AFguy

So I am new to bowhunting, I used to rifle hunt from a stand and take my deer opening morning, therewasnt much skill involved or gear for that matter. I built a stand 150 yds from a nice game trail and hunted the same spot every year. I decided to become a bowhunter for the challenge and fairness factors.

My question is being on a limited budget, should I get a blind or a stand first? Are polyester blinds a lot quieter? which stand is better, a climber or hanging. I intend to hunt a lot of public land close to home vs the private I rifle hunt that is 2 hrs away. I greatly appretiate all advice and opinions
Thanks
Ken

Ohio Bowhunter75

I would recommend a stand first.You can always build a blind from natural cover. Being you plan on hunting public grounds,I would recommend a climber.It will give you the versatility to move from place to place fast and easy.Also will save you from having your stands stolen.Another bonus is as long as you are taking it in and out with you,your secret stand sites can stay just that,no one else knows where you are hunting.Just my thoughts.

Copper31

I would consider a climber. If you are hunting public land then you can take it in and then bring it out with little hassle. I would take a look online and see what is out there in your price range.Then go to a sporting goods store or a wal mart type store and see if they havewhat you are looking for.I myself use a summit viper but there are many good quality stands. API, Lone Wolf. The list goes on. Just make sure it is what you need and want. Don't forget the safety harness either. Many stand companies will include a harness with the stand. Well hope you find what you are after. Welcome to HN and good luck this season.

WhitBri

If I had only one to pick I would go with a climbing stand. I would pick this over a blind because I've always felt if using a blind you either have to have the perfect place to put it or leave it up all the time for the deer to get use to it. I've always preferred to hunt out of a tree for this reason. A climber gives you a ton of mobility and you could hunt countless places with only this one piece of equipment. I've used one for the past two years and I think its a great advantage. I still have four ladderstands I put up but I use the climber more then the others combined. Its great on public land to not have to worry about theft. Check out the sportsmen's guide website, I saw in the magazine they had the gorilla climbers for like $110 which is the model I use and really like it. Easy to climb and I feel really safe in it. I'll warn you though bowhunting is addictive for all the right reasons.

chr103yod

For bow hunting I would highly recommend a tree stand. It will make your life a lot easier. You don't have to worry about scent as much and you can see a lot better. The only place I hunt is public land and I always use a climbing stand. You can take it in and out with you and you don't have to worry about it getting stolen. Hang on stands are good too but you do run the risk of it getting stolen even if you chain it up. On a small budget I think I would buy a Gorilla Climber from Walmart. I just seen one yesterday for $90. I almost bought it for my son. Ol Man sold some of their designs to Gorilla so it's almost exactly like an Ol man stand. I have an Ol Man climber and it has been a great stand for many years but it cost me around $200. If you decide on a lock on stand I think I would pick up a cheap one around $30-$40 and chain it to a tree and remove the steps. If it does get stolen your only out $30. One more thing to consider is in a lot of states you can't use screw in steps on Public land so you have to use something that straps to the tree. Some of the tree steps can get more expensive than the stand itself.I don't know how much money you want to spend on a stand but for under $100 I think the Gorilla climber is the way to go. The only other thing I would worry about is the safety harness they give you with the stand. Some of them are pretty cheap. I bought a Seat of the Pants full body harness. It was expensive, but I'm confident it would save my life if I fell. I hope this helps. Good luck.