How to Pick the Best Tree Stand Locations for Whitetail

Hanging a tree stand in the right spot is the single most important decision you make all season. Put it in the wrong tree and you will watch deer from 80 yards away all fall. Put it in the right tree and you are in the game every single sit. Here is how to read terrain, plan for wind, and identify the high-value locations that consistently produce for Nebraska whitetail hunters.

Terrain Features That Funnel Deer

Whitetails take the path of least resistance through the landscape, and terrain features that concentrate movement into predictable corridors are where your stand belongs.

Saddles are low points along a ridge where deer cross from one side to the other. Instead of climbing over the highest point, deer naturally gravitate to the saddle. A stand on the downwind side of a saddle, 15 to 20 yards off the crossing, is a classic rut setup.

Inside corners form where two edges of cover meet — a tree line along a crop field that turns 90 degrees, or where a CRP strip intersects a timbered draw. Deer use inside corners as staging areas before entering open ground, and bucks routinely scent-check these spots downwind during the rut.

Creek crossings are natural pinch points. Deer cross creeks at specific shallow points, and trails converge at these crossings. In Nebraska, timbered creek bottoms are highways for whitetail movement. Find the crossing, and you have found a stand site.

Field edges and staging areas are where deer pause before stepping into the open to feed. The actual field edge is too exposed for a stand — set up 50 to 100 yards back in the timber along the entry trail, where deer are still moving through cover and comfortable during shooting light.

Nebraska-Specific Setups

Nebraska's landscape creates some stand locations that you will not find in other whitetail states.

Cottonwood bottoms along the Platte, Elkhorn, and Niobrara rivers are classic Nebraska deer habitat. Massive cottonwood trees provide excellent stand placement with wide canopy coverage to break up your silhouette. Focus on trails that parallel the river where bucks cruise during the rut, and field entry points where deer leave the timber to feed on adjacent crop ground.

Cedar ridges in central and western Nebraska concentrate deer movement along their edges. Whitetails bed in thick cedar cover and travel along the ridge edges where cedars transition to grassland. The evergreen canopy provides cover for your stand year-round, and the topography creates natural funnels where ridges narrow or finger out into open country.

Shelter belts — those rows of trees planted as windbreaks across Nebraska farmland — are linear travel corridors that connect isolated patches of cover. Deer use shelter belts like hallways, moving from one block of timber to another. A stand midway along a shelter belt that connects two larger cover areas can intercept bucks traveling between bedding and feeding zones.

Wind Direction Planning

A perfect tree location with the wrong wind is a waste of a hunt. You need multiple stand options to cover different wind directions. Most experienced hunters have at least three or four stand sites on a property, each designated for a specific wind.

In Nebraska, prevailing winds come from the northwest in fall and winter, with south winds common ahead of weather fronts. Set your primary stands to hunt on northwest wind and have backup locations for south and east winds.

Never hunt a stand when the wind is blowing your scent toward the direction deer will approach from. This sounds obvious, but it is the most commonly violated rule in deer hunting. One sit with a bad wind can educate a mature buck and push him nocturnal on that trail for weeks.

Access Routes

How you get to your stand matters as much as where you hang it. Your access route should avoid bedding areas, food sources, and the trails deer use to travel between them. Walk ditches, creek beds, field edges on the opposite side of the food source, and tractor paths that deer are accustomed to.

Morning stands require extra care because deer may still be in the area feeding. Get in early — at least 45 minutes before first light — and take a route that swings wide of any food source.

Afternoon stands are easier to access because deer are typically bedded away from the food source. Approach from the field side, not the timber side, and get settled at least two hours before expected deer movement.

The best tree stand location is the one where terrain funnels deer past you, the wind carries your scent away from the trail, and you can get in and out without alerting a single deer. Find that combination, and the rest takes care of itself.