Tree stand height?

[MuleySniper]

This is my first year I plan on hunting some from a tree stand. I was curious what the average height off the ground guys are setting them up at? Its hard to tell on the tv shows. I don't want to be too high up if I don't need to be
Thanks in advance.
MS

[coachcw]

15-20 feet will work , try to have cover behind you to break up your outline. Practice shooting from your stand to making sure you piviot at the waist and dont change your anchor point . Good luck !

[MuleySniper]

Kind of what I figured. I have mine set at about 16' at home. So far I've gotten fairly comfortable shooting from it. It sure seems a lot higher when I'm up in it What about harnesses? What's the best bang for the buck?
MS

[PolarBear]

15-20 feet will work , try to have cover behind you to break up your outline. Practice shooting from your stand to making sure you piviot at the waist and dont change your anchor point . Good luck !

The mistake I see guys make is climbing up a tree that stands all alone with no other trees around for 15-20 feet.  I prefer to hang my stand back in a tight cluster of trees with just enough room to have a good shooting lane.  Conceal yourself as much as possible.  Just because your are out of the deer's direct line of sight does not mean that they won't see you.  They do look up!

[rasbo]

all of mine are 16ft,dont leave anything in the stand like a padded cushion are anything else,seems bears really like them...

[wapiti hunter2]

The author of the Tree Stand hunting Rocky Mountain Elk, recommends up to 30 feet.  The idea is to get your scent above the ground.  15 seems to low to me. 

[colockumelk]

I hang mine at 20ft. I live in the middle of tree stand USA and people say 20 feet minimum. Like said before backcover is extremely important.

[BULLBLASTER]

15-20 feet will work , try to have cover behind you to break up your outline. Practice shooting from your stand to making sure you piviot at the waist and dont change your anchor point . Good luck !

The mistake I see guys make is climbing up a tree that stands all alone with no other trees around for 15-20 feet.  I prefer to hang my stand back in a tight cluster of trees with just enough room to have a good shooting lane.  Conceal yourself as much as possible.  Just because your are out of the deer's direct line of sight does not mean that they won't see you.  They do look up!

 

[huntnnw]

I am 15-20 ft off the ground...some trees are better tham others... I like the big bushy firs..u can cut a whole out in the limbs anf they can never see u as the hit your lane

[mallard79]

all of mine are 16ft,dont leave anything in the stand like a padded cushion are anything else,seems bears really like them...

That is not what I needed to hear.....I just put my tree stand up to get a better view of the clearcut I have been hunting for BEAR and I left my pad on the seat. Hope it is there when I go back next week. 

[Alan K]

In Idaho I was up close to 30 feet because it was an evening stand on a little flat amongst steep ground.  The thermals would always carry my scent down and I was winded by a doe once being up only about 15-20 feet.  After that I bought myself a hunter safety system and went WAY up! Was never winded after that, though nothing more than does came by the nights that I sat it.

[ribka]

Minimum of 20 ft for me now. I always wear a lineman's harness when climbing and entering and exiting my stand. Try not to climb your stand when sweaty. If a long hike or if really warm I bring an extra set of clothes to change into before climbing stand and store ina heavy duty trash bag.  Don't hunt the stand if the wind is not right. Watch the thermals as some stand locations are ok in the morning but not usable in the late afternoon. As mentioned practice from your stand and bend at the waist when shooting. I bring a paperback book to help pas the long hours in the stand

[buck man]

I am going to go against the grain a little bit with my opinions. I have up 8 stands every december and the lowest is 35' and to highest is 41' . I realize that is quite high but scent is no longer an issue and you can get away with ALOT more movement without getting busted. I use lots of climbing pegs so my old dad and my young daughters can climb it also.

[MIKEXRAY]

I have a summit climber & been using it for  three year. I put my feet at 15 ft and have never been busted. I've had deer , elk, bears, coyote, & bobcat below me without a clue.  I've had herds of elk below me and nothing has ever known I was there.            I watched a hunting show about tree stand hunting & the whole show was about as you climb higher it gets harder to get a double lung / good kill shot.  The host had two phone books bolted together and spaced to represent the animals lungs,  the higher he went the more obvious it was how hard it would be to hit both books. Kind of stuck with me.  I'm going to stay at 15 ft till I start getting busted. Mike

[BOWHUNTER45]

I hang mine too about 15 to 20 ft... Seems to be the best height 

[MuleySniper]

Good deal. I might need to pick up some climbing spikes since I plan on leaving it up for awhile. Thanks for all the input.
MS

[grizzlyadams]

I have a summit climber & been using it for  three year. I put my feet at 15 ft and have never been busted. I've had deer , elk, bears, coyote, & bobcat below me without a clue.  I've had herds of elk below me and nothing has ever known I was there.            I watched a hunting show about tree stand hunting & the whole show was about as you climb higher it gets harder to get a double lung / good kill shot.  The host had two phone books bolted together and spaced to represent the animals lungs,  the higher he went the more obvious it was how hard it would be to hit both books. Kind of stuck with me.  I'm going to stay at 15 ft till I start getting busted. Mike

Amen brother. You get up into the 30-40 foot range and angle/slope begins to play an even bigger role in the shot as well. For anyone not used to shooting at these angles, they will miss. Plus its scary up there 

[Todd_ID]

Kind of what I figured. I have mine set at about 16' at home. So far I've gotten fairly comfortable shooting from it. It sure seems a lot higher when I'm up in it What about harnesses? What's the best bang for the buck?
MS

M.S. Please tell us that you are not going up and practicing without a harness?  Anything that comes with a TMA certification is good.  If you plan on hunting a lot out of the stands, then the investment in a HSS vest will pay off quickly.  The harness that comes with the stand is fine, safety-wise, but it's not that easy to figure out and much less easier to wear every day of September.  Get a HSS and hope you never need it; consider it $150 worth of life insurance premiums that you can use the next 50 years at no extra cost.

[alwinearcher]

I am going to go against the grain a little bit with my opinions. I have up 8 stands every december and the lowest is 35' and to highest is 41' . I realize that is quite high but scent is no longer an issue and you can get away with ALOT more movement without getting busted. I use lots of climbing pegs so my old dad and my young daughters can climb it also.

I thought I was the only one who did that?
40 feet may make for a harder shot, but if you plan for a 30 yard shot instead of a 15 yard shot the angle isnt bad
Shots may be easier at 15 feet, but the higher you go the less chance you have of getitng winded..

[rebal69972]

i tend to stay 25-30 feet and has seemed to work well for the areas i hunt. buy a good harness and a tension strap. you'll know real quick if your to low

[buck man]

I am going to go against the grain a little bit with my opinions. I have up 8 stands every december and the lowest is 35' and to highest is 41' . I realize that is quite high but scent is no longer an issue and you can get away with ALOT more movement without getting busted. I use lots of climbing pegs so my old dad and my young daughters can climb it also.

I thought I was the only one who did that?
40 feet may make for a harder shot, but if you plan for a 30 yard shot instead of a 15 yard shot the angle isnt bad
Shots may be easier at 15 feet, but the higher you go the less chance you have of getitng winded..

Thanks matt for the back up ...35-40 is the only way to fly. All baits areb25 yards away and I always manage a double lung or heart shot. No pro with the angle

[Karl Blanchard]

sitting game isn't for me but if I had to hang and hunt a tree stand I think mine would be at about 4-5ft.  Damn things are scary

[ribka]

I am going to go against the grain a little bit with my opinions. I have up 8 stands every december and the lowest is 35' and to highest is 41' . I realize that is quite high but scent is no longer an issue and you can get away with ALOT more movement without getting busted. I use lots of climbing pegs so my old dad and my young daughters can climb it also.

I thought I was the only one who did that?
40 feet may make for a harder shot, but if you plan for a 30 yard shot instead of a 15 yard shot the angle isnt bad
Shots may be easier at 15 feet, but the higher you go the less chance you have of getitng winded..

Thanks matt for the back up ...35-40 is the only way to fly. All baits areb25 yards away and I always manage a double lung or heart shot. No pro with the angle

I would imagine 30 ft plus is great for movement and scent control

[alwinearcher]

I am going to go against the grain a little bit with my opinions. I have up 8 stands every december and the lowest is 35' and to highest is 41' . I realize that is quite high but scent is no longer an issue and you can get away with ALOT more movement without getting busted. I use lots of climbing pegs so my old dad and my young daughters can climb it also.

I thought I was the only one who did that?
40 feet may make for a harder shot, but if you plan for a 30 yard shot instead of a 15 yard shot the angle isnt bad
Shots may be easier at 15 feet, but the higher you go the less chance you have of getitng winded..

Thanks matt for the back up ...35-40 is the only way to fly. All baits areb25 yards away and I always manage a double lung or heart shot. No pro with the angle

I would imagine 30 ft plus is great for movement and scent control

Yep!

[huntnnw]

25ft is probably good too

[BULLBLASTER]

I hung one last weekend at 28. Would like to be a tad higher but Tue cover was good there. The shot will be 25-30 yards. Also set a blind at adifferent spot with a Max shot distance of 10 yards... most likely will be 5-7 yards there. 

[alwinearcher]

I hung one last weekend at 28. Would like to be a tad higher but Tue cover was good there. The shot will be 25-30 yards. Also set a blind at adifferent spot with a Max shot distance of 10 yards... most likely will be 5-7 yards there. 

You taking a spear into the blind?

[jackmaster]

dont know if someone mentioned this but i have a climber so i can adjust height as needed and you can walk your stand behind the tree so you can actually use the tree as cover, but not once have i been spotted in a tree, and i have made some movement to see what i could get away with, obviously if an animal is out there a little ways you gotta be more careful because it really increases there vision when it comes to movement, unless its a bear, do what you want just dont make any mettalic noises