Stay In The Shade

© By Othmar Vohringer

In about a month it is time for me to start hanging my treestands and build a few ground blinds. This chore reminds me of a few important factors in choosing the best place to hang a stand or set up ground blinds. Although deer travel patterns, food sources, cover and the proximity of bedding areas are important ingredients to find the perfect spot there is another important factor that is often overlooked by hunters. Sun exposure. A few years ago I learned the hard way how important that factor is.

Sunlight and where the sun is standing at the time you hunt plays a very big role. As I said, I learned that the hard way. The morning I learned that lesson the sun was shining direct in my face. Not only did I get a spitting headache from squinting the eyes but also I missed a big buck. Being blinded by the sun shining direct in my face there was just no way that I could have made a perfect shot. There is also another equation to sitting with the face to the sun or in direct sunlight period. Deer can see objects better in direct sunlight then in the shadow. Knowing that and what the learned that day I now make sure to avoid situating my stands or blinds in direct sunlight. I look for places that receive natural shade throughout the day. I make sure that my treestands are well shaded from the canopy or surrounding foliage.

The important thing to remember here is that shade not only conceals you from deer that are already in bow-range, it helps you from being picked off by deer that are traveling through nearby corridors and feeding areas.

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