Over hunting your tree stand

[HoytCRX32]

What does it mean to not over hunt your tree stand?

Thanks

 

[24on48hunting]

Spending so much time hunting one stand that you actually allow the deer to pattern you or you just overpressure the area with human presence. Therefore they will totally avoid that area.

 

[HoytCRX32]

Thanks!!

 

[Blskypilot]

Funny about deer, I've got a buddy who hunts the same two stands all season, within 100 yards of each other. He will smoke in the stand, urinate from the stand, etc. if someone says you shouldn't do that or you will spook em he does it and consistently puts more deer in the freezer year after year than anyone else I know

 

[HoytCRX32]

WOW!

 

[Dallasdave]

The yearlings dont have the experience to know he is there but the older deer will figure it out.

 

[24on48hunting]

Its not always one way or the other. I have a stand that I can hunt a lot but it sits on the edge of a ridge along the Chattahoochee River. I am literally 75-100' above the bottom of this ridge. The edge of the ridge is twenty yards behind me. A NW wind blows my scent off of that ridge and over the deer's noses. Deer typically come from upwind and go down into the thicket below to bed. I killed a 4.5 year old 8pt in 2012 from that stand and he came from downwind/downhill. I also killed a 4.5year old 10 point from it two weeks later. Its just one of those fool proof stand locations that pay off on a regular basis. I see deer from it on nearly every morning that I hunt it on a NW wind, which is most of the Fall and Winter. I do not hunt it when the wind is coming out of the S/SE. Use your best judgement on how often to hunt a particular stand.

 

[rtross]

Its not always one way or the other. I have a stand that I can hunt a lot but it sits on the edge of a ridge along the Chattahoochee River. I am literally 75-100' above the bottom of this ridge. The edge of the ridge is twenty yards behind me. A NW wind blows my scent off of that ridge and over the deer's noses. Deer typically come from upwind and go down into the thicket below to bed. I killed a 4.5 year old 8pt in 2012 from that stand and he came from downwind/downhill. I also killed a 4.5year old 10 point from it two weeks later. Its just one of those fool proof stand locations that pay off on a regular basis. I see deer from it on nearly every morning that I hunt it on a NW wind, which is most of the Fall and Winter. I do not hunt it when the wind is coming out of the S/SE. Use your best judgement on how often to hunt a particular stand.

Excellent discussion. Thx!

 

[Comanche]

It's hit and miss but scent control is something to take into consideration.

I like to think that I will " stink " up my area if I hunt it too often although my buddy is one of those guys that must have a natural deer attractant odor because he also smokes in trees, pees from his stand and still has deer walk right under him...... I hate him for that.

We've had young does literally follow us to our spots in the very early first light and look at us like WTH is that...LOL .

I, on the other hand, must have deer be gone in my veins because I can't even eat dinner the night before a hunt without getting winded by deer.

I've got two ladders up so far on a 30 acre spread and plan on placing at least two more this month so I can have some variety and hope to increase my chances but I need to get my rear in gear with some trail cams to find out where the action is although the deer tracks are a really good indicator of "where" I need to set up but would be nice to capture what deer and what time they're coming through on camera.

The more time you spend in the woods the more you will realize that deer are extremely unpredictable.
I've had them walk right up to me not knowing what I was deep in the mountains.
I've shot at deer with a rifle with a bad scope repeatedly missing while it stared at me and continued grazing.
I've had them wind me 50 yards away, blow and run.
I've had them standing 20 yards up a steep hill from me grunting at me without me being able to see them nor hear them coming or going for an hour with dry leaves covering the ground that sound like potato chips under your feet.
I've seen a mature monster buck come up a steep ridge and only move when the wind blew hard then would lay down or cover his vitals next to big trees or logs when the wind stopped.
You just never know what you'll see.

 

[Bear44]

Funny about deer, I've got a buddy who hunts the same two stands all season, within 100 yards of each other. He will smoke in the stand, urinate from the stand, etc. if someone says you shouldn't do that or you will spook em he does it and consistently puts more deer in the freezer year after year than anyone else I know

Then he's lucky enough to use a path to those stands that the deer don't cross and he has good consistent wind direction. Most good stand locations don't provide that. Maybe that's why he only hunts those two stands.