How well are you able to shoot (how open is it) from your sets?

[Pfunk]

As someone who is new to the beast tactics I have a question about stand sets and how easy you find it to get shots off.

I plan to try hang and hunt sits this year without any prep ahead of time which is something mostly new to me. I watch Dan and the hunting public and I seem to find myself thinking “how in the world are they getting shots off in there?”. Maybe the cameras make it seem thicker than it is at times... who knows.

I’m used to hunting thick spots because I have had more luck there, but that usually means I am in there at some point with a limb trimmer and hand saw. Obviously if I am going in 2 miles to hunt public land I wont be hauling the trimmer, but the hand saw could come.

Do you guys who hang and hunt tend to do much trimming? If not, are you mostly sitting with a very good idea of where the deer will come from so that you aren’t having deer show up in unexpected areas or where you can’t get a shot?

I hung a new stand in wisconsin last year in a new spot and did not have a trimmer other than my hand saw. It was very thick and i was hunting basically one heavy trail and had essentially one lane to realistically shoot and I did shoot a buck there the first sit, but boy did I feel uncomfortable feeling so limited. I definitely don’t feel like i need runways through the woods to shoot in, but i do like having spots i can slip shots through in several spots in my 270 degree or so window. Should i get used to not having multiple windows or what?

[Drenalin]

It's illegal for most guys to trim on public. There are some who tie stuff back with cordage to create shooting lanes, and some who trim without knowing or caring about the legality of it. My setups may vary depending on weapon, but for the most part shots will be 50 yards and in and will be through natural openings in the vegetation. On private though, I'll cut in 2-3 good, narrow lanes from a stand.

[Dewey]

Anytime I hunt I’m very limited with shots. That’s just the way it is and you have to deal with it by choosing trees that give you at least one good shooting lane where you expect the deer to come from.

[seazofcheeze]

Off season scouting can come in handy to find the right tree in a thick area and trimming (if allowed). If you're going in blind, tree selection is a little tougher. I've read a few posts where guys use gear ties to tie a problem limb or two out of the way for the hunt and avoid illegally trimming. Seems like a good answer in certain trees.

[NorthStar]

Anytime I hunt I’m very limited with shots. That’s just the way it is and you have to deal with it by choosing trees that give you at least one good shooting lane where you expect the deer to come from.

X2

Especially when going in blind and even more so going in blind before sunrise. I have done my fair share of sweating and swearing my way up a tree in early season only to find out that I have one window to shoot out of I have to crouch down to even get a shot off.

As with everything else, you get better at selecting trees with experience and time but your best bet would be to scout for good trees to set up in well before the season begins.

[Marshbuster89]

I usually have 1 or 2 lanes/pockets for a shot between 3-10 yards on the ground.

If and when I’m in a tree I have a few out to 30 yds if possible. I have never killed a buck from a tree tho

[Pfunk]

Anytime I hunt I’m very limited with shots. That’s just the way it is and you have to deal with it by choosing trees that give you at least one good shooting lane where you expect the deer to come from.

X2

Especially when going in blind and even more so going in blind before sunrise. I have done my fair share of sweating and swearing my way up a tree in early season only to find out that I have one window to shoot out of I have to crouch down to even get a shot off.

As with everything else, you get better at selecting trees with experience and time but your best bet would be to scout for good trees to set up in well before the season begins.

This is something I always wondered too. I can’t imagine picking a tree in the pitch black and sitting up there not knowing what it will look like when the sun comes up.

It seems like a lot of guys hunt mostly evening sits, but if going in for a morning sit do you guys ever just wait until you have some daylight to pick a tree. I think this seems like a definite option too.

If prescouting trees for morning sits ahead of time, what tricks are you using to make sure no one else spots your human sign? I dont want to leave reflective tacks and I don’t really want to trust that my phone GPS will get me right back to the same tree. With as many trees as I will likely have picked out there is no way i will remember what they all look like in the dark unfortunately.

[Tsom]

If I don't know an area too well but have a tree picked for a morning sit I'll have it marked on onx with a couple notes about the tree. And more recently they added a picture option for your waypoints so I have started taking pictures of them. At least I have an idea of what I'm looking for then instead of just bumbling around in the dark.

[cspot]

If I don't know an area too well but have a tree picked for a morning sit I'll have it marked on onx with a couple notes about the tree. And more recently they added a picture option for your waypoints so I have started taking pictures of them. At least I have an idea of what I'm looking for then instead of just bumbling around in the dark.

I just started taking pictures with mine. Hopefully that works better. If nothing else it helps me remember what that waypoint is. I am bad about marking something and then 2 months later I am trying to remember why I marked it. LOL. Especially bad during hunting season like the recent gun seasons as I will make drop waypoints sometimes where my son is sitting or where I left my sweatshirt to get it on the wayback. This results in alot of waypoints that need cleared off.

To the original topic. I actually don't like if I am wide open to shoot. IF I am then this usually means that the only tree available has little to no cover, so I have to worry about getting busted. My ideal setup is to have alot of cover to my backside and that I have at least 2 openings to my front side or strong side to shoot. Some places you only will have one though.

[Pfunk]

If I don't know an area too well but have a tree picked for a morning sit I'll have it marked on onx with a couple notes about the tree. And more recently they added a picture option for your waypoints so I have started taking pictures of them. At least I have an idea of what I'm looking for then instead of just bumbling around in the dark.

This is a great idea. Thanks! I’m using HuntStand and I think they only have an option for adding photos for your harvests. But i will definitely add detailed notes for every tree i mark as a potential stand spot.

[Dewey]

As someone who is new to the beast tactics I have a question about stand sets and how easy you find it to get shots off.

I plan to try hang and hunt sits this year without any prep ahead of time which is something mostly new to me. I watch Dan and the hunting public and I seem to find myself thinking “how in the world are they getting shots off in there?”. Maybe the cameras make it seem thicker than it is at times... who knows.

I’m used to hunting thick spots because I have had more luck there, but that usually means I am in there at some point with a limb trimmer and hand saw. Obviously if I am going in 2 miles to hunt public land I wont be hauling the trimmer, but the hand saw could come.

Do you guys who hang and hunt tend to do much trimming? If not, are you mostly sitting with a very good idea of where the deer will come from so that you aren’t having deer show up in unexpected areas or where you can’t get a shot?

I hung a new stand in wisconsin last year in a new spot and did not have a trimmer other than my hand saw. It was very thick and i was hunting basically one heavy trail and had essentially one lane to realistically shoot and I did shoot a buck there the first sit, but boy did I feel uncomfortable feeling so limited. I definitely don’t feel like i need runways through the woods to shoot in, but i do like having spots i can slip shots through in several spots in my 270 degree or so window. Should i get used to not having multiple windows or what?

If it makes you feel better here are a few of my recent views. As you can imagine it’s MUCH thicker early in the season.









On Halloween I had a slob coming down the trail and he held up at the red X while I was at full draw waiting for him to enter my shooting lane. His vitals were hidden behind the larger tree and only his head/neck showing. Needed him to enter my only shooting lane at the red circle. He knew something wasn’t right and back out never giving me a shot.



It’s frustrating but all part of the game. Bucks especially mature bucks rarely travel in wide open areas and stick to the thicker cover. You just have to deal with it on public land and do your best to pick trees that give you a few decent shooting lanes and accept you will never have total coverage.

[Denisboyko22]

I usually try to position myself in the best spot to not get winded or seen and then next I look for the most trails I can cover coming from bedding sometimes I can only take 1 shot 10 yards away other times further , I got lucky on the closer this weekend and put myself covering all the doe trails but I had to setup further back for this and drilled one 45 yards away and that was my max considering this is my 2nd year ever shooting a bow. You just gotta setup to where your gut tells you and take any first good shot you can take because if you wait you never know if they will spoke , I've learned this alot this year.

[live2hunt]

This comes with experience. Normally I’m able to pick out where to set up with a green head lamp Before sunrise. I still have times when I get part way up and realize there is no way it will work and other times it has been so thick I’ve just sat on the ground until it’s light enough to pick a tree. When picking a tree in daylight you might have to adjust your height. Recognize while hanging sticks if you need to go higher or sacrifice height for clear shots. When you’re set identify where you can shoot and recognize if you might have to make quick shots. Some stands might require bow in hand and quick thinking.

[tgreeno]

I'm with Dewey. I rarely have open shooting. Usually one or two open lanes per set.

[Edcyclopedia]

20# monofilament & cable ties can help...