I try to hunt 20' with hang on stands. In my viper I try 25-30 feet. In my experience at 20 feet or higher deer have not scented me. Or at least the deer that I have watched around my stand. I had some bed down below me this year which is a first for me. It is also a pain because you have to get the deer to leave before you climb down.

It depends on what type of area you are hunting. If you are in rolling country then 16 is good. If you hunt ridge lines and have climb a tree from under the ridge then you will have to be very high. A good way to determine the height of a stand is stand about 30 to 40 yard away from your stand and look straight ahead. ( like a deer) If you can see the stand in direct sight then you need to go up. If you see the bottom or no part of the stand you are good.

I used to go to nosebleed heights where I carried oxygen bottles . . .

Now I use 8 screw-in steps to get me to 18 feet. A little higher when I use my climber. Any lower and I feel like I'm too visible -- any higher and I don't like the angle and I get too many branches in the way.

I use a 16' climbing stick and my stand is right at the top of the stick. I try to stay in larger spruce trees or balsam so I have the extra branches for cover and for climbing.
Right now my stand is on a 15' high nob that tapers into hardwoods and has pines on top so when I am looking out I feel alot higher than I really am.

18 to 22 ft for bowhunting. Any higher and the angle is too steep for me to be confident of a double lung hit. My gun stand is 38 ft up in a spruce tree and makes it very easy to see down into the heavy cover. I think I could do jumping jacks in that stand to stay warm and the deer would be none the wiser. It is crazy high but with all the branches around me I am very comfortable up there.

That's about the way I do it too...I have one of those seats that strap to the tree, and I carry climbing spurs with me. Too many times I'd have a stand in one place, and after a day or two, I"d realize that the big one passing just out of range...with the spurs I'm able to be very mobile...as high as you feel comfortable shooting from is how high you should sit...IMHO.

20' is good enough for me

the base of my stands are 15 feet max. Shot angle and poping both lungs on deer is very important to me.

I'm not meaning to snuff my nose at anyone man. I've only got one deer on the wall worth hangin and most people would probably pass him up. I'm just tired of some of my buddies around here who have never spent more than an hour in the stand trying to give me advice. I figure that if someone who goes through the trouble to join a forum is taking their hunting very seriously and i appreciate that. Most of the comments on this forum seem very thought out and those who write them seem to know what they are talking about.

sek_trophyhunter-------we hunt the same woods, and IMO the answer is just hunt the deer! s.e.k.'s diverse lanscape makes it impossible to determine a "hard and fast" rule for stand height.
when i hunt the river bottoms (mature decidious trees), my stands are 20-25 feet from the ground. i rarely go heigher than that b/c of bad experiences w/ poor shot angles....
i have stands that are only 10-12 feet off the ground in osage orange (hedge) trees in an abandoned cattle pasture..i would prefer to be higher to reduce detection, but prefer the "medium high" stands for clean double lungers ....this year, i'm going to try to hunt a new spot (tall native grass that's full of cedar trees, but no good "stand" trees) from the ground using a ghillie suit...time will tell if my "ghillie suit scheme" works, but the the river and hedge stands have resulted in a couple nice bucks over the last few years.
again, hunt the deer...if that bruiser is passing 50 yds from your stand, then i would find a tree 20-30yds downwind of his trail and ambush 'em there from whatever height possible for that given tree......

there's a lot of monster bucks in our neck of the woods, good luck and happy hunting!!