Have you ever been sitting on your stand and a buck or even a doe for that matter that is just about within range just all of a sudden looks straight up at you? I cannot tell you the amount of times this has happened to me. It is like they caught you with your pants down and your mind races to find a way out. But the fact of the matter is once your spotted ninety percent of the time it is a done deal and you might as well salute the deer with respect because they beat you at the game.  I have some deer secrets to share with you.

Now I am not into downing a product but some well known hunters will tell you and swear by it has to do with what colors the deer can visually see.  Usually after pitching it with research done on it they will have a convenient advertisement claiming to fix your ‘getting caught with your pants down’ deer vision dilemma. Now don’t get me wrong I am humorously skeptical.  The main reason for my skepticism is there is no way we can possibly prove with 100% accuracy at this point in time what colors a deer can and cannot see.

Seeings how I am a true sportsmen at heart I will throw out a free plug for UV Spray products so you can here their side of the tall tale..I found the following video on youtube chuckles..

From my experience over the years I learned in the field why deer look up the majority of the time. If you watched deer behavior over a long period of time you will notice deer tend to look on a horizontal plane with the forest floor. They rarely look up because the predators after them will not come from that direction. A deer’s lifespan in my opinion is not long enough for them to condition themselves to look up in the trees for hunters. Nor do I think it is a handed down trait they learn from their mothers. It is more simple than that is has to do with shadows on the forest floor.

When you’re up in your stand next time I want you to try something. Just flap your arms up and down and look at the shadow your making on the forest floor.  At certain times of the day it will be more noticeable and on a sunny bright day it is like waving white flag at a deer. You should always be careful about the shadow you cast. The majority of the time deer are level with that shadow so any movement you make will be picked up quickly.  If deer spend most of their time looking at the ground they can easily spot changes in patterns of shadows being cast around them.

A few ways to avoid the shadow you cast is by setting up your tree stand in a large tree with a wide trunk. This will help in that the wider the tree the wider the shadow is cast on the forest floor. The shadow that is cast on the forest floor will cover up any movement you make getting in place for a shot.

I always setup my tree stand a few months before season opener. I personally use a portable hang on tree stand where you can fold up the platform flat to the tree. But I leave the platform down so deer get accustomed to the shadow that is cast by it. Secondly think about this, say a solid platform versus a mesh platform. From a deer’s perspective a mesh platform will let sunlight through the platform base. This will minimize the deer spotting the new piece of technology hanging off their bedroom wall. With a solid platform it casts a blocky solid shadow that can be easily picked up by a passing deer looking at the forest floor. A mesh platform will also help if a deer does spot some movement and they do look up. The mesh platform will let sunlight through breaking up your pattern.

Now I understand when you need to find a tree at the last moment because you see fresh sign and you 100% sure you will spot a deer. Then use this word of advice. A mesh tree stand platform is a must to avoid a deer from picking up on the shadow your tree stand casts.

I hope this article helps you bag a big buck this coming season. Next week check back for more deer secrets.  In till then spring is finally here time to get rid of the cabin fever and check for antler sheds. My nephew who is 5 years old has been hounding me all winter about how to shoot my bow can’t wait to show him.

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The stump sitters study group first formed in the 1970′s. The by product of that first study group was the formation of Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine. The study group was created by two avid whitetail hunters Jack Brauer and Al Hofacker which both resided in the upper Midwest. These two hunters could not have imagined how popular their magazine would become.

The stump sitters study group when first formed involved hunters sending in reports, membership participation, filling out data sheets, research and writing articles for D&DH Magazine. The ideas and report where then pooled with other members to share ideas and experiences to learn more about the whitetail deer. Since then the amount of information we have now on deer behavior is due to the participants of that study group. They also encouraged members to write stories about their hunts, deer camp stories and poll other members with questions. The publication or rather member price was $10.00 $6.00 per year back in 1977. Strike through is a correction. More information at the bottom of the page.

Some of the article titles posted in the first couple publications of the stump sitters study group were “Presenting the World of the Whitetail” by stump sitters, “Scenting Ability of the Whitetail” by Jim Churchill, “Bucks Bear and Bows the Decision” by Maynard Mickelson and many other titles ranging from hunting deer with a camera in the off season to treestand hunting. It is truly a look into the past as you follow along reading. It gives you a good sense of how far we have come in knowing whitetail deer behavior. Each issue of D&DH brings fresh insight to not only helping our hunting strategy but a chance to admire that great stag of the forest, the Odocoileus virginianus otherwise known as the whitetail deer.

So if you get a chance to stop over to Williams Blog I am certain he would enjoy your company and don’t forget to catch us on the D&DH Forum.

Correction: The publication or rather member price was $10.00 $6.00 per year back in 1977. Special thanks to Jack Bauer the founder of Stump Sitter Study Group for correcting me on the price. Thanks Jack it is a honor to know your reading my articles.

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The first thing I check when considering tree stand placement is wind direction. I then look at the sign I am hunting over such as a game trail and figure out which direction the majority of the game is heading. If the game is heading north on the trail then you will want to place your stand facing south. It ensures you see the game coming down the trail before they see you. You will want to place your stand at fifteen to thirty degree angle to the trail. This will ensure you will see the game approaching and secondly have plenty of time to get into your shooting stance and make a perfect broadside shot.

Wind direction is key if the deer are headed north on a well used game trail and the wind is coming from the south then hunting directly upwind of the deer will ensure a failed hunt. Without going into too much detail I personally have all the game trails in my hunting area tracked out with my gps. You can see how the trail runs with the land and were the trail bends. On these bends in the trail is where you would want to setup your stand when the wind direction is in the deer’s favor.

Picking out the right tree is essential. Not only should the right tree be considered but surrounding vegetation should be taken into account. I rarely cut shooting lanes when I choose a tree stand location. For one particularity whitetail deer are very keen to their home range, it would be like if someone were to come in your house and breaking your favorite antique cuckoo clock that hung on the wall for years. You would quickly notice it and would be well aware a stranger could be lurking around the next corner. Deer are and act the same way, they will alter their normal travel routine if they feel something is amiss. If you look hard enough you can find plenty of stand locations on the game trail that give you an opportunity for natural shooting lanes.

Proper tree stand placement can literally make or break a hunt. By paying close attention to the fine details will ensure you success after success. It will ready you for advanced hunting techniques.

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Every tree stand out on the market is unique in its own way whether they come with a solid platform , a platform that is meshed, different gauge metal are used for the supports, overall weight varies and ect.. Choosing the right tree stand can be time consuming; well at least for me it is. Not a lot of websites out there that do a step by step review of all the makes and models currently on the market. Here are a few pointers.

The biggest thing for me living in the north is how well does it hold up in cold temperatures. I have bought many hang on tree stands that simply don’t cut it. In cold weather metal reacts different than it does in a warmer climate. I have bought a few stands when you shift your weight when it was warm out it was problem free. But try shifting your weight when it is cold out and the stand will let out a loud creak, like it is complaining it is too cold out to be hunting.

A sure fix to this is to check to see if the tree stand has grommets between the moving parts of the stand. I had luck with softer grommets. If it is a hard plastic grommet they tend to get very hard under cold temperatures, making it near impossible to lift up the seat on the stand to stretch your legs, without it letting out a loud creak.

If it has no grommets what so ever, between the moving parts, a sleeve on the bolts then I steer clear of purchasing the tree stand. Metal on metal in cold weather simply does not work. Nothing worse than drawing back, shouldering your weapon only to hear a loud creak to alert your prey to you.

You often get what you pay for which can be said for almost anything but particularly with a tree stand. I have purchased many cheap hunting stands in the past but the engineering behind them is what I look for when considering a purchase.

I look for, does it have foam padding that you can either buy as an accessory or that comes with the stand. The padding I’m referring to is some stands come with a rifle rest. If the padding is not there and you accidentally hit your barrel on the rifle rest then you run the chance of not only spooking deer but you could ding up your gun or possibly knock your scope out of alignment.

Does the stand come with a full line of accessories and stand attachments? Some aftermarket accessories made for stands don’t fit securely to specific one’s I purchased. So if you can stick with a deer stand manufacture that has a full line of attachments for their stands. Whether it is, a camouflage skirt, replaceable padding, a replacement seat, hooks and hangers, these options and attachments should all be considered before finalizing your purchase.

Choosing the right stand can be time consuming but it will enable you to buy with confidence.

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Five years ago there were still remnants of an old collapsed steel shed in the midst of that orchard. I often wonder now that it is covered up with leaves and finishing the process of to dust to which it was built to dust it will go, I wondered how many hunters hunted from it in hopes to harvest a heavy horned stag. Memory serves me right the land owner that previously owned our small fifty acre parcel begged my father to hunt a stag he was chasing for years. He said he spotted him under an old evergreen each fall sunning him-self before the rut went into full swing, just a scant two hundred yards from the orchard. The stag surely passed down his genes because of the massive rubs I find year in and year out.

One of those rubs was a part of a rub line that bordered the perimeter of where my tree stand was placed. Never fails year after year the buck trails change slightly but those rub lines and scrapes were used each season as far back as I can recollect. The one thing that never changes was the doe trails. I look at it as a great opportunity to harvest a heavy horned stag. Once rut goes in full swing those doe deer will keep the company of those monarchs of the forest. It is a sure bet to roll the dice by following heavily used doe trails during peak rut. My father I have seen up to twenty deer at once using the same doe trail during the rut. My father recounts to me that memory; he thought a train was coming through the woods with all the hooves pounding in unison. Eying twenty deer at a mild trot, crunching leaves under hoof is a sight to be seen. That is for sure.

I arrive at my destination and inspect my climbing tree stand I left at the base of the cherry. Making sure the bolts are tight before I begin to ascend into the canopy. Not the best spot for an ambush but the only tree tall and straight enough to accommodate my climbing stand, it will do. I for one believe the higher the better when hunting out of climbing tree stands. A weary buck will high tail it to the next county if it comes across a fresh smell of a hunter’s odor. Yes the higher the better I mumble to myself as I max sixteen feet. I soon feel the bottom of the climber slipping out of my feet thinking “first time for everything”. “Yea right” I silently think, I have been meaning to tie the top and bottom of the climbing tree stand together with a safety rope in case the bottom slips from out under my feet. Wouldn’t you know that base had to slip out from under my feet and crash to the forest floor? That it did and scared every forest creature within our fifty acre woodlot half out of their beds, severely cutting short their morning slumber. Getting down is whole other story in itself.

Check out my Tree Stand Buyer’s Guide.

If you enjoyed this article comment back I would enjoy your feedback. I am a aspiring outdoor writer. If you would like me to do a guest post article on your website please feel free to contact me. If you are interested in blog roll linking again please feel free to contact me.

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