Video: Testing the Best Treestand Height for Bowhunting

If you wish to slay large bucks, you higher draw a 70-pound bow and dangle your treestand at the very least 25 ft up. 

Or, perhaps not. There are a handful of articles and movies on the market about choosing the proper treestand peak. Most of them point out the 20-foot mark as a type of customary. Then there are hunters who argue for climbing even greater so that you’ll be much less simple to identify and fewer prone to be smelled. On the flip facet, some hunters argue for hanging decrease, so that you’ve got a greater shot angle at close-range deer. 

So who’s proper? I made a decision to really take a look at these theories to assist illustrate the professionals and cons of bowhunting and capturing at totally different heights. Right here’s how I did this yard take a look at and what I discovered. 

The Check

I hung 4 treestands in my yard, all in the identical tree. I hung them at heights of 10 ft, 15 ft, 20 ft, and 25 ft. I then positioned a 3D deer goal at 18 yards from the tree, measured the angle from every peak (with my Bushnell R5 Series Rangefinder) after which did some capturing. I carried out this take a look at on a day with 10 mph winds, that gusted perhaps to fifteen mph. 

After capturing I evaluated entry and exit factors within the goal and checked out how the totally different heights allowed for vertical margin of error on a double-lung shot. The chest of my 3D goal measures 14 inches, or about the identical dimension as a small whitetail. 

At every peak I additionally used a wind checker to guage how scent may drift all the way down to deer, or above them. 

Variables to Take into account

Concealment

Basically, the upper you might be, the tougher will probably be for a deer to identify you. Nonetheless peak isn’t the one think about a sneaky good stand, in reality, it won’t even be a very powerful. The quantity of canopy you might have behind and round you is the true key. In an excellent state of affairs, you’ll be  searching in a tree that’s wider than your shoulders and has limbs branching out round you, to interrupt up your profile. On this case you may get away with searching decrease. 

Shot Angle & Presentation

The upper you hunt, the harder the shot. Keep in mind that the typical distance for a bow shot is about 20 yards. The upper you climb the steeper that shot angle turns into. These are the approximate shot angles measured from every peak with the Bushnell R5 rangefinder:

• 10 Toes: 15 levels
• 15 Toes: 20 levels
• 20 Toes: 25 levels
• 25 Toes: 30 levels

Steep shot angles are difficult for a pair causes. First, very steep goal displays supply much less margin for error vertically. In different phrases, in case your shot is admittedly steep, it’s tougher to hit each lungs. On a high-angle shot, it’s worthwhile to hit greater on the deer in order that the arrow exits the underside of the offside lung. However in case you hit too excessive, you’ll miss the frontside lung.

Second, it’s merely tougher to shoot a bow properly at a steep angle. I skilled this primary hand whereas capturing from the 25-foot mark. At that peak the tree was swaying extra within the breeze (a serious problem when making an attempt to shoot precisely). Plus, the downward angle was so excessive that it was tougher for me to maintain constant kind. I simply didn’t really feel snug. 

Scent

The hunt-higher camp will say that once you’re 25-plus-feet up, your scent will catch thermals and blow excessive of deer, as a substitute of all the way down to them. Whereas utilizing my wind checker 25 ft up, I did discover that it was blowing away and never all the way down to the bottom. I do imagine that if a deer had been 15 or 20 yards downwind of me, my scent would have blown excessive of it. 

Nonetheless, the scent would drift all the way down to deer peak ultimately. Deer that have been perhaps 100 yards away would definitely scent me. Looking greater isn’t going to make you undetectable to a whitetail’s nostril, but it surely may provide you with a slight benefit on close-range deer. 

Treestand Top Takeaways

After capturing a lot of arrows and evaluating my hits, I settled on just a few particular takeaways. The primary and most necessary level is to at all times use a safety harness and a lifeline when searching and hanging treestands. If you’re going to fall out of a stand, it’s most probably going to be once you’re climbing into it or out of it, so being harnessed up solely whereas within the stand isn’t sufficient. You should be linked to a security system from the second you permit the bottom. 

You’re Not As Excessive As You Suppose

One of many issues I observed immediately is that only a few hunters are literally climbing to twenty ft or greater (measured from the bottom of the stand to the bottom). And an trustworthy 25 ft was shockingly excessive. 

For instance, to hit the 20-foot mark, a long-legged hunter would wish at the very least 4 climbing sticks, if he spaced them out very aggressively. However most of us would wish 5 – 6 climbing sticks to hit that peak comfortably. 

Even the treestand gear isn’t marketed precisely on the subject of heights. For instance, the lifeline system I used on this video says it was good for searching as much as 30 ft. Nonetheless it wouldn’t even attain our 25-foot peak (once more, measured to the bottom of the stand). I had to make use of two tethers to stand up to 25 ft. 

Many of the stands that I’ve seen hung by different hunters on public land or on outfitted properties are about 15 ft and decrease. The hang-and-hunt guys are unlikely to be climbing greater than 15 ft in the event that they’re solely packing in three to 4 sticks. 

Shot Angle Isn’t a Downside at 10 to twenty Toes

At common archery ranges capturing from from 10 to twenty ft up in a tree ought to be comparatively simple for a practiced archer. At any of those angles, in case you shoot the buck by the highest of the center (entry) the arrow will come by the underside of the center (exit) and also you’ll have a brief blood path. 

Nonetheless a really shut 10-yard shot from 20 ft up will create a super-steep shot angle and a marginal shot presentation. 

Shot Angle Turns into a Downside at 25 Toes and Greater

At common archery ranges, you’re making your shot way more difficult in case you hunt greater than 20 ft. The margin of error is much less and the capturing itself is harder. I feel most hunters could be sensible to hunt at 20 ft or decrease (once more, measured from the underside of the stand). 

15 Toes Is the Candy Spot (for Me)

For me, an excellent treestand peak is about 15 ft to 18 ft and an excellent capturing vary is 15 to twenty yards. This provides a very good quantity of concealment and affordable shot angles. If you happen to can hunt decrease whereas nonetheless hiding properly, go for it. 

However the true takeaway right here is to not get obsessive about treestand peak. Realizing find out how to cover your stand in a tree and when to maneuver on a deer is extra necessary than the peak at which you’re searching. There’s no shortcut to fooling a mature buck. You’ve bought to do all of the little issues proper, not simply dangle your stand an additional 5 ft greater.