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Considering only going up 15-17 ft instead of usual 20+, any real benefits or might as well stay on ground?

HuumanCreed

HuumanCreed

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2020
Messages
2,677
Location
Westminster Maryland
Generally I like to be 20-25 feet up. Just for the simple fact that I love the view and feel that I can see more of the surrounding areas. I'm not scared of height and honestly would go higher if the tree allows it.

But again there is always the exception like John Eberhart that are skyscraper into his 70s....

Anyway, I'm trying a new setup that might be more efficient but limit my height to 17ft max for now. I can extend this without much fuss, just wondering if I need to.

I understand that having a back cover is very important, that you want something to break your outline. The tree and location should dictate how high you go.

I feel that a lot of the more seasoned members have advocated that you only need to be 15ft up, some are even only going 10ft. I just wanted to know how did you reach that thought process? What changed your thinking as you evolved as a hunter that you don't think going higher offered any real benefits. Some are simply staying on the ground too.

Since deciding to use a trad bow, I'm open to changing my habits or method to adjust how I hunt. Not quiet ready to stay on the ground yet because I love being in the tree. But I am considering not going so high as I have been for using a compound bow.

What say you?
 
Ive killed deer on the ground, 6 feet in a tree, and all heights up to almost 30 feet.
every situation and scenario is s bit different. Most should just climb to cover.
cover being anything that will hide you or hide your outline.
Cover could be anywhere described above.
The most important things we should be thinking to our spots is access, winds, and cover.
You should be somehow hiding your presence from the truck all the way til you get setup however high you need to be.
Just because TV, youtube, and merchandise company reps say climb high doesn’t mean they are correct.
again mist scenarios are different so we need to adjust on the fly.
 
I actually approach the question from the opposite direction. I am always looking for how low I can hunt as opposed to how high. I much prefer the shot angles from a lower hang but want some elevation so that the exit hole is ideally lower than the entrance hole. As others have mentioned, final height is going to be determined by time of season and available cover.
 
HuumanCreed said:
Generally I like to be 20-25 feet up. Just for the simple fact that I love the view and feel that I can see more of the surrounding areas. I'm not scared of height and honestly would go higher if the tree allows it.

But again there is always the exception like John Eberhart that are skyscraper into his 70s....

Anyway, I'm trying a new setup that might be more efficient but limit my height to 17ft max for now. I can extend this without much fuss, just wondering if I need to.

I understand that having a back cover is very important, that you want something to break your outline. The tree and location should dictate how high you go.

I feel that a lot of the more seasoned members have advocated that you only need to be 15ft up, some are even only going 10ft. I just wanted to know how did you reach that thought process? What changed your thinking as you evolved as a hunter that you don't think going higher offered any real benefits. Some are simply staying on the ground too.

Since deciding to use a trad bow, I'm open to changing my habits or method to adjust how I hunt. Not quiet ready to stay on the ground yet because I love being in the tree. But I am considering not going so high as I have been for using a compound bow.

What say you?
Click to expand...
If you are not practicing a lot from hunting height you may be short changing your accuracy. Most of us practice shooting off the ground or lower than hunting height.
I shoot trad as well as compound. I feel more comfortable shooting a bit higher up in a stand with a compound than the trad. Higher angle shots require more firepower IMO. I'd go with the lower setup when possible...always better odds for a pass thru.
 
Agree with what they all said. Pick the height that works. Hunt the right height, not at a height. That's why I have been digging prepping to rope climb bigger trees. More cover, and means I only need to be 10-18' off the ground.
Last season I actually climbed to high one morning in the dark. As it got lite, I realized I was about 5-6' to high, and the canopy was blocking some good shooting lanes.
 
HuumanCreed said:
What say you?
Click to expand...

Last season was my first in the saddle, so, not knowing any better, I brought and used all the sticks I own plus aiders for every sit right up until rifle season opener, regardless of whether I needed to or not. After some of our team 5 buddies mentioned using one stick up, I thought I would give it a try for a quick pre-work sit in a spot that was conducive to it. Shot a doe not long after sun up on my first sit with the right amount of sticks for that spot. Of course, there was luck involved to have deer show up when I sat there, but it made me much more open to using the right tool (in this case, the right height) for the job. Next season, I'll be ready to hunt at whatever height is right to get the job done for a particular location.

So, what say I? I think you should be leery of anyone mandating you hunt at a certain height, whether that is high, low, or in between. Hunt what is right for the situation (like you suggested in your OP)
 
Why climb a tree at all?
1. To avoid detection
2. To shoot over obstructions
3. To observe a greater area
4. To avoid other hunter's possible lines of fire

Terrain, pressure, and even the inherited/developed traits of the herd are at play.

Think about what you want to accomplish, make choices, observe results, adjust.

Personally, the only reasons I don't go (at least) 20 are:
1. It's not safely possible
2. It creates obstructions to shooting
3. It induces a poor shot angle (expected shot is very close)
 
Plebe said:
Why climb a tree at all?
1. To avoid detection
2. To shoot over obstructions
3. To observe a greater area
4. To avoid other hunter's possible lines of fire

Terrain, pressure, and even the inherited/developed traits of the herd are at play.

Think about what you want to accomplish, make choices, observe results, adjust.

Personally, the only reasons I don't go (at least) 20 are:
1. It's not safely possible
2. It creates obstructions to shooting
3. It induces a poor shot angle (expected shot is very close)
Click to expand...

If I can get away with it and the angles/cover/shooting lanes are good, I always go roughly 20 feet. I only go lower or higher when there are extenuating circumstances.

I'll disagree with one point. In hill country, being up in a tree is probably more likely to get you in someone line of fire, especially when squirrel hunters are around (of course).
 
raisins said:
even only 8 feet up is better than the ground....IF you have trees/cover around you
Click to expand...

Probably, even without cover, so long as they don't sense you otherwise

Deer have poor field of view much above the horizontal. I forget the number of degrees, probably someone can find that. Also, when they adjust to look up, their vision is poorer than normal.
 
Whatever height is necessary to: help avoid detection (wind, etc.), break up my outline, and maximize shooting distances/opportunities. I rarely climb to my maximum possible height... A substantial portion of rifle season is with one EWO stick with a 2-step sewn aider, bow season I tend to prefer a bit more height than that, if possible.
 
Plebe said:
Probably, even without cover, so long as they don't sense you otherwise

Deer have poor field of view much above the horizontal. I forget the number of degrees, probably someone can find that. Also, when they adjust to look up, their vision is poorer than normal.
Click to expand...

good points, i'm also guessing it's an evolved predator alert thing....they get more concerned the lower something is to the ground

for instance, when i used to hunt telephone pole trees with a climber....if they looked right at my front silhouette, they'd eventually calm down a bit if i didn't move....if on the ground like that (15 yards away, full silhouette) they are way more likely to run

it just doesn't quite compute for them as well, thank goodness our early ancestors didn't hunt from trees as much or these things would be very difficult to hunt (also, i'm glad they don't pair off with a turkey buddy at birth....eyes, ears, and nose then)
 
I still like being somewhat elevated over the ground, because you can simply see so much more. I have a few places I hunt that are about 4-6 foot thick undergrowth with telephone pole trees(poplar pine, etc) with no branches under 30-40+ feet. I started only climbing to 10-12 feet in those places because there's no cover to climb into, so it's just enough height to be able to look around and see where things are coming from. I found that sometimes if I only climbed up 6 feet or so the deer would spot me, but being one move/stick up the tree got my feet out of their "normal" sight range. I'm still figuring this whole thing out though, some better ground hunters might choose to stay on the ground and know better where to set up to get deer to move to them instead of wanting a 30 yard radius to shoot into.
 
raisins said:
If I can get away with it and the angles/cover/shooting lanes are good, I always go roughly 20 feet. I only go lower or higher when there are extenuating circumstances.

I'll disagree with one point. In hill country, being up in a tree is probably more likely to get you in someone line of fire, especially when squirrel hunters are around (of course).
Click to expand...

Line of fire is just a factor to consider, like the others, situationally. I definitely have climbed high to have a shot to a ridge while covering sidehill runways, and yeah, it puts me in a bad position for ridge top line of fire from other hunters. Luckily, not many hunt so deep.

Under detection, I think height and scent is worth thinking through possibly more than height and vision. My experience is I prefer to be 20ish or more.
 
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raisins said:
good points, i'm also guessing it's an evolved predator alert thing....they get more concerned the lower something is to the ground

for instance, when i used to hunt telephone pole trees with a climber....if they looked right at my front silhouette, they'd eventually calm down a bit if i didn't move....if on the ground like that (15 yards away, full silhouette) they are way more likely to run

it just doesn't quite compute for them as well, thank goodness our early ancestors didn't hunt from trees as much or these things would be very difficult to hunt (also, i'm glad they don't pair off with a turkey buddy at birth....eyes, ears, and nose then)
Click to expand...


compensatory cyclovergence

 
Unless I absolutely have to go higher to get into cover and the situation presents itself I just go 1 move up to 8ish feet and if that doesn't work I make another move and get 16.

It really does just boil down to me being lazy. I've usually walked all day by the time I've found a tree to climb.

My fav set ups are when cover allows me to tether to a tree at ground level
 
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