Just throwing it out there....when you guys are using your climbers, how high do you climb to avoid detection via scent/visual? Will 15 ft work as long as you have a good back stop to cover your outline? How do you use a climber on a relatively steep ridge?
Yes 15 feet will work on flat land with good cover. I like to get around 18 feet up. On a steep ridge you might have to go higher than you like depending on where you think the deer are coming from.
Regardless of what I am using for a treestand, I am anywhere from 20-30 ft up, depending on the tree.
I honestly feel that being 25-30 ft up has never been a disadvantage to my success over the years. I am less likely to be winded, my movements aremuch less critical as I am out of the deers' sight plane, and any noise I make is harder for a deer to hear as I am farther away from the deer than if I was sitting in a 16' ladder stand. I can tell you this much after 30 years of bow hunting, I have been busted many times at 15 ft, but NEVER at 25-30.
I agree with a minmum of 20-25 ft....although last year I was about 20' up and just shot a doe and a fawn came walking from the other direction and I was about to fill a bonus tag and that little bugger pegged me and looked straight up and took off...amazing what their 6th sense does for them!
Depends on the terrain, wind, line of sight for you and the deer and if you scent block well. I always wear scent blocker and go through a scent blocking ritual, so I can get away with being lower and hunting bad wind...but, you cant draw a bow without moving. Now, I dont like to be unnecessarily high, because shot angles can be compromised, but I dont want to be so low that I cant move without being busted. Keep in mind, you dont know which direction a deer is going to come from, so you dont want to get busted moving a little by a deer that snuck in behind you. Not counting hedge rows, where some of my stands are merely 8'off of the ground- I generally hunt between 25 and 40 feet up. Im comfortable at 40' and my shooting ability affords me the option of being high and way out of the line of sight of the deer. This allows me to get away with a little extra movement, coupled with scent blocker- I disappear !! Hunt as high as you're comfortable going. If you're too high and not comfortable, your shooting may suffer from subconcious fear. Cover you back drop, use a VERY open camo pattern, no treebark, ultimate camo, or anything like those, that allow you to be silhouetted.
Can't say I agree with all of that statement. I've been quiet successful with UC from 15 ft ladder stands after all the leaves fall. Treebark?? Seems to work fine for GregH!
It has been my experience that darker patterns, even when in thick trees, get me silhouetted. I've had the best experience with open patterns like Predator, for both early and late season hunts. Maybe its the way in which I hang stands, or, maybe I move a littel too much. Whatever it is, I firmly believe that I better my odds with an open & light patterned camo. No disrespect meant by my statement...Simply stating my experiences.
I am not arguing with you HCH but could you please elaborate on this one for mw a little bit? I have heard people say this statement before and it gets my mind wondering.... If your thermal is going up, it would not matter if you were 3ft or 300ft off the ground as it is blowing up right..? So now if your thermal is blowing out/down wouldnt it just make as much sense as to say the deer may be able to pick you off even further away since it would take that much longer for your scent to come down to ground level?? I am just not getting it, I dont see how anybody can say that there is a difference between being 15ft or 25ft up and having a "less chance" of being winded?? Like I said I am not arguing as you have probably been doing this before I was even born, I am just curious as to if you have any info/data to back your statement up??
You can reach a rather timely conclusion to the "wondering" your mind is doing regarding this particular subject matter- Shower with scent soap, use odorless deodorant, gum-o-flauge and scent blocker....Nuff said. No more scent issues...
Last year I was about 20' up in a GA pine and each time I puffed my scent checker it went almost directly to the ground and spread out...sort of like a mushroom cloud if you will. It was SO VERY humid, I do not care of you were 50' up you can do nothing about that. I usually go no higher than 20' and check thermals as often as I can.
There are many other things to consider but to the original poster I'd say this: Go high enough to gain a sight advantage 10-24' should easily cover 90% of all circumstances. Hunt with the wind in your favor, blowing away from the direction you most suspect deer to travel. Practice good scent control and limit movement. Wear a safety harness and have a blast!
I can smell dinner cooking in the kitchen, the noise of the spatula in the skillet, and see it all happening much easier in the kitchen than 15 ft away in the living room. 15 ft makes a world of difference in my woods and my type of hunting. I NEVER hunt when the wind isn't in my favor. The noise and sight are definitely harder for a deer to catch up higher.
I understand that but I dont understand the concept behind the higher you are the more your scent is hidden?
Can you smell a fart 15 feet away better than you can 25 feet away? At 15 feet away can you not tell where the source of the odor is easier than At 25-30 ft away? It might be only a split 2nd of extra time, and that might be the difference between launching an arrow and making a kill instead watching a white tail raised as the deer snorts and bounds off For those that feel that 25-30 ft is too high, Why? .
Thermals determine where your scent goes, how much you move on stand setermines if you get busted by sight. Height can take you out of their line of sight, but if the thermals suck and are blowing striaght down, or where you think is up wind it does not matter. Hardcore, if you got a fan (Thermal) blowing the scent out the kitchen window and you are in the living room you are not going to know what is on that stove.
