Finding the Perfect Perch: Selecting Prime Treestand Locations

Location, Location, Location.... you often hear these words around the real estate market, but it also can't be any truer for selecting your "real estate" in the deer woods. Selecting the right treestand location is crucial for maximizing your chances of a successful hunt. But how? Often, we get asked by novice hunters how we successfully harvest mature deer year after year and our answer is always Location, Location, Location. Now most people know that to be successful in deer hunting, it's a good idea to be up off the ground for better scent control and vantage point. The key here though is the area of the property and the actual tree itself. Many "greenhorns" wander aimlessly into the woods and just set up in a tree because that's what they see on a hunting show and what they're told they are supposed to do. However, to have repeated success the #1 thing you must learn how to do is think like a deer and immerse yourself in the deer world. Every time you have an encounter with a deer while on stand or just when you are walking through the woods, ask yourself, "why did i see that deer right there and where were they probably coming from and going to and why? Start thinking this way and you will start to understand deer behavior better. It does get more complicated when you are trying to harvest only mature bucks though. These creatures are not like a "regular" deer, they are elusive and very narrow minded "individuals". Every mature buck has its own personality and it's our job to divide and conquer it. I believe that the top 3 things to consider when choosing a stand location (in order of relevance) is:

#1- Understanding Deer Behavior

#2- Terrain

#3- Environmental Factors

Let's break down the DEER BEHAVIOR part first since I believe it's the most important. Deer are simple creatures; they need 4 things in life.... food, water, security, and the opportunity to breed. If you can instill all 4 of these elements correctly into your stand setups you will be off to a great start! FOOD and water. Basically, eleven months out of the year the only thing a deer thinks about is eating FOOD. Guess what they're thinking about the other month. :) So, for 11 months, it's food in the morning, food in the day, and food at night. With eating so much food comes the need to drink. These are the most basic deer behavior needs and they MUST be met daily. That being said, it should be your first objective in a stand setup. Now I'm not going to get super detailed here because there are many different stand setups for different times of the year and alternative tactics will need to be addressed and I will go over that in a future blog post. For now, I'm going to just say we are picking a stand location for pre rut situations. We are from western NY state where ag crops are plentiful, so we are blessed with some obvious deer food choices. Soybeans, Corn, Clover, and Alfalfa are the most common and it's those crops that create many opportunities for hunters in the area. Also, overlooked food like browse, orchards and small grassy areas in woods are great places to look for. To hunt the ag food, you could put your stand along the edge of these ag fields like a lot of hunters prefer to do, but in my experiences, that usually results in doe and immature buck encounters. Yes, you WILL see deer in these setups but to home in on the mature deer, you must get in just off the field edges in the staging areas, funnels, and trails that lead to those fields. My favorite early season setup to intercept a mature buck is finding an Oak stand that has acorns on the ground just off from those ag field edges.  If you can find that situation, or other nut trees or browse areas, hang a stand on the downwind side between that staging area and ag field and be ready.  Water is abundant in my parts so I'm not really going to get into that part but just know that deer do need to drink but hunting over water here doesn't usually pan out. If you live in a dry hot climate however, this can be one of the best setups. So, hunt the transitions between the bedding areas and the food in an area where you think the big guy will be hanging out just grabbing an appetizer before he heads out to the crop fields in the cover of darkness. 

The next most important thing to consider is the TERRAIN in which you are hunting and how to use it to your advantage. If we were just talking about a rut stand setup this would be my #1 most important factor in choosing a treestand location, but since we are talking about pre rut here, I labeled it as my number 2. Whether you are hunting a piece of public that you aren't familiar with or you are hunting a local woodlot, you are still looking for the same things in a prime stand location. You should be looking for funnels, pinch points, ditches, type lines, benches, ridges, and gulleys. All of these present a unique approach at intercepting that mature buck. A lot of people have heard of most of these but if you never have heard of a type line, it is something you need to know. A type line is a sudden break or change in the kind of forage or habitat. Here is an example, say you are hunting a 100-acre dark and damp coniferous forest (Hemlock, Spruce, Etc.) then suddenly the whole habitat of the forest changes to an open deciduous forest (Oak, Beech, Cherry, Etc.). When this change happens, you will basically notice an imaginary line between the two different habitats. This is a type line and it's a prime setup due to the fact that big bucks love to cruise these to scent check and it also gives them the option of food and cover simply to the right or left of them. Now if you can find this type line and connect that spot into a spot where a natural funnel or pinch point is present, you are on to something great! Just always remember to keep these terrain features in mind when you are on the search for that perfect spot. 

The third thing I look for in a perfect stand location is ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. What do I mean by that? I mean things like prevailing wind direction, where the sun sets and rises and where it casts shadows, noisy ground cover on the way to a stand, neighborhood noise, highway noise, human scent control, and the tree itself! All of these factors will determine how you get to and from your stand location without being detected. When you figure out the right area for your stand location, the next thing you will do is actually pick out that perfect tree. You want to consider all those factors I mentioned plus pick a tree that's straight and has bark that's quiet. My most favorite tree to place hang-on stands in is the Hemlock tree. I love these trees because they supply ample coverage, and they have very sturdy branches. The deer just do not see you in them. I like to be up in a tree about 18-20 feet. I feel that 18-20 feet is a good height where deer have a hard time smelling you, yet you are not so high that you deplete your kill zone to a minimum due to the angle. More important than the species of tree, is safety. Always wear a safety harness and secure those stands good. Check those cables before you put all of your weight on them! 

Now that you have those things to consider when choosing the right spot fresh in your mind, grab your maps or satellite imagery and go "hoof" it.  Go search for these little honey holes on the properties that you hunt and hang that KILLER stand! Good luck everyone and don't be afraid to leave a comment or question for us. Happy Hunting!