Frequently Asked Questions - What is a good height for a treestand when bear hunting?

A question I have heard regularly in the past is:

What is a good height for a treestand when bear hunting?

And here is your honest answer:

The higher the better, and the more fortified the better.

This comes down to the issue that bears (black bears, brown bears, kodiaks, etc.) are all surprisingly adept at climbing.

Thus why would you ever take chances with an animal that has the potential to kill you?! You are supposed to be hunting it, not it hunting you.

Thus your challenge when hunting bears is to choose a location in a tree that is both high enough to afford security, easy to defend, and yet close enough to the ground so you can get a good angle at your prey. 30 feet (10 yards) or higher would actually be too high in my opinion and unnecessary. Thus 8 to 10 yards seems ideal.

24 feet (8 yards) up is a good start in my opinion. When hunting deer you might only be 15 feet off the ground, as deer rarely look up. But for bears you want that extra distance to make it harder for the bear to notice you, harder for the bear to climb up to you, and easier for you to defend your treestand should it come it come to you stabbing the bear with a knife.

For reference, the brand of hunting knives I use the most is BUCK. I find they stay sharper longer, require less regular sharpening, and keep a good strong edge. I have tried several other brands, but have discovered they tend to dull easily and require constant sharpening.

Hatchets are also handy. I even know a guy who keeps a homemade spear in his treestand when hunting bears should they ever get close enough that he has to stab it with a spear. Note - hunting bears with a spear is not legal in Ontario, to my knowledge, but hey, you use what you have handy when a bear is trying to kill you and eat you.

The painting below is awesome. That poor dog just goes flying! That hunter had better brace that spear against a rock in a hurry or else he is going to get buried under that huge grizzly bear.