Treestands and mesquite

[Shane]

The place I'm hunting has sparse cover. The only trees are mesquite. I've been hunting from ground blinds and just stalking on the ground. I'd like to get elevated with my bow. There are some mesquite trees that are tall enough, but there isn't a lot of cover up there. I could get 8-12' off the ground probably, but I'd be pretty exposed. I've been in tree stands that left me exposed before and killed deer, but I was higher than I'd be in the mesquites.

I have a couple of tripods that would get me 14' up, and I could set them up in some of the bigger mesquites. But, again, not a lot of cover up there - and even less once the leaves fall off.

Who hunts up in sparse mesquite like that? Do deer bust you, or do they not notice you?

I have a smart old doe that needs killing. I'd rather kill her than a 150" buck (well, maybe 140"). She circles the pop-ups and busts us in those. I bought an ozone machine to try, but I was also think that getting up in the air would be good too.

What would you do to kill that old bag of snorting evil with your bow?

[bowhunterchris]

Tripod?

[CountryTexan]

Tripod IMO. get a decent wrap the looks close to the mesquite trees. And as for that doe, hammer down

[jmeghunts]

I've hunted tripods in the larger Mesquite Trees. It works pretty good if you can put up some kind of back drop to break your outline. Maybe hang some camo netting behind you?

[Larry]

We're on a new lease SW of Childress. Not a lot of big trees, but there are some decent sized mesquites. The first stand I set up was in a mesquite on the side of a hill. I got creative and leaned the tripod up in it on two legs (hooked the 3' long third leg section over a branch) and then strapped it down tight. Am going to clear very few shooting lanes to keep as much mesquite cover as possible.

I personally think deer in areas that don't have very big trees can be hunted from elevation if you find a suitable mesquite.

[dope hunter]

I know several guys that build a platform and buy a pop up blind and mount it on the platform. It gets them elevated like a tripod but allows you to be able to move around a little without spooking everythin.

[westtexducks]

All I will say is that animals that are not used to having to look up for predators get real complacent. I have seen lots of animals sitting on an old water tank stand 15' up, they had no clue we were there with us sitting in the wide open with no cover. From the javis and pigs to the coyotes. Also you might set up the tripod about 40 yards away from the pop up, but leave it there and axe her when she comes in to check out the popup and has all her attention over there.

[bowhntrmatt]

I hunted from a 15' tripod in a big mesquite last year. Not a lot of cover up there, but if the deer are at a feeder within 25 yards they are basically under you at that point, which puts a lot of cover between you and the deer to break up your outline.

I would personally prefer a 6-10' tripod that I can put to where I'm sitting right up against the trunk with big branches around me to break cover.

Best thing to to if cover is really sparse is build a 8X8 platform about 8' high and put a pop up on top. That's hunting in style!

[thedosranchhand]

I shot a doe and a few pigs out of a lock on that standing on the ground I could touch the platform with my finger tips. Absolutely no cover at all. Tree was probably 8-10 inches in diameter.

[BURTONboy]

What I did last year was trimmed branches and put them around me to break up my outline. I was only 15 yards away from most deer and only 10' off the groung, eye level, and I never got busted. The key is breaking up your outline. I would try the tripods and trim branches from surrounding trees and zip tie them around your set up.

[SOLID EAGLE]

I've hunted from a tripod wedged up in a lone oak tree with nothing but mesquite all around it now for several years. I can guarantee you the bigger bucks will see you and you will never know they are there if you don't put up some kind of cover to get behind. I hunted my setup for 2 seasons and would see plenty of does and small bucks but never the larger ones. I finally put up some camo burlap around my tripod top and it made all the difference.

["DOC"]

Shane, I've hunted those Ol west Texas mesquites all my life. We used to use 1/2" conduit as a horizontal bar. Just baling wire a 10' piece of conduit between limbs. Take a piece of tarp and wire it to the conduit and tree limbs, low in front and high behind you.
We finally started making panels using 2x3 fencing and hog ringing the tarps to that.
It works really well.......

[Shane]

All I will say is that animals that are not used to having to look up for predators get real complacent. I have seen lots of animals sitting on an old water tank stand 15' up, they had no clue we were there with us sitting in the wide open with no cover. From the javis and pigs to the coyotes. Also you might set up the tripod about 40 yards away from the pop up, but leave it there and axe her when she comes in to check out the popup and has all her attention over there.

True. My biggest concern is somehow getting busted the first time this old doe comes in and not getting an arrow in her. Then she'll be looking up from then on.

[bowhunterchris]

I like my little 8 foot tripod, tuck it into some mesqite and "underbrush" and be hidden. Shot my avatar buck outta that 8 footer

[Shane]

I've hunted from a tripod wedged up in a lone oak tree with nothing but mesquite all around it now for several years. I can guarantee you the bigger bucks will see you and you will never know they are there if you don't put up some kind of cover to get behind. I hunted my setup for 2 seasons and would see plenty of does and small bucks but never the larger ones. I finally put up some camo burlap around my tripod top and it made all the difference.

I've done this before too. I put a hog panel in the tree behind me once and put camo netting/mesh on that for a back drop. Then I hung some lighter gauge wire panels in front of me with camo netting on that, with shooting windows cut into it. That worked pretty well, but when a storm would come through it would tear it up.

I'm mainly trying to decide between getting up in the air and covering up as best I can versus sitting in a pop-up (very well-hidden) with the ozone machine running. In the air, maybe I'm a little less likely to be smelled, but I'm more likely to be seen. In the pop-up, I'm less likely to be seen, but I'm more likely to be smelled.

Decisions, decisions.....