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What Determines Your Stand Location?

I'm sure there are many answers to this depending on many variables.

What do you find most important is deciding where to set up shop? What is top on your list, wind direction, food source, undetected access, recent sign, terrain, past good luck in a spot etc. Just curious what some of us use as critical criteria in stand selection.

I used to be a "recent sign" type of guy. The past couple of years have taught me a different way of thinking. I now am a confirmed hunter of funnels, so my top criteria is terrain. The tighter the bottleneck the better I like it. My creek bottom stand, that I took Splitter out of this year, is all a guy could want in a funnel. At one point the deer have to funnel through an area that is only eight foot wide between a high sided creek and a small bog. Thirty yards after going through that funnel, if traveling north, as most deer there do, they must pass within twenty yards or less of my box stand. The icing on the cake is that this stand is very easy to access undetected and most days the wind is good for this stand as it if facing west.

What is your top criteria?
 
I would say definitely terrain. All but 3 of the stands I have there on the property were set up because of some sort of terrain feature that helps neck deer down as they pass. Two of the three are on food plots and one is on the edge of a big corn field that has some terrain that helps it as well. As time has gone many of my stands have been fine tuned some here and there and slowly have begun to produce closer opportunities. Sightings have never been a problem, getting close has. I think second would be access to those sites. Several of the stands can be accessed easily by walking a creek down from my dad's house. Even though it can be rough walking and at times a little noisy the creek offers that sneak in when you hope the deer are up feeding in the fields.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
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SW Ohio
For 22 yrs. since buying my farm my main hunting was my woods that was a natural pinch point.
But in 2013 I planted a 3 ac. food plot beside the woods. In 2014 the food plot is well established with 1.0 ac. of clover and that's where the does go and the buck follow them. My 2 wood's trails are rarely used now.
I have to re-think my hunting tactics now and move hunting stands on trails leading to the food plots.
During 2014 rut the bucks traveled through the food plots looking for does in heat and the wood's trails showed almost no traffic on my trail cams. I hunted the woods leading up to the rut for 10 days and instead of seeing 3-7 bucks per day I only seen 1 little spike in 10 days. I left the woods and hunted the food plots and one day seen 14 bucks chasing does. After not hunting the woods during the peak rut and for days after the trail cams only showed one buck for 19 days.

So established trails leading to the food plots will be my main pre-rut and rut hunting for 2015. But I'm still thinking it out.
 
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brock ratcliff

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As you mentioned, there are a lot of variables. My stand selection has changed immensely since Mason has started hunting with me nearly every sit. I can no longer find an ugly tree and wiggle my way up it, I have to consider that I have a little boy with me, and I don't want him taking any risks. What I look for now are areas that I expect deer to move through, that I think we can get into without alerting deer, and that are good for wind. It isn't easy to find a good set up, let alone multiple set ups, but we manage. Since I usually like to hunt throughout the entire season, I wind up hunting a lot of different places, even different properties, lots of 'em usually. When I hunt alone, I hunt the funnels with the most sign, or closest to where I suspect a deer I want to kill spends a good deal of his time. Sometimes it works... I don't sit where deer aren't moving for long. That's relative of course, as what I consider "long" is probably longer than most people hunt in a given year. If I could only hunt one week a year, I'd pick a funnel stand I had faith in, and stick with it unless I felt I burned it. That's the tactic I used when my time was more limited, and it almost always provided me an opportunity at a deer I wanted.
 

Boarhead

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
Wind ,terrain and easy access in and out without spooking deer.
I also like to hunt close to the bedding areas but not in them, to me access in and out are one of the main things that i think alot of hunters dont think about and within a couple sits the deer are on to them.
As Brock said if i had one week it would be a good funnel,i also i would try and be near a doe bedding area.
 

Mike

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My properties are so small that it pretty much doesn't matter. Thank you Scent Smoker.
 
Some good discussion thus far. I, like Chuck have been tweaking my stands for a few years. I really believe after 10 years hunting the same 10 acres I have things figured out. I plan to move my one stand about 20 yards in April to give myself a better chance for a broadside shot rather than a quartering to me shot. Plus the stand will be in more cover, but my line of vision to see deer appearing will be cut drastically.

I can't imagine hunting a big property and trying to choose where to set up. And like Brock eluded to, sometimes just sticking to a good funnel may be the best tactic.
 

Fullbore

Senior Member
6,439
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South Eastern Ohio
II shoot for the big 3. Food, water and cover and then set up for the predominant wind direction. My favorite is a pinch point or bottleneck that leads to or from the big 3.
 

Bigslam51

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Stark County
My best stand is setup beside a thick clearcut right off of an ag field. It has a creek running through it and the does bed in the clearcut, bucks come looking for them daily during the rut. I have an easy in and out strategy that worked well this year.
 

rsmith

Member
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So established trails leading to the food plots will be my main pre-rut and rut hunting for 2015. But I'm still thinking it out.
i just bought a new hang on and am going to put the stand right on the trail that the does and bucks mostly use to funnel into the plot. I learned this the hard way after watching not only 1 but 3 shooters come in on that trail pre rut and also during the rut to scent check the spot. The trail exits the plot to the East and than splits into a Y and those trails branch off one to the North and one to South East so the trail leading to the mainly used opening to the plot is pinch point of the two which is perfect. Also with a predominantly West wind like I have will blow whatever is inside of the plots scent right down that trail drawing the bucks in which makes decoying amazing. Also there is 3 very large White Oaks and 2 large Red Oaks with-in a 50 yard diameter of my plot and also a small 30x30ft low spot that collects water from a stream which is another plus. I can also sneak into all of my stands with ease which is also a good plus for me.

and a corn pile inside of the plot for some more motivation and variety
 
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Fullbore

Senior Member
6,439
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South Eastern Ohio
II shoot for the big 3. Food, water and cover and then set up for the predominant wind direction. My favorite is a pinch point or bottleneck that leads to or from the big 3.

I might add as well. I try to keep the sun at my back. That gives me a little advantage if a deer looks my direction.
Pinch points and travel corridors are my main reason for tree stand placement. Like sand through an hourglass, the deer will more than likely travel the path with least resistance. Trick is to bein the stand when the buck your after strolls through.
 

yotehunter

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spencerville oh
Funnels between feed and bedding with the right wind in early season. And close to doe bedding areas with the right wind during the rut. Funnels and the wind are what draw me to a certain tree. Ease of in or out without spooking deer is important also.
 

moundhill

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My answer is pretty basic. I think to myself, why would a deer be here? Is this a good travelling point or pinch point? I think about possible bedding areas and feeding areas, and if I split them. I no longer (thanks to the smoker) think about wind. It's not even a variable to me. It also depends on the rut or early season. My early season stands I focus on food...the rut, it's all about pinch points and shelves. Laslty, but the most important thing, is I pick out a possible spot..and as a look around I have to imagine deer traveling through. If I can't imagine in my head, seeing a deer from that stand, I'll move it. It may sound weird, but that's my biggest thing when hanging a stand.
 
Laslty, but the most important thing, is I pick out a possible spot..and as a look around I have to imagine deer traveling through. If I can't imagine in my head, seeing a deer from that stand, I'll move it. It may sound weird, but that's my biggest thing when hanging a stand.

I find that to be an interesting way to think. Makes a lot of sense, why sit somewhere that you don't feel you will see a deer. Having confidence in your choice of stands is key. Hard to stay focused when you wonder if you should be sitting elsewhere.
 

angelzd28

Junior Member
Terrain, wind, bedding and food, pretty much in that order. A pinch point where deer travel from bedding to food is best with a good wind direction. I have shot my two biggest bucks the last two years out of the same stand in almost identical scenarios. If it aint broke don't fix it..............
 

BowCrazed

Junior Member
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I am a firm believer in hunting terrain. I have always had tremendous success hunting saddles in ridges and points that extend into creek bottoms. The wind would be second most important and entry and exit routes being third.
 

Redhunter1012

Senior Member
Supporting Member
In my hunting area, which consists of a lot of open terrain and smaller woodlots, seclusion is the absolute #1 factor. Where can a deer eat at and move without being seen from the road? If I cant hunt an Ag field that is pretty secluded by treelines, or what few hills we have, then it's gold around here. My best stand. which has taken 4 mature bucks in the last 5 years, is just off an inside corner between 2 sections that the deer cut towards to try and stay secluded once the crops are down. Rarely will they eat further than 75 yards out due to being in the open. At most they will move quickly across those spaces from one secluded spot to another
 

finelyshedded

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Pretty much what most everyone said but entry and exit to and from any set up undetected is paramount, IMO. Funnels or buck travel corridors from bedding area to other bedding areas or food. Wind is still important to me and will always be!

Deer look up a lot more so it's also very important to be well concealed and positioned to where you're aren't set up too close to the funnel or trail you're hunting. I prefer sitting in the shade,20-22 feet high and 25-33 yards from where I intend to get a shot opportunity.