Best Entry and Exit Routes to Tree Stands

Pick Routes That Keep Your Scent Out of the Bedroom.

The best entry and exit routes to tree stands are the ones that keep your wind and noise out of where deer bed, and keep your silhouette off open edges.

If I cannot get to a stand without crossing the “bedroom” or blowing my scent into it, I do not hunt that stand that day.

I have hunted whitetails for 23 years, since my dad took me in southern Missouri when I was 12.

I grew up broke, so I learned public land access before I could ever afford a lease, and I still split my time between a 65-acre lease in Pike County, Illinois and public land in the Missouri Ozarks.

Here is what I do on most sits.

I plan my route first, then pick the stand, not the other way around.

Decide If You Are Hunting Beds, Food, Or Travel, Because Routes Change Everything.

Your access can be “fine” for a food plot stand and totally ruin a bedding area sit.

I learned the hard way that I used to treat every stand like a field edge stand, and I educated a lot of deer doing it.

If I am hunting close to bedding, I accept shorter sits, tighter wind rules, and slower walking.

If I am hunting food, I accept longer sits, and I care more about being unseen at last light than being silent at noon.

In Pike County, Illinois, a single bump can shift a mature buck’s daylight pattern for a week.

In the Missouri Ozarks on public land, bumping deer happens, so I focus on not bumping the same deer the same way twice.

When I am trying to time deer movement, I check feeding times first.

That tells me when my exit needs to be squeaky clean, because that is when deer are on their feet.

Make The Wind Decision First, Or Your “Good Route” Is A Bad Route.

I do not care how easy the trail is if the wind is wrong.

I care where my scent goes from the truck, to the base of the tree, to the first 80 yards after I climb down.

This connects to what I wrote about how deer move in the wind.

Deer do not just move “less” in wind.

They also use wind to check openings and they will bust you at 60 yards if your access funnels scent through a low spot.

Here is what I do with wind.

I carry a $3 squeeze bottle of unscented powder and I puff it at the truck, at the last bend before the stand, and once at the base of the tree.

I wasted money on a $400 ozone scent control unit years ago, and it made zero difference for me in real woods.

Now I spend that effort on wind and access, and I kill more deer.

My buddy swears by Ozonics and says it saved him twice in Southern Iowa in November.

I have found that if your entry is wrong, ozone just lets you ruin a spot with more confidence.

Choose A Quiet Route Over A Short Route, Even If It Adds 240 Yards.

Most guys blow it in the last 100 yards.

They get impatient, step on frozen leaves, and let a headlamp sweep like a lighthouse.

Back in November 2019 in Pike County, Illinois, the morning I killed my biggest buck, a 156-inch typical, I walked an extra 310 yards through a shallow ditch just to stay out of sight of one knob.

It took me 14 more minutes, and I was sweating at 42 degrees, but I never skylined myself.

That buck came from that knob at 8.35 a.m. after a cold front.

If I had walked the easy ridge top, he would have watched me climb.

Here is what I do for quiet.

I walk like I am still-hunting, even on the way in, and I pause every 20 steps to listen.

I keep my bow hooked to my pack so my hands are free to catch myself if I slip.

I also trim only what I have to, because a “clean” trail can look like a highway to deer on pressured ground.

Avoid The Classic Mistake Of Crossing The Trail You Expect Deer To Use.

If you cross the main trail going in, you leave ground scent right where you want a buck to commit.

I learned the hard way that “it’s dark, it won’t matter” is a lie deer prove every fall.

In 2007 I gut shot a doe and pushed her too early and never found her.

I still think about it, and it made me way more serious about small mistakes stacking up.

Access is the same kind of mistake.

One bad crossing can turn a 25-yard broadside into a 70-yard stare-down you lose.

Here is what I do instead.

I plan my entry so I come in parallel to expected travel, then hook in behind the stand.

If I must cross a trail, I do it at a “dead spot” like bare dirt, rock, or creek water, and I cross fast.

This connects to what I wrote about how smart deer are.

They might not know your name, but they know that fresh human ground scent on their trail is bad news.

Use Water, Ditches, And Hard Edges, But Accept The Tradeoff.

Creek bottoms and ditches can be the best access you have.

They also swirl wind like crazy, especially on calm mornings.

If you are hunting a calm, high-pressure bluebird day, forget about “sneaking the creek” and focus on ridge access where wind is steadier.

If you are hunting 12 to 18 mph wind with steady direction, I love ditch access because your sound gets eaten up.

In the Missouri Ozarks, I use old logging roads to move fast, then I drop off the side into cover for the last 120 yards.

That last part is where most people get lazy and start walking upright.

Stay low and use the terrain.

In Buffalo County, Wisconsin hill country, I learned you can be “hidden” and still be seen if you walk the military crest where deer watch below you.

I stay just off the top, in the shadow line, and I move slow.

This ties into what I wrote about deer habitat.

Deer use terrain to survive, so you should use terrain to hunt them.

My Quick Rule of Thumb

If my entry wind blows into suspected bedding within 200 yards, I back out and hunt a different stand.

If you see fresh tracks cutting your access trail both directions, expect deer to use that route at last light and plan a different exit.

If conditions change to a swirling wind or dead calm, switch to a stand with a shorter, more direct access and hunt farther from beds.

Decide Where Your “No-Access Zone” Is, And Be Ruthless About It.

I draw a mental red circle around bedding cover.

If I step into it on the way in, I assume that spot is burned for that evening.

On my Pike County lease, my no-access zone is usually 150 to 250 yards around the thickest points and the leeward sides of ridges.

On Mark Twain National Forest, my best public land spot took work, and part of that work was finding a way in that never touches the bench the deer bed on.

Here is what I do to set the boundary.

I scout in February and March and I physically walk the edges of the thick cover, then I mark the quiet lanes that let me skirt it.

I do not use the same entry every time, because deer pattern people faster than people want to admit.

If you are new to this, start with my breakdown of deer species.

Different regions and pressure levels change how tight whitetails hold to cover, and that changes how strict you must be with access.

Plan Your Exit Before You Hunt, Or You Will Blow The Whole Area At Dark.

Most hunters plan entry and “figure out” exit later.

That is how you end up shining a light across a food source with deer already out there.

Here is what I do on evening sits.

I pick an exit route that lets me leave even if deer are in the field, even if that means I wait 45 minutes after shooting light.

I also stash a small pair of rubber boots at a creek crossing sometimes, because wet feet are better than bumping deer.

I have two kids now that I take hunting, so I know the exit gets loud fast when someone is cold and tired.

With them, I keep sits closer and I pick exits that are simple and safe, even if it costs me a few “perfect” setups.

This connects to what I wrote about where deer go when it rains.

Rain changes where deer stage, and it also changes what exits are quiet, because wet leaves are your best friend.

Pick The Right Level Of Light, Because Headlamps Spook Deer More Than Footsteps.

I use less light than I used to.

I learned the hard way that a bright headlamp bouncing around looks like a predator sweeping the woods.

Here is what I do now.

I use a Petzl TACTIKKA on red mode at the lowest setting, and I only click to white light to clip in my lineman’s belt.

It cost me about $35, and it has taken rain and cold better than two cheap gas station lights I broke in one season.

I keep the beam pointed at my feet, not out into the woods.

If I need to see reflective tacks, I keep them low, not at eye level, so I am not advertising my route.

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Make A Call On Boots, Because Rubber Has A Scent Tradeoff.

Rubber boots help with ground scent, but they can make your feet sweat, and sweaty feet stink too.

In the Missouri Ozarks early season, if it is 68 degrees at daylight, rubber can be a mistake.

Here is what I do.

Early season I wear uninsulated leather hikers and I keep my route off the main deer trails.

Late October through gun season, I often wear Lacrosse Alphaburly Pro 1600g rubber boots.

They are warm, but they squeak a little when they get stiff below 25 degrees.

If I know I have to cross frosty grass, I would rather have warm feet and slow steps than numb feet and rushing.

Use Climbing Sticks And Stand Placement To Make Access Easier, Not Harder.

If your stand forces you to walk past the best shooting lane to get to the tree, your setup is backwards.

I like stands that let me approach from behind the tree, climb hidden, and face the expected deer movement.

My best cheap investment was a set of $35 climbing sticks I have used for 11 seasons.

They are loud if you bang them, so I tape every contact point with hockey tape in September.

Here is what I do with stand height.

If my access is marginal, I go higher, like 22 feet, to buy a little scent forgiveness.

If my access is perfect but I am hunting thick cover, I go lower, like 14 to 16 feet, so I can shoot through lanes.

This ties into shot placement too, and I wrote a full breakdown on where to shoot a deer.

Your access gets you the shot, but the shot still has to be right.

Decide If You Need A “Burn Route” For Pressure Days.

On public land, sometimes every good route is compromised by other hunters.

That is when you need a burn route.

A burn route is an access you only use once or twice a season, because it walks through okay deer area, but it gets you to a killer setup for a short window.

Here is what I do in the Missouri Ozarks on opening weekend of rifle.

I park farther away, like 0.6 miles, and I come in from an ugly side nobody likes, like a steep face with blowdowns.

It sucks, but it filters out people, and deer often slide into those rough spots after pressure hits the easy ridges.

Don’t Let Your Access Turn Into Tracking Problems Later.

If you stink up the area, deer can run farther, and your blood trail job gets harder.

I have lost deer I should have found, and I have found deer I thought were gone, and access is part of that story.

If you need help after the shot, this connects to what I wrote about how to field dress a deer.

The cleaner the kill and recovery, the better your meat, and the less chaos you bring back into your hunting area.

FAQ

How far away should my entry route stay from a bedding area?

I try to stay 150 yards away minimum, and 250 yards if I am hunting a mature buck on a small property like my Pike County lease.

On public land, I will push closer only with perfect wind and a quiet, hidden route.

Should I use the same entry route every time if it is working?

I do not, because deer learn patterns fast, especially does, and does teach bucks what is “normal.”

I rotate between two routes if I can, and I save the best one for the best conditions.

What is the biggest mistake people make on the walk out after dark?

They walk straight through where they expect deer to feed, then act surprised when deer blow out.

I wait longer, circle wider, and I keep my light low.

Is a creek crossing worth it for scent control?

Yes, if the wind is steady and you can cross without crashing around on rocks.

No, if it is dead calm and that creek bottom swirls, because your scent will pool and drift like smoke.

Do I need to worry about ground scent if I am bowhunting from a tree stand?

Yes, because deer still cross your track, and the ones that live longer use their nose like a weapon.

If you want a reminder of how fast deer can cover ground after they wind you, check how fast deer can run.

How do I set up an entry route for kids or new hunters?

I keep it simple, short, and safe, and I accept that the “perfect” bedding setup is not worth a meltdown at 6.10 a.m.

I also plan a quiet snack break spot 80 yards from the stand so we are not opening wrappers at the base of the tree.