Elevated Stand Guidelines

Selecting a Stand Location

• Place a stand in an area where game sign indicates food, travel, water, wallows, breeding sites, or other places where animals appear to congregate.
• Consider multiple stand locations, taking into consideration elevation, topography, and prevailing winds.
• Use a tree stand only in daylight hours, positioning the stand to avoid sunlight that could highlight the profile of your body.
• Use a tree large enough to cover your body outline.
• Place a stand no higher than necessary.
• Select only trees that are straight. A trunk leaning toward you can “push” you out of a stand when you stand up.
• Never place a stand in a dead tree, in a tree with large overhanging dead limbs, or on or near utility poles.
• Place a stand on the back side of a tree if the terrain rises in front of the stand, if there is little cover, or if the prevailing wind often switches direction.
• Place a stand to the side of a trail or travel route but within your effective shooting range.
• Clear shooting lanes for unobstructed shooting opportunities. Use a small pruning saw or clippers, and nip off only what is necessary. It’s best to have someone guide you from the stand as you do this. If cutting isn’t permitted, tie back the branches and brush with dark-colored cord.
• Select more than one hunting spot to avoid over-hunting one location.
• Never leave a tree stand attached to a tree for more than two weeks.

Inspecting and Preparing Stands

• If you have a tree stand which was manufactured by a company which is no longer in business, destroy it.
• Each season, before use, thoroughly inspect tree stands for defects, missing parts, weaknesses, or excessive wear.
  • Be sure to read and re-read all instructions and warnings provided by the manufacturer.
  • Be sure all bolts are tightened.
  • If you discover frayed ropes, straps, or worn chains, contact the tree stand manufacturer for replacement parts.
• When needed, paint a stand with rust-proof paint and apply it well before the season starts to allow time for the new paint smell to diminish.
• Test stands for squeaks or noises; and lubricate them with graphite powder, vegetable oil, or other odorless oils.
• Use coarse grid strips to improve traction on stand surfaces.
• If you leave a stand for any length of time, especially on public lands, use a padlock and chain to prevent theft.
• Never loan your tree stand or allow anyone to use your tree stand unless they read all warnings and instructions and you can teach them how to use it properly with a FAS.

Hauling a Firearm and Equipment into a Stand

• Ensure that your firearm and equipment are positioned on the opposite side of the stand from your climbing route so that you do not fall on them if you lose your footing. Unload the firearm, and leave the action open. Lay it on the ground with the muzzle elevated, covered, and pointing away from the stand.
• If your firearm has a sling, tie a sturdy hauling line to the sling so that the firearm hangs with the muzzle pointed down. If your rifle doesn’t have a sling, you can make one by tying a yard-long piece of cord to the wrist of the stock and the barrel, just forward of the forestock.
• Slip the end of the haul line through your belt—leave it untied so that it can pull free if you fall. Put on your FAS, secure yourself to the tree, and climb to your stand.
• After you’re in your stand and secure, haul up the firearm and untie the line from your gun. Check for obstructions before you load.
• Use additional haul lines if you have equipment to be hauled into the stand with you. Follow the same procedures for using a haul line for your firearm.
• Never attempt to climb up to or down from a stand with your firearm, backpack, or other equipment.
• Follow the above steps for lowering the firearm and equipment from your stand.

When hauling a firearm into a stand, make sure it is unloaded. Also you can avoid getting debris in the barrel by placing a cover over the muzzle.