When does everyone began prepping their stand sites for next year? Usually I am out there in late August/early September, and I've also been known to tear down multiple sets throughout the season and put them up elsewhere. This year I cut down on that with the "run and gun" method, and also by buying more stands. I have 8 stands that I hang on our farm. I have them all down from last year, but I'm thinking about putting them right back up in about a month. This way I have a pretty good idea on what the tree cover may look like next fall, and I won't be disturbing anything before the season starts. Also, last fall I put myself through a lot of stress trying to get everything done in 1 weekend, so it would be nice to just be done with it all months before. For those of you who do put them out early (or leave them out all year), how do the stands and straps on them hold up?
I've let some out for two seasons in spots that I knew I would be stand locations again. I've got all mine pulled right now. I am going to add another two to the group this year. I have alot of basic hang ons, I need to buy two comfortable hang ons (for all day sits). I will likely hang most of my stands in May/June. I am fortuate to live within four wheeler range of my main property so I can hang them anytime. I pretty much know most of the locations. (as long as the farmer sticks to his usual rotation)
I hunt 99% of the time with a climber. I'm doing all my clearing now, through turkey season. After turkey season - we're out of the woods until October.
When I'm finishing food plots I start putting stands up. I like it all done early. Trim a little in mid summer. Then I'm outta there.
we have been talking about starting the process within the next month or so... i think we are gonna just put up all the ladders and then hang the stands up in august or so... im sure we will be making trips every few weeks to get the stands situated in the best spots and cut down some shooting lanes. we plan on being ready to hunt with nothin to do the end of august.i think we are hanging 9 stands this year, and we have a few ladder stands that stay up and a few climbers.
I'll be tending a few stand sites this weekend while I'm looking for sheds, and hope to have some additional sites cleared and prepped before the end of April. I'm sick of doing it when it's 90 degrees out and the bugs are chewing me alive. A good spot is a good spot, and if I need to move elsewhere or scout some new sign I'll keep a few stands on hand for that, but I hope to have most of them ready to go before summertime rolls around.
In the past, I have waited until about a month before our bow season starts. I hunt out of ladder stands, and out of the 6 that I have, at least half of them have been in hte same spot for years, and I would move the other ones right befor the season starts. But this year, as soon as the snow is gone, I will be going out and taking most of them down, working on some of them, and just moving some.
The past two seasons, I have had them out by June. I hope (big emphasis on hope here) to have mine up by May this year. Do a little trimming later in the summer if necessary.
Well, right now it's up in the air if they're even going to allow us to hunt on the public land we've been hunting in the past. If they do, we may or may not need to put in our 40 hours of volunteer time again. In the past, once you get your 40 hours done, you can hang 1 treestand. There's no trimming of shooting lanes or anything like that allowed so really.... there's not a lot to do before season arrives.
