Chapter 6: Use of Elevated Stands & Other Techniques
Elevated Stands
By far the most popular way to hunt white-tailed deer and black bear with a bow
and arrow is from an elevated stand. The most common type of elevated stand
is the tree stand—a temporary stand placed in or against a tree. Tree
stands have become increasingly popular in recent years with both bowhunters
and firearm hunters. While they offer certain advantages, they also have some
drawbacks, including safety issues.
Advantages
- Due to wider field of view, let you spot game sooner than at ground level.
- Provide earlier detection of game, which allows time to plan for the best shot.
- Make a hunter’s scent harder to detect and movement less
noticeable, allowing a hunter to move more easily into a shooting position.
- Give the bowhunter a shot angle where the arrow exits lower on the animal,
potentially creating a better blood trail to aid in recovery.
- Reduce the possibility of a hunter interfering with another hunter’s
experience.
- Provide a better vantage point for viewing wildlife and enjoying the total
hunting experience.
Disadvantages
- Pose risk of injury from falling, especially in wet or icy weather.
- Can be difficult to carry large, portable stands.
- Offer little protection from the cold or wind.
- Give little room for movement, which adds to fatigue and increases the risk of
falling.
- Make estimating distances and shooting accurately more challenging because of
the downward angle.
Avoid using permanent stands made of boards nailed
or screwed onto trees. Permanent tree stands are eyesores that
upset people who enjoy the woods but don’t hunt. They also
cause significant damage to trees and become unsafe after a short
period of time because of weathering, rotting and tree growth.
In addition, big game animals recognize permanent stands as unsafe
areas and regularly avoid them. Big game hunters prefer less
conspicuous, portable models that they can move easily.
Judging Distances
When judging distance from a tree stand, use the horizontal distance, not the greater diagonal distance. In this diagram you should aim for 13 yards, not 15 yards.
To calculate the horizontal distance “a” from a tree stand to a target, with “b” being the height of your tree stand and “c” being the diagonal distance to a target (you can establish this number using a range finder), use this simple formula:
For example, if the treestand is 7 yards above the ground and
the diagonal distance to your target is 15 yards, then the horizontal distance
is calculated as follows:
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