weird sixth sense, hocus pocus stuff that happens all the time in the woods and on the water. |
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A few more things that I have found helpful.
It's also good (likely crucial) to pay attention to the wind when choosing which stand you want to hunt, or where to place your portable stand and which direction to face it. Deer and anything with a good nose is not going to be approaching you from downwind, unless you are some kind of wizard with scent control (and that might be the case these days with all the scent control products, I don't know). But if you're like me, you might as well not even look in that direction or be upwind of where you think the deer will appear. The only way they might approach from downwind is if they are running from something. It's also good to pick trees that have some leaves, branches and other trees around it to give you some cover and break up your outline, so you're not against the background of the sky. Once you get past 10-12 feet or so, your climbing height should be dicated by a combination of best cover vs. shot openings and when you begin to get dizzy and start hugging the tree for deer life. |
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I think it depends on where you hunt.
If you hunt in places where there is no human scent and deer rarely see people, you should put up stands a month in advance. If you are hunting in places where I hunt where people walk dogs and jog, I have seen deer 10 minutes after a bunch of dogs and people walk by. |
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Quoted:
I think it depends on where you hunt. If you hunt in places where there is no human scent and deer rarely see people, you should put up stands a month in advance. If you are hunting in places where I hunt where people walk dogs and jog, I have seen deer 10 minutes after a bunch of dogs and people walk by. Through my hunting experiences this is the conclusion I've come to also. My old hanging stands are secured to the tree by a chain. I've noticed the stands sold now (I bought one) are using nylon straps. I'm a litle concerned about the strap weathering being left out in the elements for a month. What do you think? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I think it depends on where you hunt. If you hunt in places where there is no human scent and deer rarely see people, you should put up stands a month in advance. If you are hunting in places where I hunt where people walk dogs and jog, I have seen deer 10 minutes after a bunch of dogs and people walk by. Through my hunting experiences this is the conclusion I've come to also. My old hanging stands are secured to the tree by a chain. I've noticed the stands sold now (I bought one) are using nylon straps. I'm a litle concerned about the strap weathering being left out in the elements for a month. What do you think? I've only left stands hung up for a three months with the nylon ratchet straps. No worse for wear(sp?) that I've seen. I cable lock them (Cheap $30 stands) and remove the sticks. Public land varmints, and all that... |
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I got down from my climbing stand Saturday to go pick up a doe I shot and when I came back one my treestand straps was missing. I took them off and dropped them on the ground before I got down. I think a squirrel or a bird took off with it. I looked all over the place for it. Really messed with my head.
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