Tips & Tactics

Size (of Tree) Matters

Size (of Tree) Matters

By Tim H. Martin

Early in my hunting career, I hunted from a particular lock-on treestand located in a great place, but deer busted me there on a regular basis.

At first, I couldn’t figure out why. I’d been taking extreme care preparing for each shot, reaching for my bow with caution, standing ever so slowly and getting into position with minimal movement.

But it never failed; the deer would look up at me and detect movement before I could even draw my bow, and a marathon stare down would ensue.

Photo: Tim H. Martin found a real honey hole where he began taking lots of deer, including this nice Alabama 10-pointer, but only after he moved his treestand 30 yards up the trail to a larger tree.

Eventually, I realized the deer were not seeing or hearing me. They were seeing movement AROUND me.

Each movement I made, even simply shifting my weight, was causing the small-diameter tree to shake and sway. The trunk wasn’t substantial enough to absorb my movement, so its limbs and leaves moved long after I was stone still.

The next season, I moved my stand 30 yards up the trail, into a mature pin oak tree. Problem solved! The tree became a deadly ambush site where I shot countless deer over the years.

There are other advantages to hunting from larger-diameter trees.

I learned to position my bow stands facing away from the direction I expected deer to appear. This allows me to hide behind the trunk and get away with a lot of movement while waiting. I can stand and lean against the trunk, resting and observing deer as they pass beneath me. This tactic often presents a deadly quartering-away shot.

As someone who gets motion sick easily, a mature tree does not have the sway factor of a small-diameter tree. Nothing gets me green faster than sitting in a skinny pine on a windy day.

If you are able to hang your stand in a mature oak tree, you’ll love the bonus of acorns attracting deer directly beneath your stand during bow season.

Then there’s the safety factor. Bigger trees equal bigger grip for climbing stands. The smaller a tree’s diameter, the less leverage your climber has, increasing the possibilities of a slip.

When you’re selecting your next treestand site, remember, size of tree does matter.

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd