If you wish to slay massive bucks, you higher draw a 70-pound bow and grasp your treestand a minimum of 25 toes up.
Or, possibly not. There are a handful of articles and movies on the market about choosing the proper treestand peak. Most of them point out the 20-foot mark as a kind of customary. Then there are hunters who argue for climbing even increased so that you’ll be much less simple to identify and fewer more likely to be smelled. On the flip aspect, some hunters argue for hanging decrease, so that you’ve got a greater shot angle at close-range deer.
So who’s proper? I made a decision to truly check these theories to assist illustrate the professionals and cons of bowhunting and taking pictures at completely different heights. Right here’s how I did this yard check and what I discovered.
The Check
Photograph by Jake Dahlke
I hung 4 treestands in my yard, all in the identical tree. I hung them at heights of 10 toes, 15 toes, 20 toes, and 25 toes. I then positioned a 3D deer goal at 18 yards from the tree, measured the angle from every peak (with my Bushnell R5 Sequence Rangefinder) after which did some taking pictures. I performed this check on a day with 10 mph winds, that gusted possibly to fifteen mph.
After taking pictures I evaluated entry and exit factors within the goal and checked out how the completely different heights allowed for vertical margin of error on a double-lung shot. The chest of my 3D goal measures 14 inches, or about the identical dimension as a small whitetail.
At every peak I additionally used a wind checker to guage how scent would possibly drift right down to deer, or above them.
Variables to Think about
Concealment
Generally, the upper you’re, the more durable it will likely be for a deer to identify you. Nevertheless peak is just not the one think about a sneaky good stand, in reality, it may not even be a very powerful. The quantity of canopy you could have behind and round you is the true key. In a perfect situation, you’ll be searching in a tree that’s wider than your shoulders and has limbs branching out round you, to interrupt up your profile. On this case you may get away with searching decrease.
Shot Angle & Presentation
Photograph by Jake Dahlke
The upper you hunt, the harder the shot. Do not forget that the common distance for a bow shot is about 20 yards. The upper you climb the steeper that shot angle turns into. These are the approximate shot angles measured from every peak with the Bushnell R5 rangefinder:
- 10 Ft: 15 levels
- 15 Ft: 20 levels
- 20 Ft: 25 levels
- 25 Ft: 30 levels
Steep shot angles are difficult for a pair causes. First, very steep goal shows provide much less margin for error vertically. In different phrases, in case your shot is basically steep, it’s more durable to hit each lungs. On a high-angle shot, you must hit increased on the deer in order that the arrow exits the underside of the offside lung. However when you hit too excessive, you’ll miss the frontside lung.
Second, it’s merely more durable to shoot a bow nicely at a steep angle. I skilled this primary hand whereas taking pictures from the 25-foot mark. At that peak the tree was swaying extra within the breeze (a significant problem when attempting to shoot precisely). Plus, the downward angle was so excessive that it was more durable for me to maintain constant type. I simply didn’t really feel snug.
Scent
The hunt-higher camp will say that if you’re 25-plus-feet up, your scent will catch thermals and blow excessive of deer, as an alternative of right down to them. Whereas utilizing my wind checker 25 toes up, I did discover that it was blowing away and never right down to the bottom. I do imagine that if a deer had been 15 or 20 yards downwind of me, my scent would have blown excessive of it.
Nevertheless, the scent would drift right down to deer peak ultimately. Deer that had been possibly 100 yards away will surely scent me. Searching increased isn’t going to make you undetectable to a whitetail’s nostril, however it would possibly offer you a slight benefit on close-range deer.
Treestand Top Takeaways
Photograph by Jake Dahlke
After taking pictures a lot of arrows and evaluating my hits, I settled on a number of particular takeaways. The primary and most vital level is to all the time use a security harness and a lifeline when searching and hanging treestands. If you will fall out of a stand, it’s more than likely going to be if you’re climbing into it or out of it, so being harnessed up solely whereas within the stand is just not sufficient. You have to be related to a security system from the second you permit the bottom.
You’re Not As Excessive As You Assume
One of many issues I seen straight away is that only a few hunters are literally climbing to twenty toes or increased (measured from the bottom of the stand to the bottom). And an trustworthy 25 toes was shockingly excessive.
For instance, to hit the 20-foot mark, a long-legged hunter would wish a minimum of 4 climbing sticks, if he spaced them out very aggressively. However most of us would wish 5 – 6 climbing sticks to hit that peak comfortably.
Even the treestand gear isn’t marketed precisely in relation to heights. For instance, the lifeline system I used on this video says it was good for searching as much as 30 toes. Nevertheless it wouldn’t even attain our 25-foot peak (once more, measured to the bottom of the stand). I had to make use of two tethers to rise up to 25 toes.
A lot of the stands that I’ve seen hung by different hunters on public land or on outfitted properties are about 15 toes and decrease. The hang-and-hunt guys are unlikely to be climbing increased than 15 toes in the event that they’re solely packing in three to 4 sticks.
Shot Angle Isn’t a Drawback at 10 to twenty Ft
Photograph by Jake Dahlke
At common archery ranges taking pictures from from 10 to twenty toes up in a tree needs to be comparatively simple for a practiced archer. At any of those angles, when you shoot the buck by the highest of the guts (entry) the arrow will come by the underside of the guts (exit) and also you’ll have a brief blood path.
Nevertheless a really shut 10-yard shot from 20 toes up will create a super-steep shot angle and a marginal shot presentation.
Shot Angle Turns into a Drawback at 25 Ft and Increased
At common archery ranges, you’re making your shot far more difficult when you hunt increased than 20 toes. The margin of error is much less and the taking pictures itself is harder. I feel most hunters could be smart to hunt at 20 toes or decrease (once more, measured from the underside of the stand).
15 Ft Is the Candy Spot (for Me)
Photograph by Jake Dah
For me, a perfect treestand peak is about 15 toes to 18 toes and a perfect taking pictures vary is 15 to twenty yards. This affords an excellent quantity of concealment and affordable shot angles. Should you can hunt decrease whereas nonetheless hiding nicely, go for it.
However the true takeaway right here is to not get obsessive about treestand peak. Figuring out find out how to disguise your stand in a tree and when to maneuver on a deer is extra vital than the peak at which you’re searching. There’s no shortcut to fooling a mature buck. You’ve received to do all of the little issues proper, not simply grasp your stand an additional 5 toes increased.
