How many hunts on same stand

earlthegoat2

Senior Member
I only have one stand right now. I’m looking to make another one.

I’m going to use my pop up blind here and there too.

I hunted the same spot all year last year and saw plenty of deer. I did desire some variety after about the 5th or 6th sit. I was still satisfied though.

I would like to put up a ladder stand along a few different routes in the coming years.
 

bfriendly

Bigfoot friendly
I think maybe, at least in part, that’s why I like Turkey hunting so much. I’m on the move more than ever doing that. I love seeing different areas. I’m also scouting every time I’m in the woods. Sometimes the different view is only a few trees over.
 

snooker1

Senior Member
I have a couple of set ladder stand and ground blinds. But prior to the season opening I identified about 10 trees that I cleaned up so I can throw a climber on depending on wind and changes in patterns.
 

rugerfan

Senior Member
I hunt public land so I am not tied to a certain area.

I used to be on this 3 sits and move system, but life changed that, and the demands on my time outside of hunting has increased the last couple of years. If I believe an area to be relatively un pressured when I am not there, then I may choose to sit in that location for few days, but I don't like to get into a set pattern. I don't generally get to hunt outside of weekends.
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
There is also a difference between sitting in a tower watching a field, and being out in the woods amongst the deer.
 

HarryO45

Mag dump Dirty Harry
I hunt a private lease. I have 10 summits scattered across the 1200 acres. In some locations on opposite sides of the same bottom, giving me approach and wind advantages from different directions. As the winter progresses, leaves will fall and I can see further… I move further and further from the reason that I hunt that area. Most of the season I hunt in thicks and edges. Once I feel the rut is imminent I move to more open areas and focus on terrain where I see a lot of does. Also food sources change and I move because of that reason - example: from white oak to green briars as the season progresses.

I don’t think any of us have the ability to know for sure when may have been “busted”.

There is an old army saying: “You don’t know what you don’t know”. In my mind, You have no idea when you may have have been busted… so I assume I have been “busted” with error to the deer. I believe that matters.

Several years ago I noticed that I was was killing most bucks by moving my stands, and fist time hunts from that location / tree. Often not even moving the stands very far, just moving just a bit may make a difference?

Last reason, if another hunter starts to hunt hard in the same area? Yea I might move.

I guess I move more than most other hunters, and I feel that moving to a different ridge, bottom, or edge will not hurt as long as you move into the new positions with strategy.
 
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Jimmypop

Senior Member
I hunt one stand all the time until I get our meat supply ( 3 or 4 ) deer per year. Been doing it the same for the past 20 years. Haven't had a problem.
 

rugerfan

Senior Member
Something I learned a few years ago. The deer are moving somewhere. They don't all just go to bed up so we can go to breakfast and then go catch the football game. People leaving the woods to do those sorts of things may or may not bump something your way. The last couple of years I have seen deer moving late morning to late mid day, and the looks of things these deer were not pushed up on their feet. Feeding along taking their time, not in a hurry to be anywhere.

As @Nicodemus stated above, if they don't know you are there or have been there, they don't know you are there.
 

fishman1957

Senior Member
If the wind is right I'll hunt a stand a lot if I'm seeing deer we basically hunt known travel routes and have stands up to hunt different winds . Stopped using corn we do hunt a few mineral sites if wind is good . we do use corn only for photos hunting the wind and being still are the best policy IMHO ..
 

srb

Senior Member
Two three times if you haven’t seen anything.Everyone has thoughts on this.
I like to leave really good stands , spots idle to the rut is going..
Just going to that perfect stand location, Knowing it hasn’t been sit in! Priceless
 

Timberman

Senior Member
As has been mentioned there is no hard and fast rule. Some you can some you can’t depends on access/deer pop/wind/ gut feeling/time of season/etc.
 

HavocLover

Senior Member
On my leases, I jump around. I don’t want to burn out any one particular spot. But a lot of my personal rules or preferences go out the window when hunting public. Cause you don’t have a clue what in the world might’ve happened between now and your last visit. You aren’t gonna hurt that spot any worse than all the other factors you have to compete with on public.
 

garveywallbanger

Senior Member
2 hunts and bounce! I don’t like staring at the same woods for long and it keeps deer from patterning you! It works well for me too
 

Buckstop

Senior Member
As long as your looking where they’re traveling and not sitting or walking where they travel, as well as watching your wind, you can get some mileage out of a spot. I’ll get down and go somewhere else though if the wind turns out wrong.
 

Lindseys Grandpa

Senior Member
I generally hunt travel corridors . The wind insures I will change spots periodically. I have 3 pieces of land I hunt and I hunt them according to conditions . There is very little pressure on any of them . I rarely sit more than 2 days in a row in same stand . I to have permanent ladder stands / blinds I hunt but will climb trees near by because I think mature bucks and does know where the stands are and check them . Also my Summit climber is much more comfortable. My main thing is the wind , I don't care what all the scent block advertisements say I don't believe you can beat a deers nose .
 

SCL

Senior Member
I've sat the same blind for 3 years. I don't sit in it all the time, I may hunt 1 or 2 days in a row and then leave it for a week or so. I've put some serious meat in the freezer since I set it up 3 years ago, if it's big and brown, it's down, if it's small and brown, I frown, free pass, see ya next year.
 
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