Hi all,

I have read that hunting Antelope by use of tripod stands or elevated box blinds can be very effective, but how low is too low?

I would like to hunt speed goats on public land with a tripod stand. The problem is that most tripods are too heavy to remove daily, as is required on most public lands.

Recently, I fould that there is a manufacturer making an aluminum 10' tripod, which weighs less than 40 lbs. Is 10 feet too low to hunt antelope effectively?

I killed both of my Montana goats out of the same willow tree by a pond.  The willows were only as big as your leg and I got up about 8-10 feet with a Windwalker hang on - it was kind of hinky when the wind blew, but I had some limbs around me.  I had does walk right under me, and talked to them a couple times...they'd look around, but not up.  Never got busted.  14 hours in a Windwalker treestand is a LOOONNNGGG time, though!

I did some sitting on a fence crossing with a 10 ft tripod I packed way back in too...that was another story.  They picked me right off.  Of course there wasnt a tree within a mile of that stand so no cover.  The guys I talked to about tripods generally backed them into some kind of low tree or bush cover around a pond.

From my (limited) experience 10 feet is plenty high for goats....if there is some other cover to help blend into.

Ryan

Here's buck #2 - not the biggest goat in the world, but I was tickled with him on a DIY type hunt.

Been alot of goats killed from a wimdmill at a tank.

Shot this buck from a windmill stand. I don't know how they didn't see me but it's like I wasn't on the planet.
Just a naked platform about 12-15 ft. up.
 

Here's a picture taken from that windmill.
 

I've also hunted creek crossing/watering spots where you could get up in a cottonwood and ambush antelope.
Seems like those spots are rare.

Whats the story with that arrow I see ?    

Thanks for the advice. Those are some great pics, Ryan and Charlie. I would be very proud of a buck like yours, Ryan. Well done!

Yes, the arrow story!

Don't know about a tripod stand but I went up a cottonwood last September and had lots of action.  Sure could tell they were not whitetails as they just never had a clue I was in the tree.
habu john

Thanks habujohn. I hope to find a sweet spot like that on public land someday. That would be a blast to have them walk so close!

The arrow is the one I shot at the dead buck in my picture. I actually had some animals walk around it and back and forth and it meant little to any of them.

I've only hunted from ground blinds and Windmills, but I saw a neat setup in the Video Bowhunting Reflections.  Steve gore was hunting out of a Trypod that had some camo material that was attached to a frame that covered his entire back side.  Camo frame turned when he swiveled around, so he was camoed from behind at all times. I thought that was a great setup, sure worked for him.  Get the video and check it out, by the way the video is very well done and worth a look on it's own.  RW

My hunting buddy from Glenrock WY and his friend built this "ladder stand". Set it up early, and we were all successful taking Antelope from it.

I wore a light weight white jacket while perched up there. Had goats walk right underneath me to water. Took some real nice pics and shot my goat 20 yds from the stand.

Thanks for the tip R.W. Cool setup, Joe! How high was your platform? It blows my mind that the goats don't look up.

Dennis...I believe it was 14 ft...I don't like heights but it was very comfortable and wide enough on top to relax. Sat on top of a 54 qt cooler...had the food and drink inside.

I shot two antelope in NW Nebraska while sitting in a stand that I could stand on my tiptoes and set my bow on the stand.  8-ish feet.  Cover?  The tree I hung my stand on had been girdled by cows rubbing on it many years before and looked like a crooked telephone pole.  the antelope actually came over the hill higher than I was.  I had put my buddy in the "good" tree and about 12 feet up.  This was the only "tree" left.  Shot distance?  12 steps.  But they had been walking past that spot all summer.  
After tagging out, I  changed stands with my buddy, and you guessed it...all the 'lopers came past my stand.
I think if the tripod was up against something else it would be better.  Windmill stands are very effective, so maybe if you put blades on your arms and twirl them around while standing on top of the tripod it would be great!