# Tree stand height



## TopWaterOnlyTeenager (Feb 29, 2012)

I have two treestands set up on the ranch I hunt at in del rio. I am the only one that bow hunts down there so no one else on the ranch is much help. One of my stands is 12 feet off the ground but it faces a sleight hill so I am really only about 8 feet above the deer and I can hardly move a muscle without the deer seeing me. My other one is about 25 or so feet above the deer and I can move around all I want and they never see me. So my question is what do y'all think the minimum height is that you could hang a stand at and not be easily seen by the deer? And should I just use a ground line instead of the short stand?


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

Didn't think there were any trees 25' in Del Rio, thing about being low IS once your seen >>>your done or thats been my exper, thing about being high it cuts down your kill zone because of the angle...I would rather be to high than to low or you will not catch me below 20'...WW


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## Shaky (May 21, 2004)

Im just the opposite. I have an insane fear of heights so anything over 4' off the ground Ive got a safety harness on.

I much prefer ground blinds. But I do have a 10' ladder stand I will force myself into if I have too, as long as your brushed in real well and dont make any sudden moves you should be ok.


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## multiboat (Dec 10, 2012)

I'd say average is 16ft, which is about the length of the pre-packaged string with clips to pull up your weapons.


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## dlbpjb (Oct 9, 2009)

I am always 20' - 25', I am allowed the movement needed for a long day. I really enjoy the ground blinds when I head down south but if there is a tree, I am going up it.


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## podchaser (Oct 22, 2012)

i put mine as high as i can up in the tree just above a deers natural line of sight


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

podchaser said:


> i put mine as high as i can up in the tree just above a deers natural line of sight


How high is a deers line of site at 50yrds, the ONLY thing I have to say is for peeps to remember>>your NOT invisable and deer are NOT stupid most of the time or at least the ones I hunt aren't. When up a tree its hard enough to draw on >a< deer without it seeing you, add 2, 4, 6 more eyes and its almost impossible with deer inside 30yrs. I need all the help I can get and being higher puts the odds on my side. Another thing to consider is when your draw and are noticed (but don't run) you have just put the deer in 'alarm' mode and your chances on it 'jumping the string' are greatly inhanced...WW


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## Chunky (Oct 15, 2006)

Wet dreams makes an excellent point. The higher you go the smaller the kill zone / to get both lungs. I very rarely hunt above 10 ft and almost never above 15 

The trick is learning when and how to move so you don't get busted, and having good cover around you.


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## dolch (Aug 19, 2005)

25' 
I like to sway in the breeze a little to make it fair for the deer. (joke for the anal retentive types)


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## nhampton (Aug 8, 2007)

I prefer 15' if I can get the proper setup. At this height and taking a 25 to 30 yard shot, your flight path inclination is 10 to 12 deg. Not really a severe angle. You will lose a little of the double lung hit area, but you will gain distance through the body cavity on a pass through shot and a lower exit wound which could make tracking easier. But I think your main problem may be insufficient cover around your stand. If you don't have your silhouette broken up in front and behind, you stick out like a sore thumb and get you busted easily regardless of how high you are. I have a 8' that I like to hunt out of. It's set back in a cedar thicket only 20 yds from the feeder, but with a SE wind in my face and a setting sun at my back, I've never been busted.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

I've used and built lots of 10' ladder stands and is what I prefer.They are 10' mostly because thats 1/2 a stick of tubing or angle iron,and I;m a cheap bastardo.We hunted on the Llano at London for 20 years,and 10' put you way up in the trees.Hunting beside a hill is tough,and I know exactly what your getting at.


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