I would say terrain and cover has the biggest impact on how high I have to get. I hunt private property alone, nobody elsehunts itbut me........and buddies every now and then. Our deerhave the least amount of pressure around, and I still have to get at least 20' up, higher most of the time, because of thesteep ridges. If you're onthe side of a ridge with the top of the ridge above you, you need to be about 12' higher than the top of that ridge. If that means being 30' up, that's how high I go. The highest upin a treeI've ever been was somewhere between 35-40', and I juuuuust about fell to my death after the top section of my stand slipped, (I wear a harness every singletime now!) When I was younger Inever wanted to go higher than 15' up til I got busted several times by deer coming off ridges at eye level to me. A deer with no pressure is still a deer, and if he sees you just above him he will,more times that not, spook just like a pressured deer will. Deer with no pressure might hang around a little while longer after they've gotten startled, but they will still spook if you're not high enough. Pressure mainly effects their patterns, whether or not they'regonna keep traveling a certain route, what time of day they get up to feed and drink,orbeingcompletely nocturnal.