what is everybodies preferred height in a treestand? has anybody seen deer out of a stand at 12ft? im not a height person but im more comfortable at 12 than i am at 16. is 12 to low or does it depend the terrain? looking at putting a ladder stand on flat terrain.

you could hunt from the ground if you wanted. you will see deer from a 12 ft stand you do your part with scent and wind direction. the higher you get up, the more movement you cant get away with and the less they will smell you(most of the time).

A lot depends on the spot.. I look for the tree that gives me my best odds that I can kill the buck in .Not the tree I can see the most from or is the straightest to put a stand in. There are time I use ground blinds because the closest tree wasnt close enough. Play the wind and use scent protection. I have stands in the marsh that are barely above the cattails because if I go any higher I will stick out like a sore thumb. Take each situation and decide what is really the best option for that site you hunt from.

i don't like tall tree stands either. Most of my tree stands are 8-12 feet tall. A couple are taller.

Harvested alot of deer from stands 12 ft. or less when I was younger especially when hunting with a gun.

Depends on the area/cover. Most of my stands run 18-22ft. Have one that is 29ft that I set up for gun season to hunt a specific buck. Gives me a great view. Wanted to really get above the deers line of sight. Generally don't go that high.

I use ladder stands for the most part, about 12-14 feet to the platform, I think, they work, I minimize movement and hunt stands according to the wind.

Hoyt63 hit it on the head. Placement rather than height is the key. I would argue however that up to a point height matters .... scent mitigation and field of view are both enhanced by getting up.

I think tht 12' is fine .... 15'-18' is better. I will say that as I became more and more accustomed to using a climbing stand starting back in he late 1970's, I began to become more comfortable with higher set-ups. However my max is 25'. I use my lift rope as the 25' measure. And I always use a fall restraint harness ... starting the moment I step into the climber ... all the way up ... while in the stand ... and all the way down!

Had better luck with ground blinds and stands 15ft or higher. The 12ft range always tended to give me troubles. I find that moving is easier in a higher stand or inside of a blind, that 12ft stand seems like it is just right there for them to look up at.

I think it depends on the height of the person. For me, 12 is perfect.