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Why do you climb?

I like climbing trees. But, My insisting on climbing a tree with steps and a saddle cost me a chip shot of an opportunity at a great public land buck this past season. I ask myself that very question every time I think of deer hunting. Still haven’t come up with an answer I feel comfortable with saying out loud.
 
Nutterbuster said:
Can you elaborate on the advantage it gives you with a bow?
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It gives me an advantage with scent control. It allows me to draw my bow while having multiple deer around me. When hunting from the ground in close quarters I rarely get to let a deer walk. It almost always gets shot at the first available opportunity or I decide I don’t want to shoot it and it eventually runs off and blows for 30 minutes.
Another advantage for you is mosquitoes are far worse at ground level 30’ up.
 
Granted, I only have seven years on this journey so far, but I can only think of one time I've had a deer walk by me while on the ground during shooting hours (doe and her fawn during buck only rifle season). That doesn't count ground blind hunting. I've bumped some while walking that I would have no shot at.

I'm not saying it's not possible, just that for me, as soon as I gave up on sitting on the ground and bought my first tree stand, I started seeing and harvesting deer. Might have been coincidence. I climb pretty much exclusively now and have no further ground data, but I feel no real urge to go back down.

Some of the ground/ghillie suit hunts that the THP pull off look pretty thrilling though.
 
Nutter - here's why I climb trees to hunt deer and what I gain from it:

1. Greater visibility, especially at edges of cover or in places with dense understory ... I see more deer when I'm elevated.
2. Greater number of kill opportunities from elevated observation post than on the ground.
3. Greater awareness of how many deer are in a group that is coming through, and if a big one is hanging back from the group ... review #1
4. Greater stealth ... less chance of getting busted than on the ground.
 
Because if I hear a deer or just catch a glimps of one, my curiosity kills me to not know what it was. If it was that big buck or just a yearling. It helps answer that question for me. (More than on the ground). And even if I don't shoot one. I still qualify it a good hunt if I see deer.
Or maybe I'm just OCD.
 
Ditto to all the tactical advantages everyone has mentioned so far.

From a personal standpoint, I’ve found that climbing trees with climbing gear for hunting in itself is a lot of fun. Almost feel like that just this alone is nearly a sub hobby for me now.

Other reasons:
I love to be able to see out and see everything near and far. Watching from that point of view is entertaining enough for me to keep me awake when I’m otherwise struggling to stay awake.

After watching the rut show of 3-4 bucks chase 2 does literally circling my tree I was in this year was amazing. They all ran right below me for several minutes while I sat 18’ or so right above them right in the middle of the action. One finally gave me a shot, landing me my first ever buck and first ever bow kill. All of this wouldn’t have happened if I was on the ground. Or at least it wouldn’t have been as cool.

For some reason I also feel more secure/safe up in the tree, especially as it gets dark. Feels like nothing can get you while you’re up there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
MattMan81 said:
Because if I hear a deer or just catch a glimps of one, my curiosity kills me to not know what it was. If it was that big buck or just a yearling. It helps answer that question for me. (More than on the ground). And even if I don't shoot one. I still qualify it a good hunt if I see deer.
Or maybe I'm just OCD.
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You’re not. I totally get it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have one more. I actually find I stay more still in the tree. There's just no where else to go once I'm up in the tree. I have so much respect for guys who can successfully still hunt. I just don't have the patience for it.

I know it sounds counter intuitive that, at least for me, sitting still in a tree for 4-5 hours involves less patience than moving stealthily through the forest but it's true. Here's my reasoning.

When I'm on the ground and free to move I've always got to know what's just outside of my line of sight. I can't slow myself down enough to be effective when I'm always trying to look over the next ridge or around the next tree.

When I'm in a tree then I'm stuck in that position and there's no moving possible, at least not as far as checking over the next ridge. Being stuck in a tree actually keeps me more still and results in more close encounters.
 
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If I didn’t climb...

1. Then I don’t need to try and perfect my climbing method. $$$

2. I then wouldn’t need a saddle. $$$

3. If I don’t need a climbing method or saddle then I’d have more money.

4. Also wouldn’t need SaddleHunter.com or the countless hours I spend on here.

Hmmmmm....

Ah screw it who needs money or more free time. I choose trees!!
 
I really like some of the questions Nutter asks.

Do deer have any natural predators that prey from height? I always assumed that deer have no prey from height, so that makes hunting from height an advantage.

Also, my dad, old school trad bow guy, is very partial to his ways, and he swears (taught me) that an arrow passing through a deer from height willl leave a low exit wound (relative to hunting from the ground) and thus blood trail will be immedaiately visable and better because gravity is on the hunter side, flowing quicker and with higher volume from an exit lower in the target body.

Thoughts?
 
This is from a novice bow hunter perspective: I started climbing trees when i started hunting a few years ago. I think it was just understood as the thing people did. It took me up to this year to have enough confidence to sit on the ground for some hunts. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I experienced three encounters with deer at eye level. One was at 5 yards, another at 10 and yet another at 15. I didn’t have to stress about gear or setting up. I just walked in and plopped down on a nice spot with some cover. I was bow hunting so I could see where it could be a disadvantage; however, I could also see how it could be an advantage.
Advantage: see farther off thus having more time to prepare for a shot
Disadvantage: concealing a draw
I can tell you my veins were about .25 ID when those bucks came in at 5 yards at eye level. NOW THATS A THRILL.

I climb because I like the style of hunting. I climb because I am a gluten for punishment and enjoy hauling unnecessary gear all over the place. I enjoy the different ways there are to climb and the ways to sit once you’re at hunting height. I like the vantage point of the tree; however, I find myself bored, distracted or napping in a tree. Maybe it’s too peaceful. When I hunted on the ground I was wide eyed and ready.
 
Weldabeast said:
I've had more opportunities while on the ground but you gotta get up in a tree to be able to see more than 20 feet in front of you in most places I'm hunting in
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If I could eradicate palmettos I would
 
melocal said:
I really like some of the questions Nutter asks.

Do deer have any natural predators that prey from height? I always assumed that deer have no prey from height, so that makes hunting from height an advantage.

Also, my dad, old school trad bow guy, is very partial to his ways, and he swears (taught me) that an arrow passing through a deer from height willl leave a low exit wound (relative to hunting from the ground) and thus blood trail will be immedaiately visable and better because gravity is on the hunter side, flowing quicker and with higher volume from an exit lower in the target body.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
When I started bow hunting a long, long time ago, deer never looked up into the trees. At that time bow hunting from an elevated platform had only been legal for a short time here in Michigan.

You're right about the lack of "natural" predators. However, from a deer's perspective there's no difference between a human and a cougar. We're both trying to kill them. They have definitely adapted and now expect us from above. The first defense reaction I see now of our deer herd is to look into the trees.

I also agree that an arrow passing down through a deer leaving a low hole helps with the blood trail. The downside is that it is tougher to catch both lungs from an elevated stand than it is on the ground. The angle just reduces the overlap between the two lungs. Everything has a tradeoff.
 
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