Grew up hunting that way on my dads lease in Erath county. All the men on the lease were WW2, Korea, or Vietnam vets. The absolute best education a young boy can have. All had set ups like that until the late 80s early 90s. The first box blind showed up and was ridiculed. One of the hunters stapled Budweiser girl posters all over it before one opening weekend. At the time my dad said it was a waist of good art.

We just leaned against a tree, or fence.

Growing up hunting in the late 70's and 80's we mostly hunted out of log blinds that consisted of dragging some dead cedar stumps out on a rim rock in Bandera, county to watch down in a canyon. Most of our hunting was watching trails however we had some hanging feeders that were either free choice or dump style. Mid to late 80's we started using timers that were at daylight and 8 hour later. It was the best of times. Our whole family would meet at the lease and that's how we stayed so tight. My Great Grandmother was still hunting at 101. Texas parks and wildlife did a small segment on our family.

https://youtu.be/-B9xl7SWJSM?si=V3GDD14RkbYyZtlc

Yall had tree’s?

I posted this before but it is my Dad and me in the early1970's at his deer lease. He taught me everything about hunting and hunting the right way. I remember he and the other members would go find old truck cabs that were scrap and would haul them to their lease and set them out as deer blinds - so I would sit in the front seat with a window I could roll up and down - was not a bad set up except for the mice running around inside it

This has been a great thread. Wow the memories that have come flooding back. I grew up and hunted in the mountains of western VA near the West VA line. Back in the 60's & 70's opening day of deer season was like a religious holiday. If you saw a buck, you shot it. If not it would run over the hill and someone else would shoot it. The woods were full of deer hunters. Going to the game check station at lunch or in the evening time was the best. You got to see all the great bucks that were taken as well as the turkeys. Once in a blue moon someone would check in black bear. It was usually bitter cold in the mountains during the two weeks of deer season. We'd go up on the ridge an hour before daylight, find a big tree and kick all the leaves away from around it to sit down. No one had stands of any kind or chairs to sit on. As I got older, I would do this the day before and maybe build a small blind with some tree branches. As we moved into the mid to late 70's we started putting rudimentary tree stands which was usually a few boards or small piece of wood nailed to a big branch. We evolved from there to some pretty nice tree stands. When I moved to Texas over thirty years, my how the rules of blinds and hunting surpassed anything I'd ever seen in VA.

I love the comfort of my blinds on the ranch! I also cherish the hunting of my youth. Kids now a days have no idea about the old days except through stories! Thanks for starting this thread! .

I was 12 YO & something that I remember that has always stayed with me. My dad & I were not hunting but just walking around an old farm in Hondo TX. Suddenly dad spotted an old rusted plow seat half buried in the ground. I was confused at the time because he acted like he'd just found a brick of gold! Later on we went to the family lease just North of San Antonio on the edge of what is now 1604. He found a large oak tree with one of the massive limbs growing out parallel to the ground. Here he screwed that old plow down to make the ultimate deer hunting seat ever! 3 or 4 feet further down the limb he screwed down a 2"x10" scrap board for my seat. He strung a piece of clothes line for a rifle rest & we hung cedar branches on it for cover. We hunted together on this set up when I got my 1st deer. God I love Texas....

I had a tree stand like the one OP pictured at my old place. The tree trimmer guy asked it I wanted it removed, I told him to leave it, it was a reminder of the good old days

Wish I had pictures of all the tree stand remains I've come across over the years. They'd make a great coffee-table book. I might include a few old fence gaps too!

Mule deer spike, 1967, while in the USAF in Arizona. Headed up into the mountains North of Phoenix. Shot it at about 150 yards across a couple of mountains while it was running. Had no idea that spikes were off limits(illegal) but brought it back. Got a buck every year out there. Got out in1968 and headed back to Texas.

Found out that there was very little public land around Fort Worth and started day leasing.

Then, about 40 or so years ago, I bought a133 acre, heavily wooded, no road through it, POS, good for only hunting, fishing, shooting and raising grandkids. Got a road cut through it when I could afford it. Had a 3 acre stock tank built. Bought a used 2 bedroom white trash trailer house that barely meets minimum requirements. Three grandsons have lost their virginity there; 2 of them married those girls. It’s now a family getaway place and one young friend of my grandson and his latest fiancé are heading there to cut some firewood for the 82 yoa, arthritic, old guy.

Been deer, elk, varmint and International hunting for over 60 years but will never forget that first deer.

Started off when I was 13 on day hunts south of Strawn and 2 miles south of I-20 and just sit with back to a big post oak and shot my first deer and hunted that way for 50 years on our own place, not that mad at them any more. Let grand kids bring me some back straps.

I grew up hunting mostly by picking out a tree near where 2 trails crossed, and taking a seat. My first deer hunt consisted of my sitting at the base of a tree with a .410. One coat pocket held 7.5's for squirrels, and the other pocket had slugs in case I saw a deer. I bagged 3 squirrels and missed what seemed to a 10 year old as a monster buck. Sometimes we'd sit in some sketchy stands. Most of which have now been replaced with newer welded ladder stands. I still like to get out and get on the ground. Some of my best hunts have been on the ground.

Hunted deer in the early 1970's in North Louisiana. We hunted mostly paper company land near the community of Log Cabin not far from Bastrop. Also hunted near the community of Lightwood and also Bonita. My uncle ran deer with walker hounds and beagles. We would set up in homemade stands very similar to the OP's picture or more often just sit on the ground leaning our backs against a tree. It was fast paced and fun in the thick woods. As soon as you heard the dogs coming, you shouldered your shotgun and went on alert for a fast moving buck to bust out of nearby thickets. Kids as young as 10 or 11 hunting alone with 20 gauge Wingmasters loaded with #4 buck. It was a blast and a wonderful time to be a kid in Louisiana.

Our paper company lease in Mississippi back in the late 70's couldn't have been more than $1 an acre. If I'm not mistaken, it was 50-cents an acre because deer had no cash crop value back in those days. Timber companies leased more to maintain good relationships with locals back in those days. Some might even say it was a form of fire prevention.