Hunting from Tree Stands

[david50]

have never hunted from a tree stand. i usually set up three or four ground blinds in my hunting area and move from one to the other through out the day.

 

[S.Kenton]

I Hunt with both ground blinds and tree stands. I have several of both. The ground blinds I use are both store baught and natural. I like to have the option of " either or".

 

[stormcrow]

Used to hunt from treestands. Over time realized I took as many from the ground leaning up against a tree. This weekend will be the first time I actually prepared a natural ground blind (really just some dead branches and leaves) and a seat to hunt from, and I'm looking forward to that. I have found it more important to be still than to be elevated, although admittedly I struggle with the latter the older I get.

 

[don hepler]

That's what everyone used to say: I shot and killed it,then I gutted it, then I skinned it, and we ate it.

Now we must say, we "Took" or "Harvested" it, then I "field dressed" it, then I "prepared it", and then we enjoyed the "nurishment of our bounty"

There are those, we must not offend.

 

[cynthialee]

That's what everyone used to say: I shot and killed it,then I gutted it, then I skinned it, and we ate it.

Now we must say, we "Took" or "Harvested" it, then I "field dressed" it, then I "prepared it", and then we enjoyed the "nurishment of our bounty"

There are those, we must not offend.

When I have shot rabits and ducks over the years the shooting part was certainly killing. But once the animal is dead and I am preparing it for diner it starts to feel like harvesting.

 

[hoochiepapa]

I tried a climbing stand once when I lived in Kansas. It took me so long to get back down the game warden wanted to ticket me for hunting after hours.
I hunt my "magic meadow", and will until I can't walk anymore, hunting from ground blinds I have made, and redo every year. In my book, you haven't lived until you have a bull elk race up to you in your ground blind, bugling and peeing, your heart in your throat, and him making so much commotion you can't shoot. You won't get that in a tree stand.

 

[fyrfyter43]

I prefer hunting on the ground, but NJ is just too crowded. I would rather hunt out of a tree and make sure the ball ends up in the dirt than continues on and hits a house or a person.

 

[don hepler]

The subject is getting a lot of discussion,so, I might as well wade in.

I used to hunt the big open National Forest of Va., I stalked and still hunted. I will say that I enjoyed it more. Now I hunt on a small parcel of private land with my son-in-law, and I changed to stand hunting. That's where the flintlock came into my mind, I was searching for a little more of a challenge.

I used to search ever advantage when I hunted from the ground, and would often climb onto large rocks(bigger than cars), or a fallen tree that lodged into another tree, or even the crest of a small ridge. I believe it's always been this way, in the area where I grew up. That's why I accepted the tree stand, I guess. When I was young, I would often find my hunting buddies, perched on limb in a large tree. If you're used to this style of hunting, the modern stands are a lot safer.

The best challenge is diffently from the ground,however a flintlock in a stand is quite a challenge. How do I know this? I missed to does with my flintlock,last year and I have taken several trophy bucks in my life.

 

[ncmtmike]

I am a ground man,no interest in tree stands. :v

 

[hanshi]

When I lived in Ga. I was use to very thick woods where still hunting was near impossible and visibility from the ground was fair to poor. I hunted a lot from self built climbing stands and from these commercial ladders my friends set up around the property.

But I also killed a few deer by sneaking around on foot. A lot of the deer were killed from ground blinds both in the woods and in large fields.

When I moved to Va. I found the forested areas I hunted to be generally more open (but not in the mountains) than what I grew up with. This meant a ground blind worked just fine. I have a chair similar to the one rb uses and I stay comfortable after I settle in. I can't sit directly on the ground due to the difficulty of getting up without help. I simply watch the wind and wear camo.

 

[nchawkeye]

I hunt from whatever gives me the best advantage...

I've got 2-API climbing stands, when set up they are as comfortable as my LazyBoy...

I've also got areas I hunt and stalk and others that are better hunted from the ground, just depends upon the terrain and cover...

 

[silly goose]

I must confess, I get very good rest in my API climber. :grin:

 

[Maestro]

I hunt different ways... only when I archery hunt (longbow) with modern gear & clothing do I sometimes use my Lone Wolf climber.

If I'm hunting with a selfbow or a flintlock in 18th century gear, I always stay on the ground - a tree stand just wouldn't be right.

How I decide to hunt all depends on my mood. YMMV.

 

[Ben Grace]

Where you get a chair like that Roundball?

 

[Stumpkiller]

With my recurve, yes. But I've never tried swinging a 42" or 44" barrel around in a tree. Just doesn't seem right.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

you dont think anyone back in the 1800s and prior climbed up into a tree and waited for something to come by?

 

[flyfisher76544]

I used to hunt from stands. Hanshi is right about how thick the woods are in Georgia. Some places you are lucky if you can see 15 feet. But lately I have just been finding a nice spot to build up a ground blind.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Tomorrow morning I will be in a natural blind. I've hunted from this for several years now. An overgrown hedge where in the interior the plant life has died off from lack of sunlight, so there is a natural open space for me to seclude myself. I have hunted from stands and from trees in my youth, and since I teach hunter safety now, the majority of "hunting accidents" in my state are folks falling from the stands. Even with the safety harness one can bang into the tree pretty hard, and break stuff. So I don't go into the trees no more.

I'd say hunting from a tree is no more "cheating" than hunting from the top of a finger and shooting down into the draw next to you. Remember the folks that sell gadgets like tree stands want you to think the deer will never see you. Plus the farther up the tree you go, especially if you aren't that good at selecting trees, the better chance the tree will sway with a breeze. :haha:

LD

 

[ihuntsnook]

I have never, ever read or heard of anyone hunting from a tree "back in the 1800s." That doesn't mean that it was never done, but it probably wasn't real popular either.

 

[roundball]

Where you get a chair like that Roundball?

http://www.amazon.com/San-Angelo-EveRest-Turkey-Sherbrooke/dp/B003V557UO

Made by EveRest, Google around to find the best price.
They have definitely gotten more expensive as their popularity has grown.
When I bought mine several years ago it had just come out and only cost $17.95.
Seeing how good it was I immediately ordered a spare at that price, stored it away...LOL.