atleast 12ft for me, but I perfer 15-17ish(normally 15ft). Anything higher in the woods and you can see as far and im not big on huge heights
Ive never really had issues with deer smelling or seeing me, if they did its because they caught me moving or were right under the stand and happened to look up(yes they do lol)
About 18 inches from the ground ... around four feet above sea level here on the farm!
Gravity has a profound effect on this ol' bear. I'd just as soon stay on the dirt most of the time. Do some rifle hunting out of tower blinds, but not much. Have killed scores of deer right on the ground, sitting on a dove bucket. Works like a charm. Only bad thing about it is the number of bear around here ... can get pretty exciting real quick.
I do have a ladder stand (12 feet) ... killed two deer out of it right after I got it, but had to get off the seat and hang off the ladder to shoot the first, and the second I shot off the ground, using a rung as a rest! So much for that. I could have saved money and effort if I'd just used my bucket!
I've got a modified sportsman's box with a padded boat seat (swivels 360 degrees) and backpack straps. It's great, 'cause all gear rides inside. Very comfortable. Call it the Sportsman's Barcalounger.
If they'd make some really big climbing stands, I'd like to have one. Most just aren't strong enough or big enough to suit me. Made for the mythical "average man," I guess.
I'm going to make a ground blind on an old trailer frame to drag around as a portable this fall and winter. They're handy, as on farms deer pay little attention to such things.
I Have always played the wind , in new england with short steep hills and vallys . cool morning air rises and evening air settets. Hight can be an advantage when air rises and sinks carring your scent in which ever way the air currents take them. I feel the higher the better as scent mollicules dissapate in transit and become less (for a better word) SMELLY
This has always worked for me , and will always be my norm for this region GREYWOLF
GREYWOLF wrote:I Have always played the wind , in new england with short steep hills and vallys . cool morning air rises and evening air settets. Hight can be an advantage when air rises and sinks carring your scent in which ever way the air currents take them. I feel the higher the better as scent mollicules dissapate in transit and become less (for a better word) SMELLY
This has always worked for me , and will always be my norm for this region GREYWOLF
I have ladder stands and climbers, but really I do well from natural ground blinds. Get urself behind a big blow down tree 20 yards or so from a good trail.....scrape the twigs and leaves away, u got it made. U can rest ur xbow so that the blow down acts as a rest for that solid shot.
I find I am less " figgity" on the ground.
BOB
it will be 0-10 for me this year i havent gotten any stands up at all this year i amy try to get one ladder out that i have but that will be from 15-20. its still way to hot down here and our bow seasons starts on sept 9 this year. i may waite till oct to see if it cools off any.
I have hunted from tree stands but I like hunting at ground level.
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We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
I have only shot one deer from ground level. The rest have been in treestands. Generally during rifle season, I like to get 25-30 feet in a tree with my summit climber. There is just something about getting high in a tree when there are no leaves on the trees and you can see a long way!