Stand or Blind?
08-12-2011, 09:21 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 5
Stand or Blind?
Well to start this off, I just moved to Missouri, and the only place I can hunt on at the moment's public land. So I've contacted the Missouri conservation station near me, and they've said great things about the land here. But they said, and I've looked it up, that you can't keep stands up overnight. I'm also new to bow hunting, so I was just stumped on what to do. How am I supposed to get in a stand quietly while putting it up, and are there portable ladders for them? Another question I have is, I know all senarios differ within regions, but are ground blinds better to use then a stand in public hunting grounds? And when using a blind, is it better to put it near an open area such as a field? And if you have any recommendations on equipment please let me know. Thanks for your time, and I would really appreciate your help! Oh, and by the way. Best and most informational forum that I've ever visited! So many great posts that make me get buck fever again!
Last edited by Clipz; 08-12-2011 at 09:48 PM.
08-12-2011, 10:15 PM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Shady Grove, Al
Posts: 220
Stand type rele all depends on the situation... If you have a setup that has no trees within shooting distance of trails then a ground blind is good, if you are in an with thick underbrush but a few good natural or man made lanes a treestand is the best... IMO if you are limiting yourself to just one or the other i would say that a climbing style treestand would be your best bet... very quite (in most cases) and typically very portable and easy to hunt out of. If it were me i would get me a good climber and then spend the lil extra money on a groundblind once the money was available. there is rele no need for these condo's they call groundblinds now adays unless your trying to fit two or three people in them at a time,,,a small 50 to 60 dollar one will do fine for just one person. in reality, a nice pile of sticks in the edge of the tall grass will work just as well. The blinds can help with scent control though.
08-13-2011, 03:58 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,926
The Unanswered Questions
I believe outdoor pages delete the hard facts and truth. To be nice and charitable, of course.
Climbing stands are good. One problem for some is carrying them into and then out of the woods. Twenty or more pounds carried on the back doesn't work too good for some hunters at 200 or more yards. A bad back and a body out of shape will reduce the desire for a climbing stand. And wearing a safety harness on the trek to the stand will only increase the discomfort. Thus, the reason some hunters will leave the stand attached to a tree. One hard carry in at the beginning; one carry out at the end of the season, if some poacher hasn't gotten there first. And lastly, you should be comfortable with heights. Not every person has that built in or learned comfort level with heights.
Haven't used an "artificial" blind, but have considered them. They will conceal movement; suppress hunter's scent and will keep the wind down on chilly mornings; work better in areas that had fairly recent tree harvests and the neighboring trees are too thin to climb with a stand. They're lighter than tree climbers, so a hunter can better change locations, as desired. Oh, and make sure you can easily make a full draw in the blind tent. Some blinds are too small for hunters with long draws. If not for an illness, I would have gotten one a couple of years ago. May still get one for the next season, to vary up the hunts. One with a climber; then one with a blind. The bones are getting older.
I analyse the facts hard. I look at a map and decide most hunters will use a tree climber, only so far from a trail or road. And only so far from a vehicle, without some form of transportation. When I see a ladder stand, saw a few a little deep, I know the hunter has visited more than a few times. But then I know where they are hunting and where areas are available. Even if they are as close as 150 yards away. This was on leased quasi public land by the way.
Some will say a climbing tree stand, and I automatically think of preseason hikes and work with light weights. Not getting in shape will decrease the enjoyment of the woods.
Climbing stands are good. One problem for some is carrying them into and then out of the woods. Twenty or more pounds carried on the back doesn't work too good for some hunters at 200 or more yards. A bad back and a body out of shape will reduce the desire for a climbing stand. And wearing a safety harness on the trek to the stand will only increase the discomfort. Thus, the reason some hunters will leave the stand attached to a tree. One hard carry in at the beginning; one carry out at the end of the season, if some poacher hasn't gotten there first. And lastly, you should be comfortable with heights. Not every person has that built in or learned comfort level with heights.
Haven't used an "artificial" blind, but have considered them. They will conceal movement; suppress hunter's scent and will keep the wind down on chilly mornings; work better in areas that had fairly recent tree harvests and the neighboring trees are too thin to climb with a stand. They're lighter than tree climbers, so a hunter can better change locations, as desired. Oh, and make sure you can easily make a full draw in the blind tent. Some blinds are too small for hunters with long draws. If not for an illness, I would have gotten one a couple of years ago. May still get one for the next season, to vary up the hunts. One with a climber; then one with a blind. The bones are getting older.
I analyse the facts hard. I look at a map and decide most hunters will use a tree climber, only so far from a trail or road. And only so far from a vehicle, without some form of transportation. When I see a ladder stand, saw a few a little deep, I know the hunter has visited more than a few times. But then I know where they are hunting and where areas are available. Even if they are as close as 150 yards away. This was on leased quasi public land by the way.
Some will say a climbing tree stand, and I automatically think of preseason hikes and work with light weights. Not getting in shape will decrease the enjoyment of the woods.
08-13-2011, 05:32 AM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Mid Missouri
Posts: 100
Welcome to Missouri Clipz. There are a lot of excellent public hunting areas throughout the state. In fact a lot of them have food plots that the conservation dept puts in. Mostly a mix of different grains and such to attract anything from birds to deer.
I am not sure where you found your information about the tree stands, but almost every conservation area allows unattended portable stands. The link below has the regulation regarding the areas. Now, with that said, you need to look at the specific rules of each area. But, generally, you may leave a stand unattended as long as you label it. There are no screws, nails, etc allowed though.
If you do decide to that route, make sure you double lock with quality cable. Also, get a good set of tree sticks so you can remove those at the end of the hunt. Make the stand harder to get to by potential thieves.
Also I wouldn't just leave it all season. If you know you won't be hunting for a few weeks, just remove it and put it back prior to hunting.
The second link has all the department areas. Most allow archery or muzzleloader hunting and you can find good maps with walk in trails and such. Make sure you scout the area though. I've seen where they move plots or cleared them once done.
I hope you enjoy hunting public grounds here. There are a lot of them and a lot of good bucks have been harvested from them.
http://www.sos.mo.gov/adrules/csr/cu...-11.pdf#page=6
http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/...st&txtAreaNm=s
I am not sure where you found your information about the tree stands, but almost every conservation area allows unattended portable stands. The link below has the regulation regarding the areas. Now, with that said, you need to look at the specific rules of each area. But, generally, you may leave a stand unattended as long as you label it. There are no screws, nails, etc allowed though.
If you do decide to that route, make sure you double lock with quality cable. Also, get a good set of tree sticks so you can remove those at the end of the hunt. Make the stand harder to get to by potential thieves.
Also I wouldn't just leave it all season. If you know you won't be hunting for a few weeks, just remove it and put it back prior to hunting.
The second link has all the department areas. Most allow archery or muzzleloader hunting and you can find good maps with walk in trails and such. Make sure you scout the area though. I've seen where they move plots or cleared them once done.
I hope you enjoy hunting public grounds here. There are a lot of them and a lot of good bucks have been harvested from them.
http://www.sos.mo.gov/adrules/csr/cu...-11.pdf#page=6
http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/...st&txtAreaNm=s
08-13-2011, 11:48 AM
#5
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 5
Thanks for the replies, a lot of great information. I've been looking at my options and they all seem to be great. Either a blind, climber stand, or fixed stand with climbing sticks. One question I have with the climber stand is, what happens when you're climbing the tree and there's another branch in your way? Do you unhook the top and go around it, then do the bottom one after?
08-13-2011, 11:59 AM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Shady Grove, Al
Posts: 220
NEVER UNHOOK UR STAND WILL IN THE TREE! ha the top isnt as big of a deal but if you loose the bottom your screwed! If the limb is not just huge i dont hesitate to cut it down with my handsaw... thats the problem with climbers,,,, a limb with any size will X that tree from your list of huntable trees... but there are usually plenty of trees that are climbable in any given area with mature trees.
08-13-2011, 01:54 PM
#7
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
I use climbers, of course I'm 6' 5 and weigh 240...But on public land, with a bow, I have also been known to hide my climber under a brush pile or in a cutover...With a gun, I carry a butt pad and a backpack with a ratchet pulley in it...Upon killing a deer, I bone it out in the woods and put the meat in garbage bags, fill up the back pack and come out with the meat...
