Choosing a Stand to Hunt
Written By: Ryan Reading, Fall Obsession Field Staff
In this article, I want to briefly talk about what stands to hunt. Most hunters go into the timber looking for locations to hang their sets. Many hunters today use everything from ladder stands, hang on stands, climber stands, or maybe a saddle. While the climbers and saddle hunters are more versatile, the other stands are in a fixed position until moved again.
Let’s take a look at some strategies hunters may use. Most hunters start by looking for some type of deer sign. That sign may be trails, rubs, scrapes, high stem count areas or food edges. Some hunters focus strictly on buck bedding or doe bedding depending on what time of the season they are hunting most. They will also focus on water areas like creek bottoms near ridges or ponds.
For the sake of the article we will use land we've ourselves hunted in Western New York. This farm has mostly hang on stands and ladder stands and is roughly 240 acres. After scouting and hanging these multiple sets, a total of 15, throughout the timber and edges, we must ask ourselves “where do you hunt?” Having options is key, and the choice of where to sit and when it is good or bad can be a double edge sword. After all the scouting, placing stands and cameras to monitor your locations, the choice of where to hunt can be daunting.
If you're like most hunters, you will follow what your game cameras are telling you. You may hunt a specific location based on what camera info, then, only to find out the target buck is at another location from your camera. It can be frustrating. I’ve personally dealt with that situation and to this day continue to. Most mature bucks almost have no pattern. They show up unannounced in a variety of locations and the hunter is stuck playing catch up. Sometimes it works, but most of the time it doesn’t.
So how do we stop jumping stand locations to hunt that target buck? Since we know where our target buck roams and probably the cyclical pattern he makes, it is possible to beat him at his own game. Here are some easy steps to follow.
Always play the wind. Most hunters need to know a buck will quarter a wind or even walk with it at his back. If you know the trail he uses, give him the advantage for that wind and quarter that trail so you are set up just off wind.
Use game cameras to give you an edge. These cameras, especially the Tactacam Reveals which we use, give you an incredible amount of detail. Use them as a tool in your arsenal.
If you plan on early season hunting, hunt and find buck bedding areas. If you hunt the “RUT” it’s wise to set up downwind of doe bedding areas.
Hunt a stand location three to five days in a row. If you know that target buck is coming through an area and the wind permits it, get in there and stay in there. Just because you see him in another spot, doesn’t mean he won’t show back up in your kill zone within three to five days.
Stop chasing him. Make him make a mistake. You know his routes and it’s only a matter of time, and if you stay at the one location he traverses the most, you’ll get him.
Put the odds in your favor. Use your target bucks most used trail he traverses, a multi-day sit, wind permitting and the rut approaching. This is a recipe to nab that buck when he least expects it during daylight. Stop jumping stand to stand on his heels. Although he is random, at least you have that in your back pocket. You know he’s random and the only way you can beat being random is with consistency.
Lastly, if it doesn’t come together and all else fails, wait until you have a good snowfall and track your target buck. This will also enlighten you to his exact patterns at that time of year. You may not get him but you’ll gain more knowledge into what he is doing, and remember, there’s always next year!