How To Conceal Treestands

I remember—when I was a boy—trying to hide from my momma that I’d skipped school to go to the deer woods. That didn’t go over so well for me.

But hiding my treestands from wily whitetails and other hunters did.

And I still use the practice to this day.

Deer have extraordinary vision. But they don’t see like we do. For one, they see in shades of blue and yellow. They are much better at picking up on movement than we are. And they are a heck of a lot better at picking up on patterns. Treestands—especially bulky ladder stands—stick out on their radar like a pimple on a prom date.

You’ll see in the video how I turn a standard ladder stand into a blind on stilts. It conceals the treestand from deer. It hides the treestand from other hunters. And it gives you a lot more cover while in the stand. I’ve literally stood up in treestands and danced around with deer twenty yards away. They never saw me. Concealing stands in this manner is the real deal.

Something you won’t see in the video that will make an even bigger difference is using coniferous trees. Cedar and pine branches make better cover than other trees. For one, they hold onto their “leaves” longer than a dead oak or beech. They also hold their color longer. Coniferous trees offer more cover and they offer it longer. I didn’t have any nearby when concealing this stand. So I used what I had access to.

You’ll have to keep adding cover as the season progresses. Broad leaf tree branches will give you about a week of good cover. Coniferous branches will give you two to three weeks.

Give this tip a try. I guarantee you’ll be more confident in your stand location once you do.