Why did you pick the tree your stand is currently/will be hanging in?

What made it better than others in the same general area?

My stand is a climber. First, I hunt areas over run by deer and horns are around. I do have areas that are loaded with does but I haven't had the time to hunt them. I've passed a frew on to some meat hunting friends.

I pick the tree base on sign, area and least important sometimes, the wind. The only reason I say least important is because of the wind always changes and/or dies down during most hunts. The sign depends on fresh tracks that day.

I always carry a few steps in my bag because some trees I want to hunt may have a few obsticals to over come to get to a trunk I can climb.

I've hunted this particular area since I pretended to hunt lol at age 12 with a fiberglass recurve and field tip. Over the next 27 years I moved closer and closer to this CRP field that now holds my food plot. I used to set up in the hedge row, other end, in the woods and always watched the bucks walk this CRP field. It's a natural funnel. There is now 3 stands in different locals on the field and the particular tree, an oak tree offered the best cover and closest to the fine tuned funnel spot. All deer passing by in the field are under 75 yards and the main trail is 40 yards. A view from the tree.

Before: Last season



After: This season.

Here up whereI live in the NE part of the state I mostly hunt the transition zones from thick bedding. I hug the bedding areas pretty tight. The closer I get to the beds without interrupting them the more interesting the hunts become

Down south at my camp I mostly hunt saddles and high wall funnels, leading toor from ridge top / ridge side bedding areas. The land hereis mostly reclaimedstrip mine country so it's pretty steep and ruff.

I generally never hunt field edges or open areas unless I am after a doe and an easy drag out.... which is rare as I enjoy a good long drag out [8D]

My common equation is thick bedding area setups with terrain features.

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We(my hunting partner and I)have 7 tree stands and 2 ground blindson one property, 2 on another and 3 on yet another. 3 other hunters will be joining us, off and on, during bow,early ML season and the anterless January season.
All picked by trails,food sourcesor creek crossings.
I think we need a couple more so I am going to pick up a couple moreladder stands this week.
You can never have too many stands to choose from!
We rotate our stands, hardly ever sit the same stand morning and afternoon. Never more than twice in a row.

At one property, I have two trees for my climber, based on wind, both of them are on field edges/pinch points for deer crossings. One is alarge oak tree that has a major trail in front of it by about 20 yards. The ground there looks like it has been tilled up from the tracks. The other tree is about 8 yards into the woods off the field edge. This stand is also on the edge of a major trail. I'm really pumped about both locations.

On another property I have one awesome tree off of a 5 acre corn field in the middle of a woodlot which should produce for me. It just kinda worked out that there were good trees where I wanted them to be.

My number one stand is at the edge of a swamp. For years I started backtracking trails leading to the swamp. Closer and closer I'd work from tree to tree. I don't dare go deeper, I think I'd start kicking them out of their beds.

I have one stand set up and4 trees for my climber, The one thats set up is on the edge of a corn field and a thick bedding area also has corn in the woods that we put, then i have another tree on the edge of an apple orchard (which is about 50 yds away from the stand next to the corn) and that tree has been pretty good so far, seen 4 doe one night and almost shot one tonight, It is deffently a better doe spot but thats all im really huntin for, (since i havent shot one yet with my bow) then i have another tree in the middle of a thicket where they bedd, and 2 trees about 150yds apart next to the back edge of the thicket but next to about 5 white oak trees each.

This one offered the best shooting lanes. It's straight, solid and has another tree right in front of me, so I'm kind of inside of a "V". It breaks meup a little better, and I can hang my bow right there for quick, less noticeable access. Here's a pic, thought I have since hung some more cover around it.

Location is the main resason for my stands.
Both trees are pretty tall and straight and there some small branch's just bleow the platform but not long enough to obstruct my shooting.
They both give a amost 360 degree shooting area and thier both in wide open areas so I can see for a long distance.