RE: To climb or to blind...that is the question.
This is the first year I have hunted from a tree stand. I have always just made my own blind by using brush and trees around me. You don't even need anything in front of you if you have a good back drop. I set up inbetween two fallen trees this year and the deer came walking right out in front of me and I had a good 35 yard shot. I like hunting from the ground because I can move places much easier. Where I hunt there are not alot of straight trees either so a climber is out of the question. I did see one guy trying to hunt this area with a climber (funniest thing I have ever seen) A guy in a climber about 7 feet off the ground (why not just hunt from the ground?) he couldn't go any higher.