7 Tips for All Day Treestand Sits

Staying Confident and Motivated

For me, motivation for all-day sits begins with having the confidence in the spot.  Whether you have recent trail camera data that suggests a big buck is in the area or you have historical data from the area that prove that you’re in the right spot, both scenarios are confidence boosters to keep you in the stand.

Once you have confidence in the spot, you then have to have confidence in the conditions.  Not all days of the rut are created equal and environmental conditions such as wind and precipitation can drastically change the quality of your hunt and your success.  If the wind is right, stay put!  Being in the right spot is the hardest part of hunting.  Trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together can be tricky, even for the most seasoned hunters.  Don’t forget about changing thermals, read this to learn How Thermals Influence Hunting Success for Both Deer and Elk.

When hunting new ground, you might not want to jump in the first tree you find and sit from daylight until dark, as you might find better success looking for the best sign between sits.  I’ll always be an advocate for scouting more than you hunt.  Regardless of your scenario, you must stay confident in order to hunt from sunrise to sunset.

having confidence in my spot is the most important factor in keeping me there. If I feel very strongly that I am in the right spot, and something good could happen at any moment, I can not only stay on stand, but stay focused and alert for much longer. Confidence is gained by knowing your surroundings. You can’t know you are in the right spot unless you know what the other spots are like. If you don’t know what is just over that ridge 200 yards away, how can you know that you are in the right spot? You have to spend the time on foot learning the area, looking at the directions of the tracks, analyzing the terrain contours, finding the bedding areas and the travel corridors. You don’t do that the day of the hunt, you need to do that with time for evidence of your presence to dissipate. Trail cameras can be key to this, but nothing works better than really burning the boot leather and walking it out.

Comfortable Place to Sit

Not all treestands are created equal and I’m very selective in which treestands I hang where,  I prefer mesh seats with a backrest on all-day sits, such as Millennium M-100.  Now, that doesn’t mean that’s the only treestand that I hunt from, I just find it much easier to sit all day when I’m comfortable, rather than sitting in a cheap lock-on stand trying to fight through the pain and discomfort that poor ergonomics is associated with.

Investing in a more expensive, full-back rest treestand might cost more money upfront, but it’s worth it during all-day sits.  Other features that I prefer in a treestand include a foldable seat, so that I can stand up and stretch while staying close to the trunk of the tree.  Footrests are great options for some additional legroom.

Dressed to Kill

The most important thing to remember on this list is the necessity of dressing appropriately for the hunting conditions that you will encounter from the start of the hunt, through the warmest part of the day, then to the coldest.  It’s important to remember to dress in layers with the conditions that you’ll face throughout the day in mind.

For me, I’ll often over-dress, then find myself shedding layers as the temperatures rise through the day.  There are several great layering systems on the market for hunters, so do your research and dress accordingly. Invest in quality base layers, packable mid layers, and another layer that’ll keep you warm when the temperature drops.  Now, if you’re in an area where warm weather hits during the whitetail rut, you might not need as many layers.

Keep Yourself Entertained

Let’s face it, the days of bringing a book to the treestand is behind us.  Cell phones and tablets provide you the option of bringing books, games, social media, and you can even stream the big game on your phone when needed.  I’m not going to lie, I’ve even found myself carrying my laptop to get some work done in the ground blind but that’s never a good idea.  Our society has become addicted to our phones and it’s not a good time.  I’d be willing to bet that phones help a lot of bucks survive each fall.

Don’t get too caught up in the entertainment that you miss an approaching deer.  There’s no worse feeling than screwing up the hunt because you were distracted by your phone.  That’s not to say that I don’t use mine during every single hunt, because I do.  When the conditions are dry, the crunch of leaves will reveal an approaching deer.  If you listen closely, you can often tell the sound of an approaching doe from the sound of a buck!

Personally, I’d rather spend the day in a treestand on phone working, than I would to be in the office wishing that I was hunting.  I’m also not willing to skip a good hunting opportunity just to watch a ball game, because I know I can do both as long as I have service.  Whatever form of entertainment you choose, only do it enough to keep you in the stand and awake.  Don’t overdo it!

Food and Drink is a MUST!

Don’t forget to bring some food and plenty of water along during the hunt.  I have a few goodies that I call my Rut Snack that I bring along on every hunt, along with two bottles of water.  While driving to my hunting spot in the morning, I’ll drink at least one bottle of water, maybe two if I have enough time.  Sure, I might have to pee every five minutes, but staying hydrated is a must during the hunt because the last thing you want to do is to shoot a deer at last light and need to start dragging and not have the energy or you’re dehydrated.

Taking a few minutes to grab a snack breaks up the monotony of an all-day hunt, and eating can help you warm up when you’re cold.

Stretch and/or Exercise

One of the most overlooked factors about all-day hunts is the stress it puts on the body to sit down for that many hours.  When the situation presents itself, take advantage of the opportunity to stand up and stretch.  This will warm you and a keep your muscles loose.  The agony of standing up after an all-day hunt and trying to climb down out of the stand can be dangerous unless you’ve been stretching throughout the day.  If I get really cold, sometimes I’ll even climb down out of the stand and back up a time or two before settling into the stand for the rest of the hunt.  This really gets the blood pumping and the muscles warmed up.

Gear That Will Make An All-Day Hunt Better

Here are a few items that you can bring along during an all-day hunt to make the experience much easier.  For more treesatand sales, check out this blog post.  Which is Best for Deer Hunting, Treestand or a Ground Blind?

• Treestand – Millennium M100U or
• Arctic Shield Boot Insulators
• External battery power bank (to keep your phone charged)
• Foot Rests (If your treestand isn’t equipped with them)
• Bow Holder (no one should ever hold their bow that long)
• Hot Hands