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Hunting dead trees!

Shapeshifter

Shapeshifter

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2022
Messages
427
Was out doing some scouting this weekend. I found this really nice spot in drainage bottom that had multiple intersecting deer trails. I looked for a good tree that had plenty of background cover and that was about 25 yards back. I finally found what I thought was the perfect tree but when I walked up to it I realized it was dead. I don't think it's been dead very long. It still had all the bark in tacked and it didn’t seem to be overly decayed. This got me thinking. How many of you guys have hunted dead trees either accidentally or on purpose. I have hunted them in the past but it has always been by accident.
 
I won't do it. Even best case scenario I've seen dead oaks stand firm for 20 years with good wood, problem is I can't see the roots. How do I know when I get up there and get that thing swaying a bit that I'm not taking it down. Then you get into falling branches from a dead canopy too, no thanks.

I wouldn't touch a dead ash tree with a ten foot pole, those things decay about as fast as bananas they're usually half rotten by the time they are dead.

I'm not super risk averse at all, but I don't like heights, won't climb dead trees, and won't ride a motorcycle. That's pretty much my list. Oh and I won't be taking a sub to the titantic either or a casual jaunt to outer space either, I guess now I can add those to the no-go list.
 
Shapeshifter said:
Was out doing some scouting this weekend. I found this really nice spot in drainage bottom that had multiple intersecting deer trails. I looked for a good tree that had plenty of background cover and that was about 25 yards back. I finally found what I thought was the perfect tree but when I walked up to it I realized it was dead. I don't think it's been dead very long. It still had all the bark in tacked and it didn’t seem to be overly decayed. This got me thinking. How many of you guys have hunted dead trees either accidentally or on purpose. I have hunted them in the past but it has always been by accident.
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I don’t recommend it, but my brother killed a 13pt last year on public out of a dead Cherry tree that was broken in half about 30’ up … but I would not recommend it…
 
I wasn't planning on hunting that tree but it did cross my mind. Like I said I have done it several times by accident in the past. Climbing in the dark and all , but I didn't get down either after realizing it was dead either.
 
elk yinzer said:
I won't do it. Even best case scenario I've seen dead oaks stand firm for 20 years with good wood, problem is I can't see the roots. How do I know when I get up there and get that thing swaying a bit that I'm not taking it down. Then you get into falling branches from a dead canopy too, no thanks.

I wouldn't touch a dead ash tree with a ten foot pole, those things decay about as fast as bananas they're usually half rotten by the time they are dead.

I'm not super risk averse at all, but I don't like heights, won't climb dead trees, and won't ride a motorcycle. That's pretty much my list. Oh and I won't be taking a sub to the titantic either or a casual jaunt to outer space either, I guess now I can add those to the no-go list.
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I wouldn't do the sub, but I would definitely take a trip to outer space.
 
TK161BOONER said:
I don’t recommend it, but my brother killed a 13pt last year on public out of a dead Cherry tree that was broken in half about 30’ up … but I would not recommend it…
Click to expand...

One of our historical killing trees at camp is a cherry that got coppiced about 20 feet up by a giant oak falling on it. We continued hunting it and still do because it was still alive and structurally sound but that felt kinda strange climbing "to the top" those first few years.
 
elk yinzer said:
One of our historical killing trees at camp is a cherry that got coppiced about 20 feet up by a giant oak falling on it. We continued hunting it and still do because it was still alive and structurally sound but that felt kinda strange climbing "to the top" those first few years.
Click to expand...
I had one those historical killing tree on one of my private farms. It was a hickory tree that I hunted every year multiple times and always killed deer out of it. Great meat stand. A few years back I got up in it for the first time that season only to realize that it was completely dead. Not sure what happened to it . Maybe it was hit by lightning or just got some sort of disease. I didn't climb down and manage to put an arrow though a nice mature doe, but that was the last time I ever hunted that tree.
 
Accidentally girthed to a dead limb a few years ago. Didn't realize it till I got to height and the rope was half way through the limb. Couldn't see that from the ground. Redone everything when I got up there. Managed to kill a nice buck though.
 
2 years ago I was on my way to a morning spot in the swamp. There’s an old cut on the outskirts that deer travel heavy I cut a good track going in and knew the general are it was heading so I changed course. As I approached the area I kinda wanted to be in I swear the smell of a rutted buck was in the air so I scurried up a tree. Daylight hit the tee was dead which I had a feeling climbing it with how soft the bark was but it was dark so I continued. Daylight hit the tree was dead I went to move and boom a beautiful 9 walked in as I was halfway down bow on the ground and I had no choice but to just watch. So I’m going with the no vote mainly safety but partially personal vendetta lol
 
I do not hunt out of dead trees for two reasons. The first is obviously safety; it’s just not worth it. The second is I’m always looking for spots that I can repeatedly hunt year after year: if a dead tree is in a great spot, sure that might be nice for one sit, but will it be there in a month or a year? My catalog of public hunting spots is very large, more than I can hunt in a season or two. I wouldn’t want to “waste” an opportunity to hunt because I hiked into a spot and the tree is fallen over. Kind of a waste of my time.
 
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