How many times do you hunt out of the same stand on a single property? Or multiple stands on same property? Ive got one property I plan to hunt hard this season. Lots of does and great bucks. I've got 2 different stand locations roughly 150yds apart, one on the outer edge of crop field, the other is in the center of the woods. I try to alternate sits between the two and play the wind the best I can. Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk
All depends on how big the property is, how easy it is to hunt/access, how many other spots I have to hunt, and how many times the conditions are right. Personally speaking, if I've got a good spot that affords me the ability to get in and out easily without disturbing much, I'll hunt the crap out of it.
I'll merely say, sometimes none is the best decision on what stand to pick. As Justin stated, vastly too many variables and property specific items one would need to know to even begin to speculate on a specific amount or type. I know some stand locations I could hunt 100 times if conditions and such are right...and NONE if they aren't.
100 acre property, 25 acres wooded. I slip in across a bean field from the north. The deer always bed south of the property and make their way up as the day goes on. I have yet to bump any while walking in, I have had to spook deer out of the field in the dark on my way back to the truck. Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk
Also depends on what your goals are... When I first started hunting I really didn't know I was "over-hunting" stands but I didn't really care either. I only had 2 stands and 1 property to hunt and I was going to be in a deer stand morning and evening rain, wind, snow it didn't matter. I really just wanted to be in the woods to watch and learn as much as anything else. Even if I had that kind of time today (I don't) - I wouldn't hunt that way. My goal this season is to hunt and hopefully kill a mature 150"+ deer and I can't hunt my best stuff that hard if I want that to become a possibility. Sure I could go in and hunt my best stand where I know a few deer of that quality hang out every hunt and maybe get lucky... But the odds are - I am going to do more harm than good. Posters above mentioned entry and exit = how much "damage" you are doing. That can't be discounted. But if you've got one stand that is better than another stand for whatever reason - why hunt the better stand with a marginal wind if you don't have to? I've got certain stands that I simply will not hunt with a rare east wind. Even SE or NE wind - don't hunt it. If the wind is right, you've got a good entry exit strategy and your scent control is solid - you can get away with "over-hunting" a stand.
Walk a longer route to go back to the truck without spooking deer. Or, park somewhere else and have a longer walk in but a walk out without spooking the deer. Spooking deer with access routes will run the future hunts as much as hunting a stand with the wrong wind.
I have a ton of land to hunt. 7000 acres. So I rarely hunt the same stand twice in a season, unless it's very productive and other places are not. So I don't have that issue. But I do deal with hound dogs "running foxes and yotes" during bow season...notice the quotations....it's an on going thing...I love to hear hounds run and hunt with them as well, just not during my bow season!
