Opinions on climbing?

[flukinrally]

How high do you guys get in the tree when climbing?


Yesterday i went out. I missed a very very nice tall 8 pointer. Usually i don't get high, 15-18 ft maybe. well i decided to set up on the side of a hill over looking a flat at the bottom, but I also wanted to see the flat on top of the hill. So i got 25-30 ft up this tree. my shot angle was brutal and i had never practiced from there.

the deer was down hill from me, and i was 30 ft in a tree. missed over his back.

so just wondering how high you get?

[PhilCVG]

When I started hunting I hunted in two stands that some guys thought I was nuts to hunt in because they were so high. A friend of mine climbed back down after getting 3/4 of the way up the steps of one of these stands.

That was a few years ago :)

Not sure whether I'm getting wiser or becoming a sissy, but I don't seem to hunt as high anymore. I will if I have to, but I look for trees with good cover or real wide trees that I can hide behind these days.

I've also become pretty good at hunting deer out of ground blinds ( natural - sticks, brush, trees etc. ) so I find myself worried about cover and position of myself in relation to the expected deer movement than I do being high.

I will say, being high really gives you some margin for error with your movement and you get away with things you can't get away with even with good cover at lower levels. I think the wind becomes an even bigger factor at lower levels than it does when you are high, I got away with hunting marginal to bad winds in those stands. Or maybe I smell bad these days. :)

[MattG]

Yep, those angles are tough, shoot high every time on extreme angles, have to compensate. Though angles like that also shrink the size of the target. Great to get high to hide movement and scent, but like anything else, there's compromises. Look for trees with good cover, use scent control and 16-20 ft. stand height is usually high enough

[ub1243]

i'm at 22'-30' depending on cover.
i hate hunting low. ladder stands drive me nuts.
but i'm a scent free freak, i need to be with the air planes.

in tioga i take my climber to 30'. which isn't high-on one side of me. 30' on one side at 50 yards, the other side is like 200' at 50 yards.:eek:

[wreckless]

I used to hunt 30' but like some of the other guys I'm getting older and finding that better cover works for me. It has been allot better than the high all around. I'm 18-20' now.

[flukinrally]

I keep replaying this shot over and over in my head. I was 30 ft in the air. the deer was 32 yds away down hill. At first i had the pin set where i thought was good. He then stepped behind a tree and i was in full draw for a Loooooooong time. When he stepped out he was walking fast, i stopped him and then rushed the shot. :huh: Probably trimmed a few hairs off his back. :thdown:

[grtwhthunter/fisherman]

20 seems to b magic number for me i have deer on numerous occasions directly below me without them having a clue.and being honest cant keep my stuff scent free as you would think.i hunt on occasion in jeans and flannel and have gotten some nice deer.nothing fancy.however shootin from above is a problem if you shoot and hit front towards back because guts will block exit hole (less blood):) gun hunting a little higher.....

[bigolebuck]

15-20 feet is high enough for me! I can't see going any higher, just make the angle shot that much harder..

[Searching]

Very interested in this height I would love to get higher but the trees and the shooting lanes, the trees I can get in close to the shooting range are either to small or to big or to far away, do you guys go above the first split of the main tree and then just cut limbs?

[bigolebuck]

I hunt mostly swamps, so the tree of choice for me are big cedars no splits... 15-20' max... Nice and straight:thup:

[fatboy]

I am only about 12-14 feet and kill deer every year. I have great cover around me though. Ocassionally I get busted for scent but usually by the time they figure out something is wrong i could have shot em ten times.

[Searching]

That's the promblem I'm having is that I'm getting busted to early and not getting a shot at the bucks, If I get busted by the does and little bucks it ruins it for for major bucks I need to get higher.

[wreckless]

I peg up the trees and use any branches I can. I try to get in to thick pitch pines

[grtwhthunter/fisherman]

cut away my friend in 2 or three years youll have a whole bevy of trees over twenty .i can get up even curly trees but you have to b very very careful:)

[theBassman_nj]

12 to 15 feet. I use ladder stands most of time. Any higher I get edgy. I do use a safety vest. but still........

theBassman_nj

GonnaMissHer

[Bird Boy]

im 15 to 25 feet depending on waht tree im in.( cover)

[DoubleDown]

On my bait i am about 50'.Hunting trails with the self climber about 25'-30'. Next year il be changing up the high one due to the fact that someone is hunting up wind from me and seems to be tameing the herd.On top of that 50' is just too high for me the older i get.

[DoubleDown]

I am also big on cover and backround.I like to tie up branches around me and just leave a shooting window when hunting bait.

[BUCKSHOT]

I HUNT 25 - 30ft feet ALL THE TIME I DID THE SAME THING 10 YEARS AGO I SWITCHED TO A PENDRULUM SITE AN ONLY HAD 1 MAYBE 2 BAD SHOTS IM NOT SURE IF U ARE SHOOTING PINS OR NOT BUT THERE ARE NOT MANY PLACES WERE I HUNT YOU CAN SHOOT OVER 30 YARDS

[flukinrally]

Thanks for the replies.

[six point heaven]

I am a as high as possible guy, my two favorite trees are 30 plus, but I did miss a true monster five years ago due to not praticing from that high. My wife calls me a nut but a week before bow season each year now, you will find three ladders set up. One from my deck to the first roof another from first to second floor roof and a third to the peak 40 feet up according to the range finder. Not much difference at 20 yards out shots, 20 pin works fine. but inside of 20 to the tree huge difference. hits way high inside 15 yards. not sure why.