Hey all
A coupel guys I hunt with and I were talking about climbing stands and stands in general and hanging them before the season (hang non-climbers in their position, and put the climbers at the base of the tree).
Anyone ever heard of this? Would it be better to hang a climber beforehand, by just attaching it to the tree at the base and then opening day going in, hoping in it and going up?
Would the stand there spook the deer, or (like hang on stands) would they get used to that tree being " abnormal" so to speak?

4 days til the season and trying to find thing to occupy my brain

No way - it just doesn' t make sense.

The beauty of a climber is the options it gives you to hunt many trees that are ready - hanging it on the base of one defeats this.

And I don' t see how hanging it 3 feet of the ground will get the deer used to it being 18 ft off the ground with you in it.

And why hang it right at deer nose level - so they are sure to pick up on any scent left on it.

Bring it in and take it out

Rack said it all! Don' t defeat the purpose of having a climbing stand by leaving it.

That was my arguement, lol i couldn' t make the connection at all inw hat they were saying, lol

Climbers are very nice, and convienant. Also, as expesive as they are, they can save a lot of money. You only need one stand. I think it is very important to scout land before you hunt it. You have to find locations deer are traveling through, then find trees in the area to climb. I usually start this in early summer. I start trimming branches, and making sure my climber wont stand out like a sore thumb in the tree. As with any tand, you dont want it just hanging up there with nothing to cover it....IMO.

J

Rack said it all but sometimes if I hunt the afternoon and I know I am going to hunt the SAME tree the next morning I will leave it at the bottom , maybe a few branches on top,usually the ones I use for added concealment while I' m up there.

I hunt public land and have seen too many people in the woods to leave anything I expected to go back and get the next day. Also what if the winds change and that tree your stand is on isn' t the best tree today. You going to make more noise taking it off and putting it back on than if you were just putting it on to begin with.
B

Bad idea all around. Way too much of a chance to get stolen, even on private ground. With a little practice, anyone can climb a tree without making noise to spook deer, and if you are too lazy to carry it in in the morning well, hunt closer to the road.

bigdog02,

It depends on the area your hunting, the hunting pressure and whether it is private or public property.
If the area your talking about is near a mature buck' s bedding area and/or the deer are hunted regularly and/or you are hunting public land, I would recommend that you not leave the hanging stand on the tree.
If the area your hunting is somewhat suburban and/or the deer are accustomed to human activity, I don' t think it would matter much.
Either way, you should take precautions when installing, climbing and leaving a climbing stand at the base of a tree. First you should always use uncontaminated gloves while handling the stand. You should always spray the stand and it' s components down with scent spray before, during and after use.
Example: Last year I killed a nice 8 point, a doe and missed a really nice 10 point out of the same tree with a climbing stand left hanging on it (granted-the stand was connected to the tree well before the season opener).
Tip: I would use some of the limbs that you cut down as a barrier that you can build around the climbing stand. I stacked limbs and brush all the way around my climbing stand to prevent deer from getting to close to the stand. It also helped conceal my movement getting in and out of the stand in the mornings and evenings.
Good luck with which ever way you choose to go.

i think what some people do is make sure there stand is sent free, maybe by hanging it in a garden shed outside all year or in the attic of there garage or however they might acheive a scent free stand, but the nicest thing i can see about that is that you dont make those few extra noises while getting it on the tree, which could make a big difference if there was one in the area or within hearing distance, thats if and only if you are confident no one will take it....
its risky...