Another new guy, stupid hunting type question, ignore if you're tired of me lol

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MilsurpShooter

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Been doing research, websites, a few guys i've met at the range, guy down the street from me who is an avid hunter. They all seem to continously come back to one method, and that is Tree stands.

I'd like to know why everyone has a prefference for them rather then walking around the woods, finding a nice comfy spot, and putting your back to the tree?

I can understand the increased range visually and the better trajectories, but are the guys who don't use tree stands in decline?

:scrutiny:
 
That's not a dumb question at all. Where I whitetail hunt in Missouri, we all use permanent stands because the timber and field edges are extremely dense. The height provides very much needed extra vision. I'm not too wild about heights either, but I solved that problem by building my stands with all four sides closed in. In open timber areas where the dense cover isn't a problem, sitting on the ground can be just as effective.
 
Count me in as one of the treestand hunters. While I like to spot and stalk, I am primarily a bow hunter and being up in a tree gives me additional advantages over being on the ground. One of the biggest advantages is scent control. I've found that deer are less likely to be able to pick up your scent when you are 20 feet up in the air. The other big advantage is deer generally don't look up in the trees for their predators so you can sometimes get away with movement that you would never be able to get away with if you are on the ground. And remember to wear a full body harness any time you are in a treestand.
 
Yes with bow hunting I could see how that would be a great advantages because of the distance you have to be and the amount of movement you have to make. Hopefully one day i'll e good enough to try a bow, after I have the basics down that is lol
 
I've hunted from tree stands, but I get bored just sitting and waiting.

My preference is open country and walking hunting. Work upwind or crosswind toward where Bambi oughta be bedded down, kick him out of bed and if you figure he's worth shooting, do it. "Real" bucks tend to bed down on the downwind side of a crest, down just far enough so they won't be sky-lighted. When spooked, they'll head upwind and uphill, usually crossing the ridge through a saddle. Plan accordingly; eat well.

I also like what's called "still hunting": Ease along slowly, taking one or two steps and doing a lot of looking and repeat until you see Bambi before he sees you. I've been known to refer to this as "sneaky-snaking"...

Just sitting on a hillside in rolling country is good. I go out about 3PM and find something to lean back against--and usually I doze off. I'm amazed at how often "something" awakens me and Lo! and Behold! There's Bambi!

Regardless, terrain, vegetation and weather are the controls on what works best...

:), Art
 
What I can't figure out is why you *sit* in a *stand*, and *walk* when *still* hunting.

(I guess it's like parking in a driveway and driving in a parkway.)

Anyway, I'd prefer to be out & about (I fall asleep pretty easily in a stand), but the places I've hunted have pretty much glued people to their stands so no one shoots someone else.
 
there aren't many trees here, so i don't use 'em.
in the black hills (dense forest), i much prefer to not be in a stand. i like the mobility. i don't even use a stand for bowhunting...

i've tried 'em before, but much prefer to be on the ground.
 
I also have a fear of hieghts, but I feel pretty comfortable in a tree stand, no matter how high. My fear is tempered by the fact that I ALWAYS use a safety strap. A type of a security blanket, I guess.
 
no fear of heights here, but I usually hunt alone for Bambi and Bambi's mother, so I just scout the area(s) out all year long and when season opens I just lean up against a tree that gives me a great shooting oportunity over several trails. I also cut shooting lanes throughout the year not to spook the deer the week before season.

I have several places I do this incase some Bubba decides that my spot is nice and he/she didn't have to work for it.

Charby
 
When I start hunting i'll probably first use the sneak hunting method. I have some experience with it, used to hunt humans like that *paintball, just paintball, oww hey put down the police baton of repressment*

I wasn't one of the psychos who ran around and shot, I had a full length ghillie suit and would slowly wander around in the denser areas, find a good spot, sit and wait for awhile, then go out and slowly move to the next area. One day it was 5 on 5, had a nice set up on an outcropping of rocks, overlooked most of the field. all 4 of my team mates were out with just one of them being out. They started prematurely celebrating thinking they won, didn't realise I was 7 feet away from them until they took a count. By then it was too late :evil:

Anyway back to point, only thing I think i'll need to buy is ALOT of orange lol
 
I love 'em. It's not the only method I like, to be sure, but they have their place, depending on the terrain. You get up high, the scent stays up high if you're in the right spot with the right wind currents. This is especially important when bowhunting. Heat rises in the morning when the sun starts coming up, carrying your scent with it. The height also allows you to draw back your bow much much easier without being seen, than if you were on ground level eye to eye with the deer. You can see further. And, I know many will disagree with this, but a LOT of deer do NOT look up for danger. I know some do, but many don't. They're not used to running from something they see in a tree, nearly all of their predators are on the ground with them.

I think some of my most exciting times in the woods have been sitting in a tree stand, overlooking a MONSTER buck scrap, and just imagining the godzilla of a buck that made it walking down the trail under my stand. Every little noise puts you on edge. Now THAT's hunting. Of course, it rarely happens that way though!

Plus, it's much more likely that you'll have a squirrel run down your arm, leg, head, etc, which always adds excitement to the hunt, right? :rolleyes:
 
Have hunted for years, tree stands have some advantages, but have also ground hunted both being still in cover and walking. When health permitted I used a nice comfortable safe portable climbing stand and saw a higher % bucks than any other method. I do think that treestands are overrated and one can be creative and be effective in hunting on the ground.
Good luck
 
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Most any tree stand or portable stand or just sitting on the ground will work for "any old deer". Hope for El Muy Grande will decline if the same location is used every year.

Generally, some sort of stand is good at first light. The elevation helps when you're trying to figure out is it a deer-deer or a cactus-deer or a stump-deer. About a half-hour or so after sun-up, I like to start still-hunting or walking-hunting.

For entertainment, though, sitting on the ground and backed up to a tree lets you see under the brush. That lets you see the smaller critters. You can get into mischief that way: I once lip-squeaked a fox up close enough to tap his nose with the toe of my boot. Talk about hair suddenly sticking out in all directions! He looked like a bottle-brush trying to exit his own fundament, practicing not being there just ASAP. :D

After that little episode, I didn't care if I saw a deer or not...

Art
 
Cool story, Art!

Here's another advantage to hunting. This is a photo I took from a stand in Jack County, Texas last fall (on my first-ever deer hunt). You don't see stuff like this from behind a desk!
 

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I hate heights, but during bow season I'm up in a tree almost each and every day for a month. During gun season, I alternate between putting my back to a tree (if I'm in the hills) and using a treestand. Both methods are effective, but treestands offer many advantages when it comes to out maneuvering a big game animal's eyes and, to a lesser extent, their nose.
 
I'm not a tree stand hunter. However, some of my buddies hunt elk in tree stands. Benefits would include the fact that elk have a hard time looking up and generally don't. You can also avoid being detected from your odor. Personally, for trajectories etc....I prefer to be on the ground so I can step slightly to the left or right or crawl.
 
I don't like tree stands because my empty beer cans make too much noise and scare the deer when I drop them from that height. Bottles are even worse. ;)
 
Tree stands weren't legal for hunting w/ firearms in Michigan when I was starting out (there are now). So I learned to just snuggle up to a tree in a likely place. It worked out real well for me and the rest of the family hunters.

Years later, hunting in Minnesota, it was legal to use a stand and so I got one of those $60 jobbies from Gander Mtn. I found that there, and here in FL, it's legal to use a treestand on public land as long as you take it with you when you, and it's not a permanent piece of work (a portable that is, not a good sturdy wood one you build).

I like it for hunting in cover, when you want a view of trails that's better than you could get sitting down. I'm not an overachiever - I usually hang mine about 8-10 feet up, if that (I still think hanging the things is a pain, esp if you're doing it in the dark at 0530).

If you get a portable, I'd highly recommend practicing with it a couple times before you take it out for Opening Day. The first time you hang one in a tree it's probably going involve some cursing. But you can figure your technique out pretty well just by doing it a couple times in the yard in broad daylight. ALthough your neighbors might start to wonder, it'll decrease the time you take and the noise you make in the field.

Also - I'm a big fan of the safety issue. Although I'm guilty of not always using a line to pull my gear up once I'm in the tree, I always unload before going up. That'd be a crappy way to die.

Also - hint - get a couple extra of those screw-in steps. Once you're in your stand, you can attach one to the tree. Very handy place to hang your Big Bag With Coffee, Water and Snacks (I call it my "hunt'n purse"). :D
 
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