how high?

[mhouck06]

my preferred height is usually dicated by the location i am hunting, i try to aim for 17-20 feet i guess you could say, ive had set ups that are higher and a lot that are lower. Concealment is key for me, I try to have a good backdrop and I usually put small branches off my platform to break up my figure as they are looking up. Regardless of how high you go tho... wear a harness

[ChasePhase]

I use to go as high as i could. I still like to be between 20-25ft. I just feel that I my movements are less likely to be noticed at that height.

Nice thing about hanging them higher was that other guys were to scared to hunt them. I did spine a lot of deer though.

[Joel Spring]

I tend to stay on the low end of things -- 16 feet, sometimes less. I've gone higher, and twice single-lunged deer with an arrow. The lower I am, the better the shot angle, with archery equipment. I pick a tree (preferably a cluster of trees, or a multi-trunked tree) so the concealment is there, without necessarily the height. If you're talking anemic, skinny trees, going higher is sometimes the only option.

This past monday I had three does from my 13 foot high stand pass directly beneath me. At least two of them were old enough to know better, and they never had a clue I was there.

[charlie 01]

It's always exciting to be that low and have deer that close. In some thick brushy areas, I used to hunt only 8 ft high. A lot of good clean kills at that height. Had a trail that went under me and one time shot a buck straight down at less than 8ft. Through the heart and right on through. He took a left turn and plowed through the brush like a locomotive, but only went 25yds.

[spearfisher]

[quote="charlie 01"]Find your comfort level. The older you get the lower you get. I used to be around 20 ft, but depending on the tree and location. Now a days 10 to 15ft is my comfort level. /quote]

That is the damn truth! As a teen and 20 something I had no fear. 20+ up always. I had a lock up in a big old tree in a V and I had to hand climb up to it. Loved that stand. Almost 30' up. Now I'm 42. Every time I climb I'm thinking of my wife, kids, the last tree stand trauma we got in OR.....you get the idea. I do same thing when I spearfish and I'm rolling off the boat and sinking into the murky deep. Glad to know I'm not alone. I still wonder wth I was thinking back then. And for the record 20 is my max

[Jon H.]

Depends on the cover. If the tree branches are low, then my stand is around 15' but if the branches are high, it could be 25+ feet. I'm not saying that's what I look for, but if that's all I have, then that's what I have to do!