Your most succesful stand/spot?

[dhuntley2]

I was thinking about new stand locations for next season, I think I might have a problem but that's besides the point, and was curious to other hunters successful stand locations. Developing a good stand is one of my favorite parts to hunting, and I love how you might be in a good spot but the best spot could be the tree 10 or 20 yards away. My most successful stand took a while to develop. We had a knoll with a dozen or more wild apple trees on it but it was all grown up to junk.  After a lot of chainsaw work and a lot of cow manure, and some lime the knoll is now a 60 yard wide circle with the apple trees all pruned and clover planted. This knoll sits next to some very good cover. The stand was put up three years ago and I have been 3 for 3 on does all on Sep 27th, the opening day for bow in the NZ. This is hands down my most successful stand, what is yours? 

Edited December 15, 2013 by dhuntley2

[Doc]

For gun season, I have a stand halfway up the hill on a little bench. I have no idea why they travel this area, but I can guarantee that at some point opening day, I will shoot at least one deer there. It is not an escape route as such because all the deer that I have shot there are moving quite casually thru, but they are always confined to a 50 yard radius of my stand (ground stand) and can always be counted on to show up. The deer are a mixed bag of bucks, does, and occasionally a nice buck will show up there.

[ncountry]

I had a little honey hole . It produced around 1/2 dozen nice bucks 7-10 point 2 1/2-3 1/2 year old bucks over the coarse of 6 years.It was in an overlooked corner of a heavily hunted piece of property. I could see the road 100yds and the barns less than 200yds away. Only catch was the water was 2' deep. Nobody stepped foot in this area including me until a certain date in Nov.  Within 2 hours of daylight a doe would drag a shooter though... lol. It was ridiculous how consistent it was. I have not been able to figure it out for the past 6 years or so.Cannot find the "magic" day or time.. I always wondered if it was the same doe that came into heat at the same time every year that the bucks were stuck too? And she finally died.

 

By the way..DH how has your folks addition holding up?

Edited December 15, 2013 by ncountry

[Nomad]

Well I have to say I have 2 . The first is kind of an inside corner, my first bow stand went up there in 88? The stand was made of steel and hung on with a chain,, I still use it, no cables to platform which I love. I killed a young buck there my first year of bow hunting. Since then I have killed deer there most years. This year no exception.

My second is a small clearing in the NE corner of some thick thick brush,a bulldozed trail lays just to the N , then a smaller thicket across trail. Pretty much can kill deer there all season,took one in bow there this year.

Those 2 I always have a stand in same tree each time.

[dhuntley2]

I had a little honey hole . It produced around 1/2 dozen nice bucks 7-10 point 2 1/2-3 1/2 year old bucks over the coarse of 6 years.It was in an overlooked corner of a heavily hunted piece of property. I could see the road 100yds and the barns less than 200yds away. Only catch was the water was 2' deep. Nobody stepped foot in this area including me until a certain date in Nov.  Within 2 hours of daylight a doe would drag a shooter though... lol. It was ridiculous how consistent it was. I have not been able to figure it out for the past 6 years or so.Cannot find the "magic" day or time.. I always wondered if it was the same doe that came into heat at the same time every year that the bucks were stuck too? And she finally died.

 

By the way..DH how has your folks addition holding up?

 

Ha, the addition is great except the old man needs to finish up so trim and some odd ends. Besides that it has been wonderful.

 

[GreeneHunter]

I had a built-in treestand for about 15 years with a pine tree backing it up , the stand was about 30 feet up with the screw-in steps leading up to it . I used to take out the bottom 3 steps after season so as to keep the curious at bay . It produced year after year and finally I setup a ladder stand nearby when I received one for Christmas (before hunting season) !

[Doc]

Well I have to say I have 2 . The first is kind of an inside corner  .......  

I always check out "inside corners". and it doesn't always have to be a wide open field either. Inside corners of changes from brush to mature woods are also deer magnets. I don't understand the attraction, but those configurations have turned out to be a great spot more times than not.

[ItalianHunter5]

My by far best spot was actually my father's old treestand. He built a wooden treestand along the side of a hill that looks down onto a big level wooded area, that was in 1980. Right when I started hunting he told me that this was the spot I would be going to from now on. I have to thank him a lot because at this location is where I shot 3 of my 4 deer. For 33 years this spot has been consistently one of the best in the area and I'm grateful that my father passed it along to me.

[Nomad]

I always check out "inside corners". and it doesn't always have to be a wide open field either. Inside corners of changes from brush to mature woods are also deer magnets. I don't understand the attraction, but those configurations have turned out to be a great spot more times than not.

That's what it is. Thick brush buts against hardwood ,kind of an L. They come out of brush turn west into woods.

[growalot]

I have been successful out of every stand set I've ever placed...with so many and the amount of time I move around them it's difficult to say...but to choose one it would be...this one...bottom of and looking toward a west facing hill...there is a combo of hard woods and a large swamp behind it...mature woods going into a large pine plantation to the rt..... To the lft a narrow 400yrd lane way and immature wood lot....As I sit  I face a mature woodlot going up over the hill towards a gully....This spot according to all one reads about wind.... is so wrong yet has given me 6 good buck...one being in my avatar...and over a dozen doe...

[dhuntley2]

Grow the stand that I have mentioned is wrong with the wind too. I actually moved the stand to the other side yesterday, now it will be my ultimate killer stand. I am excited for next year to see how it produces. If it was 3 for 3 with does with the wind wrong I think now being downwind I could actually get the big boy.

Edited December 15, 2013 by dhuntley2

[Arrow Flinger]

That's what it is. Thick brush buts against hardwood ,kind of an L. They come out of brush turn west into woods.

 

One of my stands is in a spot like that. I've shot a lot of deer out of it during bow. Seems like the deer funnel around the outside corner of brush and come right by me in the open hardwoods. They also dump in and out of the brush right there too.

[growalot]

dhuntley...I just add more stands...I have one 200ft to the rt of that stand ....Looking at the bottom pic on your lft side you can see a large clump with a tree sticking out of it...well I just put a ladder stand there...the clump is a wild rose bush....first sit ...my own fault...missed a 12pt crossing that opening between me and the stand at end of lane way during shot gun this year...before that watched a big 8 and a 10pt walk right under the stand...hard to tell but that clump and tree are 100yrds from the other stand

[dhuntley2]

Its amazing what a difference being only a 100 ft away from one spot makes.

[Woodjr55]

There are two good stands on my property my brothers is at the top of the hill in the corner of the pines. He always shoots a deer there opening day. The other is at the other end of our property which belongs to my uncles buddy that stand always produces. I put up a stand this year and I shot my 11 pt out of it so I'd say that's kinda success full. That stand is at the bottom of the hill about a 100 yards below my brothers stand

[G-Man]

my best stand(was replaced 1x already from portable to permant, and was rebuilt this year) has yielded 63 deer in 18 years 22 of them being antlered buck, it is a triple funnel, 2 natural movement and 1 pressure, sits at a convergence of 3 habitat types(swamp,hardwood, and apple brush) at the top of a ravine. is now a permanant stand 22 feet high between 2 trees. is both an effective gun and bow stand.

[ATbuckhunter]

For bow season i used a stand 50 yards from the edge of a 13 acre field and my fav rifle stand is 40 yards to the left but the field isnt very visible from there.  

[dhuntley2]

my best stand(was replaced 1x already from portable to permant, and was rebuilt this year) has yielded 63 deer in 18 years 22 of them being antlered buck, it is a triple funnel, 2 natural movement and 1 pressure, sits at a convergence of 3 habitat types(swamp,hardwood, and apple brush) at the top of a ravine. is now a permanant stand 22 feet high between 2 trees. is both an effective gun and bow stand.

Now that is a successful stand! How often does this stand get hunted, must be a lot to get that kind of results?

Edited December 15, 2013 by dhuntley2

[G-Man]

its hunted on and off as i have a lot of property, but it is hunted bow gun and muzzleloader. one year in 3 days of gun there were 6 gut piles under it ...lol deer keep walking thru. opening day my friend sat it and had his buck at 730am, put his son there at 3pm and he had his buck by 330. you dont have to hunt it hard the deer are always there a few hrs and you see deer .. just a question if its a good shot or if you want it.

[Meat Manager]

I have a couple solid producers in small woods around agriculture.

I like bordering edges of apple brush/multiflora thickets, ravines, swamps and hardwood and/or pines.

I also like to incorporate running water near my sets for 3 reasons:

It's obviously a water source, but more importantly it is a covered approach trail when it is in a ravine, and finally it provides a perfect cover sound for a clean approach and allows for minor noises from movement while in the stand.

My best producers incorporate all of these elements.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited December 17, 2013 by Meat Manager

[ants]

My 2 best stands are both right at the edge of where thick,  nasty cover starts to open up into hard woods.

One spot is on top of a ridge that looks down into hardwoods. Thick overgrown apple trees about 50yds. to the right and thick cedars 50yds to the left. The other stand is at the edge of thick apples and brush, that breaks out into open hardwoods that lead into a field. Both spots produce bucks most years. But not this year. Tags are marinading as we speak.