When I first started deer hunting, ladder stands made from 2 x 4′s and old pallets with milk crates for seats were the norm. Someone else in my club usually placed these stands, and they were available for anyone to use. It seemed as though the people who put them out never hunted in them anymore. It wasn’t until recently that I knew the reason why. The answer was that few, if any deer were killed from these stands—myself included.

When I started back deer hunting in the mid 1990′s, I fell into the same trend. At this time I made my own ladder stands, and they were taller and smaller. I located them in places I thought the deer might pass. The area looked good to me, but I didn’t have much better luck.

A few years ago when I started archery hunting, I knew that I had to get close to my work. Not only did I have to see deer, but I had to be very close and go undetected by the deer. For the most part, this ruled out ladder stands because I had to get higher in the tree. There were tall ladder stands on the market, but lock-on stands and climbers better suited my needs.

Private land has one tremendous advantage over public land when it comes to deer stands. I can put a permanent stand up and may even be able to adjust the terrain surrounding it to bring the deer closer to the stand for a good shot. In this article, I will talk specifically about permanent stands on private land, but several insights can be applied to public land hunting as well. My stands are set up for archery hunting, so I want the deer to be close. I am confident in my ability at fifteen to thirty yards; I try to set up a stand for shots at twenty to twenty-five yards, so if the deer do not act as I expect them to, I’ll still have a little range to play with.

After hunting many different stands that I have put out on my land, I have found some pointers that I use now when moving my stands around. Some are more important than others, but the final objective is what I am looking to achieve. This, for me, is a comfortable hunt, confidence in seeing deer, and having a good shot opportunity if a deer comes out.
 

Confidence 

I am lucky enough to have land where I can pick any tree and see deer from it sometime during the season. Some areas are naturally better than others. If the deer are already using the area frequently, then there is a much better chance for success. This gives me the confidence to stay longer in the stand, and sitting longer is what it’s all about. The hunt consists of much more than just the kill, but the kill is a certainly a very important part of it.

Without confidence in an area, I soon lose my willingness to stay on the stand or to even hunt that stand. I enjoy seeing wildlife all around me, but that’s not why I am in a tree. I want to see deer. Even seeing deer at a distance helps because at least I know the deer are moving. Confidence can be lost or built very quickly by either seeing or not seeing deer. If you aren’t seeing deer, find out why. Could it be that they’ve found you before you’ve found them? Make sure you keep your scent and presence to a minimum in the area, as these are likely the reasons why.