Tree Stand Tips
The general rule of Tree Stand Placement is to locate an area that is likely to attract deer by providing something they need. Your skills will get better the longer you hunt, but here are a few basic guidelines.
1. In an area with a lot of food but little cover, set up downwind of the cover.
2. In an area with a lot of cover but little food, set up downwind of any food source with recent signs of deer activity.
3. If you can't find any of these, look for transition areas. These are areas where one type of vegetation or land gives way to another, for example: Power lines, fencerows, funnels, tree lines, and thickets. Sometimes a so-so place in an area with activity is better than the perfect tree, but no activity.
4. Always wear gloves when climbing to keep your scent off steps of permanent stands.
5. Never leave your temporary stand at the base of a tree overnight. It's will become a scent beacon.
6. When in your stand always pull your tote rope up with you, unless you want a 25-foot scent wick dangling around.
Hunting 18 to 25 feet high allows your scent to travel over the heads of most deer, plus above a deer's normal line of sight, plus at 25 feet to the deer you seem as threatening as a clump of leaves. Remember though the basic fundamentals of hunting still apply.
1. Always stay downwind of where you think the deer will be.
2. A deer can see even the slightest movement that would betray a hunter's presence. Wait until the deer is looking the other way or it's head is behind a tree before raising your weapon.
3. Shadow is your ally when stand hunting. Never set up where the sun is in your face. The north side of a tree will keep you in the trunk's shadow all day. For maximum concealment, trees with multiple trunks or two trees close together are best.
4. Always wear your safety harness from when you climb your stand until you are back on the ground.
Patterning a small piece of ground is a double-edged sword: It's much easier for the buck to pattern you. Hunting pocket bucks requires a soft touch. You must obey the strictest scent control and wind protocol (better to scout a new area, even during the season, than to set up where the wind is sending your scent the wrong way). You must be careful not to over- hunt an area, even when conditions are right. Usually, you can find several small hunting areas and move between them. A good rule of thumb is to hunt an area once or twice a week, but no more.
Hunter's Five-Day Deer Forecast
Weather factor
The forecast into your hunting strategy.
Monday
Partly cloudy with a chance of possible showers
Light rain doesn't dampen deer activity, so you can take a stand. But that rain does quiet the forest floor, making it a great day to still-hunt.
Tuesday
Partly sunny and mild throughout the afternoon; severe thunderstorms moving in toward evening.
Whitetails seem to know when bad weather is coming and often feed heavily before it arrives. Hunt near feeding areas in the afternoon and early evening.
Wednesday
Cold driving rain
throughout the day.
Deer usually head for heavy cover and stay put during severe weather. Stand hunting makes no sense; you can still-hunt or put on a drive, but your best option may be to hit the couch and watch some- thing other than the Weather Channel.
Thursday
Sunny, cool and calm in the morning. Winds becoming gusty in the afternoon.
Great mornings to stand-hunt near a feeding area. After being in their beds for a day, deer will be Moving and Feeding this morning still hunt in the afternoon; gusty winds tend to slow deer activity, but also make it more difficult for them to smell and hear-you.
Friday
Sunny and unseasonably warm Warm weather puts whitetails
down during hunting season; with their winter coats they are too warm to move around. Stand hunting is out, and the woods will be dry and noisy, for still -hunting. Your best bet is a Drive.
As dad always said;
Deer Don't Need the Weather Channel They knows when bad weather is on it's way and heavily feed before it arrives.
