Do you have the perfect stand placement?

Do you have the perfect stand placement?

Stand placement for a hunt can make or break you. It can create opportunity to harvest an animal where they may not be otherwise, or it may be the downfall to a seemingly textbook hunt. Are your stands placed in optimum locations? There are many things to take into account when hanging a stand or building a ground blind hideout. Some are more obvious than others and some may be things you never think about. These are three conditions that can severely affect a hunt.

Proper Shooting Lanes

Having the biggest buck of your life step into shooting range with no open, ethical shot has to be one of the most heartbreaking moments. Proper shooting lanes do not mean that you need to be able to shoot no matter where the deer stops within 360 degrees of where you’re sitting. It does mean that when a deer makes its way through the area it will have to cross an open lane for a clear shot. It’s important to not cut too much vegetation creating shooting lanes because it can cause your stand to be less concealed.

Wind

Wind direction and speed and hunting go hand in hand. Most animals we pursue will likely run at the smell of human presence. It is important to be down wind of where you expect the animal to be. When putting a stand in a location the wind direction for that particular day may not matter. It is the typical wind patterns that will matter. The typical wind is how the wind will blow most days and will allow the stand to be hunted properly most of the time. Land features like hills, creeks, and drainages will have a direct effect on how the wind moves in an area. 

Hunting Pressure

This applies mostly to smaller properties and public areas similar to what many of us face. Hunting pressure is often looked at as a severe disadvantage; but often with a little intuition it can be a huge help to successfully harvesting a trophy. There are two preferred ways to hang a stand around pressured areas. One is to go into secluded sanctuary areas where deer will likely go when pressured. The down side to that is you are applying pressure as well. The second idea is to put your stand in escape routes where hunting pressure will more than likely drive deer to.

Now that we have given you a few things to think about, do you have perfect stand placement?

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