Some states you are not allowed to use them on public land. Here in Nebraska you are able to do so.

I use them for all of my fixed stand sites. There is no way someone else can tell YOU how many steps it will take because everybody will like them at different measurements apart. What I can tell you is how I put mine up and about how many I use. By the way, I' m 6' tall and not overweight so I tend to put mine a little farther apart than my hunting partners would like. I' ve had comments from them like " you must climb like an ape!"

For me an 18-20' stand will take 10-14 steps.