# Tree stand height?



## The Solution (Nov 15, 2010)

I just bought a climber so I could be more versatile in the woods. My wife isn't very crazy about it so I went to Summit's web page and eventually got to a video of someone teaching another man how to use the stand. He made a comment that if your at least 18ft off the ground your scent will not make to the ground based upon a study he read. I'm just wondering if there is any truth to this. Please don't bash me I'm very sceptical already and have come up with many environmental scenarios this probably would not hold true. I'm just wondering if anyone else has heard this. Thanks for any comments.
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## KingFisher89 (Feb 22, 2007)

I think the wind has a bigger factor than how high you are. If you play the wind right you shouldnt have any problems. I hunt out of a climber all the time and havent ever had any problems. Just make sure you have a piece of rope tied to the top and bottom of your climber in case the bottom ever slipped off your feet that way you could pull it back up. Also watch climbing pines or trees with loose or slippery bark because the climber will slip on them.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

There&#8217;s no truth to that at all. To be honest, it was irresponsible for them to even mention that in a &#8220;safety&#8221; video. Wind currents and thermals will overcome height every time.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

You will not find a magical number that puts you out of the deer's scent line. There are a lot of factors that come in to play. Wind direction and speed, rain or dry, warming or cooling weather, surrounding terrain, etc. These things will all have a bearing on it but it is true that if you are higher you minimize your presence somewhat but only in the immediate area. The other thing it helps is visually. As deer get in range they will detect less of your movement if you are higher out of their normal line of sight.

The flip side to all of this is that as you get higher you increase the angle of impact of your shot which, in effect, will shrink you kill zone somewhat. With all of these factors added together I think many folks agree that somewhere around 20 feet is a spot to target.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Regardless of how high you choose to go with the stand be sure to follow the safety guidelines and wear a harness at all times. It is easy to slide it up the tree as you go. This will eliminate the risk of any mishap on the climb that would send you falling to the ground.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

there are so many factors to consider. i have hunted many times from a 10 ft ladder stand and taken deer. the weather and wind plays more of a factor than how high you are. if the deer come in from up wind then your scent doesnt play as much of a roll in you scent. other times i have been in my climbing stand about 15 ft off the ground and had deer actualy come under my stand. then i have had deer from 40 yrds away just bust out in a hard run for no reason. i believe my scent had just drifted down to where the deer busted my scent.

i do like to hunt in my climber about 15 to 20 ft off the ground. and i believe in the morning when the temp is rising your scent goes up and in the late afternoon and the temp is falling your scent goes down. but if you have a pretty good wind then your scent is not as important as not being seen. i have been hunting from a stand for over 30 yrs, and 90% of my deer have come from hunting out of a stand. and i have killed just as many deer down wind as i have up wind. i keep myself clean and always wash my hunting clothes in nothing but soda.

i never hunt just into the wind when im up a tree, i have had just as many deer come in on me from down wind as up wind. the times i really worry is when it is warm and there is very little wind. if i have a deer coming in from down wind on days like that, i wont wait to see how close they will get before scenting me. as soon as they are within about 50 yrds and i get a shot i will take it.

one afternoon i had this buck coming in from down wind, so i was worried about my scent. the wind was blowing about 10 to 15 mph in his direction. i watched him untill he was about 60 yrds. and then he just beds down behind a tree. i waited for about 1 1/2 hours for him to give me a shot. it was getting late, i only had about 20 minutes of legal hunting left. this was killing me. he finelly moved his head alittle. he had been there all this time and never had a clue i was there. i could see from his eyes forward. so i use my shooting rail for a rest and sight in as close to the tree as possable. and i fire. i see the bark fly and the deer runs back the way he came. now he was about 90 to 100 yrds. he stops and just stands broadside while i reload my gun. then i shoot again. i got the deer but i couldnt believe the deer had been laying 60 yrds from me for over 1 1/2 hrs and never got my scent.

if your 18 or 25 ft up a tree and the wind is blowing i think not being seen is the most important thing. just because you are not in there line of sight doesnt mean there not going to see quick movement. so if you have to move, move very slow. i have had many deer bust me and i would just freeze and i never look a deer in the eyes. that will give you away quicker than anything i know. but you can wait them out as long as you dont move and they dont get your scent. they will try to trick you, they will drop there head and then jerk it back up trying to catch you moving. so wait untill you are sure they are done with you before trying to bring your gun up. let them start walking. and try to catch there head behind something. but if you have to move then move like a snail.
sherman


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

I've got a 30 foot pull rope and I usually climb just under that maybe 20-25 feet up in my climber. Always use your harness, even while climbing the tree.


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## leupy (Feb 12, 2007)

I don't think there is any truth to this at all. I can't figure out all the things involved but I have been hunting in tree stands for over forty years mostly all with a bow. There have been times I could never figure out how I got busted and others when I thought I had no chance and filled a tag. When I was younger I used climbers all the time, that time is over I now have a bad right ancle and need a left knee replaced. I now used a hang on stand with a four piece ladder and and only go up about 12 to 14 feet. I try to hunt high spots in the landscape to reduce scent being an issue. You could really write a book on this, wind is the most important issue in my opinion. Then just be where the deer are and be lucky.


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## HCF (Apr 7, 2005)

Play the wind doesn't matter how high to better your odds, very careful cleaning an maintaining scent free clothes. I've killed lots of deer out of basic 15ft ladder stands and climber. Also a camo pattern for your surrounding, ground verse tree stand can vary. I've climbed higher as need due to terrain. Also use safety harness regardless.


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## Mad-Eye Moody (May 27, 2008)

I only hunt 12 to 15 feet up. I'm no Chuck Adams when it comes to results, but that is good enough for me. I wear my harness but figure I'm more likely to survive a 12 foot fall that's 25 foot fall.

But mostly it is shot angle. It gets tough to take both lungs on a deer that is ten yards away horizontal when you are 20 feet up.

I would do what makes you comfortable to start. Learn your stand and learn to trust it. I've killed a lot of deer, none of them over 15 feet off the ground.

Now, I have been made at those heights. It's an acceptable risk for me.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

I've killed deer anywhere from 8 feet up to 25 feet up. As I've grown older and less foolhardy, most of my stands now settle somewhere between 12 and 15 feet. But, for me, what is more important than some arbitrary height is the situation that the stand is in. I look for a tree that has some cover around it, brush or saplings. The 8 foot high stand had a maple sapling growing right beside the tree I was in. All I had to do was trim one branch, and I had cover and a perfect window to the deer trail I was watching. It was beautiful. Right now, I have a hanging stand on a private farm that is about 18 feet high. I had to put it that high to make the best use of the cover afforded by a large oak tree about 10 feet from my stand tree. As someone else mentioned, I also like my stands a little lower these days because when a deer comes broadside to me, I want it to be *broadside!* I don't want to be looking down on it's back.


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## bgpark1 (Apr 23, 2004)

Sharp Charge said:


> I've got a 30 foot pull rope and I usually climb just under that maybe 20-25 feet up in my climber. Always use your harness, even while climbing the tree.


This is normal for me as well. i normally hunt a ridgetop flat... so i like to get a bit higher to avoid detection from deer coming off the top.


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## BanksideBandit (Jan 22, 2010)

As high as the cover is and look at your backdrop as well from the vantage point of the trail you're expecting the deer to follow. Might have cover in front of you but if you're a big blob on the skyline it's pointless.


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## viper1 (Apr 13, 2004)

Very true. I have setup at all kind of heights and wind conditions. Winds can change many times in an hours time. I think 12 ft is as good as 30. Deer do look up also. Mask your scent and stay still. Ive sat on the ground and had them 3 ft away snorting and pawing trying to get me to look or move. All the time thinking they should hear my heart beat. And never lock stares with a deer or it is gone.

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## Guest (Nov 2, 2012)

I generally like to get up pretty high. Personal preference really. I think it presents pluses and minuses.

This year for instance...I have been hunting an area with a large slope in front of me I was having trouble getting winded so I slid down the field edge to tree I could get up much higher in...first night I had several deer in the trouble zone dead down wind of me and not one even looked nervous. 

With that said....I now have to worry a little bit about being highlighted with the leaves down and it can make for a long steep shot...so it can def work both ways.


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## Eric E (May 30, 2005)

I hunt 12-15 ft up.. I had a nice 8pt 13 yards today for a while this morning. Never had a clue...

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