Whitetails 365: A Guide to Choosing the Best Stand Location

Whitetails 365: A Guide to Choosing the Best Stand Location

By Aaron McKinney

It’s August, and bowhunters across the state are gearing up for another epic season. The thrill of patterning summer deer and strategizing for the upcoming bow season, youth season, and early muzzleloader season is in the air. Have you considered new stand locations? Now is the time to hang those stands and position yourself for success this fall.

Get in Early
If you’re anything like me, you know that maintaining low pressure on your hunting area is the key to success. Those mature deer do not tolerate too much human intrusion and quickly seek refuge elsewhere, disrupting your hunting plans. You can do some things now, as the calendar turns to August to decrease the amount of human intrusion close to, or during the hunting season.
I’ve learned through experience that performing prep work well in advance not only spooks fewer deer, but also gives them ample time to regain their sense of security before the highly anticipated season kicks off on October 1st. And guess what? Now is the prime time for us to take action and get our stands moved. To fine tune the exact location of your stand, start looking for deer sign. Look for tracks, scat, old rubs, and old scrapes. These signs can tell you where the deer are traveling, and where they are bedding.

Review Past Data
Take time to reflect back to last year. Remember where deer entered, and exited a field. Think about the times you bumped deer while entering and exiting your stand. If you saw a lot of activity in a particular spot, that may be your sign that you should move, or put up a new stand in the locations. Some of my favorite stands have been new ones I put up after seeing deer congregate in a certain area. You can also use old trail camera data and analyze popular deer trails and the times of the year the deer were using these. In short, you want to be where the deer are, so don’t be afraid to move stands now.

Consider Wind, and Thermals
Hunters need to think about thermals and how you will be hunting a location. In the mornings, the air is heating and rising, so your scent is wafting upwards in the air. Hunting a ground blind in a valley might not be a good idea for a morning hunt as your scent will travel up hill and meet approaching deer (if that is how they move through your area). In contrast, cooling heavier air in the evenings will settle on valleys and bottom areas. You are at risk of deer below you smelling you as the air falls and disperses into valleys and creek bottoms.

Additionally, I do not like to be limited by wind direction, I try and have a stand or blind set up for different wind directions. Some blinds help combat human odor. I know there are some blinds that have gaskets and seals to help keep your scent from escaping. Some manufactures also have antimicrobial flooring that helps kill odor causing bacteria and ports for ozone machines. All these features work to aid in keeping deer from smelling you. It is important to remember that deer live and die by their nose. You should still consider the wind direction and how your scent travels for best success.

Plan for Each “Phase” of Hunting
You now should plan your set-ups for early season, rut and late season stands. Right now, we can see visible trails, and some bucks become patternable. We can make a plan to set up an early season stand for these deer. By setting up stands now, we are letting our property rest before we intrude on the area again for hunting. This will help you avoid detection by deer, and allow you to maximize your first few sits in the timber. Deer also seem to be more tolerant of an occasional interaction now rather than when hunting season arrives and encounter more hunters in the timbers. It is a little early to set up ground blinds, but it is not too early to find areas that are promising for a ground blind. If you have a plan in mind, it makes setting up and brushing in your blind a faster and smoother process.

As the year progresses, bucks shed velvet, mast crops drop, and does will begin to cycle in and out of heat. All these things affect how deer move. We begin to see deer leave their summer sanctuaries, and some redistribute their time to different areas. Having a stand set up to prepare for this transition can help you plan for success. In October, you might have acorns or chestnuts dropping. These can be hot spots to hunt pre-rut.

Use Scrapes
Picture this: you stumble upon a hub scrape (a scrape that is used year after year), nestled on the edge of a timber, and a surge of excitement courses through your veins. You know you’ve struck gold! This extraordinary find signifies an incredible opportunity to set up a stand or blind during the latter half of October and as the rut draws near. Take note, as these hub scrapes can be your secret weapon in the pursuit of that ultimate trophy buck. Additionally, you can try and attract these deer to your location in the fall by making mock scrapes. We know from scientific studies that a deer’s daylight activity increases through the month of October. They will visit scrapes often at night. If you hunt carefully, using trail camera data and weather fronts to your advantage, you will want a stand set up near a scrape for a chance to harvest a trophy buck. If you find an area heavy with old scrapes, be sure to get a stand in this area.

Prepping for the Rut
Ah, the rut—the pinnacle of intensity and unpredictability. Brace yourselves for this electrifying period where anything can happen. The majestic bucks are on a relentless quest, tirelessly covering vast territories in their fervent pursuit of those captivating hot does. You can intercept new bucks wandering through, or sometimes a buck will head back to his known territory, his core area. To unlock the door to success, we must master the art of understanding the does. Unveiling their secretive bedding areas and pinpointing the spots where they frequently gather, can lead to success. Let’s not forget the strategic genius of setting up on pinch points and funnels. Strategic vantage points that provide the perfect opportunity to intercept the cruzing bucks or witness the enthralling spectacle of bucks doggedly chasing their potential mates. Again, anything can happen, bucks can chase does all over and cover a lot of ground quickly. Hang a stand in pinch points and natural funnels, which will help naturally bring deer to your location. Be ready for those key days during November.

Hunt Food Plots
A lot of hunters leverage food plots, and for good reasons. Whether it is an ag field, or small kill plot, they are excellent at attracting wildlife. Early season we hunt soybean fields, alfalfa, brassicas, and cornfields. Before season begins, take some time and watch from afar. During evenings, you can gather invaluable information about how and where deer enter and exit these fields. Once you observe this, plan on getting a stand or blind set up near this location for early bow season, youth season, or early muzzleloader season. As the rut approaches and begins, food still is valuable, but you may want to focus on the timber for intercepting cursing bucks.

Gun Stands
Once the rut winds down, both bucks and does will need to replenish their calories. Hunt food plots once again after the rut is over. However, this also ushers in Iowa’s gun seasons. Do you have a stand set up near food for the gun seasons? Can you shoot through your shooting lanes at your effective distance? Consider these things from a gun hunter’s perspective rather than a bow hunter’s perspective.

Once the snow begins to fly, and frigid cold fronts move in, patterning bucks (in my opinion) becomes easier. Look for thermal protection near food sources. So find a thick stand of cedars near a food plot and you will find deer bedding. When temperatures are at their coldest, deer NEED food. You can bet they will venture out to your food plot.

Now is the time to get your stands and blinds ready for deer season. If you are like me, it seems like September is so busy and before you know October has arrived. If you do a little bit of prep work right now, you will be well prepared for deer season. A successful season starts now. With careful preparation and by getting stands set in the right location, we’ll be ready to embark on the adventure of chasing deer. Set up stands or blinds in multiple spots for early season, rut, and late season for an exciting 2023 season.