Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Stand Height

How high do y’all like to hang your stands whether it’s for bow hunting or rifle hunting?

The most productive tree stand I have is about 10-11 feet high, I’ve shot at least 25 deer from it, and it’s my go too ladder stand I take with me just about anywhere.

My second most is on a steep hill, and is 14ft up on the low side, and 10 feet up on the hill side of the tree, I’ve shot close to 20 deer from that one.

So 10 feet seems plenty

Prefer on the ground actually. Better shot angles. Just enjoy being on the same level.

That said most of our tripods were about 10 feet max. Rarely did we have or use 12 plus feet. Often ladders were 8 feet. Just glad I realized how much fun hunting eye level can be.

A few of the places I hunt have a lot of growth close to ground, you can't see 10 yards. Get 15 feet up a tree and it opens on up, you can get a shot out to about 70 yards or so. Caught a coyote moving through one of those areas last year and as he got close to semi-open area through the branches, I "woofed" him.

He stopped and got shot.....I simply substituted "woof" for "bleat".

In woods? Whatever height offers the best visibility for gun hunting. Whichever height offers the best shot angles without giving up concealment, for bow hunting. So, I’ve hunted 10-25’ or more in climbers. For shooting houses on fields, whatever works....ground to ?. It’s all just terrain and cover..... ground level can be out of their noses and give a vies near the crest of a ridge. 25’ may not be high enough in a swamp hollow.

This. I like ground level....sometimes I need nosebleed....sometimes I have to use what's available.

Most of my bow kills have been from down wind ground level to get the best shot angle. If I told you how high the "penthouse" rifle seat was, you would call BS. My palms just broke out in a sweat thinking about it. That was in a big white pine on the edge of a regenerating logged over poplar growth. Food and security for a deer where you couldn't see 20 yards into that tangle from ground level. Those darn poplar saplings grew about 2' a year and you had to get above them to see down into them. My best rifle bucks have come from one stand at about 35'. That got me above their scent line and below most of the surrounding tree canopy. As I've gotten older, self preservation is more important than another deer and I'm becoming grounded.

This🔝

It's about me being able to see, not being invisible or above their noses. Deers' peripheral vision will pick up movement almost anywhere in their "circle". Seeing them first lets you adjust your position before they get close. I like to have my rifle pointed towards them to reduce my silhouette as I raise it.

Got busted last year by a buck at about 50 yards because he spotted the movement when I stiffened a bit at the sound he made.

A ground position above the expected deer travel route is better and more comfortable than a stand, just hard to come by is some places. On my current hunting area, I'm close to 50/50 on ground shots vs shots from treestands; exactly that with the four I've taken with my xbow so far.

If I'm exposed, I prefer to be high and fully camo'd up. If I'm in a blind, having it a few feet off the ground is fine, provided I have the windows done up with layered burlap for concealment. I hunt with my kids a lot and you don't need big open windows with 2-3 faces in the stand.
Generally leave holes in the wrap for viewing and shooting. A 24" diameter roll of burlap on Amazon was cheap and I've been using the same roll for probably 6-7 years.

No higher than 10-12 ft., I always wear a camo headnet and gloves.

Permanent house blinds from 5’ to 8’ off the ground. I’m getting old.

Usually 12-20 feet - depends on ground cover and shooting lanes.

I probably average 12-15 feet, for bow hunting.

35 feet with a tree lounge Glad those days are over .

For me never higher than 20' 95% of the time I'm between 15 and 18' bow or rifle.

up high to get the scent above them.

So what do you do early and late in the day as the air is cooler or cooling and scent always sinks at the best time to hunt for the most part?

I've had thermals bust me enough to know that the only game to play is wind direction. Even if that direction is veritcal

I used to be a nosebleed cowboy, but for the past 20 or so years, I've gotten considerably more conservative.

I have a buddy stand at 15 feet (4 sections), 8 feet (2 sections) and 12 feet (3 sections), but probably better than half the deer at our camp are taken at ground level.

The reason I ask is because I drew out on a hunt in northeast Texas and I m trying to be prepared. From everything I’ve read that I could find, the area is heavily wooded. It is a rifle hunt. I’ve bow hunted from a stand that was 14’ above the ground before, but that was in the hill country.

PM Ltppowell he is from that area of Texas and will be a wealth of knowledge my understanding is there are a lot of pines

Thanks, I’ll ask him

On our property in WV my stands are 12-15ft high. When I’m on public land using my climber, I’ll often get as high as I can. Because of limitations of the tree itself or visibility or safety, that’s usually 10-20ft but I’ve shot deer as low as about 7ft.