Tree Stands

[flathead willie]

I used to make my own stands, climbers and chain-on, and they worked real well. They are a little heavy since I made them out of steel instead of Alum., but I didn't have to carry them very far and left them up all year. Although I still use a couple ladder stands for scouting, and have a few other climbers and hang-on's, a few years ago I switched to an API Grand Slam after several of my stands got stolen (I always take it out with me when the hunt is over). The Grand Slam is great. It's as comfortable as an arm chair, easy to carry up & down these Virginia mountains, and very stable. I like climbers because they are so much easier to set up and move when sign changes. I've sat in mine for 12 hours before with no problem. What kind of stand, if any, do you use? Check all that apply!!!

[spoonfish]

I voted for hang on as thats what I use the most for bow hunting. Climbers are too hard for me to find a tree with out limbs in the right location to use. I do like a ladder stands also for areas where the hang on wont work well, but there heavy and hard to put up.
For rifle I hunt on the ground and use a ground blind.

[dougc]

I've got three API's, a Cabelas lounger, and two new Rivers Edge Bigfoot stands. For bowhunting turkeys, I've got an Outhouse and Doghouse blind.

[777]

Of the 8 on the poll i use 5 of them and the poll actually let me vote for all 5:cool2:.

[hunter]

Bow season I use an climber. and during gun season I use ladder stands.

[baitchunker]

it all depends i guess. i have a climber that i still use and have had it for a long time. (grand ol' man) i use ladder stands on some of our more traditional deer funnels, natural cover when i really want to check out something diff. and ground blinds/elevated shooting houses over food plots. i really dont have a fav..... well yeah i do. i like ladder stands, because on those real cold clear mornings after the sun comes up, it feels so good to climb down lean against the tree and.......pass out.

[hunter]

it all depends i guess. i have a climber that i still use and have had it for a long time. (grand ol' man) i use ladder stands on some of our more traditional deer funnels, natural cover when i really want to check out something diff. and ground blinds/elevated shooting houses over food plots. i really dont have a fav..... well yeah i do. i like ladder stands, because on those real cold clear mornings after the sun comes up, it feels so good to climb down lean against the tree and.......pass out.

Would this be considered an elevated shooting house. My wife calls it my secound home. I built this a few years ago for my 65 year old hunting partner with 4 acres of food plots on either side for him to hunt, I"am an stand hunter myself. He said he was getting to old to hunt.

[flathead willie]

I voted for hang on as thats what I use the most for bow hunting. Climbers are too hard for me to find a tree with out limbs in the right location to use. I do like a ladder stands also for areas where the hang on wont work well, but there heavy and hard to put up.
For rifle I hunt on the ground and use a ground blind.

I got a Gerber folding limb saw for Christmas a few years ago that I carry in my fanny pack. It is razor sharp, (I cut myself the first day I had it) and it will cut branches up to 3 inches in diameter in seconds. It's great for trimming as I go up a tree with my climber or for cutting shooting lanes. If there are branches in the way that I can't reach from the stand, I will lock it at 90 degrees, tie it to my 1/4 inch nylon hoist rope, and pull the branches closer so I can cut them.

[chambers bd]

Tree lounge
Its the best system I have come across, very nice its a all day stand.:big_smile:

[Big B]

I use a hang-on most of the time. I do also use climbers and blinds, both natural and a pop-up. It all depends on the type of terrain and size of trees that are available.

[stinkbaitman]

it all depends i guess. i have a climber that i still use and have had it for a long time. (grand ol' man) i use ladder stands on some of our more traditional deer funnels, natural cover when i really want to check out something diff. and ground blinds/elevated shooting houses over food plots. i really dont have a fav..... well yeah i do. i like ladder stands, because on those real cold clear mornings after the sun comes up, it feels so good to climb down lean against the tree and.......pass out.



? pass out? im not even gonna ask

[Ketch]

I use several different kinds. I actually always hunted in natural cover until the last few years. The most we we do is cut up a few pieces of 2" wood about 20" long and fasten a few together for a flat place to stand. Plus one or two to help you climb up.

I now hunt in an elevated platform that is about 10' up and about 4' square at the top. I have a swivel seat up there that I really like. Plus it gives the bottom half of my body wind protection since the sides are all covered.

[Grumper]

I have 3 ladders, which I use on my permanet farms, I have 5 cheap hang ons, of different sizes which I use on public land, if I am filming a hunt, and for places that I hunt which people tresspass on. Most of these stands I have less than $50 invested in, that way if it gets stolen, I'm not out that much. I had an API Baby grand with API sticks stole from me a couple of years ago, and I don't want that to happen again!:confused2: That wasn't a cheap setup! I also have a climber, and two ground blinds for different situations.:wink:

[bootshowl]

I have a Summit "Viper", one of the older heavier units. Made my own for years, an can't believe I didn't kill myself. Never ever used a safety harness.
:ooooh:

Now the question is how high? I think the critters are getting wise to us.

I've used a cable lock last couple years, but figure the poachers will have bolt cutters this year, or just chain saw the damn tree down, LOL.

[SteveSm]

I use the TimberTall climber that I believe is the Brute model. It weighs 14 pounds and it can be leveled via turning the leveling devices attached to the cables. Sweet to have leveling when you get up the tree and discover you did not have the cable set properly for the height you climbed to.

[derbycitycatman]

I have 3 ladder stands and I only use 2 of them. I also have a wooden ladder stand that I use the most, its the most comfortable. I also have a ground blind as well as numerous deadfalls that I crawl into and hide. Not to mention the trees that Ill just lean back on and wait.

[catfisherman60]

When I hunt I use a home made ladder stand.I just don't much.I'm a fisherman at hart.:cool2:

[bad apple]

i make my own ladder stands but as far as a climber goes i use a tree lounge...

[flathead willie]

I have a Summit "Viper", one of the older heavier units. Made my own for years, an can't believe I didn't kill myself. Never ever used a safety harness.
:ooooh:

Now the question is how high? I think the critters are getting wise to us.

I've used a cable lock last couple years, but figure the poachers will have bolt cutters this year, or just chain saw the damn tree down, LOL.

Yea, ya can't lock out a thief. I checked my stands on the Wed. before the Saturday opener, a few years ago, and everything was fine. My buddy and I were the only ones that hunted this farm for the last 12 years. I came back before dawn on Saturday morning and 4 of our stands were gone. They were all hang-on's with heavy chain locking them to the trees. Some peckerwood climbed up and cut the locks or chains with an ax and left marks all over the trees. The next season we lost 2 more so we quit hunting there.

[jeffw51]

i use hang ons mostly but i also use climbers.i have used all of these at one time,and i still actually prefer to use a permanent stand ,i like the idea of going to a stand already there ,all i have to do is climb into it ,no noise, no set up ,just climb in and hunt.

[baitchunker]

for the record, when i said pass out, i meant take a nap. yall might fool somebody else, but i know that if you spend as much time in the woods as i do, eventually the heavy eyeelids will set in. especially on those cold mid-mornings when the sun is sparkling on all the dew drops. you wouldnt believe how many deer i see right b4 i wake up.:roll_eyes:

[cantstopgrandma]

Well, i own an el cheapo walmart ladder stand, and an API Grand Slam climbing stand. I hunt a lot out of a homemade stand, and sometimes just sit on the ground at the edge of the field with some brush around me. I prefer the homemade stand because i have a 4x4 platform at the top with a "handrail" all the way around. I'm not a big fan of heights, so the handrail makes me feel better, and being off the ground i dont hafta worry about anyones stray rounds whizzing by me. I got the climbing stand to hunt public land, where you cant leave your stand in the woods, or if i'm worried about someone stealing my stands. The thing i dont like about the climber is that i'm sweating so bad by the time i get to the top, i feel like i'm wet and cold the rest of the day, even if i wait to put my coveralls on till i get up there.

[wolfman]

Ive always had better success on the ground in natural cover

[David Knotts]

I use all kinds of stands, but I need the seat to fit my butt.lol Know what I meen.

[riverdawg-1]

For the last 8 years I used a Tree Lounge Climber, By far the most comfortable stand I've ever used. The evening before the last day of muzzleloader last year I took my stand in to a place i'd been hunting all year. Before daylight the next morning some A$$ had stolen it. Not wanting to spend a ton of money on another stand, I bought a climber that looks like a Summit Viper from Dicks, But it was on sale for 100 bucks less.
Chip

[Katmandeux]

Ladders. My favorite is the Strongbuilt that BassPro used to sell. Very comfortable.

I'm not too old to climb a tree, but I am too old to fall out of one.

[CountryHart]

Mity fine piece of realestate ya go there Hunter. Thought i heard a bird gobble when i seen pic.:smile2:

[jlingle]

Weird, I never really considered it but I use all of the above. I don't own all of them, but my buddies have some & I have some. We all hunt each other's places. I've got tower blinds, tripods, ladders, climbers, and hang on stands myself. It really depends on the situation which ones I use. On one of my best hunting spots, I just lay down in a pasture road with my gun slid underneath the fence looking into a wheat field. I've taken a few good bucks out there, my buddy shot his biggest buck there, and I saw one of the biggest bucks of my life there one year. No stand, just a 3/4 mile hike to the back of a long skinny field.

[samh]

I use box stands and ladder stands here on the farms, when hunt'n public ground or a lease I use a pop up ground blind or a climber. Still hunt about as much as I stand sit.

[Mark J]

When I was really into hunting I preferred the lockons. Alot less noise and I saw more deer out of them. I put this to the test once on a hardwood ridge where you can literally shoot a deer a day here on the farm.
I had a very productive lockon on a blackjack oak but its positioning was robbing me of some shots. I put a climber within 10 feet of it and hunted it 6 or 7 times without seeing anything.
I really think it was noise in the woods in close proximity to a bedding area that was spooking them.

The best climber I ever had was the Cadillac climber. It was made of steel and a little on the heavy side for a climber but it was a comfortable one and alot more quiet then an aluminum climber.

Most unique stand was an old block tobacco barn where I climbed up into the tier poles, built a bench and a floor. I would raise the tin on the corner of the roof and prop a stick under it to hold it up.

Another old favorite would be the portable blind on a trailer made from a fiberglass porta potty. You could heat it with an unscented candle. The whole porta john was hinged on its stand. To become mobile the porta john flipped upside down.

Now in my older wiser age with 2 past broken elbows and a back surgery if I shoot one its out the truck window (trucks are heated) or my living room floor with the french doors open (also heated).
I got cured of the fever.

[Mike81]

I have an API Grand Slam Extreme and a Tree Lounge Bow hunter model. Also have several home made 20 ft ladder stands that i make out of 3/4 inch square tube. They all have their time and place where they work best but my favorite is the ladders because they are so quiet and fast to get into....

Good hunting
mike

[flathead willie]

I'm really surprised at how many use ladder stands. I have two of them but mostly use them for target practice. They are cheap ones that don't have a seat, just a platform. I wind up just sitting on the platform which makes it hard to shoot behind me.

[Whistler]

I have two API Grand Slams. Ones the supreme and the other is the magnum supreme. Both of mine were bought before they sold out to Bait Pro Shops. In my opinion they are the best climber on the market with the Viper probably second. If you keep that chain covered with the heat shrink wrapping that comes with it, it will always work great and stay quiet on the climb. If your's wears out, you can get it on ebay or I think BPS. I'm a big guy and I have knelt, leaned out of it, and done just about any type of shooting from it you can imagine. I can sit in either of them for hours and not be uncomfortable. I do a couple of things a bit different with mine though. I take a piece of that burlap camoflage you can buy at Wally World and cut it to fit around the whole top section. Then get the pile side of velcro sewn on it's entire length. Then take the stick backed velcro and stick it to the top section of the stand. When I'm up in the stand, it attachs and hangs down past the bottom. Thus hiding my legs and feet from view of anything on the ground. Less posibility of visible movement for the lower half of your body. It seems to make it work much, much better for me.
At least it's confidence builder if nothing else. We also have 3 or 4 of the two man ladders set up on one of my neighbor's land along the edges of his fields. they are nice with the modifications we've done to them. Like cushioned seats and backs and the same burlap camo as the climbers.

[flathead willie]

You're right Bryan! I have the API Grand Slam Supreme and it's the best stand I've ever been in. I've sat in mine for 12-13 hours at a time and didn't have any problems with it. It really bites into a tree and is really secure. I've worn out the coating on the chains, then sprayed them with a plastic coating. It worked OK for awhile but I had to spray them 8-10 coats before it did any good. I need to find some of that shrink wrap. Stands have come a long way since my first Baker Climbing Stand! Remember that tree hugging, cloths rippin', no seat havin', squeekin, stand up all day, piece of s@#*??? I'm glad someone stole mine.

[riverdawg-1]

You're right Bryan! I have the API Grand Slam Supreme and it's the best stand I've ever been in. I've sat in mine for 12-13 hours at a time and didn't have any problems with it. It really bites into a tree and is really secure. I've worn out the coating on the chains, then sprayed them with a plastic coating. It worked OK for awhile but I had to spray them 8-10 coats before it did any good. I need to find some of that shrink wrap. Stands have come a long way since my first Baker Climbing Stand! Remember that tree hugging, cloths rippin', no seat havin', squeekin, stand up all day, piece of s@#*??? I'm glad someone stole mine.
On some land I hunt down the road from me, someone left one of the old " 1 piece cloimbers" on the tree so long ago, The tree has grown all around it.
Chip

[Whistler]

I'll tell you something else that makes these stands very nice. Ever have a heck of a time getting those darned straps on the bottom to stay up so you can slide your boot into them? I have. At Bait Pro Shops, then have foot stirrups for these stands. I believe they are made by viper, but they are made specifically for the grand slam stands. I think they're 19 bucks if memory serves me. They are great for these stands. No more strap to have a problem with. LOL If you have the newer models, they will be much better. Be sure to get the one for your exact model though. The big model is different from the regular ones. My API is rated for 350 lbs. My main one anyway.

[nycathunter]

how high up does everyone go? i usually build my stands around 20 feet but ive seen some at around 10 isnt that a little to low

[Whistler]

In the climbers it all depends on the tree's, underbrush and such. This time of year if you climb to high in our area, you loose visibility because of the leaves on the trees. They haven't seriously began falling yet, unless you have a yard. LOL Still way too many to see through. My pull up ropes are 30 feet long and I've many times climbed high enough to pull my rifle off the ground. Other times it's not even close. Our ladder stands are if I'm correct, 15 feet, 18 feet and 20 feet. They are store bought and some have extensions on them. All I know is they work.

[poisonpits]

i have shooting houses ladder stands and a few ground blinds that i use.1 shooting house is 4x6 and the other is 4x8 that i use when i take one of the neighborhood kids with me.i perfer the ladder stand and i leave it up all year only thing i have to do is loosen the ratchet strap ever year so it dont get to tight and break.

[riverdawg-1]

It depends on where I'm hunting, but I probably average 20 ft up in my climber. If I can, I like to go up around 30 ft with a rifle or muzzleloader, lets me see alot farther and the deer aren't as liklely to see me.
chip

[nycathunter]

i like to be up around twenty during bow but gun it doesnt seem to matter as much i have had deer look up at me during both bow an gun

[THRowSOmeStink]

All my stands are 15 foot ladder stands. I bought that asat camo 3-d suit and yea i have been spotted a few times but only when i make stupid movements. I think that asat camo is the best in my opinion but that is just me. As long as you break up your out line i dont think it really matters how high you are up. Now for sent i can see why a person might wont to be higher but 15 ft is plenty high for me:roll_eyes:

[Madtownangler]

I dragged a bunch of logs in front of two trees in front of a deer trail. My original spot was under a dead tree. It's not fun having five foot pieces of bark fall down next to me, so I found another spot. I'm hunting public land, so the blind cannot be permanent and I like something that could slow down a stray bullet. Here are a couple pictures taken off my video, so the quality isn't too good. One is the front and the other is the back.

[craddock1]

I have a 12 point white tail in my woods. He iludes the lens at every turn. I took a dozen candy canes and a step ladder and hung the candy in a pine about 6 inches thick. plan was to be up at day break with my camera and catc him stretching for the pepermint. During the night i heard an awful camotion in the woods. At daybreak that dang pine was almost down and not a candy cane left. Aparently he has been shot at because he is awful skidish. Hope he makes it until next year i will put salt on his tail by then.

[catfishbills]

I have used an "Olman Vision" climber for several years now, and REALLY like that stand, but as I get older I would prefer a permanent stand for the simple reason, that alot of times I get hot and sweaty climbing before daylight!:sad2:

[cats4uandme]

i got me two timber strike hang on stands last year during my first season. got both for $29.00 on sale and both come with harnesses. got a few steps for it. this year i added about 20 new steps this year for .$.97 each on sale.

a buddie gave my a climber a couple months ago but yet to try it.

[DANZIG]

"I dragged a bunch of logs in front of two trees in front of a deer trail."

I had one very similar for several successful years. I miss that puppy.
I am now on a much smaller piece of land and had to go homebuilt up a tree. While it is much larger than most commercial tree stands, I find it very claustrophobic compared to my old ground blind.
It's just plain difficult to get a good stretch going, up a tree.

[plainsman]

I sometimes use unoccupied stands, permanent ones left in the woods by other hunters, but they aren't always safe, there is a ladder stand an old guy left, but the scrub has grown up too much, still a good location tho, there is an old stand been there at least 12 years, its startin to fall down, and a stool up against a tree left out there, good locations. I had a stand building competition few years ago, took 2 - 10 ft 2x4 cut them at 7 ft, scrap oak and poplar for the steps, made it about 2 ft wide, I took the 3 ft pieces left over and bolted them to the sides on the top, I made it so the sides could wobble back and forth, depending on the diameter of the tree, a piece of plywood for the seat. its easy to make, got to have a brace from the side to the seat support, and then strap it to the tree for stability. but it don't need to be nailed to a tree. problem is its heavy, but its cheap and it works. after that, got a cheap ladder stand, but its noisy, and got to haul it out, i hunt public land and can't leave it there. partner used a hang on, its lite, and he likes it, but got to screw steps in all the time. I'm considerin gettin one, if i can find a cheap, comfortable lite one. I only want to get up high enough to see over the brush, so I only go up about 10 ft.

[catfishrus]

you fellows with the home made stands be careful out there or anyone else for that matter. a guy hunting in my state fell out of home made self climber this week. he was big guy around 250 lbs but he fell 41 ft out backwards and was found at lunch time dead after the weld on his stand broke. he was around 35 years old and had rabbit hunted with my dad last year. he had hunted out of the stand the day before also. sad story to tell but i thought it might save someone else. so be careful

[sarSWAMPFOX]

This is a deer stand ( BLIND ) my brother & I built for a 60+ year young woman that hunts with us. She has climbed a 10' ladder blind for years but in the last 5 yrs she has faught off cancer as well as 2 strokes. So this year she felt like she would be able to hunt again so we built her some thing a little more comfortable. This season she has already harvested a 180 lb 7 point out of it. There wasn't a dry eye amongst any our hunting party that day.

[catfishrus]

swampfox thats a hilton hotel right there.:wink: sounds like a good spot too.

[sarSWAMPFOX]

Michael, This thing is fully insulated, 12 volt lighting, paneling interior, lexan windows, carpet, gas heat, a hospital reclyner that layes back into a bed,portable toilet, shelves on the wall to hold pictures of all the people that she has hunted with over the years and last but not least a section for more of her porcilen clown collection. LOL They made me stop when I wanted to put a 12 volt dvd player in there.