Bow Hunters: Stand of Choice?

[UTGrad]

Ok guys thinking about 2014 already (where's the countdown thread lol)

I've been a climbing stand guy since I started bow hunting but I'm starting to see some of its disadvantages. I hunt on a lease where packing a stand in and out each hunt is not necessary. I'm thinking of adding a hang on stand or ladder into my inventory. Although the climber certainly has its place and my Summit is very comfortable, it's not the best option in many scenarios.

What do y'all prefer for a stand? Ladder? Hang on? Climber?

 

[TNDeerGuy]

Unfortunately, I only hunt public land so it's a climber for me�a Summit Viper to be exact.

 

[UTGrad]

Unfortunately, I only hunt public land so it's a climber for me�a Summit Viper to be exact.

I hunt public as well on occasion and love the Summit Viper in those situations. I got the footrest on the platform and makes it even better.

 

[Crow Terminator]

Hangon stands always scare me really bad. I am just afraid of that step out onto one from the climbing sticks. It comes from when we were setting one up and I was getting ready to step off onto it. Dad hollered and said to wait...he threw a rope up on the stand from the ground and sort of lassoed it...then put his weight on the rope to see if the stand would hold him and the thing just trap doored like a hangman's platform. I was done with a hangon right then and there. If I'm not in a climber I'm in a ladder or on the ground.

 

[UTGrad]

I will definitely be wearing my harness with a HSS lifeline dealing with hang on stands. I feel safer in a climber than any other stand, even a ladder. I hook up my tether to the strap around the tree the second my feet leave the ground. With a ladder I hook up when I get to the top.

 

[PinchPoint]

I use them all..
-Cimbers for Public land and hunts where I want to go into a new area
-Use hang ons for mainly bow hunting spots, or gun, where I want to leave it up for a while, Or for a new set up where a climbable tree isn't available
-Ladderstands for private land gun hunting

 

[102]

I use them all as well.

I feel safest in a ladder stand. Next a climber. I use both API and Summit Titan.

I agree that the hang ons feel most unsafe of all but have never had a problem. Mostly I use them in places where there are multiple trees, and branches.

But all of these have applications.

 

[DixieCrafter]

Statistically the climbing stand is the safest stand to use (as long as you are tied in as you climb) according to the TMA studies.

I use them all! Hang-ons are perhaps the most universal in application because you can put them almost anywhere! I have several of the Gorilla brand treestands in use with Summit Bucksteps, which are similar to Rapid Rails and such.

Once I have the hang on stand hung, I always lock it down with an accessory ratchet strap. I have made several 30 ft. life lines that I use with each hang on stand. With the life line in place I am secured by my harness tether for the climb up or down. Once I'm in the stand I transfer my safety carabiner to a shorter safety rope that remains in each tree.

Ladder stands work great! They can be heavy and cumbersome to get into place, and a little hard to put into place. They also give some folks a false sense of security and they don't use a safety harness. Ladder stand can also be a hard to bowhunt from. One plus that the ladder stands have going for them is easy up and down quietly!

 

[deerhunter10]

I use all three as all three has its advantages. The only two hang sons I like are millennium or summits. We have only about 10 hang ons. And those are the only brands we have used. with that said we only use them when we have no choice. With a ladder we own close to 60 and we have all kinds of brands. My preference on those is to get one where the shooting rail can be up or down. Because we gun hunt out of those to. I'm starting yo really like big game ladder stands though. Buy I have not bought a bad ladder stand yet. As far as climbers I own three all summits. If I had to pick one type it would be a ladder but hang one are important because you can get in all kinds of trees. As well as a climber because sometimes its nice to be able yo just try different spots and have a back up when the wind is abnormal.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

I have somewhere around 20 ladder stands scattered around that I just keep up year round. I prefer those, no noise getting set up. But to be mobile like I often need to be, I really like a Summit Openshot climber.

 

[TheLBLman]

Statistically the climbing stand is the safest stand to use (as long as you are tied in as you climb) according to the TMA studies.

I use them all!

x 2
I use them all, including some not mentioned, which I believe are worthy of inclusion, especially for certain applications.

But if I were limited to a single stand, it would be a climber. And agree, for it to be safe, you must have your harness connected to the tree as you climb/descend. A weld can break, even on a Summit (I have had that happen, and it was a very scary situation even with my wearing a full body harness).

Ladder stands work great! They can be heavy and cumbersome to get into place, and a little hard to put into place. They also give some folks a false sense of security and they don't use a safety harness. Ladder stand can also be a hard to bowhunt from. One plus that the ladder stands have going for them is easy up and down quietly!

Contrary to the opinion of many, I believe ladder stands are highly over-rated for most applications, and can in fact be the best way to ruin a great hunting spot. Their biggest appeal to me is "convenience", i.e. quick to get in and out. For bowhunting, I often prefer to be higher than most ladder stands can take me. Going up and down quietly? Some of the best hunting opportunities I've had (on those great cold mornings in late October and into November) were negated when the ladder stand made a loud popping metallic sound. I've had less problem with this with both climbers and hang-ons. It's ok to make a little noise, so long as it sounds kinda like a raccoon climbing a tree. But once you make a metallic sound, any deer that hears it is usually not coming closer.

Everything previously mentioned requires a tree. Sometimes we find great places to hunt that don't have a tree suitable for any "tree" stand.

Other options for taking a "stand" include tripods (yes, even for bowhunting), pop-up blinds (even building permanent ground blinds), not to mention, sometimes you can successfully take a "stand" simply sitting in a chair on the ground. If you require a "tree" to make a particular spot "huntable", you haven't considered all your options. And to the best of my knowledge, some of the greatest bowhunters of times past, like Fred Bear, Saxton Pope, Art Young, never once used a modern "tree" stand.

 

[deerhunter10]

I also have tripods. I agree with you in a sense wes.. ladder stands CAN ruin a spot. imo if you get them in early and the main thing is not to over hunt them I think your alright. I agree some do make noise. imo there is a spot for every single stand out there we use way more ladder stands. and do very well with them.

 

[thetoolman]

Millenium M100 is my only stand now. Used to have a Summit Viper, but after two seasons with the Millenium I sold the Viper. I have a small piece of property to hunt so I use 3 mounting brackets with climbing sticks, place them where I want to hunt and just move my stand based on different variables for the day. Very comfortable, I feel safe even though it is open front and the seat flips up out of the way silently when needed. I am really wanting to try a saddle system like the Guido's Web or Aerotribe system for a little more maneuverability.

 

[DixieCrafter]

Millenium do make some very nice stands!

 

[Poleaxe]

I would think about looking for a Baker. Jmo

 

[WVBulldog]

Summit viper with a hazmore seat. Best setup I've used. Occasionally will strategically place cheap ladder stands but I hunt public land 95% of the time.

 

[Bowtech Man]

What's a hazemore seat?

 

[UTGrad]

What's a hazemore seat?

http://www.hazmore.net/

It's a web seat. It's got mixed reviews. People replace the foam seat of the Viper with the Hazemore to reduce weight and bulk. Some people get the Hazemore and go back to the Summit seat due to comfort. I do like the way the Hazemore slides out of the way for standing shots.

 

[paradis1142]

Lone Wolf Alpha w/ 4 lone wolf sticks

 

[Mista Bone]

ive used API, Summit, & tree lounge. I feel the safest in all weather conditions with the summit.