Placing your Deer Stand

Understanding the patterns of a deer which you are hunting will greatly improve your hunting success, this is why it is so important to scout them as I described in my earlier Blog “Preparing for Deer Season; Scouting”. This will also be key to locating your stand.

As a rule deer feed under the cover of darkness, leaving their bedding areas during the twilight hours of late evening and returning by mid-morning. Tree canopy can have a factor in the actual time, as this will effect the sunlight in a specific area. As the sun begins to fade the deer will begin to move.

Another point you should keep in mind is; older, experienced Bucks tend to move from cover and back to their bedding areas a little before doe’s. Also as I stated in an earlier blog, “Preparing for Deer Season; Scouting”, these Buck’s rarely follow the large established trails left by doe’s and yearling bucks. The exception to this rule is when they are force to by the lay of the land.

If you have followed good scouting practices you should have these factors under control by hunting season and have some pretty good ideas of where to place your stand, so let’s move on to a few other considerations.

Deer stand hunting can become very unexciting, sitting for what seems like hours without moving, alone in a stand can lead to drowsiness, and two problems. First if you use a climbing stand this can be a serious safety issue. In 2008 there was 13 injuries in the state of North Carolina alone, of which 8 were fatal. The use of safety harnesses is a necessity!

A second, non life threatening issue is that you could fall asleep and completely miss your deer. In an article I read some time back by David Onslow, he mentioned the use of motion detectors step up several hundred yards from your stand to alert you of approaching deer.

At first I felt that this was getting a little high tech for hunting, but when I considered the trail cameras and other gear that I use it wasn’t so far fetched, and they do seem to help.

Another mistake I have seen some hunters make, is to setup their stand up too close to the trail they intend on hunting. A well placed stand will give you a clear shot at the heart and lungs. Also by being some distance from the trail you are reducing the chance of accidental detection caused by your scent.

Finally, with all these points in mind you should ask yourself when will I be hunting; Morning, or Afternoon?

Morning hunters should not have their stands close to main feeding plots, but instead they should be along the trails which you scouted earlier in the season. And remember the more experienced Buck will head for his bedding earlier than the rest of a herd, so be in your stand well before sunrise.

Evening hunters on the other hand, should be closer to feeding areas, and if you are lucky enough to have found a staging area like I mentioned in my blog “Preparing for Hunting Season; Food Plots” these make excellent evening stand locations. Just remember to be in place by the early evening. Although Bucks will not move into open feeding areas until after dark they will visit these staging areas fairly early in the evening.

One last thing have your stand in place well before the start of hunting season and give your hunting land time to rest. Also it is always a good idea to use good hunting techniques, wear a blazing orange vest and cap for your safety, scent free clothing and a quality scent eliminator.

　

Deer Cross Supplies, the ultimate hunting scent eliminator