# tree stand hunting



## big fish (Oct 9, 2005)

Hey everyone. I have been thinking about giving hunting out of tree stands a shot this year with my bow, I have always just hunted off the ground and have had very little luck, and i hunt only on public land. But I just have a few questions like when you hang a stand do you put it up before the season and leave it there all year or do you put it up every day you go out? How high do you put them up in a tree? And how much of a difference does it make when shooting out of one then when shooting level on the ground? Thanks for any help.


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## Labtech8 (Mar 25, 2013)

Most public land you cannot leave a stand up. My suggestion would be use a quality climbing stand. Make sure you practice both climbing and shooting from it(angles are different for shot placement). With a climber, you are more mobile, can choose whatever height suits your area, and I have found that you can go into areas with hunting pressure and find options that the deer haven't seen before. Sometimes just going 10 feet higher makes a Hugh difference in the amount of game you will see.

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## BanksideBandit (Jan 22, 2010)

Definitely get a climber. If you are going to leave a stand out pretty much expect it to be taken. Also from what I know, if you leave your stand in public woods, it becomes public to others and another person can walk up and hunt out of your stand. If money isn't an option, LoneWolf seems like the way to go, they are very nice stands but will cost you some $$. Summit makes a big line of climbers and there are many other brands.


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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

Definitely get a climber...lots of them for sale on marketplace.. Can't go wrong with a summit or gorilla.
You want to be up 15-25ft... really depends on the tree and the cover.
Pick a spot off the trail or edge...I like to be at least 10ft or more away from the main trail. last year I shot my buck at 25 yds.... I was 25yds off the main trail overlooking a bean field.

Most importantly with deer- Hunt the wind, always be up wind of where you expect them to come.

If you have a newer bow that shoots between say 250-350 fps- shooting out of a tree stand shouldn't effect your arrow flight too much. I mean, the faster your bow- the less effect you'll notice... The big difference in shooting from a stand from the ground is where you aim on the deer. Depending on how close the deer is will change the impact point into the deer. So generally you have to aim higher if the deer is within 10yds of your tree. If the deer is out past 30 yds then your pretty much shooting at it broadside.

A range finder is invaluable... but you'll be surprised how close most of your shots are.. mine are generally 15-20 yds away year after year. Good luck!


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## AnthHol (Jul 24, 2007)

+1 on the climber for public land.

Lonewolf makes a great one I hear. I don't use climbers but friends of LW and I have used Summits.

*Get a safety harness.*

It doesn't matter how low or high your comfortable getting as long as you have good shooting lanes and shot angles as well as a good backdrop you won't get outlined.


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## big fish (Oct 9, 2005)

Thanks you guys, before this I was mainly looking at hang on tree stands. And I'm guessing y'all just get out in the woods way before light and put the climber up every morning when on public land?


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## Gills63 (Mar 29, 2012)

A climber doesn't take long to get up into although its a little work. Tree selecting can also be an art. Like mentioned mind your backdrop. 

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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

Do yourself a favor...when you get the climber, practice using it in your backyard...go up and down with it to 10ft or whatever... you'll learn alot on the best way to do it, safely, quietly, etc...

Then try doing it in the dark. 
Nothing more frustrating then having a great spot planned in your head and you get up extra early... you get to your exact spot or tree and then you start fumbling around in the dark with that stand, making tons of noise, you start to sweat, mosquitos are swarming, you picked a shag bark hickory... oh goody, now you get to PEEL the tree as you go up, making even more noise.
You get up in your stand...and your so aggravated and sweaty- you can't calm down and enjoy the silence..

Don't forget- climbers need trees WITHOUT limbs, at least in the lower 20ft or so. You'll learn what size you'll need too with practice.
If you think you can maneuver around a couple small limbs- you'll be in a world of agony! 
So, just be well oiled machine with that stand before you go and you'll be safer and happier. 

You could always start hunting the evenings first too.


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

AnthHol said:


> *Get a safety harness.*


My brother in law recently lost his job as a cop for anger issues. He fell from his stand and hit his head among other injuries. Rather than man up and tell the doctor he was having problems, he let it go too long. He never had problems before the fall.

Two things led up to this.
He went out to the tree stand alone (was deep in the woods of SE Ohio).
He didn't bring his safety harness.

Now that he's lost his job, he came clean about his head injury and now is being treated.


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## injun laker45 (Jun 28, 2011)

I like hang ons because I think they are more versatile as to what trees you can hunt out of. Get some lite weight climbing sticks or rapid rails and a lone wolf hang on. Pack them in and out with you. No more weight than some climbers. If you have to or want to leave your stand for a short while or overnight even, you can simply take the first stick or rail down with you so no one can get to it to hunt or steal it. 

Climbers are ok and mobile but not my first choice.


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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

Yes on most public land you can leave a ladder or hang on in the tree for the season. It might not be there when you go to hunt it but you can.....


Each type of tree stand has it's own use....

A *ladder stand *is nice.... it is quit getting in and out. They are very stable when put up properly. I use them on land that I only have permission to hunt or a few friends and I.. Usually priv land... Extended steps help get you up higher.. 20+ft is where I like to be depending on the terrain.

A *climber stand* is a great way to be mobile whet ever you hunt. If you are good you can get in a tree without hardly making a sound. They can be very sturdy in the tree.
Down side is it must be a straight tree or at least a tree without branches.. Pre-scouting is a must. IMO the Lone Wolf sit and climb is the best out there.. Super sturdy due to the tension straps. they are 20lb's and fold to 4 inch's thick. not to mention they are so quit from the alum framing to the strap and pivit pin that latches it... Other great climbing stands are Summit API and treewalker. If you buy any of these buy tension straps which lock the stand to the tree..... All are well built quality stands.

*Hang on stands*.. Are exactly what ****** laker45* say's they are.. They are very versatile.. They can go up most any tree in the wood's. you can use tree limbs as steps to the next set of stick's. You can climb trees that have better cover than a climber. They are great on priv land. I wouldn't leave my lone wolf hang on in the woods even if I had taken the bottom steps off. A climber can solve that problem.
Down side is they take more time to set up than a climber. When setting it up you leave quite a bit scent on the tree when setting it up. Some hang ons are not a sturdy as climbers.. Some are though watch what you buy.

Just my two cents on tree stand's... add to it if you want. I am sure LW sit and climbers are not everyone's fav's.. If you haven't tried one you should, I have tried them all..

I hope this helps Bigfish..


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## BanksideBandit (Jan 22, 2010)

I have a couple cheap junk hang-ons that I leave on public land every year. I just pack in and out my sticks or depending on the spot you can find trees that are brushed in really well and hide your sticks.

x2 on the Harness

And the climbers with the pins and cables are normally cheaper, but are a hassle in the dark sometimes but I used one for years and you get used to it. I like to scout an area and mark a good "climber tree" with a reflective tack or reflective tape while it's daylight out. I wouldn't go walking through the woods at dark and try to find the perfect tree to climb.


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

I left a ladder on public land last season. No problems, maybe I got lucky. Posted about it here last year, quite some conversation about leaving stands on public land. Enjoy:
http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=213472


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## bad luck (Apr 9, 2009)

Go get yourself a Summit Viper, a little handsaw, and some hand clippers.....then your good to go.


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

i killed quite a few rabbits the dogs were running at delaware wildlife out of someones ladder last year. the only issue is they are public domain and may be legally taken home by whoever wishes. Alot of times if im hunting public off of the beaten path ill go in in the evening and find my tree and leave the stand for the next morning. As long as there is no one else around the chances that it will be found and stolen in the dark are slim. As far as long term, if you leave cabled to the tree long enough people will cut cables i have seen it happen. And lastly you can make a BUNCH of noise getting into a tree and not spook the deer. Last year in muzzleloader i heard a horrible crunching noise my buddy had apparently chosen a shaggy bark. 30 minutes later at first light bang mature doe. Crunching bark is a much more natural noise than say talking or other noises.


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

Find a ladder stand $50.00 bucks or so place it for the season, where you want it, someone can sit in it but they can not steal it, what are you thinking. I do not live in a large city where you have to worry about such things. I had two ladder stands on a private land but was bordering a public hunting field, it was and still is very productive and never anyone out hunting it. 
Ladder stands are safe, up high enough, but not for hauling in and out with you, that seems like a waste of a day. The noise made placing a stand in the dark, I can not imagine, maybe place it in the morning and hunt it in the evening.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

I've hunted from all three types of stands, ladder, hang on, and climber stands. so far knock on wood but I've never had but one old ladder stand bothered. it was a home made stand and was made in 2 parts and someone stole the bottom half. they didn't even take the platform part of the stand. they just made it about 6' tall.

I now use the summit viper and I just love it. I am 62 and not in good health but I manage to get it in the woods on opening morning and get up a tree. then I take a chain with me and chain it to my tree. but I use to always carry it in and out back when I was healthy enough. it only weighs around 20 lbs and only takes about 10 minutes to set it up and climb a tree. and I actually like it better than most ladder stands I have used. I highly recommend the summit viper and the safety harness that came with it.

the best thing about a climber is you can move it any time you want. I have moved many times after it got light enough that I could see and didn't like where I was setting. and if you have a spot all picked out and you get there and someone else is already hunting that spot with a climber you just move on to another spot. if you have a ladder stand or a hang on stand and someone sets up 40 or 50 yrds from where you have your stand it makes it very hard to hunt from your stand without setting up on top of them.
sherman


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

someone can sit in it but they can not steal it, what are you thinking.

incorrect items abandoned on public property are public property. Even if you have your name and address tag on the stand i know for a fact if you call the game warden and say your stand was stolen on public ground he will not investigate. Your only chance is the sheriff's department and they will very rarely "investigate" stolen cars so good luck getting them to hunt down an 80 dollar stand.


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

The cops will investigate a stolen stand on public ground as much as they will investigate one stolen from private ground. Putting a stand up and have it stolen is illegal, how can you think that, why are there any picnic tables left in state parks. Put a lock on the stand, keeping a honest man honest, a crook will do something to damage if not steal it.


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

jray said:


> someone can sit in it but they can not steal it, what are you thinking.
> 
> incorrect items abandoned on public property are public property. Even if you have your name and address tag on the stand i know for a fact if you call the game warden and say your stand was stolen on public ground he will not investigate. Your only chance is the sheriff's department and they will very rarely "investigate" stolen cars so good luck getting them to hunt down an 80 dollar stand.


Think u missed the point...all he was saying was that it would harder to steal a ladder stand as opposed to a hang on stand...and I agree.


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

this is true ladder stand is the way to go if you leave a stand because they are cheap easy to set up and awkward to carry out if you are stealing them. My point is that if you leave items on public property the law considers them abandoned and not stolen. I have personally spoken to multiple game wardens on the subject. That being said i do not think it is right and would never do such a thing. I was raised better but some weren't. I will tell you this if someone thinks they can "claim" a spot on public ground by hanging a stand there i believe anyone has the right to hunt in that stand. I do hang stands on public property but in doing so i accept the risk that i may not get to hunt it if i do not get there first and i may lose it.


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

With a climbing stand I would still recommend taking it out before the season. Scout the area and find trees that you like in spots that you like. Climb the tree and check you view and lanes. All of those things are important and hard to do before sun-up.

The way I shoot from trees is to shoot the horizontal distance between me and the animal, not the diagonal distance. Basically if a deer is standing beside a tree, shoot for the distance between you and that tree on your level. Your arrow is traveling a longer distance but gravity is partial working with the arrow since you are shooting downward. This was explained to me by a very experience shooter and it makes enough since that I stick with it.

Ladder stands seem safer but the cheap ones tend to have a very small seat area and if you have a large rear like me it feels like you are sitting on a 4" ledge. I feel much more comfortable in my climber whether sitting or standing.


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

How many of you have had a stand stolen of yours in 2012, public or private land. I just do not hear of hunting equipment being stolen, any where. Once I thought i had a stand stolen but another hunter took it down and stored it in his garage but did call me, I had placed it over the property line, unknowingly. He and I are hunting buddies now. 
If you can not place a stand without it being stolen I would think you are living in the wrong area of the state. Move for the sake of your children.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Weekender#1 said:


> How many of you have had a stand stolen of yours in 2012, public or private land. I just do not hear of hunting equipment being stolen, any where. Once I thought i had a stand stolen but another hunter took it down and stored it in his garage but did call me, I had placed it over the property line, unknowingly. He and I are hunting buddies now.
> If you can not place a stand without it being stolen I would think you are living in the wrong area of the state. Move for the sake of your children.


Unfortunately, thieves are everywhere. Most people I know have had stands or gear stolen at some point, all on private land. I never have, but I'm in the minority. I keep all mine on my own place, and I know the neighbors. But the fact is, there's no place that's safe from theft. Moving will just find new thieves.


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

central ohio is rough speaking from experience just alot of people traffic in the public ground here and you are bound to have some jerks mixed in. At some point you just have to put it out there hope for the best and try to minimize potential losses. And rusty is right shoot horizontal distance and it doesnt make a whole lot of sense to me either. lol Something to do with acceleration do to gravity I am assuming.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

jray said:


> And rusty is right shoot horizontal distance and it doesnt make a whole lot of sense to me either. lol Something to do with acceleration do to gravity I am assuming.


Its really just physics. Gravity can only effect arrow flight over the horizontal distance that an arrow travels. A squared+B squared=C squared. But to muddy the waters, something else that effects the point of impact is that many shooters change their form when shooting at an angle. They dont try to, but most do. In a lot of cases, that change in form makes a bigger difference in impact than the angular difference.


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

M.Magis said:


> But to muddy the waters, something else that effects the point of impact is that many shooters change their form when shooting at an angle. They dont try to, but most do. In a lot of cases, that change in form makes a bigger difference in impact than the angular difference.


bend at the waist not at the shoulder i would presume?


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Yes, that's a big part of it. Some people do some strange things when they need to shoot at an angle they aren't used to.


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Speaking of angle. One my first times ever hunting from a stand I had a deer walk up from behind me which I had no shot at. When it passed under me the deer was 5 feet from the tree I was in and I was 20ft up. It just stood there and I never took the shot. Instinctively I started to aim at the side of the deer quickly realizing that would just end up leaving one heck of a sctrach down the side of the deer. I almost tried a neck shot but at that point I was so confused and uncomfortable I passed it up. I had practiced shooting a 3d from a tree but it was 40 yards out, never thought about one being strait down. Not lucky enough for that to happen again.


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## Gills63 (Mar 29, 2012)

Weekender#1 said:


> How many of you have had a stand stolen of yours in 2012, public or private land. I just do not hear of hunting equipment being stolen, any where. Once I thought i had a stand stolen but another hunter took it down and stored it in his garage but did call me, I had placed it over the property line, unknowingly. He and I are hunting buddies now.
> If you can not place a stand without it being stolen I would think you are living in the wrong area of the state. Move for the sake of your children.


I had a stand stolen last year and know of several others in the area. All within a half an hour of where you live.

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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

Well I have had my home broken into 4 times, I fixed it, I moved and have not had a problem in 15 years, knock on wood. If you are setting up in a thieves den get the heck out. I always wonder why mothers/fathers raise children in the getto, get a bus ticket and just go, get out, save your kids. 
So if you are moaning about stuff getting stolen, get out.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Weekender#1 said:


> Well I have had my home broken into 4 times, I fixed it, I moved and have not had a problem in 15 years, knock on wood. If you are setting up in a thieves den get the heck out. I always wonder why mothers/fathers raise children in the getto, get a bus ticket and just go, get out, save your kids.
> So if you are moaning about stuff getting stolen, get out.


Seriously, do you really believe this? Youre actually telling us that its our fault if we have something stolen more than once? There are thieves everywhere. No offense, but your whole theory is ridiculous. Im not sure how to put it any nicer.


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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

Wow M.Magis that was quite nice....

I don't buy that theory. I have a shop 17 miles from where I live. My shop has been broken into to 2 times... Last year I lost a chain saw and a hedge trimmer from my house... I live in the country. My shop is in a good area. Anderson township in Cincinnati. As Magis has stated there are thieves everywhere..


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## Gills63 (Mar 29, 2012)

My house has never been broken into, does that mean I live in some crime free utopia? 

The woods my stand was taken from is private with less than three people having permission to hunt it. That stand was in that tree for years before it was taken. 

To make matters worse I hunting another stand in that woods when it was taken. It was the Friday before youth season and when I heard the noise I assumed some one was prepping for the next morning. My curiosity got me thinking and I walked over to the tree and found it gone.

It wouldn't seem right to tuck my tail between my legs and give up that woods because of a dirty thief. Its the price of doing business and I won't let thieving cowards run me off. 

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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

It is kind of funny, you do something once and it turns out bad, so you do it all over again and again expecting a different result. Well when the thief finds your new stand on the property he will take it again. Hey I am sorry as heck for you and the frustration that it will bring you. The only way to solve it is another area. You really think the cops will catch the guy. Magis so you just let people steal from you and say sh!t happens. I am glad I dont live where you are, no offense, I have read a lot of your stories, seems prime but I can not take stealing. Thieves hang together. I have not had anything stolen from me since moving to the "other side of the tracks". Thieves are not everywhere, only where they are allowed.


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Only where they are allowed? Where exactly are theives allowed. Not in my yard so I guess I'm safe. 

So how far should I move. Some of the nicest neiborhoods in my county are less than a mile from the some of the worst. Is there anyway you could draw me a map and circle the places where thieves can't go, that would be really helpful.

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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

rustyfish said:


> *With a climbing stand I would still recommend taking it out before the season.* *Scout the area and find trees that you like in spots that you like. Climb the tree and check you view and lanes. All of those things are important and hard to do before sun-up.
> 
> *The way I shoot from trees is to shoot the horizontal distance between me and the animal, not the diagonal distance. Basically if a deer is standing beside a tree, shoot for the distance between you and that tree on your level. Your arrow is traveling a longer distance but gravity is partial working with the arrow since you are shooting downward. This was explained to me by a very experience shooter and it makes enough since that I stick with it.
> 
> Ladder stands seem safer but the cheap ones tend to have a very small seat area and if you have a large rear like me it feels like you are sitting on a 4" ledge. I feel much more comfortable in my climber whether sitting or standing.


I agree.... I have a buddy that hunts an area that he sets up so he can hunt with his 11 yr old son. Sticks and hang on's... He is the only one that is allowed to hunt this land. Well he has had 3 sets of sticks stolen. He now doesn't hunt there Unless they are in a climbers.... 

Thieves are everywhere. Just leave something that someone somewhere where see how long it stays there. This property is 35 mins from his house which makes it hard to keep watch.


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## JerryA (Aug 16, 2004)

Ya know, this ain't rocket science. Get yourself a Summit Viper or 180 and a good safety harness. Find the trees ahead of time and clean them up and and clear shooting lanes. Then just take your time and you will be so comfortable - never be in the stand without your harness on. Practice standing up and taking the shot if you're using a bow or shoot sitting down if using a gun. I would never use a chain-on with steps or build my own stands(anymore) - you are asking to fall. Pick your spots right, get up 15-18 ft and the deer will never see you. Still have to watch the wind and practice shooting from that angle. 100+ and counting.


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## JerryA (Aug 16, 2004)

I forgot to mention - DO NOT leave your climber in the woods -don't be lazy - unless you don't want it anymore - scumbags everywhere.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

I have to agree with some others there are thieves everywhere. I have been having some things stolen from my pole barn for some time now. so far they haven't touched my erie trolling gear but have stolen many other rods and reels. they have taken tools and other stuff. but not my trolling gear. once they took a few old aluminum props that I no longer use and I had taken my high five off my boat to try it on another boat. I hadn't put it back on my boat so they took it also. they just took aluminum and copper, just stuff they could take to the scrap yard and sell. I figure all the other stuff went to pawn shops.

the bad thing is is it has to be one of my so called friends or my youngest son, who has taken a couple of things and pawned them. but he swears he hasn't took any of my fishing gear. so that just leaves some of my so called friends. if it was just a thief they would have taken my trolling gear. but it seems they know me well enough to know how important my trolling gear is to me. now they did take some okuma convectors that I had put up in the pole barn and wasn't using them at the time. I guess I could just get rid of all my friends and my youngest son. but its really hard to blame everybody for what one of them is doing. then again it could be that all my friends are stealing from me. I just don't know which ones are doing it.

I just bought 2 shimano quickfire reels and an old shimano 250 baitrunner with the quickfire on it about 4 weeks ago. we went to Brookville camping for 10 days. while I was gone my son and one of my friends were in the pold barn and when I got home those reels were gone. I thought it was between the two of them. then when I went to the side door the hasp and lock that I use to lock that door was off and gone. so even tho my son and one friend had been in the pole barn with the key my son took out of my room I couldn't just say they did it because someone had broken in.

the moral of this story is you never know who is a thief. so its much better to just spend the money and get you a summit viper tree stand and carry it in and out as you hunt. once you get it up in the tree its like setting in a lounge chair. just pick a tree with thick soft bark. don't use trees with hard thin or scaly bark. I have heard the lone wolf climber is a good choice because of the weight. but I know the viper is a great stand.

I hate a thief and I hate a liar but I despise a lying thief, LOL.
sherman

if you leave something where it can be got to somebody will steal it.


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

I am not trying to peeve you off but once a thief finds a easy target they just keep coming back to the honey hole. Just this weekend my buddy who lives on 6 acres that borders the river here, then farm fields on both sides. Two years ago his new ladder stand walked off, like how can that happen. Then this weekend his new trail cam, gone. I told him that if he can find his stand his camera is probably hooked up next to it. I talked to my sister in law that works at the sheriff office, she said nearly every day and sometimes twice a day hunters are in to report stands/cameras missing. Yes thieves are everywhere. The old saying is something like "steal from me once shame on you, steal from me twice shame on me". I feel bad for the guy and what is he to do, he will go and buy another camera and I just feel bad. I can not put a date on it but at some point it will walk again. Thieves need to be taken out and ......


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## Homey (Apr 20, 2004)

Regarding the sight distance v horizontal distance debate - there really is not much difference. For example, assume a hunter is in a 20 foot (6.7 yard) high stand making a shot at a deer that is 20 yards horizontally from the stand. The sight distance (direct from hunter to deer) is 21 yards. The difference is greater at shorter distances (at 10-yd horizondal distance translates to 12 yd sight distance) , but still not a big deal since there is so little drop at short distances. Proper form and accounting for the angle of penetration is far more important than the difference between horizontal and sight distance.


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## big fish (Oct 9, 2005)

Thanks yall for the help. Got myself a summit mini viper and so far loving it. I don't think I can hunt off the ground again. Only problem I have had was me dropping my release out of the stand and had to walk it back down to retrieve it. Lol


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