fairly new to using a climber for deer. (a sumit).also, kinda got a thing with heights,but always afraid of being busted.how high do you all set up your climbers? lightfoot in indiana

I shoot for at least 20' but it really depends on the tree and amount of cover I have around me.

Dan

When I first started with mine, I was getting sick at about 12', but now, 30' is not out of the question. I hunt aound 22'-25' With practice, you will become comfortable. I am WAY more comfortable, from a height sense, in my climber than even in a ladder stand.

usually around 20"

This is the answer - it depends. Sometimes higher is not better. You might be able to see more from 20' than 24' depending on the tree limbs. I would rather be at 16' with excellent background cover than at 24' sticking out like a sore thumb.

Shot angle also becomes increasingly difficult. At high altitiudes, it is very difficult (or impossible) to double lung a deer that is close to your tree. Blood trails on steep downward shots arealso generally more sparse because a clean pass through is more difficult to acheive.

As theseasons progesses and leaves fall, I generally go higher - which works out because my comfort level has increased.

I like to be around 25' or so. However, I believe I only have to go as high as I need to be hidden. There have been times when I have hunted and killed as low at 12-14' and other times I have been as high as 30-35'.

I also have a thing about heights. I amnot really scared of being up there, I am scared of hitting the ground when I fall. However, I feel safer in my climber than I do any other stand andI have no problems going as high as needed in a climber. I believe once you getuse to climbing in yours, you will start to feel the same way. Take some time this summer to practice climbing with your climber. Go out at night and practice attaching it to the tree in the dark. It will helponce season gets here.

The pull rope on my climber is 20' long...normally I try to go up until the rope is pulled taught; however, if the best cover is lower that is good enough...better to have cover than be 30' up in the open.

Also, the higher you go up the more you have to be careful with the shot angle. I really prefer to be around 20'.

Like others have said....20-25' is about normal for me. Sometimes the tree itself or the cover won't allow that much. It varies from situation to situation...you'll quickly figure out your comfort level.


Wear a safety harness!

Make sure you attach your safety belt to the tree before you start to climb, this helps with the fear of falling...

With a bow, somewhere between 18-22 feet is where I like to hunt...Once you get much higher the target area on a deer is smaller, so I try to keep it in that range...

With a gun sometimes I'll go 30 feet, but I have also killed deer as low as 12-15 feet...

Once many years ago, I went up 20 feet or so and couldn't see because of all the holly trees in the area...I kept backing down until I could see 30-40 yards...The bottom of my stand was about 8 feet off the ground and I killed a deer...

The theme of cover here is the exact reason I switched away from climbers. In my neck of the woods, NJ, it seems the trees with the most ideal cover change girth real quick making climbing nearly impossible. So it's a portable setup for me, and trees that split in the middle into two or more majortrunks are also not a problem.

But back to the theme so I don't highjack the thread...coverage and wind are both more important than your actual height,IMHO.