Stop that noise and watch for ice on your stand

© Othmar Vohringer

The late season can be though to hunt from a treestand. Not only do you have to wear thick wool clothing to stay warm when you sit still for hours, but you also have to be aware of problems that might occur with the treestand itself.

Many treestands tend to pop and creak the moment you move when the temperatures fall bellow the freezing point. There are several ways to overcome game spooking treestand noise.

Use a stand that has no moving parts such as a solid frame climbing stand. If you do not own such a stand there are a few things you can do to minimize noise by removing all lubricant from the moving parts.

A big concern in below zero temperatures is ice build up on the climbing steps and the stand platform. When it gets cold I cover the stand platform with an old piece of carpet. Snow and ice can be easily removed from the carpet plus it provides modest insulation and greatly muffles any sound the stand may make.

Consider tie on climbing sticks in the winter instead of screw in steps that tend to loosen ones the tree starts to freeze. I take my climbing sticks down after the hunt to prevent ice build up and set them up before each hunt. It only takes a few minutes to install and disassemble them and to me these few minutes are worth it if I can increase my safety.

Having said all that. Once the sub zero temperatures hit I find it too cold to sit motionless in a treestand for hours. The winter is one of the few times that I prefer to sit in a ground blind. If it gets really cold I can heat the ground blind with a small propane camping heater, providing just enough warmth to stop me from shivering.

Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
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