I have a few permanent stands and all we use are wooden ladders. I actually ripped a 16 foot 9 inch wide board right down the middle. Cut a few 2 foot 2 by 4s and you have a nice looking ladder. I do have a "tower" that I hunt out of as well. We use a metal ladder for that, just because of the height. I haven't had any problems scaring deer while climbing up that.