To tree stand or not to tree stand

[Night goat]

I am very fortunate this year to have met with a landowner and have been granted 90 acres 12 minutes from my house and 8 minutes from work. Private property, and probably the biggest mix-bag of terrain...Dirt road going in, heavily wooded dense alders and salmon berry thickets opening up to a small clearing with blackberrys and a few tall trees rising above the brush, with a road forking off to the south going up hill to an even larger clearing (football field size) with brush piles and a scrub and alders surrounded by super dense woods and brush, not to mention its very hilly, i have identified 3 or 4 "zones" but there are signs of deer all over the place, and have found a game trail with 4 rubs in about 20 feet on a trail going off into some deep dark spooky woods. I have 100-200 foot cliffs on one side and deep woods on another. Kind of an odd plot of land

I figure best way to hunt this place is to find a spot to sit and just wait it out. The only rule up there is no guns allowed so i get to bow hunt this place. Im thinking about buying a tree stand, but not sure. Is a ground blind better? More mobile? Is it better to get a climbing style or one with a ladder?

Im probably going to spend enough time up there and i doubt im going to have company but not sure if id want to leave one up there.... Ive never looked into tree stands but I think it might be the best route for this spot and would like some input. Ive seen some big deer in that area before and am fairly certain there is a monster buck that frequents that area. Ive seen a 5x5 or two over the years crossing the road late late at night and i know they are in there. I went up there and poked around after work so they probably know by now they arent going to be alone....

[ganghis]

That sounds like an ideal place for one or more tree stands.  A ground blind might work at the edge of the clearing area (or right on the dirt road), but your scent is going to be more prevalent.  Getting 14+ feet off the ground is going to be your friend.  Type of stand depends on the trees involved.  Climbers are great on lodgepole, and crappy on those with low limbs.  In trees with lower limbs, I tend to go with a few strap-on steps and then just climb the tree once I get to them.  Take a small saw to get rid of branches where you want to put your stand and then attach and climb on up.  That's an economical route anyway - I've never tried a ladder stand. 

[Blacktail135]

 Sounds like a good spot to have!

 I used to hunt a 40 acre spot that sounds a lot like that except for the cliffs. I mostly used self climber tree stands. A few times ground blinds. Was more successful with the self climber (A TreeLounge). I've got both the 1st. and 2nd. generation TreeLounge stands. They are VERY comfortable to me. Many a time I've even taken a nap in them. The 1st. gen is quite a bit heavier than the 2nd. I didn't bother buying the rifle rest attachment but I did buy and use the bowhunter platform. I also cutup (to a one rifle instead of 2 or 3) and installed one of those rubber over steel rifle racks we used to see in the back windows of pickups. I also put electricians tape on areas of the stand that might tend to squeak from rubbing. I always left my stand in the woods at the base of the tree I planned on hunting from the next time I went, covered with maple leaves and ferns. They could be a little bit noisy setting up and climbing but I usually got in there early and eventually the deer seemed to forgot about me. I mostly hunted the evening hunt. I liked to be in my stand and ready by 2-2:30pm. During the last week of season (prerut) I would get in and setup not long after daybreak. This was rifle season so I think dark was around 5ish. With a prevailing wind I knew where the deer bedded during the day and knew which route they would take to go to their first feeding spot, it was still in the woods, then by dark,dark they would make their way out to an adjoining clearcut. There was a little tiny creek they would first stop to drink from before feeding. Most of the bucks I shot there or passed up would come into my view right about 5-10 minutes before legal shooting light was over. During prerut it could be anytime! If the wind was odd, I would hunt from a different part of the property which kinda made it a hassle to go get my stand and then move it and setup (more disturbance for the area). They usually were bedded within a 100-125 yards of me. I went in early fall, before season, and hacked a 4' wide trail system throughout the area (mostly ferns and some blackberries). I didn't want any part of me touching any vegetation when I went in to setup.
 Fir tree's were best for setting up for me. They're stout and don't move so much with a little wind. They do have a bunch of little dead limbs that I would knock off with the climber before season started so that they were out of the way during season (less noise). Maple tree's had too many big limbs. Alder tree's move a lot in a wind. Had to pass on a couple bucks because of the tree movement. Too much risk of wounding. Also, alder tree's are slippery when wet (dangerous IMO) with a self climber.
 The closest I've ever been to a live deer was from a ground blind. I got in there too late to setup the climber so I put my back against a tree and put a little brush in front of me. A doe was the first to get a drink from the creek. That was about 4pm. She took an approach angle I didn't expect (found out later that evening that a alder or maple tree had blown over and blocked their normal travel route). Anyway she got her drink and started towards me. I wasn't moving a muscle! Didn't want to scare the buck! As I watched her get closer, from under the bill of my cap, I may have even tried not to breath much, I saw her stop with her front right hoof about 4-6" from my foot. I could only see from just above her knee to her hooves. She stayed about 1-2 minutes then walked away unalarmed. After she left I readjusted which way I was setup to shoot and about 5:05 or 5:10 I saw movement through the wood's coming towards me. When it dropped it's head for a drink I saw that it was a buck. Before he got his head up I lifted my rifle and waited. I had the scope on 2.5 power. As he walked towards me I saw he was a small 4x4 and had decided I didn't want to shoot him, today. Then I realized he's getting pretty close. I just barely moved my eye from the scope (to the side) to see just how close he was and he caught that movement and paused just for a split second before he bounced away. He was 12-14' from me when he took off. That was fun! Long time ago I tried to intentionally get a record book blacktail and passed on some bucks. Haven't gotten one yet but, I have shot a 128" and a 123". Both from blinds, the 128" from a tree stand that was setup about 30' from the previous deer story. Not much of a story on that one. I was looking somewhere else and heard a slight snap of a twig. Slowly turned my head and there he was about 15 yards away. Waiting for him to look away, brought up my rifle and shot through both shoulders. The 123" was from a ground blind in a different area. I got setup and a few minutes later I saw a deer looking at me. I realized he was in his bed and it took me a bit to figure out just where to aim (he was quartered to me with his left shoulder nearest). When I shot he just stood up, stood there for a bit and then tipped over. Right through the inside front left shoulder and the heart. After pictures and gutting I found the bullet in his bed.
 Those were fun times. Miss that I lost that place (logged) but as you have found there are many other areas that a guy can figure out how to hunt it. I bought a book a long time ago written by Boyd Iverson, "Blacktail Trophy Tactics". Probably read it 2,3,4 times.
 Good luck on figuring out your blacktail puzzle!       

[overthefalls]

I would also think about getting a tree saddle and a small platform. Much more mobile than a treestand and if you set it up right you have almost 360 degrees of movement around the tree.

[Night goat]

I would also think about getting a tree saddle and a small platform. Much more mobile than a treestand and if you set it up right you have almost 360 degrees of movement around the tree.

Please elaborate?

[HAGEMANIAC]

I would also think about getting a tree saddle and a small platform. Much more mobile than a treestand and if you set it up right you have almost 360 degrees of movement around the tree.

Please elaborate?

https://tethrdnation.com/

Saddles are very popular when it comes to lightweight and mobility. IMO, ladder stands and climbers are nice if you plan on hunting the same tree over and over, but the deer will pattern you quick.  I'd also suggest looking into hang and hunt style stands if the saddle doesn't interest you.  Like the Lone Wolf Assault 2 with some climbing sticks, just make sure you get a lineman's belt with a ropeman ascender because it will make life 100 times easier.

[Night goat]

Hmmmm......well i am a sailor and i do have a bosuns chair and an ascender and a grigri and climbing rope just need a rock climbing harness.......

[greenhead_killer]

A great show to watch is ‘the hunting public’. They use stands in general but also employ the tree saddle quite a bit. Lots of tricks you can pick up, even as a long time hunter.

[fishnfur]

Hanging a ladder stand can be a pain in the butt and if you pick the wrong tree/spot, you're just wasting your time over trails that the deer may not use during hunting season.  The area with the rubs though might be a good bet.  Rattling above fresh rubs next to the deep and dark sounds like a great setup, at least in my mind.

I have a climber and a ladder stand.  I thought I would use them more than I did, but logging activities and poor site selection changed hunting scenarios more than once.  I leave the climber in the woods when I leave so I don't have to haul it in and out each trip.   
   
I have two ground blinds, which always sounded good in theory to me, but once in them, I often find that I can't see the area I'm concentrating my efforts on as well as I intended.  I'm not a huge fan of sitting in the dark peeking out windows all day.  I general bail after 4 or 5 hours.  On the good side,  they don't cost a ton of money and I will sometimes just put them up and leave them for the entire season so that I have an alternative spot to hunt from if the winds aren't correct for my primary spot.  If somebody took off with it, I'd be a bit mad, but not crazy mad.  (Same goes with trail cams.  Thieves are everywhere.)     In the end, I ended up building an elevated deer blind that I put up in a spot overlooking a hill in the middle of reprod.   That is by far the most comfortable way to sit and wait for action, which is important to me (as my body slowly turns into dust). 

The cliffs intrigue me - any chance that they will funnel deer along the base of them as the bucks travel through the area?  Also, any chance that the big bucks are bedding at the top of the cliffs.  If that cliff area was entirely on the property, I would scout that out if time allows. 

Good luck.  Let us know what you decide and how it worked out for you. 

[Barbaroja]

I’m on the hunt for a climber. I’m hoping it will help me be able to see better as sitting on the ground often blocks off vision due to thick undergrowth on the west side,. I think it would also be useful to setup on the edge of a cut that has regrown enough we’re you can’t see into it. Finally I’m hoping it will help with scent control by getting me up outta their zone a bit. I live and hunt primarily along the Columbia in the kalama/ longview area are the winds are prooving to be kinda unpredictable and they frequently change directions.wind direction shift  has blown 2 opportunities in the last 3 days for me. Enough already

[lamrith]

Tree stand all the way.  Find a game trail (especially a spot were a few intersect), and then a good solid tree a few yards off the trail.  Also get yourself up as high as you safely can.  The higher up you are the less your scent hits the ground...  30ft is great if possible.  Always use a safety line.

I owned a climber for a while and found them unusable as most of the trees around here are pine which means branches all the way up so no way to use climber.  I quickly sold them.  Get yourself a M100 or M100U tree stand.  Great units and extremely comfortable, by comfortable I mean fall asleep in the comfy, been there, done that.  You can get them with multiple mounts so you could setup a few spots and choose which one to sit on the fly. 

[HAGEMANIAC]

I’m on the hunt for a climber. I’m hoping it will help me be able to see better as sitting on the ground often blocks off vision due to thick undergrowth on the west side,. I think it would also be useful to setup on the edge of a cut that has regrown enough we’re you can’t see into it. Finally I’m hoping it will help with scent control by getting me up outta their zone a bit. I live and hunt primarily along the Columbia in the kalama/ longview area are the winds are prooving to be kinda unpredictable and they frequently change directions.wind direction shift  has blown 2 opportunities in the last 3 days for me. Enough already

https://spokane.craigslist.org/spo/d/newport-lone-wolf-climber-tree-stand/7190659636.html

[JasonG]

A great show to watch is ‘the hunting public’. They use stands in general but also employ the tree saddle quite a bit. Lots of tricks you can pick up, even as a long time hunter.

Good advice!!

[Night goat]

Checked cabelas and the archery shop.... Nothing there. I'd certainly like to inspect whatever I get prior to un boxing and heading out to my spot... Climbing up a tree with something I have no experience with carrying a bunch of sticks with razor blades on the ends just doesn't seem the safest

I think I am going to get a budget priced 20 footer ladder stand. I see a 25 footer at sportsmans guide for just under 200 but that's a little more than I wanna spend at the moment especially considering the possibility of it getting stolen and the fact I need more gear than just a stand or blind

[Mallardmasher]

I use the summer delux crush series, 54 lbs and easy to ,stand by your self. Not the pro, it is heavy and hard to get up.