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Tree Stand Height

Discussion in 'Bowhunting Talk' started by alfarah50, Sep 15, 2016.

  1. alfarah50

    alfarah50 Weekend Warrior

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    Hung a set last week and went back this morning to cut some lanes and final touch ups. I use hawk ranger climbing sticks 6 total. For some reason I felt very uncomfortable this morning. I'm guessing it was around 27-30 ft up. I ended up lowering it to about 20 which I know is standard.

    all in all, what do you think is reasonable as far as height goes? The higher the better I understand, but safety comes first...
     
  2. ash d

    ash d Grizzled Veteran

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    Way to high for me. At 20 I'm tense. Killed most of my deer from 10 footer. I just make sure the tree is wide behind me.
     
  3. BradC36

    BradC36 Weekend Warrior

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    Depends on the tree and the backdrop, 90% of my sets are between 15-20ft.
     
  4. NebMo Hunter

    NebMo Hunter Die Hard Bowhunter

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    i think most of my stands are 15-17 foot to platform

    I don't know if I could do a 30 footer, yikes
     
  5. tynimiller

    tynimiller Legendary Woodsman

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    I have one set at 12ft.....others as high as touching or nearing 30. I prefer higher whenever possible for scent streams and such.
     
  6. greatwhitehunter3

    greatwhitehunter3 Grizzled Veteran

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    If I can't find a tree that has adequate cover behind me at 15-18 feet, I move on until I find a spot that does.
     
  7. elkguide

    elkguide Grizzled Veteran

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    I hunt mostly ground blind set ups. When I go up, I don't usually go much more than 15 - 20 feet. I paint houses for a living, so the height thing isn't an issue but as long as I have adequate back cover, I haven't found a need to go higher.
     
  8. ybohunt

    ybohunt Die Hard Bowhunter

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    Usually about 17/18 feet.
    If there's more back cover lower I'll go lower and vice versa.Ive killed deer from as low as 9 feet.

    The higher you go the more extreme the shot angle becomes.
     
  9. Coop

    Coop Grizzled Veteran

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    27-30' is way too high for my tastes. The shot angles get iffy at that height unless the deer is far enough out. I am usually in the 18-20' range.
     
  10. bow nut

    bow nut Weekend Warrior

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    Exactly
     
  11. cantexian

    cantexian Legendary Woodsman

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    I am typically around 20-22 feet. Higher is unnecessary and makes for terrible shot angles.
     
  12. Sota

    Sota Legendary Woodsman

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    I will only go as high as the tree diameter allows, I would rather have cover than height.
     
  13. Swise660

    Swise660 Weekend Warrior

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    I honestly don't think any of my bow stands have been higher than 15'. The 2 I have up now are right around 14 and 15'. Hoping to get one more up this evening and I am hoping to even find a tree I can get close to 14' in! All fairly small, slender trees, so it'll be tough picking!
     
  14. Blarney22

    Blarney22 Die Hard Bowhunter

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    This!
     
  15. archer#5

    archer#5 Newb

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    My stand height can actually change in the same tree. I hunt at the level where I have the most cover. One of my favorite trees actually offers me better cover at around 10' to 12' due to the leaves on smaller trees that are very close to the tree I a am hunting out of. As the hunting season moves on and more leaves begin to fall I will move higher into the tree. When it comes to a point to where I have very little cover I will then move my stand to the side of the tree that I do not expect the deer to come from and use the tree itself for cover. Like others have said, I normally never go over 20' to 25' because of the strong shot angle.

    Bear Motive-7 in Shadow Series, 60#, 28"DL shooting 294fps
    Archers Choice Range Rover slider sight
    QAD HDX drop away rest
    APEX quiver
    Carbon Express MAXIMA Blue Streak arrows
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  16. Ky Bob

    Ky Bob Die Hard Bowhunter

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    X2 but most of my stands are 20-25 feet.
     
  17. vermontwhitetail

    vermontwhitetail Grizzled Veteran

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    20 foot ladder sticks, prob 15-20 in my climber
     
  18. SharpEyeSam

    SharpEyeSam Legendary Woodsman

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    Agreed!!
     
  19. bucksnbears

    bucksnbears Grizzled Veteran

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    i'd chit my pants climbing over 20'

    my stands are all about 11-13 feet
     
  20. selfbros

    selfbros Die Hard Bowhunter

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    I've been busted so many times hunting in stand 15 or less. It's like you at direct eye level the hole time your sitting, scratching, shifting, eating and drinking, or only God knows what else your doing.
     

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