High seat maintenance

High seats are an integral part of any stalking ground where there are no natural high points or features from which to spy or shoot deer.  They allow for safer shooting and, being above deer, you are less likely to be scented or seen by deer.

As harvest gets underway and the deer have nowhere to hide, high seats can be even more useful in keeping you above eye level.

Your ground may have a variety of seats installed on it. These range from free-standers (which do not need any support) or lean-to seats, which use tree trunks as the support, portable or permanent, open seats or towers with a roof to protect you from the elements. 

High seats may be homemade or commercially made, they may be wooden, metal or a combination of materials. 

Whatever type or material, all high seats require maintenance to ensure they are safe to use.  It is good practice to undertake a formal check on each of your seats once a year and preferably once a month, as well as checking one every time you go to climb into it. 

It’s also important to keep a record of all maintenance checks; numbering each one of your seats helps with this recording.