Need help with tree stands

[nzarcher]

Hi all. I would like to purchase a treestand that is not too expensive but of good quality and nobody here in New Zealand stocks treestands. What treestand would you recommend and would someone like cabelas stock them?
Lasty, i have next to no idea of how to set up a treestand and would like to know if there is a site that has the complete A to Z of treestand assembly for a true novice like myself. Thanks kindly for any help you can give me. Happy hunting and i hope your seasons prove fruitful.

[ampahunter]

You will certainly find a goodchoice of treestands at Cabelas and also Bass Pro-(as well as many other outdoorstores).
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/common/search/search-results2.jsp?Ne=2510&noImage=0&Ntt=treesta nds&Ntk=Products&QueryText=treestands& Ntx=mode+matchall&N=4575&trueNum=196

Remember when it comes down to money you usually get what you pay for. Like I mentioned in an earlier thread, cutting corners with safety, isn't a good thing.
However, you can still get a pretty good treestand for around $80 US$.
The Big Game Boss XL hang on stand is one I would recommend, as I myself use these stands. The Gorilla stands are also good.
It comes with a safety harness and instructions. They are also other stands that comes with an Instructional DVD.
Check out the web page inserted above--if you have further questions do not hesitate to throw them at us--they're many menbers on this board who will willingly offer you assistance.

[Bmac313]

Like ampahunter said Cabelas or Bass Pro would be good choices. For a beginner i would recommend a ladder stand there safe and fairly easy to set up.

[Monie]

I agree, a ladder stand is the safest for a novice. The drawback is that they are heavier.

With any treestand I always buy extra ratchet straps, as it seems the straps that are included with the stand are not of high quality. I'd rather lug in extra straps than have my buddies lug me out on a stretcher.

If you do purchase a hang on, don't forget to buy a ladder, otherwise know as climbing sticks or tree snake. For those, I also add extra ratchet straps, since the ones that come with the ladder don't get tight enough for my liking. You usually can't "ratchet" them, thus the laddertends to move a bit. YIKES!

To help acclimate to climbing in and out of a hang on tree stand, I'd suggest using only the first 4 or 5 foot section of your ladder. Wear your harness and practice getting in and out of the standand attaching the harness to the tree. It can be tricky for those not used to doing it.Once you've got that down, attach the next ladder section and practice at that height...and so on.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

[nodog]

Good advise already given. Might be cheaper to have some made. Not much to them really and you should be able to get the info needed off the net. One thing most stands come with that to meis more technical than the stands themselves are the safety harnesses. They are something.

[MIHunter02]

I use a Gorilla Silverback stand and it is an excellent choice and also came with a instructional DVD that left me with no questions unanswered.