New to tree stands - let’s hear how you do it!

[Bowhuntone]

Stand type depends on location and type of tree, I use climbers, ladders, and lock on stands, leaning or lots of limbs may require a different approach. I prefer a lock on stand that has an adjustable platform to keep the platform level.

Other things to think about, what is the cover to conceal you when in the stand? if a deer looks up you want something to break your outline if possible, this can be a double tree , an evergreen tree that you stand is in or behind you. How far off the deer's expected travel path are you located, straight down shots are not good but also don't want to be further than you are comfortable shooting. WIND Direction is your sent going to be blowing to were the deer can smell you. Set platform with shot direction in mind I try to set so my left side is to were I expect the deer to be walking so I can draw with out rotating my body = less movement. Clear shooting lanes with least amount of trimming of branches, think cover above don't completely expose your self. think shooting windows or holes. Cut these early as possible before green growth is best.

 

[GeoFish]

Lone wolf is no more. They are now Novix. They have two nice hang on's.
When I hunted from a treestand I would use 4 rope on tree steps and then use 3 full length climbing sticks. Hang the stand, leave the stand and sticks but remove the 4 steps. This is on public land, so no one could get to my stand. It also made it easy when I returned, only needed to carry 4 steps. Go on youtube and look for videos on hand a stand and proper use of a safety harness.

 

[Panhandler80]

I personally despise lock ons. PITA to put up and often times dangerous getting into and out of. If you have to use one due to tree configuration be sure to run the climbing sticks well past the stand so that you can step down into the stand. Also use a lineman belt during ascent and descent. Anyway, I hate them! Just too many cons compared to pros. No shooting rail. Easy to footing. Yeah…. I really hate them.

I love my climber.

I also like ladders and tripods.

I do a LOT of stand hunting and those are my thoughts. To put my preferences in perspective, I have killed the following numbers from different types of stands…

Climber - 30
Box blind / Condo - 4
Tripod - 11
Lock on - 15
Ladder - 37
Truck - 1
On foot - 5

As you can see… the climber and ladder see by far the most use. Climber is comfortable and I’ve found that being able to move even just 10-50 yards seems to put less pressure on the deer. On some trees you can get as high as 35-40 feet which can be a huge advantage for scent control. Depending on how you’re set up you may or may not have a nice shooting rail.

The ladders are usually pretty cheap, safe and silent entry which I like a lot. The tallest one I’ve ever used is 21 feet to rail. Impossible to erect solo. Nice shooting rail.

I don’t care for condos. Hard to take everything in when you hearing and sight is impaired. Hundreds of times I’ve “sensed” a deers presence in open air of other stands and when I’ve looked that way there has in fact been a deer. I don’t get those senses in a box blind.

I use tripods when no tree is available. Some can be erected by yourself, some can’t. No fall restraint with tripod option.

I’ve bow and gun hunted out of all successfully.

 

[Yoder]

What are the “cheap” climbing sticks you buy?

Check out Hawke Helium climbing sticks. I have a set and they work well. Here's 4 sticks for $109. You can probably find them cheaper on sale somewhere.

Hawk Helium 20" Climbing Stick 4 Pack | Mack's Prairie Wings

Hawk Helium 20" Climbing Stick 4 Pack Silent-use Versa Button prevent noise when packing & installing Tree-digger Teeth Bite into bark for ultimate stability Superior Step Design Boot gripping steps with raised ends provide non-slip performance Weight Rating 300 lbs. Construction - Aluminum...

www.mackspw.com

 

[ahammer]

i have the hawk helium sticks and love them. As for stand i use a lone wolf hang on for hunts under 4-5 hours and a millinium for any all day hunts

 

[Mwhite4224]

I like my lone wolf assault hang on with hawk helium sticks for a hang and hunt setup. I also use ladder stands in permanent stand locations, but I usually find that first sit on a hang and hunt I get more action than continuing to use the same permanent stands, however, that sometime changes when peak rut hits and deer are really moving.

 

[ceejay]

I will add one thing. I have found that a foot rest on a stand makes a big difference in comfort. Being able to periodically change your foot position from the platform to the up on the foot rest makes sitting for long periods more tolerable for me.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

So… what whitetail deer are you hunting in California? I’m confused. Tree stands for coastal black tails is not at all the best strategy. Works okay for mule deer and hybrids.

 

[Bouldar]

May have already been said but…
The most comfortable ladder I have been in is a hawk big Denali 1.5. I have a summit climber and like it. I almost always use ladders, do not like hang on stands.

 

[Paul J]

I have some private property to hunt in California. I know, the first question is “why do I need a tree stand set up for California?!”. I would be asking the same question until a took a few early mornings to just sit and watch last season and appropriately decided being up in a tree would be the best route to hunt this area. I have had an experienced tree stand whitetail hunter agree after looking at the property.
It is dense, river bottom with deer trails running through on islands. Being up in a tree, out of the wind makes perfect sense.

I have never been in a tree stand, so I have no idea where to start other then a handful of YouTube videos. What setups do you have that make you successful? Brands, tether systems, etc.

I am a believer in “you get what you pay for” and hope to use this tactic for many years so initial expenses are expected!

Thanks!

Lone Wolf climbing stands have served me well for over 2 decades. Even though I hunt the same areas I try not to hunt specific trees unless the wind is perfect. Always good to have the option to move quickly and quietly to a new set up.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

The nice thing about treestands is that you can use the TMA standard as a starting point for safety. If its not TMA approved don't buy it.

I also agree with @OMB. I've been bow hunting since the late 90s, and now that I'm in my late 40s I'm spending far more time in my ladders. In fact, I've been actively replacing my hang ons with ladders in every location, about one per season. I always get the 15' or taller models, and if the location doesn't allow me to use all the ladder sections, I subtract accordingly. IME, the best time to buy these is late January or February at Wally World when they liquidate hunting gear. I can usually pick up a $150 ladder for less than $100 if I keep my eyes peeled.

I get the big 2 man style ladders and these are nice because I can easily hunt them with my daughters, nephew, and buddies. Also, if you get them installed in July or August, the deer gets used to them quickly and don't even pay attention to them so long as you mount them downwind from trails. In this part of IA, we get SW, W, and NW winds most of the year, and the majority of my stands locations are set at least 15 yards to the E of N/S trails I expect deer to travel. This keeps my ground scent off of trails in most cases and enables me to hunt these locations multiple times during the season. I do the same for E/W deer travel corridors, but place stands 15 yards or more to the N or S so I can hunt them in most wind scenarios.

For days with NE, E, and SE winds, I stay mobile and usually hunt from the ground using cedars, brush piles, and switchgrass for concealment.

Good luck!

 

[Maki35]

If I was hunting on my own property, I would use a (2 man) ladder stand (I like the extra room.)
A hang-on with sticks is another good option.

 

[deltadukman]

AS a beginner, I would not recommend the sectioned climbing sticks. It's a lot to learn by yourself. A solid 20-25' set of sticks and a lock on, maybe. Personally, if you've never hunted elevated, I would go the ladder stand type set up. We rifle and bow hunt out of ours. We are slowly moving to mostly double ladder stand set ups for hutting with wives and kids. Climbers and lock ons for adults where you don't want ladder stands. Ladders and especially double ladders take more than one person to set up, but also hanging sticks and lock on's takes a learning curve. If you are going to hang a lock on, do it right and use a hanging type harness with a steel core linesmans rope with an ascender. Its a game changer. We probably have 25+ lock ons and the same amount of ladders.

 

[rratzlaff1490]

UPDATE!!

I finally got around to putting the stand up. I went with a millennium m50 because I had some cabelas gift cards to burn and I wasn’t ready for the $400 price tag from Novix, or even more from LW custom gear not knowing if hunting from a tree would turn into a full time passion.

I have to say, what a pain the ass! The first problem I encountered was the girth of the tree I chose. Getting ropes, ratchet straps, etc around the tree is a small miracle. I also found out that the strap on the sticks I bought do not reach around the tree so I pivoted towards just using the screw in steps. I’ve found them much easier to use. Trying to use the climbing belt was a disaster. Someone would have paid good money to watch me hang the stand LOL

I know I’m a rookie still but I’m not loving it, yet. Maybe a big buck will change my opinion. We’ll see. I can definitely see where the light weight of the LWCG and Novix equipment would come in handy. You realize very quickly how limited you are when you’re 15 ft off the ground.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

UPDATE!!

I finally got around to putting the stand up. I went with a millennium m50 because I had some cabelas gift cards to burn and I wasn’t ready for the $400 price tag from Novix, or even more from LW custom gear not knowing if hunting from a tree would turn into a full time passion.

I have to say, what a pain the ass! The first problem I encountered was the girth of the tree I chose. Getting ropes, ratchet straps, etc around the tree is a small miracle. I also found out that the strap on the sticks I bought do not reach around the tree so I pivoted towards just using the screw in steps. I’ve found them much easier to use. Trying to use the climbing belt was a disaster. Someone would have paid good money to watch me hang the stand LOL

I know I’m a rookie still but I’m not loving it, yet. Maybe a big buck will change my opinion. We’ll see. I can definitely see where the light weight of the LWCG and Novix equipment would come in handy. You realize very quickly how limited you are when you’re 15 ft off the ground.

When I hang portables I always use a ladder. If you attach your harness to the tree first you can descend the ladder, grab the stand, ascend to the desired height/location, and then attach from the backside. Takes a little monkeying around, but that's the best way I've ever found to hang them. If you have adjacent limbs for foot and handholds so much the better. Like anything else, its a learning process, and you'll figure out how big a tree you can typically attach too. IME, 15-20" is about max diameter for factory straps. Anything much bigger than that and you'll run out of slack quickly. If you have evergreens of some kind, they make some of the best trees for portables due to the ease of climbing and natural cover. They also have lots of natural attachment points for backpacks, bow hangers, etc... Good luck and be safe.

 

[rratzlaff1490]

When I hang portables I always use a ladder. If you attach your harness to the tree first you can descend the ladder, grab the stand, ascend to the desired height/location, and then attach from the backside. Takes a little monkeying around, but that's the best way I've ever found to hang them. If you have adjacent limbs for foot and handholds so much the better. Like anything else, its a learning process, and you'll figure out how big a tree you can typically attach too. IME, 15-20" is about max diameter for factory straps. Anything much bigger than that and you'll run out of slack quickly. If you have evergreens of some kind, they make some of the best trees for portables due to the ease of climbing and natural cover. They also have lots of natural attachment points for backpacks, bow hangers, etc... Good luck and be safe.

I can totally see where you’re coming from with your idea after the fact. Luckily, my dad and I farm and the tree that I hung the stand in was accessible with a tractor so I had him hoist me with the front end loader otherwise there definitely would have been a ladder in play somewhere in this scenario.

Safety first! I have my line up with the prussix knot for ascending/descending the tree.

 

[OMB]

The nice thing about treestands is that you can use the TMA standard as a starting point for safety. If its not TMA approved don't buy it.

I also agree with @OMB. I've been bow hunting since the late 90s, and now that I'm in my late 40s I'm spending far more time in my ladders. In fact, I've been actively replacing my hang ons with ladders in every location, about one per season. I always get the 15' or taller models, and if the location doesn't allow me to use all the ladder sections, I subtract accordingly. IME, the best time to buy these is late January or February at Wally World when they liquidate hunting gear. I can usually pick up a $150 ladder for less than $100 if I keep my eyes peeled.

I get the big 2 man style ladders and these are nice because I can easily hunt them with my daughters, nephew, and buddies. Also, if you get them installed in July or August, the deer gets used to them quickly and don't even pay attention to them so long as you mount them downwind from trails. In this part of IA, we get SW, W, and NW winds most of the year, and the majority of my stands locations are set at least 15 yards to the E of N/S trails I expect deer to travel. This keeps my ground scent off of trails in most cases and enables me to hunt these locations multiple times during the season. I do the same for E/W deer travel corridors, but place stands 15 yards or more to the N or S so I can hunt them in most wind scenarios.

For days with NE, E, and SE winds, I stay mobile and usually hunt from the ground using cedars, brush piles, and switchgrass for concealment.

Good luck!

Great tip on the liquidation sales- I picked up a few ladder stands at Menard's over the winter for like $99/ea that were still $175 everywhere else.

 

[deltadukman]

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If you hang a lot of loc on's, this is well worth the money to replace those flimsy linesmen belts that are a rope & prusik knot.