We are suppose to face it a certain way? Dangit Rob................your suppose to tell me these things, need the info. Dave
Sometimes I ponder this as well, what way is the best to face for what sets. I mix it up, normally facing the area or trail I expect to see deer on or higher percent chance. Sometimes I won't do that if facing it another way will provide me with a little more concealment and allow me to get away with a little more movement. Amen.
I usually face it with the trail going from right to left, or vice-versa. Maybe 10 yards off the side of the trail. That varies with location though.
I tried to be a non-conformist with my ladder stand and face towards the tree. Didn't work out very well.
I almost always try to position my stand to where the majority of my shots, or I should said expected shots, being to the left rear all the way around to the front. This allows minimal spinning in stand to shoot right, as well as allows quick while seated shots to my left if I'm caught sitting (I normally stand as much as I can).
I try to position my stands 10-15 yards from a well used pinch point or the junction of multiple trails. As far as tree positioning, I place my stands as to open up the most shot opportunities that I can. I am a right handed shooter so by putting my stand so I have more open area to the left, I give myself more shot options.
I like to look around for a place that has NO deer signs at all and then put up a stand where I'll have absolutely NO shot. That way, I don't have to gut, drag, and butcher. Direction has nothing to do with it as long as you have your stand overlooking areas deer frequent and you have shooting lanes!
Not much different than some of the guys above. I put my left side to where I think I'll see deer and try to find as much concealment as possible to reduce the deer catching movement.
The trees in my woods are rarely straight. I put it on the side so my stand slants back. I don't like leaning to a side or forward. I don't care if I have a wrap around shot. Sometimes I like the tree to block my movement anyway. I do however like to take sitting shots if they are available.
This is a legitimate question, in some locations. For example, here in Eastern Washington state the wind is 90% or more from the south west. So placing the stand with that knowledge is critical. Also the air currents in the canyons will blowup the hills in the evenings. This requires placement to be specific to the evening hunts. Since I don't care to hunt as often getting out of bed really early with that soft warm body next to me, I prefer hunting evenings. With that knowledge I place my stands facing east 90% of the time so I don't ever have the setting sun in my face, but it is in the face of the animal I'm hoping to stick.
If wind is the same most of the time then I would definetly factor that in as well as where are the deer coming from? Where are they headed? Are you planning on hunting mornings or evenings in this stand? I don't have to think about this because I have 3 stands set up all with in 200 yards of each other. Two of them are in the tree set up as platforms due to the cotton wood treeshaving huge branches coming out making it easy to put a platform in. We don't have many trees here but the deer I hunt are headed North in the evenings and coming south in the mornings.
Depends for me, if the tree is sitting on the side of a hill facing the bottom of a hill I always put my back side to the top of the hill, that way I'm less likely to be seen by deer walking on the top side of the hill. I usually position my stand so that it will give me the best visibility, if you can't see the deer you can't shoot the deer. For whatever reason sometimes the deer have to bump into my tree before I realize they are in my wheelhouse...
I setup so that can shoot sitting down to the most likely path the deer will take. If I am in an area that doesn't have much cover or is up hill from me, I'll cock it a bit more to use the tree to hide.
I thought you were serious for a second...."direction has nothing to do with it"....thats a good one, LOL!!!
