As a general rule, set 3 to 5 tree stands to bowhunt a 100-acre block of timber. Ideally, you'll spread out those stands to cover as much of the woods as possible, and to have options for different winds that blow each day. But don’t force it. If you’re hunt 100 acres but only 25 or so are conducive to getting to and from the stands with quiet and hidden access from a downwind angle, plan to do most of your hunting from 2 or 3 stands in those 25 acres. If you try to force it and bull your way into tough spots and hang or hunt stands where in the 75 acres where the is poor and the wind [...]

I asked that question of my friend, Dr. Grant Woods, one of the top deer biologists in the world, one time. He told me: “Whitetails react incredibly quickly to either a positive or a negative stimulus. Most hunters fail to take that into account quickly enough. For example, if a buck sees or hears you in a tree stand near a food plot, he will learn to avoid that spot very fast. He will still go to the plot (the positive stimulus) but he will circle your stand (the negative stimulus) possibly out of sight and range. You might sit there, not see any deer and wonder what is wrong. So hunters need to take into consideration how fast deer, [...]

Five tips for setting safe and effective tree stands: A solid tree about 15 inches to 20 in diameter is great. It is easy and safe to get your arms around as you set steps, climb and hang a perch. Once you’re up, a tree as wide as your body breaks your silhouette, but is thin enough so that you can turn and look around for incoming deer, and twist, draw and shoot if you have to. Once you’ve chosen a tree for a stand, back up 50 yards or so, bend and look up into the top of it from a deer’s perspective to see which height and angle provide the best backdrop and cover. Plan on hanging a [...]