Stand Height & "Scent Stream"

[pewpewpew]

How much value do you put into the idea of getting high as possible in a stand for scent control? All things equal, do you believe there is a significant scent control advantage in being 12 feet compared to 22 feet? 8 feet compared to 20?

If I knew EXACTLY where my target buck was going to come from, I could see the value is dropping milkweed and setting stand height accordingly. Otherwise, is toying with your scent stream a shot in the dark?

Does appropriate tree cover trump getting high for scent control?

[dan]

There is certainly an advantage to getting high and getting your scent stream up high. That said, its not full proof and you still need to do your best to play the wind. And height comes with some disadvantages too. You have a smaller kill area when you get high and are more likely to one lung a deer.

[Stanley]

For me I like the idea of being as low as possible. Some guys get 30 + feet up I believe this is too high for most circumstances. I get up to a height where I can see and gain a sight advantage. 15 feet is a good height this puts your bow up almost 20 feet.

[JoeRE]

Yea as Dan mentioned the higher you get, the safer you might be from a scent standpoint but the harder the shots.

I think if a person hunted 30 feet up all the time they would be pretty limited in where they could set up. Thinking about all the spots I have picked out to hunt, in maybe 10% of them could I get 30 feet up and have a realistic chance at shooting a deer. Either the trees are too small or its in the tree canopy and WAY too thick to shoot unless virtually straight down.

That is my issue with blanket statements about hunting high. A legit 30 feet high is really limiting! I also wonder if many hunters who talk about 30 feet up are more likely to measure the distance from their head not their boots

Another big variable is thermals. With little wind and falling thermals you could be 50 feet up and a deer might still bust you. With strong rising thermals I have been set up 10-12 feet up and had deer come by on the downwind side without scenting me....and there is everything in between those two extremes.

I try to pick what works for the setup. I have set up 30 feet high a few times over the years but only when that was the best height. In some of the hills I hunt I might be 30 feet from the base of the tree and still have deer about at eye level on the slope beside me.

[Tennhunter3]

The higher you go has negatives also.

More weight to carry in.
Longer to setup.
More movement setting up.
More dangerous if you fall or something goes wrong.

[Rich M]

If you read a lot of the stories on here, many guys are only 6-8 ft off the ground, hunting where the cover is as opposed to going high.

[Stanley]

If you read a lot of the stories on here, many guys are only 6-8 ft off the ground, hunting where the cover is as opposed to going high.

I make a hunt or two every year where I'm less than 10 feet.

[headgear]

Most of my hunts are lower too, sometimes just better shooting in that 5-15 foot range but I get up around 20+ when I can and it make sense.

[BassBoysLLP]

I love getting high. There is so much going on that you can't see. Scent is diffusing 360 degrees in all directions. Some skin rafts are falling like a brick. Some carry. You have a skin raft dump downstream that is diffusing scent. Any scent control works, but it isn't 100%. Its a losing battle. I like sitting as low as possible but I've had more luck hunting as high as feasible.

[mainebowhunter]

I love getting high. There is so much going on that you can't see. Scent is diffusing 360 degrees in all directions. Some skin rafts are falling like a brick. Some carry. You have a skin raft dump downstream that is diffusing scent. Any scent control works, but it isn't 100%. Its a losing battle. I like sitting as low as possible but I've had more luck hunting as high as feasible.

I have a 12-step program I can recommend.

[BassBoysLLP]

I love getting high. There is so much going on that you can't see. Scent is diffusing 360 degrees in all directions. Some skin rafts are falling like a brick. Some carry. You have a skin raft dump downstream that is diffusing scent. Any scent control works, but it isn't 100%. Its a losing battle. I like sitting as low as possible but I've had more luck hunting as high as feasible.

I have a 12-step program I can recommend.

you got me there.

[Octang]

I like higher setups because the scent is dispersing higher and I am harder to see. However, I don't like that it takes longer to set up and take down, and I don't like the smaller kill zone it gives me. I vary my hieght quite a bit depending on the location but I would say I am typically around just 15 ft up most of the time. All things being equal, I try to play the wind properly and leave myself a good kill shot in a lower setup.

[cdeam]

Set up dictates stand height. I only hunt low when i have to and the tree has plenty of cover. In bald trees it seems i have to get up a minimum of 17 feet or I'm getting picked off.
You really don't have to be in a tree at all though. 2 years ago I finally had ground hunting hunting success on a mature 5 year old. Since then my ground game has taken off.

[mainebowhunter]

The longer I hunt, the lower I go.

[bowfreak8]

I feel hunting high gives me both an advantage as far as scent and not being seen. I would ideally like to be 25 ft every hunt but that's not always possible. I will choose cover over height every time.