Arizona Hunting Club & Outdoor Adventure Group

Learn How to Install a Deer / Elk Hunting Tree Stand

Using a tree stand is the most effective way to hunt both deer and elk in the state of Arizona for several reasons.

Installing a Tree Stand Keeps You Out of Sight and Scent

Raising your body's smell and movements 20 feet in the air helps prevent detection by animals best defense systems, the nose and eyes. It is very important to understand where animals will be coming from and use the wind to blow your scent in the opposite direction. The wind, however, changes often when your in the woods. If your scent is blowing through the tops of the trees versus on the ground, your odds of not get busted are pretty good. Same thing goes for movement. Most animals scan the horizon, not the tree branches.

Most tree stand hunters are archery hunters. Archery is the first hunt of the year and most animals will not realize that the hunting season has started. They will still come to stock tanks during the day to drink, which is a great advantage.

Tree stands also require that a hunter really know how to hunt. Instead of driving roads or wandering the woods hoping to stumble on to an elk or deer to shoot, you have scout ahead of time to find out exactly where the animals travel corridors are located.

Locating saddles on ridges, wooded fence lines and brushy draws with natural choke points are great places to put a tree stand because you know the animals will be passing right underneath your stand. The same goes for stock tanks. Animals use the same game trails to travel to watering holes. And regardless of where they come in, most shots at a water hole are less than 50 yards and have clear shooting lanes. Game trails and scrape lines with heavy sign, fresh tracks and rubs are also good places to put a stand.

Selecting a tree for a stand also depends on whether it is a morning or afternoon spot. The key is to make sure the sun will not be hitting your face. Sitting in the shadow of the tree will keep you cool during the month of September when the temperature is still in the upper 90's.

You also want the animals to walk up from behind you. Use the tree to block their view of your body's profile and movements. You can either draw when you hear them coming or wait until they have walked past you. So make sure you know which trail and direction the animals are most likely to travel day after day.

It is best to have four tree stands setup specifically to take advantage of wind direction. Pick tanks based on where the animals come in. Find one tank with a north trail, south trail, etc. If the animals always come in from the north, put your stand on the north side of the tank. If they come in from the south, put it on the south side of the tank. Keep a hunting journal that notes the most prevalent wind direction and the major game trails for each.

Always select the best tree stand location based on what the weather radio says the wind direction will be that day. If a weather system is supposed to pass through, change stands if necessary. If the wind is coming from the north, pick the stand where the animals will be coming from the north. The wind will blow your scent in the opposite direction of where the animals will be traveling.

Strap-On Tree Steps are Easy and Save Time

Try to locate a tree that has a lot of lower branches, which can be used as natural steps. This will save you a lot of time and effort screwing in steps. Even better, buy several strap-on tree steps, which are very easy to install and take down when you leave. Upper branches will provide cover and give you places to hang equipment. Make sure that you prune all branches with a tree saw that might be in the way of drawing back and targeting an animal.

Also consider the 90 degrees that will give you the best shot. If you are right-handed, the best shot will be located directly in front of you and to the left about 90 degrees. Turning to the right will be more difficult. Try to keep the kill zone directly in front of you or to the left of your tree stand. The opposite is true if you are left-handed.

Make sure your tree stand seat is very, very, very comfortable so that you can sit there for hours. Bring a lunch and pee bag so that you can sit there all day, including the best time slot from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm when animals think everyone has gone back to camp.

I also screw in a camo umbrella above me to provide shade and rain cover. I install a bow holder clamp directly in front of me so that my bow can sit in shooting position until I am ready to pick up the bow and pull back for a shot. Always use a tree stand safety strap in case you accidentally doze off.

Screw-in Tree Stand Umbrella Blocks Sun and Rain

Once the tree stand is up. Get one of your friends to help you mark your kill zones. Take a range finder and scan out to twenty yards. Have your friend stack a series of two big rocks together across the arc of your hunting zone. Do the same by using three rocks for 30 yards, four rocks for 40 yards and so on. Doing this will allow you to know exactly what range a deer or elk is located within your kill zone without moving.

If you are a very creative person, you might even set up some ground cow elk decoys that you can raise up and down with some clear fishing line. Use a cow call and lower the elk decoys up and down. A bull will not come into a tank to a stationary call unless he can see the cows and their movements. Sounds cooky, but I have done it several times and it works.