Hanging "Killing" Stands

[WhitetailAddict11]

Every year we find those hot spots while hunting that just NEED to have a stand. I had a hunch about a certain ridge all off season, but didnt want to waste a stand on it without a little extra infromation (I hang most of my stands in August/September), so I decided to wait for mid October. I quickly scouted it in the rain about the third week of October, and to my pleasant surprise it was littered with day old rubs, on trees of all sizes. I knew via trail cams that this was the core area of the better bucks on this farm, so my senses were telling me this was the place to be, and to top it all off, the once in a lifetime "perfect tree" took me about 2 minutes to find. I hung the stand in a split pine, trimmed some lunker sized limbs, and 2 days later I killed my best buck to date. The whole point of this is I'm a firm believer of quick scouting and hanging stands in the rain during the season to help avoid any detection. I hung a stand in late september on the same farm over a small rubline, and got pictures of the same 4 bucks the next morning, which led to the "killing tree" further down the ridge that i previosuly talked about. How about you guys? What's your tactics for hanging and/or finding those hot spots?

[NYbuck50]

I bow hunt solely out of a climber, which allows me to change my location according to what the deer are doing. I scout hard through gun season and january, and will generally stay out of areas i plan to hunt until opening day. When opening day comes around, i know general areas the deer will be using, but not exact routes. i am constantly fine tuning my stand sites, and about half my time on stand is studying the layout of an area, looking for ways to hunt it tommorow in 1.) in different winds and 2.) better trees for the same wind direction, that put me closer to where the action is at that particular time.

[growalot]

I'm fortunate in that most stands I put in.... end up being that killer stand....unfortunate enough in that even with putting a cluster of stands to cover winds and cut offs....They manage to...either bed directly under them walk under the wrong stand as I watch...or come past after hours...once in a while though I'm able to connect on one not running a doe and just cruising by........which is why I have 36 stands...lol

[MACHINIST]

most of my spots are found the same way.Once you get a feeling just run with it.

[phade]

Every year we find those hot spots while hunting that just NEED to have a stand. I had a hunch about a certain ridge all off season, but didnt want to waste a stand on it without a little extra infromation (I hang most of my stands in August/September), so I decided to wait for mid October. I quickly scouted it in the rain about the third week of October, and to my pleasant surprise it was littered with day old rubs, on trees of all sizes. I knew via trail cams that this was the core area of the better bucks on this farm, so my senses were telling me this was the place to be, and to top it all off, the once in a lifetime "perfect tree" took me about 2 minutes to find. I hung the stand in a split pine, trimmed some lunker sized limbs, and 2 days later I killed my best buck to date. The whole point of this is I'm a firm believer of quick scouting and hanging stands in the rain during the season to help avoid any detection. I hung a stand in late september on the same farm over a small rubline, and got pictures of the same 4 bucks the next morning, which led to the "killing tree" further down the ridge that i previosuly talked about. How about you guys? What's your tactics for hanging and/or finding those hot spots?

There's your next big gain to be had. Hang them in March and April as you scout. I often will scout with a stand or two in my truck ready to go. If I find the sign I need, then I hang it, trim, and leave.

This works great for hunting buck beds early in the season - even moreso now with the Oct. 1 opener. I bet I hang 4 or 5 stands to every 1 in March/April vs. summer.

Wasting a stand? Look at stands as a consumable cost - or get a complete mobile setup. You are also doing yourself a disservice by hanging a stand, then returning two days later. It's probably cost you more bucks than you realize and/or have shot that way. You seem to be mixing MRI/hunting hot sign with traditional stand setting techniques. Go in with a LW and sticks on your back, scout hot sign, then hang and hunt. None of this going back two days later stuff. Trust me, you'll find out that it benefits you. If it's hot right then and there - why waste it?

Edited December 13, 2012 by phade

[JFB]

Congrats on your instinct and the move in for the kill. Certainly not much to dispute about the result there!

I will say however that like Phade is speaking about, I often wonder why we sometimes "wait two days after hanging a stand" rather than hunting it that moment or the very next day.

Think about it.. if it sits for two days "cooling off", thats two days of mature deer potentially getting educated before you go in for your first sit. If we sit the very next day, I suppose thats the real surprise because very few deer had time yet to pick up on anything being different. I usually end up hanging in the spring or well prior to season. Occasionally I hang mid season and did so this year which resulted in a kill.

"First time" sits certainly are the best percentage any way you slice it.

[WhitetailAddict11]

I forgot to mention that the day I hung it was absolutely driving rain, and the next day was a terrible wind. Otherwise I would have done exactly what you guys said. I love the idea of hanging a stand in the early spring phade. I have found some of my best doe bedding areas during that time of year.

[tughillhunter]

I have one stand i still have yet to have a kill from. maybe next year. Found a few more honey holes by creek beds and an open swampy shat hole. Gonna hang a few down in there this summer.

[Pygmy]

I'm fortunate in that most stands I put in.... end up being that killer stand....unfortunate enough in that even with putting a cluster of stands to cover winds and cut offs....They manage to...either bed directly under them walk under the wrong stand as I watch...or come past after hours...once in a while though I'm able to connect on one not running a doe and just cruising by........which is why I have 36 stands...lol

Geeze, Growie... 36 stands ??

Did you say you have less than 100 acres ?

It must be hard to walk on your property without seeing a deer stand..

Not that there is anything "wrong" with that. Just Sayin'...<< SMILE>>...

[phade]

I forgot to mention that the day I hung it was absolutely driving rain, and the next day was a terrible wind. Otherwise I would have done exactly what you guys said. I love the idea of hanging a stand in the early spring phade. I have found some of my best doe bedding areas during that time of year.

Doe beds certainly have value, but really, that's for rut hunting. I note doe bedding areas, but won't hang on them in Spring because they can change too much, and I usually prefer to use MRI at that time of the season. I may if it is a funnel location or a spot that will likely prove to be a stand that can be hunted more than once to twice at that time.

The value in scouting in March and April (I even scout with snow on the ground right after the close of the season), is to find actual buck beds. When I find them, I literally stand in them and kneel to see what the buck can see from that vantage point. I then look at his travel routes and try to piece together why and where he goes, and what time of year he uses the bed. At that point, I find my killing tree, hang or prep for mobile set, and then leave - I don't return until I plan to hunt it, with the exception of maybe finding sheds to verify the buck made it through the season. It is a very productive way to hunt early season. I'll try to glass or shine the buck at various points of the summer to verify if he is using that bed. This year, I had a spot where water and bedding area were compacted into one 5 acre section, so I did have to resort to a game cam since I couldn't see him from a good vantage point and the corn didn't let me glass. I set that cam in June and I checked it twice without ever breaking foot into the actual bedding area. Once I got my info confirmed, I no longer checked the cam. I shot the buck and pulled the cam afterwards.

I cringe when people hang a set and then return days later to hunt hot sign as the rut phases kick in. Sometimes it works, but you are relying on luck being a bigger factor than it should be. A mature buck is going to know 90-95 of 100 times that there was an intrusion. The other thing is that hot sign is for hunting NOW. It is so counter-productive to say "Hey, I'll come back here in two days or a week, and hunt it." when they are there...

The other thing is people hunt hot sign, and then think they need to back off. Really, it's the exact opposite approach. There are times of the season when hot sign should be hunted and hunted hard. Not just one day and then backing off for a week to let an area "cool down." If you stand approach is proper and you account for wind and thermals, and you minimize the ground you burn...kill that darn buck. He may have not been there on the FTI, but if conditions warrant, be back in that stand again in the a.m. Of course, the time of year to do that is limited to a short week or two of the entire season, but still....why shoot yourself in the foot when you did all the hard work.

Passive-Aggressive hunters are most often the best there are.

Edited December 14, 2012 by phade

[G-Man]

I have 1 stand that over 50 deer have been shot from 19 of them antlered bucks. I usually put a guest in it as it always produces(as long as the person can shoot straight!) The problem i have with it is getting the successful hunter to give it up for someone else to use....

[Lawdwaz]

Geeze, Growie... 36 stands ??

Did you say you have less than 100 acres ?

It must be hard to walk on your property without seeing a deer stand..

Not that there is anything "wrong" with that. Just Sayin'...<< SMILE>>...

Now it all becomes clear. Growie said in another thread that the guys trespassing on her place were shining flashlights up into the trees, possibly looking for (my inference) her tree stands. (The thread was about leaving your bow in the tree over night)

Hell, they probably heard that someone had 36 stands up and JUST had to check it out!! With that much cash invested in tree stands you'd think she could afford to looose a bow or two! <grin>

How the hell do you keep track of (thirty six) 36 stands?

Just bustin on ya Growie!

[phade]

I have 1 stand that over 50 deer have been shot from 19 of them antlered bucks. I usually put a guest in it as it always produces(as long as the person can shoot straight!) The problem i have with it is getting the successful hunter to give it up for someone else to use....

Love stands like that. As long as they are hunted peroperly, the can produce for years.

What's the stand setup area? Funnel?

[growalot]

I have to amend that......these arrived yesterday....lol

Remember I do have another 64 acres down at camp...but admittedly most are here at home...yep...very seldom do I ever use a stand 2 times in a week and there are some never hunted out of in a season.......that also includes my two climbers.........just depends on how the deer are moving in any particular year...

When a matriarch doe is killed the groups tend to change movements to coincide with the new leader... Thus a whole new group of stands get utilized...being a bow hunter I like to have many options with little impact..they are so use to the stands being a part of the land scape...which is why they tend to bed under them...lol

[WhitetailAddict11]

Great info phade