Was curious what height people hunt at. I have one stand that's only about 9 ft to the seat which I have killed most of my deer from. When I started archery hunting I hated heights and still do. I've finally worked up the nerves to hunt from a 15ft stand won't go any higher.All stands are ladder. I've seen some stands out that are like skyboxes. Also watching the outdoor channel I hate when they don't go into the details of stand height and distance of shot. Zooming in and out with the camera I can't tell.
What ever height gives me the most cover and best shot. Most of ours are around 15' but we have some at 20' because of elevation changes.
I will always shoot for 24 feet to base of stand if the area and tree allows...some of my best though given the situation are not over 18...one being right around 15 or so which I killed my buck out of last year.
You're going to get lots of info cause it varies. For instance if you hang a tree in a pine w good wind n flat ground 9-10 ft could work though Id never go that low. In mountainous terrain w lots of terrain changes n say you were in hardwoods Its gotta be higher. The higher you get the smaller your target n worse the angle so practice these shots and early season you can get too high n be in the cover w deer below you couldn't see. It's all gonna matter
My stands probably average around 15 feet. The biggest buck I have ever killed with a bow was from only 8 feet off the ground.
Usually my minimum is 15' though I have dropped down lower where there is enough cover. I can be rather fidgety at times so I tend to prefer to be higher, 20-25'...I even have one stand that is in the 30' range because it has no cover but added height.
Most stands I have are 15' but I do have one that's 20' and have one at 10'. Just depends on cover and what kind of ground you're hunting
I cut my pull ropes 22' and tie them to the seat on my handclimber. Then I climb until I am just lifting the bow. That puts my base around 18-20' as long as I have good cover.
I hunt Public land and the deer in my woods are hip to danger from above, which is a learned thing, not genetics. With this in mind, I won't hunt lower than 20', and usually at 25'. I have one stand site that's 30' because of a drop in terrain.
I hunt hard woods in New York and hunt at 20-22 feet always. In my experience anything lower the deer will wind me or catch me pulling back my bow. It definitely makes shot angle a little tougher but I won't shoot my bow past 20 yards.
I like to be about 15-18 to the platform with good backdrop and cover but if no cover or back drop ill go 25-28ish. Those shot angles suck though
I am also not a fan of heights. All my stands are ladder stands, and they are all between 9' to 12' to the seat. I have killed many deer from these heights. Granted it is harder, but it can be done.
