Any one use a tree stand?

[Red Sparky]

I haven't used one but I researched tree stands if I was going to use one, that would be the one I would buy. I hope they make a go of it as that seems like an awesome stand.

[hookedoncoues]

Thanks Red. I used a tree stand that a friend had last week. I have never hunted in a tree stand and it is different. I have a salt lick in the area and have had a trail cam on it. There have been deer on it every day and evert night. I spent three days in there and nothing came in for the entire time. It was frustrating. This leads me to the fact that it is me that is messing with them. I learned a lot this month. I guess that I should have asked these questions before I did all this.

I was wondering what the best doe urine for clues is? I had a friend of mine tell me that Tinks 69 works well. do you have any experience with it?

[ThomC]

Real Deer urine is illegal in AZ but others have said that human urine works. I have some synthetic deer urine but haven't tried yet.

[mattys281]

Real Deer urine is illegal in AZ but others have said that human urine works. I have some synthetic deer urine but haven't tried yet.

 

I shot a mule deer in 2013 that was sniffing my pee from the day before. When I go up, I don't come down til sunset and I'm not to interested in carrying around a bottle of my own pee, so I just let it fly over the side. They're curious and they'll stop to have a sniff to see who is hanging around.

[hookedoncoues]

I guess me being worried about the deer not coming in because they smell me might not be warranted. If they are smelling mattys pee. lol! I will still be monitoring the area with my trail cam until the fall deer hunt.

[mattys281]

I guess me being worried about the deer not coming in because they smell me might not be warranted. If they are smelling mattys pee. lol! I will still be monitoring the area with my trail cam until the fall deer hunt.

Try to keep the sweat/b.o. stink down, thats a lot different than urine. There's lots of critters peeing all over all the time, it doesnt seem like the go "human pee!" And then hightail it out of there. Even on early hunts I wear long sleeves and light weight base layers with everything tucked in to keep the scent rafts (chunks of dead skin, which are what tracking dogs deer and other critters pick up on) to a minimum. Long sleeves, shirt zipped up to the neck, gloves and every thing tucked in. Also, if you get sweaty hiking In then pack your hunting clothes in on your back and babywipe yourself clean and change clothes before getting in the stand. Nothing is 100% but ive had deer meandering around down wind from me many times and not bolt. But ive also had them come in, look right up at me and bolt when I hadnt moved a muscle. Guess thats the fun of it, you never know what any given encounter will produce.

[bojangles]

i'm big into tree stands. i've got 3 out there right now, and killed a buck a couple weeks ago out of one.

 

the number one thing with tree stands is the wind. if the wind is bad, get out. or better yet, don't go. that's why i have several out there. one for each wind scenario.

 

the second thing is, you have to hunt where the deer are. i know this seems obvious, but i'm not gonna hang a stand if i saw a doe on that hill one time. i'm gonna look for well worn travel corridors covered with deer poop. i want deer falling out of the trees, or i'm moving on. i like to find where the does are moving in the fall, and hang stands in their travel corridors, then wait for the rut to kick in. then try to get a buck following a hot doe.

 

I don't sit all day. i try to figure out when their moving, and slip in an hour before. the longer you sit, the more your scent moves around, and the fewer deer you'll see. I like to spend 4 hours in the stand, max. I only like to hunt a stand once a week. if deer continuously smell you in a spot, they gone, bro. and they aint comin' back. leave the book at home, and the phone in your pocket. You won't hear a deer 40 yards behind you. You've got to keep your eyes up. Hang your stand as high as you can. Wait for them to look away before you draw. If you can stand before you shoot, you'll be better off, but you'll have to do that before they get close enough to see you. Silence is golden. make sure you bow doesn't squeak, and your jacket doesn't catch on the bark of the tree. Wear a safety harness. bring a rope to pull your bow up and lower it back down the tree. be careful with the broadheads, don't cut yourself and bleed to death.

 

i don't like to eat in the stand. food is smelly. no coffee. not only does it smell, then you hafta pee. i bring a small bottle of water to sip, and an empty one to pee in, if i'm feeling real cautious. don't leave the bottle of pee in your truck. maybe your buddies truck, but not yours. you don't want to make a mistake in a week, thirsty moment.

 

i'm not a trophy hunter, by any means. i whack the first legal thing that trots by. that's just how i roll.

 

one of the newest lessons i've learned, is use the IQ sight if you can. i missed 4 coues in a row, because i was torquing my bow and didn't know it. it's one thing to shoot on the ground, or even practice out of your stand. But the deer never come in exactly where they are supposed to. You have to lean, and twist, or maybe wear a glove because it's cold. All this torques the bow. the IQ sight will help you correct that in the moment of truth. i wish i'd bought that sight years ago. there's one really big buck i shot at, and back strapped him because i was wearing a glove. He comes in on camera, but never when i'm there. He has my number. It haunts me. You make mistakes, and learn.

[Red Sparky]

We can't even use salt here in NM and we can only use cover scents on our person. No way am I going to spray doe or elk urine on myself. I am thinking about trying the tree stand thing since my work sometime requires me to be 20-50 feet off the ground; I figured why not?

[hookedoncoues]

Well,,, I guess that I have a lot to learn about this tree stand hunting.. I have been a spot and stalk hunter for ever. There is more to this than meets the sye..

[duckhunter175]

hookedoncoues --- I have hunted extensively from treestands in the eastern US (KY, GA, NC) and I have rifle hunted Coues from the ground.

 

After seeing the terrain and trees in AZ I would probably opt for a lock-on model stand and use climbing sticks. This will open the aperture of trees available, as climbing stands like the Summit Viper require a straight trunk. I would use a bike lock to secure the stand to the tree and then you can take your sticks with you or just take the bottom two sticks and I've found that will keep your stand from 'walking' away.

 

I have 2 of the Millenium M25 lock ons. Very lightweight but solid and they have a very generous platform size. You can pick them up on sale for around $80 a piece. They don't have a rail or back rest but they are comfortable and PERFECT for bowhunting. I leave my 2 up all season and have had no durability issues.

 

If you do find a tree you can climb then I would recommend the Summit Open Shot. Very comfortable, open design and lightweight.

 

Good luck!!

[mattys281]

Thanks Red. I used a tree stand that a friend had last week. I have never hunted in a tree stand and it is different. I have a salt lick in the area and have had a trail cam on it. There have been deer on it every day and evert night. I spent three days in there and nothing came in for the entire time. It was frustrating. This leads me to the fact that it is me that is messing with them. I learned a lot this month. I guess that I should have asked these questions before I did all this.

I was wondering what the best doe urine for clues is? I had a friend of mine tell me that Tinks 69 works well. do you have any experience with it?

 

 

Well,,, I guess that I have a lot to learn about this tree stand hunting.. I have been a spot and stalk hunter for ever. There is more to this than meets the sye..

 

 

I've had several spots over the years that I'd swear were getting beat up by deer on a daily basis, but than when I'd sit, I'd see nothing or just a doe or two. Eventually I went back through several months worth of trail cam photos and logged all the deer visits on a blank calendar to see what was really happening. Basically, what I found on my "hot spots" was that they would in deed be very hot for a few days at a time, netting you hundreds of pictures, but then the deer would go away for any where from 2-7 days. When they came back around you'd again get hundreds of pictures over just a couple days. When they move into an area, they tend to hit the salt over & over & over again all day long, but when they're gone you get no action at all until they come back around. it's just a waiting game. All day sits for at least 3 days consecutive. 5 consecutive days would be better if you have the time.

 

Also, bucks tend to hit it hard while they're growing antlers, but will taper off big time once they get hardhorned. And you'll see a lot of smaller bucks coming in and out with the does in the spring, but in the summer when they drop their fawns those smaller bucks have wandered off and either joined up with bachelor groups or are floating around on their own.

 

Just keep at it and spend some time to analyse your data from your camera instead of focusing only on the gross total number of pictures. When you get pictures is more important than how many you get.

[hookedoncoues]

Thanks you guys for the advice. I've been hunting most of my life but have never considered a tree stand or even a ground blind. The last two months I have learned that while tree stand hunting is hunting there are a lot of things that need to be considered.

It snowed real good last night and I went out where I have my tree stand just to see what the deer were doing. It was kind of interesting to track them in the snow and see where they ware feeding and what they were feeding on, and where they are bedding. I know that I have a lot more to learn but it is very fun. I'm going to leave my trail camera up for a few months and try to get more info on them.

[GotBowAz]

Take it for what it's worth but I killed a good Iowa whitetail after peeing in his scrape. id pee in it every morning and every evening as I came into the stand and left. He was nocturnal, id find his track in my pee in his scrape every day. He finally showed up mid day for a 20 yard shot.

 

I also pee'd out of my stand and had a young 8 point buck walk directly under me and give it a sniff. I almost LOL!

[hookedoncoues]

Nice buck, GotBowAz!!

[hookedoncoues]

Hey Red, I see that you said that you have to be up high and Sparky, Just wondering are you a lineman??