Anyone have ideas for adding some cover to a treestand that's fairly exposed?

[ImARugerFan]

I have a ladder stand in an excellent spot. I've shot buck there in each of the last two seasons that I've sat there during gun season. However, I'd like to use it for bow this year. There are fresh rubs within 15 yards of the stand. The problem is that there are no good trees around that provide even a little bit of cover for the person in the stand. Not that big of a deal during gun season, but when trying to draw on a deer a little bit of cover would certainly be helpful.

These things look cool, but seem quite expensive: http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...911&hvarTarget=search&hvarAID=&cmCat=10005324

Just wondering if anyone here has ever rigged anything up to provide a little bit of cover in a tree stand. I usually like to put stands in pine trees to take advantage of natural cover and just open up a few shooting lanes, but that wasn't a possibility with this stand. This is my first year bow hunting in a while, the only time I've drawn back on a deer he took off immediately. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Rembrandt]

Had a great tree stand along a fence line for years....then neighbor decided to put in a new fence. He agreed to leave my tree & stand but bulldozed everything around it for 50'. Unfortunately the stand stood out like a full moon. Put up metal posts at all four corners of the stand and wrapped camo burlap around to conceal it.....works pretty good. Only thing you can see is the hunters head peeking over the top when sitting. Better gun stand than bow, but works OK.

 

[salthouse]

Depending on where you are located, you can grab some evergreen branches for DIY concealment. It also helps with scent control.

 

[ImARugerFan]

Depending on where you are located, you can grab some evergreen branches for DIY concealment. It also helps with scent control.

Yeah, that's what I'm going to try. Even just a little bit would be helpful to break up my outline.

 

[kmrcstintn]

some walmarts carry Gorilla brand tree stand camoflague covers that have the leafy cutouts for 3D effect...relatively inexpensive @ $10/per section; might be an idea; if you got a shooting rail & side rails, then you zip tie or tape the sheets on

 

[Dr. A]

I had the same problem. Hit several bucks off one stand, but would like opportunity to hide myself more effectively. I merely switched sides the stand was located on the same tree. I shot through an opening between two branches while leaning on my safety belt. It isn't the anwer for everyone, but helped me get my 12 pointer last year. Had no clue I was there, and those branches kept my outline to an absolute minimum.

 

[rcmodel]

You can build a wall out of barn siding in front of it and paint it red if you want to.

As soon as the deer become acustomed to it, they won't even give it a glance.

Ever see the bull hocky stand blinds they use in Texas?

A deer could see one for 5 miles, and they still come in to the feed troughs & salt licks!

My buddy hunts out of an outhouse looking thing, and has had deer walk up and look in the window at him while taking picutres!

rcmodel

 

[janobles14]

they also make an umbrella type thing that fits under your stand. i think they work well.

 

[ColeK]

ImARugerFan, I bought a shooting rail and mounted it low around a round the stand. I then cut some limbs and mounted them with slip ties to the base of the stand and the rail. This works well with lock on, climbers, and open ladder stands. On the ladders tie some limbs. Ladder stands so camo’ed can be hard to find in the dark so you may want to mark them with some engineer’s tape.
If I remember correctly I paid $25 for the rail 9 or 10 years ago.


The Ol’ Man said, “Son, don’t brag to me about the long shot you made! Brag to me about how close you got!”

 

[HGUNHNTR]

The best I have found is the local hobby store. They have all shapes and colors of foliage, and it is much cheaper than what is marketed to hunters.

 

[longdayjake]

wear camo

 

[ArmedBear]

Get the body of an old VW bus. Paint it up with peace signs, flowers, etc., and put a bunch of vegetarian BS bumper stickers all over it.

No way a deer will figure there's a hunter in there.

 

[ilike223s]

when u drive around look for man made xmas trees being tossed out,the limbs make great camo for that stuff,most have the wire in them where you can bend them around the tree stand legs,and dollor store garland,works well too,

 

[Tacbandit]

Ted Nugent hangs Christmas garlands on his...swears by it...never tried it,
myself...Tree stand covers will help...especially if you get it up early. The longer it's up, the more the deer will get used to it. Just do what you can, and use the scent cover...Good luck...(post some pics)

 

[ArmedBear]

I've seen pictures of herds of caribou living next to huge oil rigs as if they're nothing unusual.

I think the common thread here is to leave the stand there for a while and let the deer get used to it.

Animals key on changes to their environment.

You should have seen my hunting dog when I took him outside to take a leak and a road oiling crew had left a small "No Parking Wednesday 6-12" sign on the curb. He circled it, growled at it, then walked away. Next time, he just looked at it. Finally, he just walked on by as if there were nothing unusual.

Now this sign was amid all sorts of brush, different cars that came and went, etc. But he keyed on this specific change to his familiar environment, and avoided it until he decided it wasn't a threat. Then, he treated it just like another familiar sight and paid it no mind.

 

[HunterGirl]

We usually put up some camo print material around the stand. works like a charm.

 

[Rembrandt]

Poles at all 4 corners, camo burlap and zip-ties.