Scbasshunter Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 I am looking to put a couple ladder stands up next year cause frankly, sometimes I don't feel like climbing with a climber. Is 12-14ft high enough for bow hunting? I try to get at least 15ft up with my climber, but the ladder stands I am willing to pay for aren't quite that high. Does it make a difference in the height if the stands have been out a couple of months as opposed to that day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowhunting78 Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 I hunt with 12ft stands and haven't had any problem's with them. I shot a 184 inch gross with 1 this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 Deer I shot with the bow earlier this year was from a 12 ft ladder stand. He never had a clue I was there and he got less than 10 yards away. That stand is just off the top of a ridge and has good cover, usually see a lot of deer from that stand. Think you can get away with not being real high if you use common sense stand placement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
too_pointer Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 That height would be o.k depending what you have for coverage. I always preferred good limbs to climb, and usually around 15' to 20' feet high. Always pick a place where you have some camo for a back ground. too_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetailfreak55 Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 I go 17-20 feet in the tree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 I go 17-20 feet in the tree You will do better with ladders at this height. You can kill deer from ground level but height over time gets you out of their peripheral vision more than anything. Cover is a must though at any height, if your tree does not provide it then add it any way you can. If you try to draw with no cover and low height you will have a low success rate when the time comes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 they'll work just make sure you've got cover to break up your outside and you've got light camo against light background or dark camo against dark background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scbasshunter Posted December 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 Ladder stand height for bow hunting. I mostly climb pine trees since all I have is a climber and its the easiest and safest to climb. I go up about 15 or 20 since I rarely have cover and haven't been busted yet this year. With a ladder stand I should be able to put it in other trees with cover. Also, if I move the stand once a month (switch between 2 areas each month) will that hurt me seeing deer in bow range? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 I see no reason why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 I have everything from a 12 foot ladder stand to 35 foot climbing stands. When using a low tree stand the first thing in is to determine which direction the deer travel from (some spots are so good they come from many directions). Try to position it so you can be hidden until the deer gets to where you will have a shot. If cover isn't as good as you like add some real branches or camo netting. Try to position it on a large three that has other large trees near (within a few feet) this helps break up your outline better even when fall comes and the leaves are gone. I have a buddy with a stand that is in the middle of two evergreens that is only 6 feet high. If he went higher he would be more exposed. They never see him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 I don't think height matters so much as the background you have to break yourself up in the tree and what is surrounding you...and the wind direction you are hunting....Killed last year's 9 point out of a wood stand barely 10 feet off the ground...another stand I killed deer out of was maybe just over 10 feet from the ground. My deer this year were all taken out of ladder stands, not sure how high they were, but I'd say they were somewhere between 12-16 feet, but it's more so where the stand is set-up that matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 Also might jus tbe my opinion but moving your stands once a month is a bit excessive...We scout out our locations, find good travel areas, and set our stands and leave them...We rarely move stands unless we find deer are consistently moving out of range, etc...then we'll tweak the location a little bit but otherwise if we find a good location, we leave them...prune our shooting lanes if needed. Deer get used to them...we've had deer walk right under our stands, a neighbor even said he had a buck come up and was licking the ladder stand rungs and I had one this year walk right up to the ladder stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisSeb53 Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 I killed my biggest buck in a tree I could only climb up about 12-15 feet up because of a "Y" in the tree. Keep you scent down and your spirits high and you should be alright! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scbasshunter Posted December 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2012 Ladder stand height for bow hunting. The reason I would be moving it each month is because where I hunt, I have "area 3" say in August, then "area 4" in September. It switches back and forth each month. I was thinking of just getting a stand for each area and leaving it in case I didn't feel like climbing sometimes. I am getting the idea that a 14ft stand would be plenty high as long as I have cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetailfreak55 Posted December 15, 2012 Report Share Posted December 15, 2012 If you can afford it i would get a stand for each spot. I try keep stand movement to a minimum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 The only thing I have found that will temporarily screw up a permanent stand location is over hunting it. I hunted my favorite stand a lot one year and realized that by the end of the season deer would look up at the stand before moving through. If they saw me they would alter their movement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 Ladder stand height for bow hunting. SC Unfortunately your going to have struggles no matter what you do with your current club setup. I'd bet your deer twitch more than a cracked out homeless guy. Height does matter regardless of cover. Your best odds are when you are out of peripheral vision. You will get busted out of a pine tree if your too low. Bowhunting requires a great deal of movement. Yes people do kill deer from low stands all the time, but its much more difficult as compared to being just a touch higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Givan Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 I have two ladder stands, and both were 15 feet to the seat when I bought them. Then I built a 4 foot extension for each one to add to the ladder. That extra height really makes a difference. If I cant go atleast 15 feet up, I feel like Im better off setting in a blind. However, the first doe I killed this year with my bow I shot from the ground without a blind. I sat on a log behind a wild rose bush on the edge of a cut corn field, and shot her at 25 yards. Im saying this to make the point that yes, as long as you have good cover you can get away with just about any height stand. To improve your odds though, above 14 foot is best. Have you looked into hang on stands? The basic ones from places like Sportsmansguide.com are not too pricey. I have a couple and I like them better than ladder stands. They are easier to put up and move around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 My ladder stands are 15 foot up and I have never been spotted. Make sure you choose a ladder stand with a decent sized platform to stand on. I have two inexpensive ladder stands that I got from Dicks. The platform is so small that I feel awkward spinning or turning on the stand with my heavy boots on. I can see why poeple fall from stands with such small platforms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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