Ladder Stands - Quiet? Convenient?
11-02-2006, 06:49 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,693
Ladder Stands - Quiet? Convenient?
I'm looking to put up a new stand on Saturday and have my eyes on a couple ladder stands. I like the idea of a ladder stand but have never used one.
A few questions:
Are they quiet enough for bow hunting?
Easy to shoot a bow out of?
Platform big enough to comfortably stand and shoot from?
Ease of putting up with one person (the model I'm looking at weighs about 60#)?
Thanks.
Bob
A few questions:
Are they quiet enough for bow hunting?
Easy to shoot a bow out of?
Platform big enough to comfortably stand and shoot from?
Ease of putting up with one person (the model I'm looking at weighs about 60#)?
Thanks.
Bob
11-02-2006, 07:52 PM
#2
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Salem Missouri
Posts: 1,455
RE: Ladder Stands - Quiet? Convenient?
There are lots of different models of ladders out,, but Id get one that has a sling seat, and a standing platform big enough for you to be comfortable. Ladders are fine if you have somewhere you can put them up and leave them up for the season, but I dont like having to move them much if I dont have to. I personally prefer a hang on stand, and a climbing stick, easy and quiet to get into, and you have a much better selection of comfortable stands, and they arent hard to put up. Whatever you choose, Look for quiet and comfort, you cant sit still if you are uncomfortable and in pain.
11-02-2006, 07:56 PM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Illinois
Posts: 978
RE: Ladder Stands - Quiet? Convenient?
not sure what stands you are looking at? If at all possible I would recommend one with padded side rails and a strap type seat. I bought a cheap one a few years back. Have to carry my own seat in to put on top mesh plat form. Its not a very comfy stand at all, but I suppose if you are "young" that probably isn't a big concern...
I just bought a double tree stand condo. Not a bad stand, but there again thin seat.
If you have that option, I would take help. Once you get them up you want to hook center brace to ladder then to the tree. Then climb up to put rachet straps on. It's nice having someone onground to keep straight till straps are on.The double I put a long rope through the fork in the tree and hooked to top of stand. Father in-law stood at bottom and I pulled it right up. That seem to work good. Oh, they are both pretty quite as far as that goes. It's usually the stuff you clang on them while climbing up and down thats noisy[:@]
good luck!
I just bought a double tree stand condo. Not a bad stand, but there again thin seat.If you have that option, I would take help. Once you get them up you want to hook center brace to ladder then to the tree. Then climb up to put rachet straps on. It's nice having someone onground to keep straight till straps are on.The double I put a long rope through the fork in the tree and hooked to top of stand. Father in-law stood at bottom and I pulled it right up. That seem to work good. Oh, they are both pretty quite as far as that goes. It's usually the stuff you clang on them while climbing up and down thats noisy[:@]
good luck!
11-02-2006, 07:59 PM
#4
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: La Porte CityWaterloo Iowa
Posts: 1,589
RE: Ladder Stands - Quiet? Convenient?
They work great, I have about 8 or 9 of them with my hunting partner.
They are a little tough to put up by yourself
Here's how I do it.
Put it together and lay it bottom end up against the tree
Go to the top end and pick it up
Walk down the rungs with your hands,wear gloves so you don't coat it in human scent. This will raise the stand up.
When the top is up to the tree you can then lift the whole stand up to position it against the tree. You will want it to have a little angle to it so it leans against the tree.
Get the stabilizer bar and put it on the stand, second section from the bottom one.
You will have to slide the bottom of the stand towards or away from the tree to get the bar in the right position.
Once in the right position get on the bottom rung and jump up and down a couple times to drive the ends of the ladder into the ground. If you don't do this step, when you go to climb the stand can fall apart(don't ask my hunting partner about this
)
Tie the stabilizer in place,some come with a rope for this, others we have use a ratchet strap
Then use the stabilizer straps, the long ones.
Tie one end to the stand, run it around the tree, get it as high as you can and so it angles up,then around the tree and then back down to the stand. Tie it off as tight as you can
Carefully climb to the top and ratchet it to the tree.
all set!
They are a little tough to put up by yourself
Here's how I do it.
Put it together and lay it bottom end up against the tree
Go to the top end and pick it up
Walk down the rungs with your hands,wear gloves so you don't coat it in human scent. This will raise the stand up.
When the top is up to the tree you can then lift the whole stand up to position it against the tree. You will want it to have a little angle to it so it leans against the tree.
Get the stabilizer bar and put it on the stand, second section from the bottom one.
You will have to slide the bottom of the stand towards or away from the tree to get the bar in the right position.
Once in the right position get on the bottom rung and jump up and down a couple times to drive the ends of the ladder into the ground. If you don't do this step, when you go to climb the stand can fall apart(don't ask my hunting partner about this
)Tie the stabilizer in place,some come with a rope for this, others we have use a ratchet strap
Then use the stabilizer straps, the long ones.
Tie one end to the stand, run it around the tree, get it as high as you can and so it angles up,then around the tree and then back down to the stand. Tie it off as tight as you can
Carefully climb to the top and ratchet it to the tree.
all set!
11-02-2006, 08:30 PM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: El Dorado, Arkansas
Posts: 2,174
RE: Ladder Stands - Quiet? Convenient?
yes
yes
yes
to a point. If it is very tall, it will take a lot of strength to get the leverage to put it up, but it can be done. I have 2 - 15 ' ladders, and 1 - 20' ladder. I really like them as a stable platform. If I want to move around, I also have 3 climbing stands, and for gun season / bad weather I have a 20 foot tower stand. It is great to have choices, but if you don't plan on moving around a lot, a ladder stand is a really good choice.
***** ADDITIONAL INFO ******
One thing I have started doing that really does help in the setup of the ladder stands is : if you have a climbing stand, take it with you. Put it on the tree. Attach a rope to the ladder stand and to the climber. Go up the tree, and pull the stand up on the tree to get it in position. Place the ratchet strap to secure the top, but dont tighten it too tight, you just want to keep the stand on the tree. Use the climber and go down the tree to the 1st brace. Secure it to the tree, but leave just a small bit of slack in the line.Go further down and secure the second brace ( if it has one ), and secure it to the tree the same way. Go back to the ground, and climb the ladder to get it seated in the ground. When you seat the ladder, that will take up the little bit of slack you left in the brace lines. Go to the top and get the stand seated. Tighten the ratchet strap at the top and you are finished. The benefit to setting up this way is that you are not climbing an unsecured ladder stand, so you eliminate anychance of falling if the stand were to shift while climbing up to initially secure it. I haveheard of many people falling from a shifting stand, And I have fallen 17' fromone that shifted. Trust me it hurts. But if you use a climbing stand to raise and secure it, you will be able todo it by yourself ( if no one else is available to help), and you will go home alive and well, everytime.
yes
yes
to a point. If it is very tall, it will take a lot of strength to get the leverage to put it up, but it can be done. I have 2 - 15 ' ladders, and 1 - 20' ladder. I really like them as a stable platform. If I want to move around, I also have 3 climbing stands, and for gun season / bad weather I have a 20 foot tower stand. It is great to have choices, but if you don't plan on moving around a lot, a ladder stand is a really good choice.
***** ADDITIONAL INFO ******
One thing I have started doing that really does help in the setup of the ladder stands is : if you have a climbing stand, take it with you. Put it on the tree. Attach a rope to the ladder stand and to the climber. Go up the tree, and pull the stand up on the tree to get it in position. Place the ratchet strap to secure the top, but dont tighten it too tight, you just want to keep the stand on the tree. Use the climber and go down the tree to the 1st brace. Secure it to the tree, but leave just a small bit of slack in the line.Go further down and secure the second brace ( if it has one ), and secure it to the tree the same way. Go back to the ground, and climb the ladder to get it seated in the ground. When you seat the ladder, that will take up the little bit of slack you left in the brace lines. Go to the top and get the stand seated. Tighten the ratchet strap at the top and you are finished. The benefit to setting up this way is that you are not climbing an unsecured ladder stand, so you eliminate anychance of falling if the stand were to shift while climbing up to initially secure it. I haveheard of many people falling from a shifting stand, And I have fallen 17' fromone that shifted. Trust me it hurts. But if you use a climbing stand to raise and secure it, you will be able todo it by yourself ( if no one else is available to help), and you will go home alive and well, everytime.
11-02-2006, 08:45 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 818
RE: Ladder Stands - Quiet? Convenient?
ladder stands are all i hunt out of. I like just plain metal seat. I buy the ones around $100. As for shooting out of them thergood except if you got big rails. The only stand that i cant put up by my self is a big 2 man 20 foot ladder stand. River edge makes some nice stands with foamstrap on seatstoo.
11-02-2006, 08:57 PM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Tonganoxie, KS
Posts: 978
RE: Ladder Stands - Quiet? Convenient?
My fiance bought me a new ladder stand the other day, hoping to put it up in the next day or so if I get over this horrible cold I got. We bought it at WalMart for $159. It is the 2 man style and I believe it will work great for bowhunting. It has a nice big platform and big cushioned seat w/ a padded bar/rest that wraps around it. I have it put together in my living room right now waiting to go to the woods! I will probably hang camo around it also to help hide it and also serve as a wind block for me. Being it isn't actually put up yet I can't tell you how quiet it is climbing up it but it is really quiet w/ me moving around it as it is. I also plat on zip tyeing some carpet to the platform and that should also keep it quiet.
11-02-2006, 10:12 PM
#9
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Central IL
Posts: 778
RE: Ladder Stands - Quiet? Convenient?
I know it probably doesn't help as much as you are looking for, but I have only hunted out of ladder stands. However, they are all homemade. They have really evolved through the years. First they were just the ladder and the platform. The platform was a wire mesh across some of the metal shelving, which is what the stands are made of. Then across the wire mesh we would lay a piece of OSB.
We used to use old spools to sit on, large ones of course. However, after about 2-3 years they would be junk from coons and weather. So then I made some small wood seats, nothing special, but they worked. To go with the new seats we changed the platforms. We got rid of the OSB and bolted on treated deck boards. This made them super quiet. So you would think we would be done. Nope. After that we decided we would run a couple of those shelving angles up and across to make a bench seat for each stand. That way you can position yourself anywhere on the stand without having to move the seat. Since we already had the angles projecting up, we then decided to make a shooting rest across the sides. It is great for safety and for taking a seated shot.
I would assume we are done with our ladder stand modifications, but that the good things about homemade stands. You can always change them if you want. The downside is they are a PAIN to move. I would assume our newest ones way somewhere around 300 lbs total though, with the platfor somewhere around 200 lbs. They are a beast to get up, but when you do they are super quiet and all I could ever ask for.
We used to use old spools to sit on, large ones of course. However, after about 2-3 years they would be junk from coons and weather. So then I made some small wood seats, nothing special, but they worked. To go with the new seats we changed the platforms. We got rid of the OSB and bolted on treated deck boards. This made them super quiet. So you would think we would be done. Nope. After that we decided we would run a couple of those shelving angles up and across to make a bench seat for each stand. That way you can position yourself anywhere on the stand without having to move the seat. Since we already had the angles projecting up, we then decided to make a shooting rest across the sides. It is great for safety and for taking a seated shot.
I would assume we are done with our ladder stand modifications, but that the good things about homemade stands. You can always change them if you want. The downside is they are a PAIN to move. I would assume our newest ones way somewhere around 300 lbs total though, with the platfor somewhere around 200 lbs. They are a beast to get up, but when you do they are super quiet and all I could ever ask for.
11-03-2006, 05:37 AM
#10
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location:
Posts: 11,472
RE: Ladder Stands - Quiet? Convenient?
We have 7 ladder stands and a tripod on the land we hunt. Not a problem at all bowhunting out of them.Get one with ARM RESTS AND BIG PLATFORM!!!! Half of mine are Remmington Ultra Mags. Pretty nice comfortable stands. I got a climber this year to bounce around here and there where we don't have a stand, but start seeing deer. Got sick of moving ladder stands around. It's nice to climb up a ladder nice and quiet, hang your bow, and you're ready to hunt.
