Can You Have Too Many Stands?

[Cabin Fever]

I like having several stand locations. Every year, I have 10-12 stands up and ready to hunt any time the mood strikes.

My feeling has always been, I don't want to over-hunt a particular stand, so I like having several stands to choose from. I feel that these stands are in promising spots and if I spend enough time in these stands, I should be successful. I commonly keep trailcams set up near stands in the fall, so I can see what is going on when I am not hunting there. Every year, I get pics of deer active around stands while I'm in another stand, classic "cat and mouse". Every time I hunt, I struggle and wonder if I'm choosing the best option, as I have so many to choose from. When I don't see anything, I think, "I should have been in that other stand".

Every year, I question if I have too many stand options and I'm not devoting "enough time" to each stand? I don't have the deer population that many of you do, so it's a crap shoot whether I'll see anything, no matter which stand I choose. If I spent more time in each stand, I may increase my odds...

Ever run into this dilemma?

[bubba]

Nope. I usually find 3 or 4 promising places to put stands and stick to them. If I get bored with them, I hunt from the ground. I picture a stand on every tree in the woods lol.

[Doc]

Interesting subject. I am assuming that you are not choosing your hunts based on random selection of a stand. You must have had some reason for choosing each of the many stands in the first place. Now you need a set of reasons for using them. When certain conditions or times of the season come about, there ought to be a few real good reasons to choose where you are going to go. In-season scouting should tell you which one has the better opportunity of paying off. There is no reason for extending more time spent in a stand that simply isn't paying off. That's simply wasting time. I can't think of one reason why a limitation of options would be a good thing. If you have the stands and some good reasons for their placement ....why not?

By the way, be careful of using trail cams near your stands. These critters are fully aware of them and I believe that they do alter patterns, especially with the more mature deer.

[nyslowhand]

There are worse dilemnas in life to get stressed about. lol