I do not feel that 25' is too high, if your area requires it. But to say you always have to go 30' up is just not true. HCH that is not complety directed at you either. If you feel comfortable at that height then have at it, but 40' was mentioned and I cannot imagine the angle of a deer at 12 yards...one lung at best.
40 ft up..thats crazy...thats really high and shooting angles are minimal...but whatever floats your boat....25 to 30 max for me......if you take the precautions on scent control and being cautious about your moments you should be just fine..
I would like to see the terrain and area that would allow someone to be able to take a shot from 40' up. I guess if you were hunting a pole line with 45' poles you could get up on one of them, but you would need a chainsaw on a 20' pole to trim out an area in the timber that would give you a clear shot from 40' up in a tree. Have fun with that.
I'm calling shenangins on the 40ft post as well, Either that of the poster is a guy who is 18-25 years old and just doesn't know any better.
I am hunting some tight spots this year; setting up for 15 to 20 yard shots, set all of my stands at about 22 feet at the foot level. Using 25 feet worth of stick increments so I have about 3 feet of ladder steps/handles above my foot level to grasp and step onto the stand with. Also the make great hooks for hanging gear.
40 feet.... is not out of the question from some of my 22 foot set ups. I have one set up on the upper side of a deep draw that if a buck were to walk right up the middle of the draw he would be about 40 feet down at 30 yards.. But I hunt some steep country for whitetails, much steeper than most I would assume.
How do I post photos ? I have a picture of a set I hung. I'll show you. The platform is 36' off of the ground. Dont second guess what I say, because I dont BS.
For those of you questioning my post about hunting at 40'- here are a few photos. Stand set in a riverbottom of my families farm. From the platform to the ground is 36'. This stand is hung at this height to facility shooting over a brushy area and across the water- both not viasble in the photo. Also, the tree was not really ideal for hanging. The only other spot to hang was very low to the ground, and I needed this particular tree. Look up top. You'll see a small black spot, thats the stand: http://s324.photobucket.com/albums/k354/Droptine249/?action=view¤t=Riverbottom.jpg
Oh...Than I apologize for getting defensive, sincerely- really !! I kind of explained why. I really wanted to hunt this spot because we knew a good buck was coming from the water, through the thick woods, and entering a really old and abandoned cattle pasture thats burried in the middle of the woods. The problem was, its so insanely wet, the woods are SUPER thick, like full of tiny little saplings, briars, vines and so on. Literally, impossible to hang a stand and even if you could, you wouldnt be able to shoot but about 11".... So, the only tree that offered a shot on the trail the deer use to enter this field, was THIS TREE. You'd have to see the area. It was either hang this tree or dont hunt the area. My buddy eventually smacked the buck from this stand. I ended up taking a doe from it because I wanted to shoot something out of it .....
25 feet is almost too high as far as I am concerned. I know guys who go 35ft. I have just never found the situation/need for it in my woods. Heck, my eyes are getting old anyways.:p
I hunt at a height that allows me the best position visibility-wise. I don't really set limits, although in my areas, I don't find the need to usually go much more than about 26'.
Easy, easy.......I think GMMAT nailed it with his response. Like I said, I would like to see the terrain....and have fun.
I'd say my avg is about 18-22'. I have hunted higher, and lower - but that is typically about where I end up. I will agree that in my experience, I have been busted less often the higher I am.
