Sleeping in Treestand?

[Dune12]

I have recently found myself a new hunting area with very minimal pressure and a few huge brutes hiding amongst the thick timber. The only problem is that it is in the middle of nowhere (hour and a half drive) and not easily accessible in the dark. I have done my best to clear a nice path all the way through the thick cover to my stand, however, my trail cams suggest that any time I have walked this trail the deer decide to disappear for the day. It is because of this that I am tempted on hunting a full day and possibly sleeping in my stand (Muddy Huntsman - Very comfy) overnight in hopes to avoid spooking anything coming in or out of my area.

Just to be clear, I am not asking if people take naps in their stands because we all do. I have all the necessary safety equipment to ensure I don't fall whilst asleep. And I am not doing this to poach a deer at night, even if a monster decides to show up in between legal hours. I am just curious if anyone has ever done this and if they found it to be effective.

[Bigwoodsman]

Do you snore? Might not be a be stealthiest way to preserve your sight like you're hoping too?

BW

[Dune12]

Fortunately, I do not snore

[Bulldog Edm]

I'd be afraid of spoofing them out of the area all together. Winds change all the time. They might not be able smell you if they are near your stand but they might smell you as they come into the area. Do you check your wind when you walk to your stand?

[Dune12]

I do check the wind, but there isn't much of a worry of that. My stand happens to be in such thick brush that the wind doesn't waft around like it would in the open area. I have sat in the stand more times than I can count and the deer have no clue of my presence.

[Rather Be Hunting]

Go for it!
Nice sleep in the woods, and perhaps a great shot the following day..
As long as you are safe and follow the rules, who cares???
RBH

[J0HN_R1]

Try using a scent drag on your walk in, before you go sleeping in your tree stand... Doe estrus, or doe urine.

[Out Trouting]

I dont think youll be able to take roughly 14 hours of no movement during the night. I know i couldnt,8 hours is tough enough during the day with heat. But hair on ya, good luck i hope u succeed

[wildbill]

Originally Posted by Bigwoodsman

Do you snore? Might not be a be stealthiest way to preserve your sight like you're hoping too?

BW

just had a vision of myself, clearin the forest, my snoring has been described as, some one tryin to strangle a buffalo,hahaha.....

[Hammerhead]

I would think you're going to get pretty cold. I'm not really sure what part of the season you're planning on doing this, but once the sun goes down the temperature drops quite rapidly... Even in the early part of the season. And you plan to do it in a treestand where you won't even able to move alot warm yourself up.
You'll definitely earn that kill!

[CNP]

You aren't going to sleep. Doze off maybe.....but man are you going to be tired and cold and.........................sore. Tent nearby 90 degrees off and downwind somewhere

[Bigwoodsman]

What about using one of those Hennessy hammock tents tied above or just below your stand? Be more comfortable then trying to sleep in your seat and you can put a good sleeping bag inside.

BW.

[trophybook]

Leave some dirty clothes in your stand in the spring and let them get accustom to your scent.

[reddeerhunter]

Ground blind.

[Bub]

You will definitely be cold, in my opinion.

Since I got a camera, I noticed that every time I retrieve the card, the deer stop using the trail for a couple of days, sometimes longer. Weird that during the hunting season they do not seem to avoid the trail I walked on the day before. Why is that I wonder?

[Rook]

Dune 12 - If you would like to know how to stay in a tree stand for an extended period, pm me.

[rpcw]

Just a word of caution, DVT can occur from this sort of thing so be careful.

[Ultimate Predator]

Think you should do it but use a ground blind

[Stinky Buffalo]

A friend of mine is a practical (and unique) fellow; he found it silly that his fellow hunters would walk In and out of their stands every day.

On one moose hunt, he took his sleeping bag to his hunting spot and spent the night sleeping in an area likely to hold moose.
According to his account, come morning, he sat up and shot a moose when it appeared.

I often think of that story as I haul myself in and out of the woods to and from my stand.

[58thecat]

Build a tree fort like we did when we were kids.

[ramonmark]

I've done it numerous times. The trick to to get comfortable and make sure you drain the old bladder well in advance. Its hard in a conventional tree stand but if you're committed enough it can be done. I actually just build a big tree stand just for that reason. Lay out the sleeping bag and and pillow. Toss in the ear plugs and hit the hay. I've become accustomed to it over the years. As kids my dad used to layer us between canvas tarps and a couple broken straw bails. We'd have supper with the family, use the washroom then off to the field to lay in wait all night. That's actually how I got my first whitetail, opening day of the season just as the sunrise was starting. I've actually been tossing around the idea of of purchasing a tensile sting ray tree tent so I can use that strictly for sleeping/tree hunting. I've done the hammock trick numerous times but its pretty trick getting in and out of at ground height let alone 20 feet in the air. If your going to hammock its best to find a location where the middle of the hammock is almost sandwiched between two trees. The only down side is now your looking for for a tree location and not a deer location. It's easy to get carried away.

[Bigwoodsman]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

A friend of mine is a practical (and unique) fellow; he found it silly that his fellow hunters would walk In and out of their stands every day.

On one moose hunt, he took his sleeping bag to his hunting spot and spent the night sleeping in an area likely to hold moose.
According to his account, come morning, he sat up and shot a moose when it appeared.

I often think of that story as I haul myself in and out of the woods to and from my stand.

I used to do this as well. Never thought of it as a tree stand though. I had my dad build me a large canvas bag to hold my mattress and sleeping bag. All told it weighed 25 pounds. Heavy but considering it was my tent and bed all in one not to bad. I'd even build a small fire if it was cold. I always saw game first thing in the morning. Have shot moose and Whitetail Deer using this method.

Good point made Stinky Buffalo!


BW

[AlbertaDang]

Just make sure when your wake up alarm clock goes off to turn it off quick.

[aardvaark]

Originally Posted by AlbertaDang

Just make sure when your wake up alarm clock goes off to turn it off quick.

You won't need an alarm clock - you'll still be awake! lol

Seriously, I've often thought about doing exactly this. But never done it. Not sleeping in a tree, but at your spot where you want to be for first thing in the morning.

Met a guy years ago loading his elk into his pickup opening morning. He said he camped close to where the elk were for 2 days before opening morning. Had done it for years and always got his bull. Later on that same day way off in the outback, I came across a small tent (that I assumed was his) with a couple empty water bottles and a few empty pork n beans cans laying off to one side.

[densa44]

After you have spent the worst night of your life, are sore everywhere, what do you say to the hunter who blunders into your spot and asks "seen any yet".

Good luck with this I want to hear how it turns out.

Ever heard of Murphy's law?

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

A friend of mine is a practical (and unique) fellow; he found it silly that his fellow hunters would walk In and out of their stands every day.

On one moose hunt, he took his sleeping bag to his hunting spot and spent the night sleeping in an area likely to hold moose.
According to his account, come morning, he sat up and shot a moose when it appeared.

I often think of that story as I haul myself in and out of the woods to and from my stand.

I have a Finnish friend who hunts like that .
Cat

[bloody arrow]

be safe, sleep at the base of the tree in a bivi bag. better sleep quality, better hunting the next day.....

[IronNoggin]

Originally Posted by Dune12

... I have done my best to clear a nice path all the way through the thick cover to my stand, however, my trail cams suggest that any time I have walked this trail the deer decide to disappear for the day...

YOU have been "patterned", not those Bucks.

Change the angle & timing of approach.
Or take a bloody good sleeping bag.

Cheers,
Nog

[BPman]

Do you plan to fasten the Porta Potty above or below your tree stand??? Just askin'.

[Dean2]

There is nothing wrong with your plan at all. When I was younger I spent many nights in the bush only to get up and shoot something right at first light where or very close to where I spent the night, and I snore like a train going uphill. Especially Moose are not spooked even by the sound of chainsaws and making breakfast. Have shot more than one moose after bucking up some wood and starting a fire at the edge of a clear cut. Seems to interest them and they come out into the open to see what is making the noise.

As far as sleeping in the tree stand, personally I would not. Bivy sack and bag on the ground or in a ground blind and go up the stand about 20 minutes before legal light. You can really hurt yourself if you end up falling out of the stand or if you need to get down in the dark for a pee. No deer is worth that risk!

Let us know how you make out this fall if you camp out.