Tree Stand?

[Kingmarine]

My dad and I have always been base of tree still hunters. I am wanting to go to the next level and try a tree stand. I am primarily a black powder and rifle hunter. I am wondering if anyone would share input as to:

1. What type you use (trying to stay inexpensive as possible but comfy here)
2. How early do you go to put it out ahead of when you are hunting.
3. Anything else you may think I need to know.

As always any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[AllOut]

depends on what u consider expensive?
basspro has a remington 300mag hang on that has back and arm rest for about $100, its kind of heavy but comfy but its doesnt have a shooting rail. They also have a decent ladder stand with back and arm rest and a shooting rail for about $150
i would say the sooner the better oon getting it up, if u get it u now it should be fine for muzzleloader.... either that or hang it right before u get in it to hunt

 

[dennishoddy]

I would recomend a ladder stand with a rail around it that can be raised or lowered.
Raise the rail for bow season, and keep it down for gun.
I'll have to admit that the rail versions with a pad on the rail make a nice place to take a power nap

I had the pic and for what ever reason deleted it, but I had a trail cam pic of a nice 8 point eating from the feeder and me in the stand with my head down taking a nap.
It wasn't a shooter, but when one need to spend a lot of time in the stand during rut, this is the way to go.

 

[stroker-c10]

Are you hunting on public land, hunting lease, or personally owned land........If you personally own it, I would strongly recommend going ahead and building a box blind IMO.

 

[Kingmarine]

To answer a few questions:

As far as price, not that concerned want to be comfortable but stay in the good graces of my wife.
This is family owned land.

I am going to see what all may be available and consider my options. A hunting buddy had a tripod he wants me to try this season so I may give that a go.

Thx to all who responded so far.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Several things:

First, point of order: Most people refer to "still hunting" to mean the opposite of what it says - not actually being still (ambush/sitting), but rather synonymous with "stalking" - slowly sneaking around at a snail's pace.

Second, most guys who use treestands in archery season, STILL do what you do - sit on the ground, or in a chair, or in a ground blind, or still hunt/stalk through the woods, DURING ML and rifle season. So you should realize that tree stands are *mostly*, more or less an archery-focused device - theory and practice being that you need to get the game in closer to hit, and to keep them from spotting you under 50 yards, you gotta be up out of the line of sight, preferably. These are not absolutes; just rules of thumb. So you may not really want or need a tree stand for gun hunting, unless the woods are so thick where you hunt that as a practical matter, you have to get them as close as you would during archery hunting anyway, and they're educated enough to pick you out if you're on the ground. Or if you decide to start archery hunting - they're more of a help in that event. Having said that, both of the deer I have harvested with a bow came about by me simply shooting while sitting on a chair on the ground. I've never even harvested a deer (EDIT: add "With a bow" here - oops) using a stand, though I've spent a lot of hours in them with a bow, lol.

Next, since you're new to stands, you need to be generally aware that they're a PITA for the most part (except large platform ladder or tripod/ladder stands aren't that bad), and there are numerous important safety issues to become thoroughly familiar with, one of which is harness use. Strap-ons and climbers are a particular PITA, and represent a higher level of danger - strap-ons because of the climb up and transition to and from the stand onto or off of your sticks or steps. Climbers because they make a ton of noise, and if the cable pin works out, it's sayonora tree, hello ground (without a harness). But there are other safety issues, like replacing seats & straps regularly (every year or every 2 years), and spray painting rust that crops up on the stand, etc. But kinda like obeying rule 1 of the 4 basic gun safety rules will keep anyone from getting killed, even if you break all 3 of the other rules - similarly, USING YOUR HARNESS ALWAYS (rule 1 of stands) keeps you from getting jacked up 99% of the time, even if you don't follow the other safety rules.

Next, it pays to pay for quality/robustness in a stand - they last longer when as the rust and elements set in. Also, if it's a Chinese fly by night company, and a weld breaks, causing you to be paralyzed, who the heck are you going to hold accountable (sue) for a defective product? If it's a large, established American company, they will make a quality product less likely to kill you, since they don't want to get their pants sued off! It's also easier to get replacement parts (which you WILL need) from an established company (preferably American).

Also, comfort, comfort, comfort! That's probably the key concern, is that the seat is comfortable, particularly with climbers and strap-ons. If the seat is cutting off the circulation in your legs, you're gonna climb down after an hour and curse the thing. Think large, thick, wide, thick padding.

You need to decide what type you want. Remember, climbing stands can only be used on long straight trees like pines and cottonwoods, so they're not nearly as useful in a strictly oak-hickory type hardwood forest, unless you're happy with being just 5-8 feet off the ground (which frankly, is a pretty good way to do things with a climber, actually, because you can get up and down quickly, not be so high that you even need to use a harness, you can still see quite a ways, and you do get some benefit of game not seeing you ON the ground, which they instinctively associate with danger).

My recommendation is a good "2-man" or "buddy" ladder stand that you lean against a tree, or a tripod/ladder stand that you can stick anywhere you like - on that has a large platform. These are comfortable and give you room to spread out. You've got to set aside a half day with good weather, along with one or two buddies to haul it into the woods with your tools, assemble it, and hoist it into position. If it's a heavy/large one, you're gonna need two buddies OR a pulley system to put it into place. If it's a smaller one, one able-bodied buddy plus yourself will probably do it.

Put it up at least one or two weeks before you hunt, at a minimum, to let the deer get used to it.

Also, as someone said, if you're going to bowhunt from it, and it has a rail of some sort, it MUST be a rail of the type that you can raise up and put out of the way for you to shoot your bow, unless the platform is so deep that you can shoot with your bow between yourself and the rail (not recommended).

 

[Old Fart]

http://www.okshooters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100351

Check it out.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Old Fart, though that's a good start, I like this one better:

http://sandys-thoughts.blogspot.com/2008/11/hunting-texas-style.html

(scroll down a bit to the last few pics)

 

[Oklahomabassin]

I have a ladder stand that I leave up year round. I take the cushion and camo blind kit off after season. I check over/replace the straps, put the cushion and the blind kit back on in late September. It is a Big Game Luxury ladder stand. It has a fold up rail. It is large enough, it is comfortable and you can fold the seat up and stand up against the tree. I bow hunt out of it most.

I have a Summit Viper Classic climbing tree stand. This will be the 4th year for it. I have found many tall straight Oak trees that require minor pruning to use the stand it. I pack it like a back pack and don't have to worry about it getting stolen. I find it very comfortable as I can slide the seat forward to kinda recline during times I think the deer won't be moving. I can slide it back to sit up and remain alert. I bow hunt out of it most.

I have a double bull that I really like the design of the blind, but the carry bag only has duffle bag type handles. Many of the newer ones have shoulder straps. It is durable, quiet material and has the ability to twist the hubs to tighten the fabric so it doesn't flap in the wind. I will probably get more use out of it this year.

 

[r00s7a]

Good choice in stands Oklahomabassin. I have the same setup except for the doublebull. It was just a little too much for me and a little too big. I love the Big Game stands, they are top notch. I have the Luxury ladderstand and it is quite comfy. I've got a couple of the smaller sized ones and they are just as good. I liked them so much I got a couple of Big Game Triumph tripod stands last year, but I only sat in them one time. The seat made a little noise, but I think I just need to do some adjusting on that bunji underneath. As I said before, not as crazy about my climber, but it sure works if I find someplace that I just want to throw one up real quick. My buddy has one just like mine and had an unfortunate accident in it a couple of years ago. Pin somehow worked itself out of the chain on the top section, as he was climbing down it gave way and his downward velocity accelerated much more than anticipated. But since his feet were still strapped in the bottom half that was still attached to the tree, he was hanging upside down, while his feet were still pointed towards the ground... if you can picture that. Bout broke both his ankles, but he managed to get his knife out and cut himself down. Being that there was no permanent injury, I got a good laugh out of it. He didn't seem to think it was so funny, but does now.