Tree Stand or Blind Advice

[jpo183]

Here is the background

I have a stand up in a nice deer highway. I have seen 3 deer each time I have hunted.

The first time I did not dress properly and was shivering so hard the deer laughed at me and walked away. It was a bad angle so I was not able to get a shot anyway. I moved the stand to get a better shooting area.

Yesterday I did a afternoon/night hunt and the deer came from the side of me. I did not even see them, all I heard was a snort and they turned and hoped away. I know I was not moving.

My stand is about 18 feet up (I relocated it to be higher). The terrain is odd in that it has many "peaks and valleys" where the deer come from. This means that where they may come from would be equal height with me in the tree, but when they come down the path they are obviously 18 feet below.

I was able to get a bunch of branches and twigs in front of me to break up my silhouette from one side but completely open from the other. Without wearing a gilli suit there is not much I can do about this.

I do have a ground blind which I could set in the brush and it would look rather natural right now.

So my question is should I continue using the tree stand? Could the deer have seen me and just snorted and ran?

Im tired of getting busted and getting frustrated.

 

[Inigoes]

Scent control, wash your clothes in scent free detergent. Bath yourself with no-scent soap/shampoo. Spray your outerwear hunting clothes with hydrogen peroxide, to kill any bacteria created from sweating. Boots do not wear street shoes. Footwear picks up scent also. DO NOT USE SCENTED ANTI-PERSPIRANT

UV control is a maybe. Standard laundry detergents have UV brighteners in them. Deer see into this light spectrum. UV-killer by antco is available. SPF70 works also but sunscreen smells.

Another cheap alternative is get some camo burlap from walmart ($15-20) and skirt your treestand. You might be moving to much, and/or help hide your sillohette.

SOUNDS: remove anything that makes a sound, that includes the ticking of a watch. Set your phone to silent, not even vibrate.

If you use a ground blind, you will still need to be concerned with scent and noise control. Get a comfy blind chair while you are at it. I would suggest the "Speed blind" because it only takes a minute to setup up, and easily moves around. In the rifle and muzzleloader season, 250 sq inches of blaze orange will need to adorn the blind.

 

[Sticky]

Deer are masters (especially older deer) at picking out hunters. Remember.. you just plopped down in their living room, which they know like the back of their hand.

Movement (even blinking your eyes can give you away), scent is paramount.. scent free everything (soap, shampoo, deoderant, scent killer on your gear, pack, boots, etc... ). They can smell a strange smell like a shark can detect a drop of blood in a million gallons of water. Always hunt the wind. Rarely will you bust a deer upwind, almost always downwind cause they scented you.

I don't wear my hunting clothing off the farm. I dress when I get out of my vehicle, including socks and boots, all goes away before I load up and head out.

Anything out of the ordinary in their environment will alert them and raise their awareness. I use stands and blinds both with great success, but you have to learn how to escape their senses, which can be very, very keen... lol

 

[mark71211]

Again scent control is a big part. You got to watch which way the wind is blowing so that your scent is not carried towards the way from which the deer are traveling from. I wash all of my hunting cloth in scent free detergent then hang them outside to dry. Then once they are dry I pack them in there own container. Then for footwear I wear lacrosse calf high camo rubber boots. Rubber is scent free while leather will won't. As for tree stand or ground blind, that's up to you. I will say that in a ground blind you can get away with moving around more.

 

[Blackstar65]

Why hasn't someone opened a guide school to teach this stuff?

 

[LeadSled1]

Did the ones yesterday cross the path you walked in on? That may be part of the issue also.

 

[danb]

Do you have camo netting to go around the tree stand, to break up your movements (something like this: http://www.gandermountain.com/modpe...ies-Leaf-Blind-Mossy-Oak-Xtra-Camo&i=728390)?

As mentioned, scent control is key.

Also it sounds like the stand is positioned wrong relative to how the deer are traveling, and the wind. The tree the stand is against should be nice and wide, and not shake when you move. The ideal position is for the deer to come from behind you. For some reason they rarely look back. Deer coming from the side or even worse, head on, often will bust you. On the other hand, if the stand is well positioned and you are super still the deer will grow comfy. I've been surrounded by 7 deer, then when they relaxed I was able to take a shot.

 

[wilcam47]

Deer are masters (especially older deer) at picking out hunters. Remember.. you just plopped down in their living room, which they know like the back of their hand.

Movement (even blinking your eyes can give you away), scent is paramount.. scent free everything (soap, shampoo, deoderant, scent killer on your gear, pack, boots, etc... ). They can smell a strange smell like a shark can detect a drop of blood in a million gallons of water. Always hunt the wind. Rarely will you bust a deer upwind, almost always downwind cause they scented you.

I don't wear my hunting clothing off the farm. I dress when I get out of my vehicle, including socks and boots, all goes away before I load up and head out.

Anything out of the ordinary in their environment will alert them and raise their awareness. I use stands and blinds both with great success, but you have to learn how to escape their senses, which can be very, very keen... lol

movement and sound also will alert a deer especially if its a new sound...that to them typically is predator alert.

 

[jpo183]

Do you have camo netting to go around the tree stand, to break up your movements (something like this: http://www.gandermountain.com/modpe...ies-Leaf-Blind-Mossy-Oak-Xtra-Camo&i=728390)?

As mentioned, scent control is key.

Also it sounds like the stand is positioned wrong relative to how the deer are traveling, and the wind. The tree the stand is against should be nice and wide, and not shake when you move. The ideal position is for the deer to come from behind you. For some reason they rarely look back. Deer coming from the side or even worse, head on, often will bust you. On the other hand, if the stand is well positioned and you are super still the deer will grow comfy. I've been surrounded by 7 deer, then when they relaxed I was able to take a shot.

I think this may be the issue. The way it faces. It is faced to be LOOKING at the entire path horizontally. So if the deer come from either side they are looking at the side of the stand. Does that make sense?

If this is the case...ee crap..I don't really want to relocate it again...might just throw up the ground blind.

I blame this on my tree stand "guru" who come to find out never has set one up LOL.

How do you wrap the stand if there is no "cage" around it?

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

As others have pointed out, there are many things that bear on what's best. Ive successfully used both. Among the many good insights offered, I didn't see...put it out early...weeks ahead of the season. Let them get used to it.

Location, location, location. Scent and noise control paramount as indicated. Ground blinds better on the edge of cover. Tree stands better in thick stuff or where deer trails cross or branch. Consider their path and direction of travel...are you where you can see their comings and goings? Are you positioned near their beds? Are you positioned near their food source? Have you put out corn or a salt/mineral block? Remember, their comings and goings ...especially their "escape" routes, need to be known. When you pattern them (btw, those patterns change before, during and after the rut), you can sit on an orange 5gallon bucket or folding metal chair and smoke a damn cigarette and be successful. The more you know, the more you know. Read. Ask...like now. Watch folks who are successful. Knowledge, hard work and sometimes a lil luck will put venison in your freezer. No substitute for experience IMO.

I can wish you luck.

 

[wilcam47]

I think this may be the issue. The way it faces. It is faced to be LOOKING at the entire path horizontally. So if the deer come from either side they are looking at the side of the stand. Does that make sense?

If this is the case...ee crap..I don't really want to relocate it again...might just throw up the ground blind.

I blame this on my tree stand "guru" who come to find out never has set one up LOL.

How do you wrap the stand if there is no "cage" around it?

if you dont have a rail get one of these...and drape the camo netting around the edge. If you move even a little bit a deer will pick up on that quickly. This helps break up or cover a lot of your movement.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/guide-gear-universal-padded-shooting-rail?a=674576

 

[danb]

if you dont have a rail get one of these...and drape the camo netting around the edge. If you move even a little bit a deer will pick up on that quickly. This helps break up or cover a lot of your movement.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/guide-gear-universal-padded-shooting-rail?a=674576

If they are coming from the side, get a rail and netting, and that should cut down getting busted.

If it's private land, you can also throw some corn down to entice the deer to move one way or another.

My opinion btw is that you'll get busted much more in a ground blind than a stand. In the winter, heat (and your scent) tends to rise, not get wafted all over the ground.

 

[itsslow98]

Another thing worth noting is if you are hunting primarily evenings......have the sun directly at your back if possible compared to where they are coming from. Deer obviously would have trouble seeing you if they are looking into the sun.

You also may need to be conscience about your movements in the stand. They may be spotting you looking around long before you ever know they are there. Face which way they are coming the best you can so that you arent turning around or making big movements to look around.

 

[jpo183]

Just an update. I went out this morning and had a great hunt.

After reading a lot of what you guys said and some other forums I decided my stand was setup incorrectly, so I switched to my ground blind.

I did NOT get busted this time. I made sure I sprayed down extra long with the scent stuff. I also used buck bomb, the doe estrogen. I think that helped a ton, it created a barrier.

After I got setup and sat down I heard a buck grunting and chasing a doe through the woods. It was like 530 and I couldnt see anything but it was wild to hear.

A deer came by that I could have actually shot but I let it pass. It was on the edge of my range 30-35 yards and I was uncertain if I could get it in a vital spot. Since it was toward the beginning of the hunt I decided to wait.

A second deer appeared but it was too far out. The great thing though was I did not get busted. Very excited about that.

I moved my blind to a better position afterwards and plan to hunt this morning. I setup the blind originally in a spot from memory which I thought might be good. It wasnt bad but now I have it in a better spot.

Excited.

 

[wilcam47]

Just an update. I went out this morning and had a great hunt.

After reading a lot of what you guys said and some other forums I decided my stand was setup incorrectly, so I switched to my ground blind.

I did NOT get busted this time. I made sure I sprayed down extra long with the scent stuff. I also used buck bomb, the doe estrogen. I think that helped a ton, it created a barrier.

After I got setup and sat down I heard a buck grunting and chasing a doe through the woods. It was like 530 and I couldnt see anything but it was wild to hear.

A deer came by that I could have actually shot but I let it pass. It was on the edge of my range 30-35 yards and I was uncertain if I could get it in a vital spot. Since it was toward the beginning of the hunt I decided to wait.

A second deer appeared but it was too far out. The great thing though was I did not get busted. Very excited about that.

I moved my blind to a better position afterwards and plan to hunt this morning. I setup the blind originally in a spot from memory which I thought might be good. It wasnt bad but now I have it in a better spot.

Excited.

I spray the bottom of my boots with the buck bomb stuff when walking in...it helps as a cover scent and deer think its just another deer in their area, not a human.

 

[MikeTF]

I skimmed the postings quickly. One word of advice that did not pop out: which direction is the wind blowing? Old timers never worried about how they smelled. Hunting camps were notorious for foul body odors. Hunt down wind from where the deer travel, in addition to all of the scent remediation that you are doing.

Another thing to consider: how early do you get into the woods and set up? 30 minutes doesn't cut it. Many like to get into the woods and set up in their stand/blind a minimum of 1 hour before prime time. Seasoned hunters prefer 2 hours. If sunrise is at 7am, you're in your stand/blind by 5am.

One last thought: pick the location first. The location will determine if a blind or a tree stand is used. I've had equal success in both. I actually prefer the blind, especially if my daughter wants to join me for hunting. You can put a heater in it and live like a king in addition to sharing the experience with someone.

 

[wilcam47]

I skimmed the postings quickly. One word of advice that did not pop out: which direction is the wind blowing? Old timers never worried about how they smelled. Hunting camps were notorious for foul body odors. Hunt down wind from where the deer travel, in addition to all of the scent remediation that you are doing.

Another thing to consider: how early do you get into the woods and set up? 30 minutes doesn't cut it. Many like to get into the woods and set up in their stand/blind a minimum of 1 hour before prime time. Seasoned hunters prefer 2 hours. If sunrise is at 7am, you're in your stand/blind by 5am.

One last thought: pick the location first. The location will determine if a blind or a tree stand is used. I've had equal success in both. I actually prefer the blind, especially if my daughter wants to join me for hunting. You can put a heater in it and live like a king in addition to sharing the experience with someone.

yep same goes with evening hunts for me...I like to get there 1:30to 2hours before last shooting light. Sometimes Ive been fortunate and get in the stand and only sit for a few minutes and deer start coming in!

 

[jpo183]

I get in my hunting station 1 hr prior to sunrise at a min. For example I was in the blind at 530ish, sunrise was 650ish.

Sunset is 455 so Ill leave work today around 130 to be in at 2ish

 

[Speed3]

I get in my hunting station 1 hr prior to sunrise at a min. For example I was in the blind at 530ish, sunrise was 650ish.

Sunset is 455 so Ill leave work today around 130 to be in at 2ish

good luck....great time to be in the woods!

 

[wilcam47]

I get in my hunting station 1 hr prior to sunrise at a min. For example I was in the blind at 530ish, sunrise was 650ish.

Sunset is 455 so Ill leave work today around 130 to be in at 2ish