early archery deer hunting

[Maverick]

Archery deer is less than a month away. This will be my first time hunting with a bow. Seen some bucks to go for. So I gotta ask. How do you guys prefer to hunt during the archery season? Do you use a tree stand? How high in the tree do you build it? What strategys do you guys use? Muleys I've been told is mostly spot and stalk. What about whitetails? Any advice helps here guys and I hope this thread will help other guys on the site learn a thing or two as well.

[Maverick]

Also it'd be a big help if anyone could post pics of tree stands they have built!

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I don't build tree stands. I just use manufactured tree stands. I prefer a minimum of 18 feet but I am generally around 22-25 feet (assuming the ground is flat) and depending on the terrain and the setup I may go higher.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I only hunt whitetail.

[muleyslayer#1]

For mulies i would find out where they're feeding and when there not there set up where they feed and wait. They will come....sometimes. But spot and stock is good also.

[Maverick]

I have a whitetail buck on cam that id like to stick an arrow in.

[KFhunter]

if your on a budget there are tons of cheaper stands out there,  I don't see a reason to build one that will advertise "hey I hunt right here" all year long.

[buckfvr]

Also its illegal to build/leave a permanent stand on state/dnr/national forest and grand coulie rec area lands.....

[JCKILLSHOT]

They have cheap treestands on sportmansguide.com. I have bought a couple of the small hang-on stands for 35 dollars. The bases are a little small but other then that they are just as good as expensive stands. I usually hang my stands no lower then 15'. A little advice it can get mighty boring sitting in a stand all day so I usually either bring a book or a magazine w me. This year I'm thinking about investing in a PSP or a Nintendo ds to play up in the stand.

[Maverick]

Buckfvr it on private land but thank for pointing that out. Jc, ill look into those stands. So do you guys prefer a tree stand or ground blind for whitetail? Do you set up on a trail or sit over bait?

[Yeti]

if using a trail cam post up around your cam photos depending on the time he comes in.

if he is coming in at night then i would use a dripper to encourage daytime activity.

My knowledge of whitetails comes from hunting the midwest growing up.

[buckfvr]

Try and have it where they feel secure within the natural cover, either on an established trail to feed/water, or create your own hot spot with minerals or late season use alfalfa.  Stay away from anything that may attract bear early.  If I use licks or alfalfa, I try and hunt the trails leading to it, not actually right over the offering.

Gander Mountain usually has their stands on sale sometime soon if not now.  Their hang on is just a Rivers Edge, and you can get the Rivers Edge 20ft ladders from them also.  This set up will run about 150 bucks, and is maybe the most affordable decent set up out there.

No distractions in the tree......no sleeping, no day dreaming.....focus on the task at hand.....if you find it boring , I feel sorry for you.  Every second is exciting and the moment of truth will happen when you least expect it.....stay focused and alert.  Listen to the forest......seems there is always something to alert you to their approach.

[Yeti]

 

[JCKILLSHOT]

No distractions in the tree......no sleeping, no day dreaming.....focus on the task at hand.....if you find it boring , I feel sorry for you.  Every second is exciting and the moment of truth will happen when you least expect it.....stay focused and alert.  Listen to the forest......seems there is always something to alert you to their approach.

If you can sit in a tree from before daylight till after dark day after day by your self w out getting bored good for you, not everyone can do that some need something to break up the day with out getting up out of our stands.

[buckfvr]

One trick to stay focused is to spend more time standing than you do sitting.......I try to stand and look at a short sit as a break from standing.   I wont suggest that its not hard to do, and know full well its not for everyone, let alone many,  but the longer you can stay focused and prepaired to act in seconds, the better your chances. 

 A good friend of mine, the most successful bow hunter I know by far, once told me what separates  the most successful hunters from the rest, is being able to take advantage of the opportunities you get, no matter how small and difficult.  I believe that 100%.