Where to tap on this tree?

[MaxJ]

I'm going to expand a little bit this year. I have a small field that's ringed in maples, the large ones have no branches for 8-10ft off the ground, but most of the trees under 2ft really are full of branches almost all the way to the ground. Question is where to tap, above the first branches or right close to the ground? These trees are right in a game trail,so the coyotes are marking everyday, so having a bucket on the ground isn't my first choice.
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[psparr]

You can really tap anywhere. Most tap at a comfortable level. The lower the tap the higher the "head pressure" but it's not that significant.

[maple flats]

I'd tap at waist high if buckets and chest high if tubing.

[Russell Lampron]

Find a spot in the branches where you can fit your bucket in and still get it in and out when collecting. As soon as possible after the season ends cut those lower branches off to make the trees easier to tap in the future. The trees will have the growing season to heal and it won't kill them. You may want to give them a year off after pruning.

[MaxJ]

Find a spot in the branches where you can fit your bucket in and still get it in and out when collecting. As soon as possible after the season ends cut those lower branches off to make the trees easier to tap in the future. The trees will have the growing season to heal and it won't kill them. You may want to give them a year off after pruning.

I was kind of wondering about the trimming the branches off to clean them up a bit as the tractors hit them anyways as they're really spreading out into the edge of the field.

[Swampmapleman]

Don't trim till summer if that's the case.

[MaxJ]

Don't trim till summer if that's the case.

Thanks for the tip.