How high or perhaps how low to put a stand.

[Nick87]

I always looked to get up as high as possible. I felt that if a deer came in downwind, perpendicular to the wind, it would conceal my scent if they were close enough. Could be BS, but it made me feel warm and fuzzy lol

No right answer to that one imo. If you ever take a smoke bomb or a scent checker and try it at various heights. Thermals do wierd stuff.

 

[Treeshark]

Depends on the tree and backdrop imo.

I would say my average is 18’ or so based upon my bow rope, but I will set a lot lower in a limbed tree (especially white pines). Not super concerned with heights, but I do think you get away with a bit more in a straight/open tree up higher as far as not getting picked off.

One reason to hunt as low as you can get away with, at least with a bow, is your shot angles tend to be a bit more forgiving.

 

[grizzly63]

always to the side of a trail, never in line with it as they will pick you off easily. Back vegetation is really important. Keep in mind the leaves do fall off. I'm usually at 12' base but sometimes I go a lot higher. Contoured land with hills and draws brings extra wind and vision issues.

 

[kiwi hunter]

always to the side of a trail, never in line with it as they will pick you off easily. Back vegetation is really important. Keep in mind the leaves do fall off. I'm usually at 12' base but sometimes I go a lot higher. Contoured land with hills and draws brings extra wind and vision issues.

Most trees here in Oz are evergreen. I've put a 4 MTR stick up against the shed and it's high, my majority of trees are stunted coastal ones, twisted to all angles. I've decided to just make one in takedown form so I can move from spot to spot, I have 300 acres which is plenty of room and if I get adventurous there's always over the fence bush next door, several thousand acres there.

 

[SaskHunter]

Depends on the cover/spot/tree, I usually hang them 15-18 feet up, but I've went as low as 10 feet because that's as high I could get without being affected by the thick cover.

Regardless of stand height, I always make sure my silhouette is covered/broken/blended with the environment.

 

[mdhunter]

I will just remind everyone that half of all falls from a second story are fatal. Be safe or just let Darwinism take over, your call.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Trial and error is a great teacher. Lots of variables, w/ height being dependent on them.

Personal preference, I like to be low if I can (3m), w/ good concealment and sight angles. Iowa is very windy.

 

[Sheltowee]

As quite a few others have said, back cover is more important than height. I've hunted as low as 8ft. off the ground (but admittedly, looking down into a pretty steep creek bottom) and as high as 30ft. Don't discount *front* cover, too. For rifle stands, I zip-tie burlap camo or ghillie material to the front so that most everything below my chest is concealed. Little tricky for archery hunting, though.

Very strongly suggest you invest in a good treestand harness and a Hunters Safety Systems Lifeline, especially if you are homebuilding a stand. Would be a shame for one of those big NZ boars to start gnawing on you if you feel out of a tree and snapped your neck.