CLIMBING VRS LOCK ON STAND

[sproulman]

with all new stuff out now,thought i would ask what you all what you feel is best and WHY.

presently i use ladderstand.

its nice but i found in winter, i cant move it and set it up as good as i could in fall with no snow etc.

its great to get into in dark in morning.

our trees here in pa, to go above 12 ft, you will most likely hit a limb.

also in archery, its hard to find the right tree to go up and still be near spot you want to be.............

so, been reading on climbing stands and lock on ones with portable ladders.

which one , in your opinion do you feel is best to use and why.

i am not getting younger but not ole fart yet.

can i get up a portable ladder steps,say if you are 55/60/65/70 or is that young mans game.
in others words, is it fairly easy to go up and down and how hard is it to move steps and lock -on stand.


i know climbing stand would be easy to move but what about low tree limbs,in archery i like to get up about 20 ft.max..


any info would be appreciated, thanks,SPROULE

[glockman55]

Your right low limbs and climbers don't mix. Loc-ons or a ladder stand would be the way to go. I use a climber and have ladder stands as well. Each have their place. Good luck

[youngfart]

sproulman
I have been bow hunting for 15 years and own 34 portable stands and one climber. I hunt mostly popular trees up herein the north and spruce. Climbers have a place, and it's not here ,I can put up a portablein less than 15 minutes and be hunting with in 20,where can you do that with a climber? With all the parts a climber has and the noise it makes setting up, I prefer a portable hands down. I take into perspective everything needed to set up the climber!! IE getting set up!! 1: carry it to location-weight of it
2: Average weight of a climber, minimum! 15lbs
3: unhooking it while at the tree
4: finding a tree in the perfect spot to go up
5: noise climbing up with all your gear,cutting tree branches
Portable stand 1: it's permanent,so just once to setup
2: 7lbs w/ 12 steps to get to 20feet
3: stays in the bush, less to take out
4:can go up any tree
5: after 1st set up,no noise ,I actually, when moving make very little noise when moving.
Just my 2 cents owning the different setups, you'll find a lot of different opinions on this subject,so best of luck on what you choose and happy hunting.
Rocky

[americaneagle]

It depends some on where you hunt and how, for me, I hunt my own land. Lock on or ladder stands are the way to go. I have all my stands in place before the season starts. They are easier to get into in the morning, there is less noise, tree chose and limbs are not as much a problem.

[Ihuntandfish]

I agree with americaneagle. The areas you hunt make all the difference. Around my home I hunt private land and mainly use hang on stands. They have a bigger platform and are more stable than a climber. Up north I hunt public land and use a climber. I used to usehang onstands up north as well, but for the three days that I have to hunt during the opening weekend of the gun deer season, I found that the hang on stands limited me too much. It took too much time to unstrap my stand and climbing sticks, drag it through the woods to a new spot and then restrap everything on again. With my climber, I simply crawl down the tree, strap it on my back, and walk to a new spot. As far as noise goes, I do most of my branch trimming around home before the season, and where I hunt up north, there area lot of poplars around which usually have a good trunk without branches on the bottom. There are pros and cons to each type of stand but I feel that it all comes down to how much you plan on moving stand locations during the season. If you mainly stick to one or two stand locations, throw a hang on or ladder stand up, but if you plan on moving around a lot, I would recommend a climber.

[PAHUNTER105]

Sproulman,

I like the lock-on stands for hunting, but they can be a pain to hang. Portability with these is also an issue, but I like the idea of going into my spots and just climbing up the ladder. I have a summit climber which is nice but I don't like making that noise in the dark. Generally, I like to find a nice pine tree which is a dime a dozen in PA and use the hang-on, I use the big limbs to climb up. You can also hide the hang on good in the pine tree. The other down-side of using the loc-on is your sticks being exposed in the woods, especially if you hunt on public ground. I really like using the pine tree method listed above if i can, if not, you can always buy the lone wolf sticks which come in 3 pieces and put them up and take them down at will. I usually use my loc-ons and if i have to move, use the climber......Good Luck,


JKC

[kevin1]

I can't remember the brand names, but I've seen packable ladder stands, one was a folding type and the other was an extendable. Both were in the 28-30lb. range, my first climber was 28lb.

[mountainman08]

On my own land and the private land I have permission to hunt I leave ladder stands and tripods up all year, they are too heavy to move. The landowners like it because they get a free tree stand to use 99% of the time when I'm not hunting in it. I take the straps in once the season is over so the tree doesn't grow into them and the critters don't eat them. I own a good quality climber which I use on public land, the trick is to scout early in the season for trees. Setup in the woods is pretty quick and easy and quiet if you have done your homework and adjusted the stand to the tree and tried it out before the morning of your hunt. Climber stands are deathtraps if your not careful, if used correctly they are safe but any oversight setting up or picking a tree can result in a major pucker moment that can equate to pain or a ruined hunt. Climbers are also a pain in the a## if you can't sit still or have to go the bathroom or something, it takes some planning to get down. A ladder stand you can leave your bow or gun up there, climb down easy and take a crap, then go back hunting no sweat. I usually hunt from the ground on public land if I haven't a tree that I tested beforehand. Some guys I know leave their climbers on the trees all season with a master lock, that is a good plan too if you trust your fellow man. I don't really care for hang on stands because I'm afraid of the climbing sticks, I weigh almost 300 pounds and I just don't trust them.

[sproulman]

i am looking at summit 180 max climbing stand.for us older guys is this good choice.i like abig stand and able to sit in comfort.

the ladder stands are not working well for me in archery here in pa as lack of deer is making sitting in 1 spot not very good anymore.in rifle season i dont have to move as much as my shots are longer.
i need to be able to move i feel now in archery do to rut and pressure on deer.
think this is good move for guy getting up in age over 55 gang .
i have no problems with weight of the stand as i will lock it in woods and not bring it out daily etc.
are summits quite in dark in morning.i read some are spraying foam inside summits to make a little quiter.

i reaLLY LIKE LADDERSTANDS BUT IN ARCHERY ITS NOT WORKING OUT BECAUSE I CANT SET-UP QUICKER NEAR SCRAP ETC ......
ANY ADVICE WILL HELP ME MAKE DECISION.......
thanks sproulman

[iSnipe]

With a climbing stand you can attach your backpack as well. Get to your tree, attach to tree, attach pull rope with your backpack and weapon, then start climbing.

It's much easier if you have the tree pre-limbed. It's easy to ascend. I don't worry about age yet, but ladderstands and climbing stands will keep me in the game for a long time.

Placing climbing sticks isn't that bad, but you have to have a harness so you can have your hands free to strap the ladder, etc. The Treehopper belt is excellent for this.

If you want to scout, then set up on fresh sign and hunt, this will work well with a climbing stand... you just have to make some adjustments:

1.) Go early so you can walk around lightly and look for your set up.
2.) Attach climber to tree and start climbing with a hand saw.
3.) Slowly and quietly start cutting. Use gloves to hold onto branches.
4.) Once you are desired height, pull up gear and start hunting!

It also helps tremendously to walk all through the fall. It will keep you in shape for hunting. I know a few older fellas who can keep up with me and that's because they are into walking as a form to keep fit!

Best of luck,

iSnipe