GMMAT

Hoyt....

ONLY problem I see is.....BACK YOUR DEER UP A FEW STEPS......and see how far up that tree he sees.

NOT saying your logic is COMPLETELY flawed......but reality HAS to be addressed, too. Deer can also tilt their heads! I've had 'em look STRAIGHT up, at me.

HuntingBry

Here in PA the deer are pretty pressured as well. I'm not a big fan of heights so I usually stick around the 15-20 foot range. I use cover to my advantage and rarely get busted.

Hoyt, I didn't know you guys hunted bloated elk in Michigan.

mauser06

hoytteen...thanx that drawing made me laugh....


to answer the question...the others are right...terrain and cover and trees determine how high i go. i like to get high and stay out of view/scent etc...but sometimes im stuck with a climber and a bunch of trees i cant get over 15-20foot. sometimes i can only get 10-15 foot, but that tree has a ton of cover for me and is perfect...all depends.

to answer the other question...25ft high and 10yds out?? high through the close lung and centerpunched through the other....dead deer...practicing from the tree stand is crucial. to many guys DONT practice from a stand at ALL and thats ALL they hunt from...i took a 3d deer out into the woods and set it at random, unknown distances...climbed my tree and shot it. MAJOR pain in the rear...exspecially with a climber, up, down, attach harness, undo harness, get arrow, move deer do it all again...but really helped...i wish i had a dedicated bowhunting buddy...we could took turns removing arrows and moving the deer around etc....but i gained alot of confidence from doing that...

confidence is key. lots of time before the season....practice from the ground until your shooting good...till you feel you arent going to get any better with the gear you use. then practice from a tree, a house roof, a balchoney etc...if i ever build a house im going to build an elevated balchoney with a grill and all that...plus steps down to the ground so i can shoot from it and a detachable section of railing so i can remove it and shoot! that would be awesome

Hoytteen

Lol...yepp! ALL THE TIME!!

lets just say i was in a hurry drawing it

LittleChief

That's what my teenagers are for.(No offense intended, Hoytteen)

wi_buckstomper

i do all my hunting between 12 and 23 feet. I would go higher but i hunt in a lot of swampy spots where the trees only let me use a ladder stand.

il coyote

I try and get to 18-20 feet, and will usually try to find trees that will accomodate this. But sometimes it is not possible so I end up a little lower. More times than not if I'm hunting lower it is because there are no other options in the 'hot spot' that I want to hunt. I have been upwards of 30 feet and it seemed like I could do jumping jacks and not be seen, but that height is a little excesive for close quarters archery IMO.

YooperMike

I used to be a real wimp when it came to heights, but now that I have my climber, I don't like to hunt below about 17'. Usually go up about 20-25'. But, as others said, terrain dictates.

davidmil

I like 18-22 feet, but as has been said, you really have to let the terrain, cover etc dictate the final height. I think more important in the long run is are you comfortable. If you have a death grip on a tree beyong 12 or 15 feet, well you'd be crazy to go higher. Being new to the climbing business you'll probably find you're comfy from 12-15. Really a lot of deer are killed at those heights and below, but your odds improve with a few more feet. Do what's comfortable at first. As you warm to treestand use you're going to get more comfortable. Even after 35 years of climbing trees I still am not as comfortable early in the season as I am later. You can always add cover or lasso and pull a bushy tree in to hide you. In late season when the leaves are all gone extra height helps as do double and triple trees etc. I find people tend to exaggerate or really don't know how high they go. They say 20 and they end up at 14 or 15. Get a measured haul line so you can know where you are. When I use a haul line it's a 20 footer. When my bow is lifted off the ground I figure I'm 22 feet or so.

MichaelHunsucker

What a masterpiece!