by W.C. Klein

Created on: November 15, 2008   Last Updated: December 13, 2008

Five things to consider when setting up deer stands
There are many different ways to prepare for the hunt. Your distance to travel, time in the woods, knowledge of the area and hunting experience are all things that must be taken into consideration when getting prepared.

All of these factors result in the amount of success you will have on your hunt. If you use some of the following guidelines to add to your routine it will give you the best chance to see more deer. This will also increase your chances of seeing a big buck.

Sometimes the best places to find that big buck, that you want to hang on your wall, are in the same places you see every day. In fact this can be a huge advantage for any hunter. If you know the area or routinely hunt in the same place you can gather all of the information you will need in order to bring the big one home.

1. Scout

It's always a good idea to scout the area you will be hunting and make yourself more familiar with the terrain. You should be able to see where and how the deer will be moving. There are several factors that will determine their movement. Their need to access areas that provide consistent food sources and water supplies require them to be on the move. Even if it's only the does that are moving to these areas nature provides the ultimate attraction for you. The bucks will often move in order to locate the females.

2. Schedule

After you have a pretty good idea of the general terrain and the paths they will travel you should spend a day there. This will determine the approximate schedule of their daily movements. Early in the morning after first light and in the late afternoon just before dark are the best times to stake out the area. After they know that there's no threat they will return to get water or feed. When the doe gets hungry or thirsty and returns, the buck may well be watching while staying hidden. After the females spend a little time there and the male doesn't sense any danger he will then attempt to approach the doe in order to breed.

3. Set up

Now you can move on to the actual set up of your tree stand. Try to make it face an area where you know they will eventually travel to or through. Remember the trick is to get them to relax and spend a little time at these spots. If the first few times you only see does and no bucks remain patient. As long as the does are not scared off, sooner or later, they will be approached by the bucks to mate. This will often happen in an area close to food or water. This is when the female will briefly let her guard down and will be available to the male.

4. Scents

After you have the tree stand set you will want to check out the wind conditions there. If you are sitting upwind of the deer they will smell you and not approach at all. If you are downwind and don't alert the deer, they will often walk right under you. When figuring wind direction you will also want to find a place to put some buck attractant to lure in bucks. Find yourself a small tree or a low branch that is in front of your stand and upwind from the trail. This is a great place for the buck attractant. Put it close enough to your stand to get a good shot and about six to ten feet off the ground.

5. Safety

Always wear a safety harness when going up or down and the entire time you are on your stand. The other safety issue is getting your gun up and down. There are a few different ways to do this and as long as it's not loaded it's better to drop an unloaded rifle than to fall out of a stand. Always have that safety harness on and double check all connections whenever you're in the stand and when going up or down the tree.

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