Thoughts on leaving your climber attached to the tree.
 

I'm wondering if folks have concerns about leaving a climbing stand at the tree overnight. I have a good chunk of private land and a cable lock but my concern is whether it might spook deer overnight...esp if it's close to a bedding area.

Thoughts?

It sure would be convenient but not worth it if it spoils the hunt.

I would leave them, only on public land would i reconsider that. Other then that dont think the animals care really if its just sitting their many people will move stands throughout the season and dont seem to affect them.

I hunt State Land and I will only leave my stand overnight if I know I'll be back at first light the next morning. Otherwise, my stand comes out when I do. When I have left it overnight I still saw deer, so it doesn't seem to bother them at all.

By the way, I had a Lone Wolf sit and climb stolen on private land some years ago, and it was cable locked!!! So, nothing is etched in stone when a locked stand (or trail cam) is concerned. :nonono2:

For years I have left my climber hooked to a tree I just tried to keep it folded against the tree so it isn't sticking out like a sore thumb.
Public land NO WAY!!!!!

:D Al

Oh man, sorry to hear about the stolen Lone Wolf.....that sucks.

Seems like leaving it attached would also aid in finding the right tree in the dark.

I leave mine attached overnight Fri to Sat on public land. I go in 7 or 8pm, roll the dice, and return at 5am.

I secured mine with a cable on public land...just got to make sure you be there at first light...

I hunt private land so I have no issues with leaving it attached to a tree...that is what I did last night...hunted this morning...

Well thanks so much for all your input. I can probably leave it attached a couple of days early too. I don't anticipate theft.

....although there was a deer hunting sticker-clad pick up going slowly by our new property as I was leaving yesterday. Maybe they won't like the "new guys" so much"

I leave mine regularly, but you gotta be willing to have it stolen if you do that. I lost one last year but had a good idea of who took it. I went and got it back.
-Jake

prob doesn't disrupt the deer but...it could get stolen...that's what you have to worry more about.

I usually take mine in at night, only because I don't hunt the same location two consecutive days. I have left them on a tree during draw hunts on public land, but I have a long cable that I run through the platform and climber and around the tree that locks. That and I'm 6'4" or so and I leave it as far up the tree as I can reach. I won't make it easy if someone wants to steal it.

I knew a guy who had a hang on tree stand. He left the stand in the tree 20' up and either carried just the steps in or in one location he hung it 10ft off the ground and carried out a ladder and climbed to his stand.

I left a Hunter's View climber attached to a tree for the entire deer season in 2005. The location was the top of a steep ridge on private land accessd by a dirt road that crossed a creek. No thefts occured to my surprise. I would not try that with my Summit climber or on any land easily accessible to others, which is 99.9% of the landscape.

I leave mine on a regular basis just not for a very long period of time depending on what the weather is calling for. I do not like to leave it when they are calling for rain!!!

Ive never had mine spook a deer and I leave it about knee high on the tree. Typically carry it in Saturday morning, and then carry it back when Im done hunting for the weekend on Sunday evening.

I hunt a big family farm with a bunch of people. I could leave a Gold watch hanging on a tree and it would still be there when I came back. Just good old county folk.

I'm actually planning on putting my Lone Wolf of a tree Saturday and leaving it there until gun season starts the following Friday. Its been in a shed for the past year so I doubt it has any foreign scent (we don't use the shed anymore). I left one on a tree on private last year for two days. The second night I killed a 140" 40 yards from the tree.

I guess it would depend. I don't do a lot of tree stand hunting to begin with. I'd much rather still hunt. But I have done it. Most of the time, if I do use a stand it is in some really thick nasty stuff. I would consider leaving it on public ground for 2 reasons:

#1) It would make less noise to take it in once and leave it. No knocking against trees or brush or scraping noise while attaching it to a tree.

#2) People are basically lazy and since I go into the thick nasty stuff I don't see many others back there. The odds of it being found and stolen are pretty remote.

On the private land I hunt, no problem. Leave it all season if I wanted to.

But sitting in a tree is a last resort to me. I just don't have the patience to sit in a tree for hrs on end. I'd rather slip through the woods and walk up my deer even if the odds of success are lower.

I do it on my lease but I worry about leaving it. I attach a cable and lock for a little more piece of mind. It won't stop a determined thief but may slow them down a little.

The pressure
 

Tree stands are left on trees, because it is easier not to carry the stand back in the woods in the morning. Or the days after that. Hunters do a lot of things because it is easier.

Tree stand thiefs study human nature. The stand may not be deep off a trail or road. It may be near an open field;even taken in with some vehicle. It might not be camouflaged. Too much time and trouble.

But for every hunter who spots you in a tree stand, it might be a potential thief. And all he has to do is record it on a gps as a waypoint, and check the tree stand waypoints another day.

Life isn't getting easier for leaving tree stands in the woods.

man you are lucky...around here its hit or miss...for the most part people leave stuff alone....but its really poor around here and if you left a gold watch hanging I guarantee it would be gone...and a pile of trash left in its place...that's my only reason for not leaving a stand or blind out in the woods...this year Im going to leave one out but its an old blind so I don't care if it gets stolen or not...

I leave mine up all season long. On private land. I just make sure it always has a lock on it!!