Tree Stand Height

[Tips n Tails]

For those of you that hunt spring bear out of a tree stand overlooking a bait barrel how high are you hanging your tree stand? It’s in a windy area with the wind going up hill and the stand is in between where the bait would be and where I suspect bears would come from.

The stand is about 100 yards from where bait would be however, I think bears would be coming underneath or from the side of me to the bait. Is 20’ high enough to have scent dispersed?

 

[Kodiak06]

why not just play the thermals and hunt the bait?

 

[Cedarsavage]

I’ve shot both mine off the ground in a natural blind cuz that was where it made sense to be

 

[EdP]

I think "where" makes a difference. As you are 100 yds away it's not in Maine in the dark timber where you need to be higher because you are close to the bait. My buddy and I hunted a northern Idaho unit several years ago from natural ground blinds. He was 80 yds from the bait and took a nice boar and I was 150 away and took a boar and a sow.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

Mine is 21’ up and about 12 yards from the bait since I hunt primarily trad archery. I’ve been up there countless times with bears, elk, deer, etc all coming in and have no idea I’m there.

 

[Pilsner]

We set all of our bait station stands at 15' up and 17 (or as close to 17 as we can get one situated based on the available trees) yards away from the bait barrel. Using ladder stands. Been doing it that way for nearly a decade now and it seems to be about ideal for us here in the Ozarks. 90+% of our bears are taken via archery due to season structure.