Opinions on Tree Stands

[Hank Hunter]

Looking at buying a climbing treestand. Have no experience with them. Any suggestions or recomendations from guys who have one.
Thanks

[Phil]

I haven't got one yet but this is the one I've had my eye on. I hope to see a few at the outdoor show this Friday.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...047&hasJS=true

[BlacktailStalker]

I'd recommend Summit or Lone Wolf. Lone wolf is pretty expensive though. I have the Summit Razor X5 and love it. It's a climbing stand which enables you to sit or stand while climbing. It also has the drop away bar so it's ideal for bowhunting or rifle.

[lapadat]

The one thing that I didn't like about my old climber was how loud it was when climbing the tree. I would stick with a hanging stand or a ladder stand

[bighornbob]

I always thought about getting a climbing stand but I got a hanging stand a couple years ago and would never look at a climber again. With the climber you have to cut every branch off the tree to the height of your stand. Any person that walks within 100m of the tree will notice it right away. Where I hunt it is real tough to find trees with out branches down low so cutting is the only option. I have found three such trees and they stick out like sore thumbs. I then start scouting the area to see why a stand was placed there (game trails, etc). If you hunt in areas where you suspect nobody will be walking by, it may work.

With the hanging type I only cut as many branches as necessary. I actually look for one with a lot of branches as I use them to climb the tree with screw in steps where needed. The branches also provide cover for me. I always leave a bushy branch right under my stand so if the deer looks up all it see is branches. I had this happen once. A deer walked right under my stand and I shifted my position to look down and my bow nicked the stand. The deer looked upand all it saw was 15 feet of branches. I also climb the tree from the back of the tree so if you were standing in the front or on the deer trail there is no signs of disturbance other then 6 feet of missing branches on one side 30 feet up.

The hang on also cost alot less. I bought one of the walmart ones when they were blowing them out for 50 bucks. Thats why I never got into a climber. At that price I bought one the next year two and almost bought another this year. How many stands could you buy for the price of climber. Before you buy a climber try a hanger first, yo may be surprised.

BHB

[curt]

personally climbing stand is the way to go it may take a bit of work but it's worth it, it's amazing how much more you can see from 15 or 20 feet off the ground i think there are great summit makes some nice ones.

[Rainwater]

I put all my old stands away and strictly use a Crowsnest, it has a T shaped poke you screw in the tree and the stand fits into the poke. You can have one stand with extra pokes and move your stand from tree to tree. It it's an area you are SURE will not be logged you can leave the pokes in but some people suggest this is not safe. I have the same poke in a tree now for 3 years and it just does not move, in fact it seems tighter. They are super lightweight and quiet. Contact Windfeather Archery for details. I now own three of them.

[yote]

I have a climber and a strap on stand. In some situations I like the strap on but I found that for the most part it was a real pain in the butt screwing in the climbing steps when the braches were not right for the climb.

I hunted at this spot in the East Kootenays last year for a week in archery season from the ground, everyday I would get busted in one way or another. The last eve of the hunt I tried my climber for the first time and within a half hour had a deer down at 23 yrds. I would never have got the deer from the ground in that spot. This coming year I am going to the same spot with the climber and I know I'll tag out there...because of the stand. It's just too hard to conceal myself there and with the wind and the does doing the sentry patrol, the climber was what I needed.

I did a lot of research and I went with the Summit Viper. Small, easy to pack, and easy to scoot up a tree. I use the surrounding branches from other trees next to my stand to conceal me. I love mine.

[Franko Manini]

Has anyone got, or tried out, a Tree Lounge? A couple years ago, I came across a video of their product and it looked like a great idea:



http://www.treelounge.com/

[MIbuckhunter]

Summit makes some good stands. I've heard good things about lone wolf as well. Both are some of the pricier stands, but more comfortable, and have bigger platforms, which I really like.

There are really two ways to go at stand hunting. If you have done your scouting and have one great spot, get a nice, big, comfortable stand. I like to be more mobile, so you might want to buy multiple, cheaper/simple stands. I have a few smaller stands to go along with my Double Bull ground blind, so I can go basically anywhere. I don't really like climbers, if I use a climber, I just turn it into a fixed-position stand, and use climbing sticks or screw-in steps to reach the top. Climbing up every morning makes too much noise.

You might also consider a "saddle" if you want to stay mobile. My dad has one and seems to like it, and one of the best hunters in my State, John Eberhart, uses them exclusively, and takes nice bucks every year (which is hard to do down here.) I might end up buying one soon as well.