I hung a stand yesterday on a new piece of land in some thick woods and was thinking about hanging some tape or tacks for the first few trips.

Can you guys recommend which is better to use?

Thanks

I prefer tape. I think it's easier to see.

I tried the tape trail to a new stand in some really thick mesquites. First time I hit it before daylight I had a heck of a time finding the tape. Finally got into my stand and an hour or so later I caught a medium sized 8 point eating the tape off of the trees. So there is that possibility.

I've used survey tape to mark trails to/from stands for years ... I typically only leave a few inches to dangle and tie as high up as I can reach ... cows love tape (based on the above, deer might too). This works well during daylight hours.

if walking in/out during dark, reflectors would be recommended. Below are a few I found at Home Depot ... I would guess Walmart, Tractor Supply, Lowes, etc. would offer similar

3" 2 pack

driveway markers, 8 pack

Old Texas license plate cut into small squares or strips. Tack it on a tree trunk about head high. Very reflective when your light beam hits the surface.

I've used the tacks a lot in the past with great success (never seen a deer eat a tack).

Great idea!!! I had a friend build my wife a birdhouse using some old license plates for the roof panels ... man does that light up when you hit it with a flashlight

We've used ones with the clip on-that is orange with a white reflector on it. The orange you can see well in the daytime, and a flashlight or light shines it up in the dark. We clip them onto the hanging branches about head high. We have a path at this stand in the back now, so we can find it easier now. But before, we had to use the markers. We also put up 3 markers where we like to park to walk in.

I like the tacks but usually have to use multiple in order to see them. Don’t forget to put them on both sides of the tree so you can find your way out…

After a few trips you don’t need them anymore.

Yup. Sometimes I'll even make a small design (like a 3-tack triangle) with tacks to better identify certain paths.

How tacky...........

Those small reflective tacks can give you the ibby jibbies when they take on the appearance of some critter looking at you in the morning darkness.

I have used use reflective tacks and reflective twist ties for years. The tacks are dirt cheap from bass pro, and now days amazon. I have not seen the twist ties anywhere in a long time. On my lease if I put in a new trail or way to walk in somewhere during the day, I just use flagging tape and tacks if needed. I never use anything like that on public land. It is human nature that every human that finds the trail will follow it to see what is at the end. I confess on a high pressure public land spot I did once flag a trail starting from where I parked on the road going far into the opposite direction from where I would be hunting. Late that season I could see strong evidence many hunters did follow the dummy trail. Another trick I use the white reflective tacks for is every one of my stand/feeder locations on two leases have pairs of tacks on trees at varmint and deer height that are visible through the trees in random spots from the trails and roads to my stands and in the woods around my feeders. Just to mess with potential night poachers and trespassing hog doggers or coon hunters. Over the years there has been strong evidence that they have been shot at.

this! used tacks many times - really simple - push into a tree or bush and you are good to go

I have a couple of spots marked with tacks that have been there for 10+ years. Don’t really need them any longer, just haven’t taken them down. It is nice when I send someone new into those places as they are easy to locate.

I have used both in the past and both work relatively well. The tape you can see in the daylight too, but so can everyone else if you are hunting public. I also use to have an interesting light I hung on my stand or up in the tree somewhere. I had a remote that would activate a very bright red light that would flash. The remote would work from about 400-500 yards away so as I got relatively close, I could hit the remote and a red light would start flashing right at my tree. It worked awesome. I also allowed me to not put markers all the way to my tree just in case. Not sure if you can still buy the lights, but I would assume so. Good luck.

Keith

Nothing better than a good GPS. They work day or night and don’t tip off other hunters when you’re hunting public land.
I’ve seen areas marked in bright eyes that looked like an airport runway when I hiked through in the dark using my red light headlamp.

The first GPS units for consumers came out a year or two before I got out of chasing racoons with Blueticks. While they still offer tremendous peace of mind, cell phone apps have replaced them in areas with good cell coverage.

Of course, that's the risk on public land. Doesn't mean they aren't at least somewhat useful, and it's not a requirement to mark your path from the truck. I've found they're still really handy after getting away from the truck and into the woods a bit to pick up the path from there.


But they also remain extremely useful on private land too.

ETA: I keep them in an old orange RX pill bottle. Much more durable than the clear plastic cases they come in.

Phone GPS

I use the tacks but only in a few locations where the navigation is tough. I’ll put one on the tree I want to climb too. Sometimes it’s hard to locate the exact tree in the dark. I only use a red light to enter the woods.

Cool arrow, why a red light?