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Why do you climb?

Nutterbuster

Nutterbuster

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2017
Messages
10,066
Location
Where the skys are so blue!
Shower thought.

Climbing sucks. We're not good at it. It complicates things tremendously when it comes to the time, effort and money involved in hunting. But we all do it. Why? Why do YOU climb trees to hunt deer? What do YOU personally gain from it?
 
I feel more a part of the woods in the tree and with that I believe I gain stealth for hunting. Even squirrels seem to tolerate my presence better.
 
I climb because I suck at drawing on deer while on the ground. If I gun hunted I won’t climb.

Also certain cover types makes climbing advantageous - crp, marsh grass, briar thickets, cut overs.
 
Deer don’t look up, that’s why! :tearsofjoy: Honestly, I enjoy being up in a tree and I do feel better about beating their nose and not being spotted.
 
I hunt elevated primarily for the improved sight lines. From an elevated stand both my sight and shot lines are above most of the underbrush. There's a limit to how high you can get before the overbrush comes into play. I try to hunt as high as I effectively can without bringing that into play.

Stealth is my secondary reason. There was a time when deer didn't look up but those days are gone. Nowadays at the slightest cause for concern, the deer here in northern Michigan immediately look up and scan the treeline. However, if you stay motionless they will lose interest.

Third it the weak excuse of trying to get my scent cone, at least starting out, above the ground line. I realize it disperses and drops pretty quickly but hopefully if they're passing by within range the cone is passing above them still.
 
You made me think about it and I just realized 5 out of the last 6 bucks I have killed (With a bow) I have been less than 2 feet off the ground. I smell a change coming on for next season.
 
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It would be sooo much easier to carry a butt pad into the woods and sit down W/O carrying a bunch of junk with me but I do like to get off the ground a little to see. So I continue to carry my saddle, sticks, pack, and bow, hanger, and a list of stuff that I hardly use.
 
When I climb I feel like the proverbial fly on the wall and can observe animals doing what they do without boogering them too badly. I love spying on deer. It’s so satisfying when they walk by and are none the wiser.
 
From age 5 to around 12 i spent a lot of my free time in trees. I would scurry up the tallest maples in my grandparents' yard as high as i could before the trunk began swaying too much. I had no fear. I loved climbing trees... still do. Nothing quite like standing high above the ground, watching the world go on below.
Honestly, I think I would prefer to climb branches over steps or stick... But I know that a branch can snap at any second and isn't the safest means any longer.
 
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