Need some hang on stand help/advice

[EastTx]

Set your stand on the backside of the tree from the direction you are expecting to shoot. You can get away with a whole lot more movement while using the tree for cover. Get as high as you feel comfortable shooting from. Practice from that height.

[Death from Above]

Set base of stand about 18' up


Aim for the exit hole!

[Cjconner]

now lets say if i practice at a height of 20 ft and im zeroed in and then i set my stand for hunting at 23 or 24ft will those 3 or 4 feet dramatically change my zero on my bow?

[EastTx]

now lets say if i practice at a height of 20 ft and im zeroed in and then i set my stand for hunting at 23 or 24ft will those 3 or 4 feet dramatically change my zero on my bow?

No. You will not see a difference.

[sqiggy]

Set base of stand about 18' up


Aim for the exit hole!

This is about as high you need to get.

now lets say if i practice at a height of 20 ft and im zeroed in and then i set my stand for hunting at 23 or 24ft will those 3 or 4 feet dramatically change my zero on my bow?

First, why would you practice at 20 ft and then set it higher than that?
But, no, you won't notice a difference. 18 ft up is just right, for me anyway. Plus, my climbing sticks only go 20 ft.!!

[Cjconner]

This is about as high you need to get.

First, why would you practice at 20 ft and then set it higher than that?
But, no, you won't notice a difference. 18 ft up is just right, for me anyway. Plus, my climbing sticks only go 20 ft.!!

i was just throwing a random number out there and in the case that their pattern changes and i have to use another tree that may have a limb in the way and i had to set it high or lower just wanted to make sure it wouldnt throw anything off

[Dry Bones]

Glad you are taking all precautions and asking questions. The truth is there is no science and most often where I have hunted, deer seldom only come from one direction. I have a few bucks that I have watched over the last few seasons and I know their haunts for summer and winter, but fall they must stay on another neighbors place. I say this just to make sure you don't bet everything on the summer trail for the whole season. Like said above they can change and will change when the rut starts.
I like/prefer to hunt from a hang on if I am sitting. I think you may enjoy the open yet complete cover they allow as well, but don't over cut. I tend to get carried away with shootable lanes, which will lead to getting busted trying to draw.
Shoot from you house roof or whatever you can get on top of. I have never noticed any difference shooting flat or elevated, except maybe easier to me at elevated positions.
Good luck this season.

[Cjconner]

Glad you are taking all precautions and asking questions. The truth is there is no science and most often where I have hunted, deer seldom only come from one direction. I have a few bucks that I have watched over the last few seasons and I know their haunts for summer and winter, but fall they must stay on another neighbors place. I say this just to make sure you don't bet everything on the summer trail for the whole season. Like said above they can change and will change when the rut starts.
I like/prefer to hunt from a hang on if I am sitting. I think you may enjoy the open yet complete cover they allow as well, but don't over cut. I tend to get carried away with shootable lanes, which will lead to getting busted trying to draw.
Shoot from you house roof or whatever you can get on top of. I have never noticed any difference shooting flat or elevated, except maybe easier to me at elevated positions.
Good luck this season.

yea id prefer to be safe i might put a pretty good dent in the ground if i happened to fall and we wouldnt want that to happen as for the patterning i plan on keeping a close eye on several spots until closer to season they typically start rutting pretty good around november on our place a few hit earlier but im hoping to get it done before rut sets in real heavy so till then im watching and planning

[jnors06]

where i hunt about the highest i can get in most trees is 12-15', so i always cut as little as possible when it comes to shooting lanes. I used to rely heavy on a range finder while hunting but that's alot of movement i do not want to make with deer under me, now i range everything i can from the base of the tree and make a mental note. Something else i do to help with range estimation is to put some sort of natural yardage marker out such as a little pile of rocks or i'll knock the bark off a tree that's say 25 yds out in my shooting lane. By doing the above i can estimate the range based on where the deer is standing related to my marker. Also if you hand corn place it in a straight line away from you stand and say start the line at 15yds and end it at 25.

I just try and make things as easy on me as i can in the set up to take the guess work out when it's go time.

And get help hanging the stands, i have hung everyone of mine by myself and it sucks, if i know the height and what side of the tree i am going to hang it on i'll drive a long lag bolt or hook in to hold the stand while i operate the straps to get it secure.

I am know moving to building tree platforms out of lumber with a swivel chair in the middle of it which allows me to always shoot from a seated position.

Good luck this year, hunting out of a tree is my favorite when it comes to bow hunting.

[saintsfan]

Outside of the previously mentioned Safety Precautions, a few things I've learned (some the hard way).

1) buy the biggest most comfortable stand you can find. I owe a total of 8 lock on stands and my favorites are the Gorilla Silverback (unfortunately they are discontinued) and the Big Dog Mastiff. The Mastiff is huge with plenty of room to maneuver on the platform. With the bigger stand with arm rest, I am completely comfortable sleeping for long periods of time.

2) Have someone help you trim your lanes. It is difficult to identify all of your potential obstructions from the stand then get down and trim the tree. I usually have my "helper" stand on the platform then I walk the identified trails, trimming the obstructions as I go.

3) Use a rope style lanyard for tying off while you are in the stand. I've found that they provide me with much more range of motion than the strap style lanyard and they are quieter.

4) Install a bow hanger/accessory hanger. No matter how much I plan I always seem to need more room to hang stuff off of. Be aware that no matter what, while these are necessary, no matter what the deer will approach so that that you have to maneuver around them to shoot.

[Steel185]

Only things i can add are:

Practice shooting from a stand, or elevated position, I went so far as to hang another stand in the tree in my backyard and practice extreme angles from that stand. all distances, and twists. It made me much more confident when i got to the hunt. Also i didn't know where exactly the buck was coming from so I wanted to be able to get a 5yd from tree and a 25yd from tree at the same height.

When looking at a hang on, the prices jump pretty quick. if you are able to set up the stand and ladder in advance, sometimes a Steel climber is cheaper, larger, and more comfortable than a high end hang on. I've put up sticks and taken a climber up a tree and ratchet strapped it down plenty of times, just becuase i have a Steel version that is comfortable, I paid $80 for it new. SOmething to think about if you are on a budget. I like the super light hang ons as much as the next guy and they are very quiet, but if you are on a budget and can place the stand early, Steel hang on could work.

[offthemap]

As mentioned, wear your harness and lifeline. ALWAYS.

In addition to unifier lifeline, you will want a lineman's rope so that you can work hands free as you hang your steps and stand. I like the Muddy lineman's rope myself due to it being much more light weight than some of the others.

Also, something similar to the Lone Wolf EZ hanger hook is really helpful to hold your stand in the tree while your position your straps and prepare to hang it.

If you shoot right handed, you will want to position your stand so that you can shoot to your left. It usually takes a few years to get comfortable enough to stand up, turn in your stand facing the tree, and make a shot on a deer to your right.

Also, I would highly recommend watching some YouTube videos on proper tree stand shooting technique. I made the mistake once of trying to draw on a deer straight in front of me tree as I was sitting down. I failed to turn my shoulders perpendicular to the deer, instead holding the bow straight in front of me as I drew. My right shoulder popped right before the let off point and the pain was so bad I couldn't draw my bow for several days. The correct thing to do would've been to stand, turn my body perpendicular to the deer, and bend at the waist.

Be safe and Good luck!

This & practice shooting from your stand once you have it up. Even just a couple arrows will go a long way with your confidence to draw and shoot properly.

First, determine varying distances of trees, bushes, etc., from the base of your stand to use as quick reference landmarks and commit those distances for each to memory. As far as figuring the angle vs. the distance is concerned, there is a quick formula that I was told by the guy that got me into archery & I used for a time before the angle compensating rangefinders came out. I can't recall exactly but its something along these lines: starting at 15 yards (lateral distance from the ground at the base of your stand), subtract one yard and shoot for 14y. Then for every 5 yards after that you'll subtract one extra yard for every 5y increment, for example:

20y - 2y = shoot for 18y
25y - 3y = shoot for 22y
30y - 4y = shoot for 26y
etc., so on and so forth.

Hopefully someone on here can verify my formula my post oak geometry

[Tex21]

I like to offset my stand to where the front of the stand faces isnt facing the trail they are using. This allows me to shoot sitting if one sneaks in on me and I dont have time to stand.

[GarGuy]

Aim for the distance from the base of your tree to the animal. might not hurt to range a few spots and put a marker out. the further from the tree the animal is, the less the elevation effects you relatively.

[ACook]

I have a range finder with angle adjustment. Never had any issues shooting out of hang on and only practice on flat ground out here in NM. But hunt exclusively from tree stands in MS. When I get in my stand I range several bushes/trees around the plot so I will have references when they step out.