Help please

[Guest Kelby Wright]

this is for muzzleloading and rifle, but what type or hieght stand would you all recommend for a ridaway between a hardwood bottom and a pine thicket? thanks

[buckee]

15 to 20 ft is all you need, as long as you have good visibility for them longer shots.

Summit makes some great stands for gun and bow hunters.

http://www.summitstands.com/catalog.aspx?catid=climbingtreestandsproducts

[Rhino]

I'm sure there will be some that disagree with me but I personally don't think height is nearly as critical for firearm hunting as it is for bowhunting. That is unless you expect to be inside the 40 yard line with the deer you're hunting.

A lot will depend up the topography of the land and the cover. There are places I hunt with a firearm down here where I can sit at ground level and overlook a bottom that's anywhere from 20' to 40' below me. In those particular places I can actually shoot further at ground level than in a treestand while taking advantage of blending in with the ground cover. If it's flat ground or very thick cover allowing only very short shots, hunting from an elevated stand would be a lot better. How high depends on cover and natural opens to allow for shots. If it's not flat or very thick it's just a matter of backing off a bit and overlooking the area you expect the deer to move through on the edge you described.

BTW, the biggest buck I killed last year was from ground level. I set up in a shallow depression next to a large pine tree that put the surrounding ground near me at just below chest high. The ground sloped away from me so where I killed the buck at approximately 100 yards, he was still about 25' below me. The other 2 bucks I killed last year were from elevated stands in thicker cover. In both of those cases I had to get high enough to be able to see down into the cover. One was about 15' high on a narrow ridge overlooking 2 bottoms with cane in them and the other was on the side of a ridge 23' up a tree that actually put me over 40' above a 4 year old cutover bottom in front of my stand.

[LifeNRA]

15 to 20 ft is all you need, as long as you have good visibility for them longer shots.

Summit makes some great stands for gun and bow hunters.

http://www.summitstands.com/catalog.aspx?catid=climbingtreestandsproducts

Ditto!!! I own a Summit, loveit!!!

[Guest doublelung]

I do disagree a deers nose is its #1 tool, its not what you hunt with but where and when.

Example:

Ask yourself some questions What time early or evening, early season, rut or winter, rising or falling barometric pressure. Falling barometric pressures you have no thermals in other words your scent lingers on the ground carried with the wind so higher is better. With rising baro sent lifts and is carried up so you hunt with best visibility in mind. So depending on the time of year gages your thermals. Also if its bitter cold hunt south or east facing terrain the sun is there warmth. These are just a few considerations I take in mind. Like I said its a puzzle hope this helps. I could go on for hours.