12-16 feet. I use climbing sticks and a hang-on stand. Due to a neighbor who poached deer all year long, the deer were unsually wary up until last year. But I see a lot of deer and have only been busted once in the past 3 years (scent or sight) that I know of. I am fanaticall about scent control and keep my movements to a minimum. I understand the rationale about keeping high up to keep out of sight and out of scent, but I'm not a huge fan of heights and higher stands = steeper shot angles = smaller target area.