Leaving climber on tree?

[mabr]

How many leave there climbers on the tree overnight?

I hunted Saturday morning and busted the deer out of the woods going in. I knew I’d screwed up the minute I heard them take off going in but thought its early 5 am I should be ok. I didn’t see a single deer that morning.

I had planned on hunting that evening in the same area but after looking at the wind forecast I knew it was futile to try and hunt this area. So I elected to hunt the edge of the woods to maybe get some recon in on what was going on. Needless to say I didn’t see anything Saturday night either. I must have REALLY blown them out of there. But I have left my stand hanging on the tree from the morning hunt.

What’s your experience with leaving a stand at ground level? It rained last night which I’m happy about but I’m worried that this brand new summit (bought just for this hunt) is going to run them off. Am I over thinking this? I have a TRUE monster lurking in these woods and I’m sick thinking I have schooled him to me hunting him.

FYI, I’m not planning on going back in there until wed at the earliest to hunt it again if not later.

[Archerysniper]

I leave mine all the time I just try to hang them up as high as I can reach to keep the deer from getting a really good smell. I also just normally use my climber for hopping around and finding good spots. Once I locate a good area I remove my climber and bring in a portable to replace it, the climbers are just a bit too noisy for me to use them as a permanent stand location.

[nofishfisherman]

Is this public or private land? On public land I'd be hesitant to leave it but if I did I'd for sure lock it down.

On private land where theft isn't as big of a concern I'd probably try to do what was mentioned above and push it up as high as possible. Maybe spraying it down with a scent eliminator would help but the metal base shouldn't hold on to much smell. The leaves and tree you were sitting in will still have your smell on it anyways.

[Wanderer]

Personally, I wouldn't over think it too much.

I would have sprayed it down when I put it together and left it outside at home until I took it hunting. If I left it I would spray it down again at the tree but probably on the ground. I'm not convinced 6-7 ft off the ground is going to help eliminate much risk of the deer scenting it but it may stand out visually. JMO.

If they do scent it and can walk up to it and check it out they might get more comfortable with that particular smell after knowing it's not a threat. I figure if it's not human scent they would just be curious about it anyway. Again, JMO.

Good luck with your buck

[Rippinlip]

If its land I don't have to worry much about, I will leave it on the tree.

I don't own a light one now(yet), so the less I have to drag it in and out the better, I will move it around in the woods I am hunting, like stated earlier.

I try to spray it down when leaving the area, I am not that tall of a person so hanging it up at 6'+ when I leave isn't much of an option.

[paceman]

I leave mine in the woods all season. heck I have one that has been in the same tree going on 3 years....

[nbadger23]

I think you are right on your thought that you are over thinking it. If you pushed deer out at 5 am and the wind was in your favor, they likely didn't see you, but simply heard an unusual noise coming through the woods and took off. Unless you were the proverbial "bull in a china cabinet" as you came through the woods, I doubt you spooked them that much. I also wouldn't worry about your stand that much. Spray it down to give you your best odds but outside of theft, I don't see any reason not to leave it there.

[Bear55]

I don't think you are over thinking it too much, especially if you have a brute running around. I think it is fair to say that every time we enter the woods the deer know we have been there. Some deer like does and young bucks don't get too bothered but an old mature buck might avoid the area during shooting hours because they know "someone" was in there. While leaving the climber in there might not hurt too much because they know you have been in there anyway it still might not be a good idea because there is surely scent on your stand and they can easily pinpoint where you have been hunting.

A few years back I had a decent buck come out of the swamp just before dark. He just caught the tail end of my draw and bound off just out of bow range in some brush. He then slowly made his way and busted my trail walking into the stand and walked off. The next night I decided to setup right where he came out of the swamp. The buck came out about where I expected him to, he then locked in on the tree I was setup on the night before and sat there for half an hour scanning the area. He never presented me with a shot but I was pretty impressed he locked in on my tree from the night before and knew to be extra careful. Now this was a younger deer, I would guess an old wise buck would have not showed up two nights in a row and possibly moved right out of the area.

[harvey lee]

I use to leave my portables on the tree all the time and I do not believe it ever affected my hunting. I never sprayed them down with scent killer ever.

I no longer do that as I have had 2 Lone Wolf stands stolen in the past 3 years and yes, it was on private land very well posted.

One cannot trust anyone in these days. At 300 plus per stand, I will carry it out with me.

[bigbucks]

I don't believe I've ever left my Lone Wolf climber as they're just too expensive. Maybe if I hunted one night & came back the next morning or something like that & it was on private land. I've left my older, cheaper, heavier climber many times. I treat it as a hanger that's just easier to move. I try to leave it where there's some brush around it, but that's not always an option. I don't think I've ever sprayed it down.

[tracker x-2]

On a side note what are some ways every one gets their gear or bow into the tree after climbing. Just recently bought one and looking for ideas.

[harvey lee]

I have a smaller rope with a clip on the end that clips to the bow. The other end is attached to the side of the climber.

Has worked well for me for years.

[paceman]

Yep just a simple rope hanging down from the stand is all I have used for years..

[mabr]

Thanks for the feed back. Im not concerned with it being stole its private and its deep in the woods. Heck I had a Tree lounge sit all year last year in there. Not cause I wanted to but the snow kept me from going in to get it and it is a heavy stand.

Im going to let it stay and not hunt the area until next week. I got to thinking about Harveys tip on hanging smelly shirts to get them used to it. Shouldnt be any different with this other than next time im in it it wont be close to the ground.