in a few weekends I'm hunting deer for youth weekend is 25 feet too high for a box stand and do I need to worry about scope glare?

also what does the op symbol mean next to the emoji by my username

Op is the Original Poster, meaning you are the one who started this thread. That way if you post later other people will know if it's the OP or someone else talking, I believe it's designed to help keep the threads on topic

As far as too high I guess it depends on terrain, it would be too high in my neck of the woods. 12 to 18 about max to get over under brush but not into the branches of mature trees, for line of sight without too much trimming.

Original poster. And no to both of your questions. Eric

thanks trapsetter and abeardedtrapper

it only matters that the stand is safe you definitely don't need to get that high it will depend on your terrain , just over the brush so you can see a little farther is fine unless you have practiced long shots over 200yards and have pre ranged points and that you can make that distance , don't
tall stands make you think things are closer than they are
I wouldn't shoot game at any distance I hadn't tried first at the range and knew I could hit effectively.

does your stand look east or west is it a cloudy day ?
can deer get spooked by a glare , it is possible , they get glare from cars all the time , but movement where they are not used to it is more likely the issue.
if your in a box blind and your optic is in the shade it is unlikely
if you have overhangs on your windows it is unlikely
if you have mesh on your windows it is unlikely

an optic shade is a lot more about you not getting blinded by the sun while taking aim. yes I know hollywood likes to make a deal of it in movies , glare gave a hide away.

but if the sun will be at your side or back or you are in the shade it is a non issue.

I have personally never run one hunting I can only think of one time I was basically looking into the sun behind the deer and it wouldn't have helped the sun not be glaring in my eyes

I run scope caps that flip up , to keep the rain and such off my glass till I am ready to use it.
I have used a ground blind a few times
for stands mostly a hang on tree stand or a ladder stand while wearing blaze orange.
A lot more from the ground
I typically see them coming in and try and move as they are behind brush or tree setting up on the next opening they are headed for so I am not moving hardly at all before breaking the shot , tiny movement

I am not watching a deer move around for several minutes under my perfect box blind waiting for some perfectly filmed shot
with a rifle the deer is there and there are 50 different shots you can make work the first safe one you can make work well bang

because I am always going to be gun hunting in >50% blaze orange I look for places to sit in the shade of a hemlock or cedar , I especially like a clump of cedars that makes good shade and grows down low like at or just below head height and work the shadows

my uncle would literally park the truck set his lawn chair in-front of the truck and set in it and see all kinds of deer , he also didn't move once he sat down.

some of the best practice you can get for deer hunting is go sit still till the squirrels are coming in close.
how close , sub 20 feet

I'm just speaking from personal beliefs, but I rarely get above 20', expecially with any youth. I prefer the 12'-18' height simply because I can stay under some of the canopy and primarily for flatter angles with both bow and rifle shot. I hunt very flat terrain, so maybe getting +20' is a big deal if you're hunting draws and such relative to thermals, but I just don't see the need. Especially with the additional safety concerns. I'm sure that others may feel different.

i dont know what direction the stand is and i have practiced the distance i will be shooting into the field. its about 100 yards give or take 5 yards ill be hunting with a slug gun so thats the farthest i will go.

Now that’s a TALL tower stand! But no, that high up nothing is gonna pay attention to you, provided it’s been in place a while. Think my sons is 18ft.
With a climber I try and get 25-30ft just because I’m generally in the open.
My lock-on stands are all in “clumps” of trees so 15ft or so.
With that said, in every stand I’ve had deer walk within 2-3ft of the trees and we even had one bed under the tower stand during a cold rainy hunt. We saw it walk straight to us and under then never saw it exit the other side. An hour later when we decided to get down it bolted as we started our climb down.

I assume then you are hunting with someone else and it is their stand.

roll with what they are telling you unless you feel it is unsafe or have some other reason to want to change then change it for another time or ask them could it be done this other way as a question and not telling them.

but thank them for letting you use their stand and for them taking you if that is what is happening.

most people who put you in their stand are doing their very best to set you up for success. stay alert , pay attention.

IMO height is irrelevant. To many variables to say always or never.

I've hunted hills and hollers where thirty foot up puts you at eye level with the ridge top and flatlands where ten gets you clear sight to the horizon.

Started hunting sitting on a stump and then they said deer never look up so up we went and now the deer go about scanning the treetops while I'm walking them up on the ground.

We never had tree stands, sat in front of a tree, or rock wall, killed deer. Then we tried treestands, mostly 8-10 feet high, worked great, killed deer, fast forward, got old, climbing got hard and dangerous, so collected free cast off "plastic" chairs and put them in the right places on the ground for various winds... Guess what?, still killed deer, lol. It ain't brain surgery.

So is 25 feet too high?, for me it is, YMMV...

Not Too High if you can See under or through the Brush.

I prefer 16 to 18' safety first

*****
Remember
330-Trapper is not a safe Tree stand builder or advisor

Ah- hahahaha

25 is plenty imo. My stand is at 18 I think and its good. I'd say 22 or so would be just as good and feel safer.

I don't think we have any box stands over 9 Maybe 10 feet off the ground. Just never really thought they needed to be higher than that for gun hunting out of.

This.

Too high would depend on the dimensions of the base and if it is anchored to the ground.

I always go for 20 feet. I do this because its high enough that the deer has to really crane his neck for his eyes to see me. Their pupils are significantly wider than the they are tall. This gives them an advantage with sideways peripheral vision, but very much limits the upward peripheral vision.
The other reason that I always choose 20 feet is for consistency. The whole world looks different if your at 15', 20' and 25'. Depth perception changes and can lead to bad shot placement.