Guys,

I am unsure if I should get a ground blind or a tree stand. I am acrophobic so staying on the ground would be quite nice. If I were to get a tree stand, what do I look for in a tree. Yup, the tree! I am new to hunting in general and bowhunting in particular. I do not know what kind or size of tree I should be looking at to hold a tree stand up. I think my lease has Mesquite and Cedar trees -- would these be good enough? I am going to my lease this weekend and will see what size trees are near my feeder.

"If at first you don't succeed, maybe cliff diving is not for you." -- Steven Wright

Edited by - newbirdhunter on 09/09/2002 22:16:51

I look for a tree that is downwind of the trail and close enough. I use a strap on stand so I don't need a smooth trunk. It has to be big enough so that it doesn't move when I do. It has to have enough branches for concealment but not so many that I have to do alot of trimming to be able to shoot. You don't necessarily have to be high, just concealed. Any height will be an advantage. I you can get up 8-12', that is enough.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>I am unsure if I should get a ground blind or a tree stand.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

Lots of people are successful hunting from the ground. There's a healthy percentage of people on this very forum that hunt only from the ground. You only need to be a bit more careful with your movement and scent control. Those are probably the biggest advantages to getting up in the trees. The next would be being able to see farther.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>If I were to get a tree stand, what do I look for in a tree.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

Like Wingbone said, you'll need to scout your area for obvious deer trails, bedding areas, food sources. Then find a tree or trees along these routes that looks like a good ambush spot. As for the tree itself, I prefer to put my stand in a grouping of trees. At least two trees growing right next to each other. This has a couple of advantages: one, I can use the other tree trunk for hanging my gear making it easier to reach; two, I can conceal myself better; three, there's a greater comfort level when you can hang onto the other tree trunk while you stand up. Look for tree trunks that are about the same diameter as a telephone pole.

Your next question will probably be: what type of stand should I get? I personally like ladder stands the best. I've built my own ladder stands from pressure treated 2x4s but I also plan to purchase a few as well. I feel they're much easier to setup and safer to climb into. Most range from 12' to 15' high. I'm uncomfortable going any higher than that. I also have an Ol'Man original climber for hunting in places that I cannot hang a stand.

-Mike

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
If I were to get a tree stand, what do I look for in a tree. Yup, the tree!
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Funnel areas... Any place the terrain would &quot;encourage&quot; the deer to travel through a certain area. I particularly like &quot;outside&quot; corners of fields or fresh clearcuts..

You say you have mesquite trees and cedar. That sounds like texbook tripod teritory. Where I hunt here in Texas we have many setups that don't have trees big enough to set up a treestand. I have used tripods to get up 12 or 14 ft with much success.

Good Luck and good hunting...

I hunt from the ground on a regular basis. I have had very good luck from the ground. Camo clothing is so good these days that as long as you have a nice backdrop behind you and don't make any sudden movements, it is very difficult for a deer to make out your form. If there's a bit of wind and the grass/trees are moving from the wind, it makes it that much harder!

Scent, however, if a different story. It's a BIG factor for Whitetail from the ground. You will have to be downwind, even with the fancy scentblock clothing, in my experience. Once you get the wind right, enjoy a ground hunt once in a while!

There's been some sound advice given, follow it and you'll do fine.

GROUND HUNTING IS GREAT FUN BUT I PREFER THE TREES. MY PROPERTY DOES NOT HSVE ALOT OF LARGE TREES SO I PICK THE MOST SUTIBLE TREE FOR THE AREA THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HUNT. THE BIGGER THE BETTER SO YOU ARE NOT OUTLINED

NBH,
I'm 43 years old and started bow hunting at 15. I have never hunted from a tree. Tree stand hunting is alot like fishing and I'm a terrible fisherman ... no patience.

I go to my ground stand at sunrise (different location every day) and still hunt after the deer stop moving in the late morning.

The best thing about ground hunting is falling asleep beneath a tree or shrub and have a deer wake you up.

Guys,

I purchased an API Baby Grand Slam and set it up today. It turned out that I have Oaks near my feeder so I went with a fixed position stand. Now, here are my new questions &lt;smile&gt;

I spent the day clearing a shooting lane to my feeder and removing all branches around me. The tree itself is pretty thick but barren of cover so I am quite visible -- especially since it directly faces my shooting lane/feeder. Do I care about lack of canopy cover if I am well camo'd and use scent elimination?
Also, the tree reaches about 10 feet in height before it forks into two new thick limbs. I set up an 8ft ladder (the box says they're climbing sticks) on one side of the tree and then set up my stand to the ladder's left -- how I get on the stand is another story. This means that my stand is about 8-9 feet off the gound. Do I care about the shortness of height? No other tree offered the straight-ness nor line of sight to my feeder as this one. You guys have been very helpful before and I hope you guys can help me again.

Thanks all


&quot;If at first you don't succeed, maybe cliff diving is not for you.&quot; -- Steven Wright

I spoke with Del Austin at a hunting show, he holds the P&Y non-typical world record. He said his stand was about 6 feet off the ground when he killed that buck. The reason being that he didn't have a ladder and that's as high as he could reach to hang it.

My point is that yes, it would be nice to be able to get higher but if that's the best spot on your lease to see deer and that's as high as you can hang it at that spot then there's nothing more you can do so just hunt. Let us know how it goes.