LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

hello, question..i always used locked on type treestand for archery..

as i got older, i now have ladder stand..it goes up 15 ft..i have not used it for archery yet..

is this type of stand ok for use in archery when your shots have to be close , like 20 to 30 yds??

do deer see it and does it have to be put there awhile for deer to get used too or not??

any opinions would be great..

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I've always been nervous of ladder stands because I just think deer will notice that new addition to the woods however many bucks have been taken from ladder stands. I don't have any but I have set them for clients and we always brush them in or set them where they are brushed in or concealed. I also like to hunt higher than a ladder stand allows but 15' is plenty high. I'm sure you'll be fine.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I have 3 ladders that I move around and have not have any deer notice them. I have hunted them the same day I put them up and had bucks within 20yds not pay any attention to them. I did buy camo paint and paint them though. Although I have a climber I don't use it much anymore, it's alot nicer to just climb up and sit down, without gettin all sweated up, and it's alot quieter too.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

Thanks BJ, that's the info we're looking for and I agree about having placed stands. I just perfer loc ons and ladder sticks. I keep watching the price of the ladder stands coming down and might up one or two for a couple stand locations that won't accomodate loc ons or climbers. Thanks again for the info.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

A ladder will work fine. Just watch where you put them and all that. Try to stick them with something natural in front of them. You know, like a little brushy tree you can tie in close or something. No different than a lock on with a climbing stick if you're careful. I don't usuallyuse them but have very successfully in the past.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

i bought my ladder stand for 49 dollars, this year..i should have bought 2 but its so easy for me to move..it takes about 30 minutes for me to take it down and strap it on my deer cart..after practice, you can have it on tree in 30 minutes..

deer cart is best thing i ever bought..i chain it to tree in woods..

my 2 things i am concerned, is 15 ft high enough for archery and can new stand affect deer..i can get another 4 ft section that would put me up about 18 ft..

thats my concern, height and if they can notice the ladder..

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

15 ft is plenty high, your movement is more important to gettin caught. Fact is I took a hacksaw to mine and cut off a foot.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I love ladder stands. Mine are 15 foot also. I have found it more important to have cover behind you to break up your outline rather than having cover in front of you. I killed a 170 class typical with my bow at 25 yards in one. I have deer all over me and never get picked out. Just keep your scent down and hunt the wind.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I have three ladder stands up. Thats really all I use. I have had deer walk right under them, sniff them, take a pee right in front of them. I made me a rail system out of come old (3/8) copper and elbows. Attached it to back of tree and around to front of stands (both sides) then added some camo material around it, I think that helps. Just don't forget and try to lean on it..:eek:

If it is a metal stand, make sure you sink it into the ground up to first rung before you ratchet the top. The ladder will settle into the ground from climbing, weather and if the top is all ready fastened, the sections will separate. Also if there is no clips in between the ladder sections to hold them together. Take a rubber bongy cord and put around each (rung) section where they are joined.Once the whole thing settles, you will notice the joints coming apart as you climb, just some added protection.

be safe!

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I have a son that hunts out of 12' ladder stands, he is a little leary of heights yet. We brush them in as allready mentioned as that is the key. a really big diameter tree also helps to. He has taken archery deer out of them with no problems. once this season i was hunting about 60 yards from him and watched as he let 10 Doe's pass by totaly undetected.
Dan

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I've hunted mostly out of ladder stands. Never had a problem with deer noticing the ladder. Conceal it the best you can especially at ground level. Believe it or not I've had deer pass between my ladder and the tree it was attached to.

A little tip: If you're hunting the edges of fields/hedgerows/thickets etc.... When you cut a path to your stand save the limbs and zip tie them together to use as a door so to speak. Cover up the hole you made to get to your stand. I've seen deer noticing the gap in the woodline more than the stand itself. And try not to drop anything or it will sound like a pinball machine going down the ladder.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I have two ladder stands and love them both. I also have a chain on with climbing sticks and a climber. The ladder is the easiest of them all, and quietest. I put my stands up early in the summer, so the deer have plenty of time to get used to them. They are 15' high and see deer out of them about every day.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I started using ladder stand about 3 years ago. I had always used climbers or lock-on's in years past, but I find the ladder stnads quieter to get in and out ofand more comfortable to stay in for long periods of time.
I have nevernoticed any problem with deer noticing themor getting spooked around them.

I just purchased a new on this year that is oversized and had a lot of bells and whistles.

Dicks usually marks them down 50% near the end of the year!

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I love ladder stands. I have 12 stands on 300 acres and 4 of them are ladder stands and I have shot deer out of each of them. Infact I have a 17ft 2man stand that I see more deer out of then any other stand I have. They are great when you get out to the woods late. Just climb up and your set. I brush mine in pretty good though. i will use small cedar trees to go up the sides of the ladder and then I use 3/4 pvc pipe and wire tie them to the rails. I use those to stick cedar, pine bows, or just branches with leaves on. I do leave some of them up all year and I just make sure I loosen the staps that go around the tree.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I have a Lone Wolf climber which I like very much, but this year I purchased 3 cheap ladder stands at Dick's and find that I use them more than the climber. I try to set them up about a month before the season begins and it is very convenient (and much more quiet) to walk to my ladder stand, climb, connect my safety harness, and sit down rather than dealing with a climber in the dark.

One mistake that I made was to overuse one of my stands: I don't think the deer particularly notice the stand, but they begin to notice if you are in it too often. I plan to get several more stands so that I never hunt the same stand more than once a week.

The only other downside to the cheap stands is that the seat does not fold up. This feature would make it possible to stand and lean against the tree. However, standing without leaning is okay for the 3-4 hour periods that I am in the stand: I stand during the prime hunting time and alternate standing and sitting the rest of the time.

Several weeks ago I had a seven point walk up to within 12 yards of my 15' ladder stand, look directly at me (dressed completelyin orange for rifle season), and calmly continue on his way (until I shot him). I have had deer walk up to the the stand and sniff the ladder while I was sitting in it.

In the places where I hunt, deer seem to be used to the occasional presence of people. They see fields harvested, trails cut, etc. so they don't seem particularly disturbed by some minor change in their habitat like a ladder stand. If they detect a human present, that is another story.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

We build all of our stands with 2 X 4's. We built one in a huge shagbark hickory tree this fall about 2 weeks before bow season. I had deer all around it. They don't care. I have 3 man-made ladder stands and have never felt that the deer think anything is strange about it.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I use ladder stands a lot of the time.
My hunting partner and I have 8 of them.
I have shot deer out of ladder stands several times just hours after setting them up.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

You'll be fine with a ladder. I don't use a ladder stand I like to go up higher than 15ft. The higher I can get the better off I am. Just remember to hunt safe.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

boy, you guys all come through when you need advice, for sure..

i watch tv and they seem to be up real high, like 20 ft in archery..

from what you say, 15 ft is high enough..great..

another question, my cheap 49 dollar stand from @#&*s does not have side rails on seat..do you folks like rail on side your hips..

did you notice that if tree leans back a little at top where you sit,its better on your back?if i get tree that is straight at my back buttto myhead, i seem to get uncomfortable more..

any other suggestions on how to stay comfortable in the ladder stand so you can sit for 10 hours..thanks

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I put up a couple of 15' ladder stands this season . I mostly use chain-ons. Shot a doe at 10 yards on opening day of bow season . D!CK's Sporting goods had them on sale a good part of the season for $50 . I prefer to replace their straps with rachet straps though ! :)

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

i bought same stand and my friend too..he took the bottom section and drilled hole in it and put kids bike tires on it..he uses a cotter key to hold it in place..then he straped all sections together and he pulls the ladder stand into woods as if you have cart,then removes tires..he then uses 1 section with the bike wheels to bring his deer out of woods and leaves others and comes back next day to get rest which he locks to a tree..

he got wheels at bike junk yard for 10 bucks..i use a deer cart i made out of 19 dollar dolly i had in garage to haul my stand into woods..

i also use rachet strap on that brace that goes in middle to tree so it does not slip down tree..

most i see are using climbing stands on publicland..i saw hunter at his pick-up last week and he told me that someone twisted all 3 of his gangs river edge 179 dollar ladder stands..he said they are so badly twisted he does not think it can be repaired without heating metal and he is afraid of weakening the ladder doing this..

publicland i heard of a lot of stands stolen or TWISTED around trees..

i guy told me they cut his tree steps at the TOP 2 with hack saw..he said he was up 18 ft and reached for last one and it broke and he fell to side with his harness on..if not for harness, he said he would have been hurt bad..

you cant leave your stands out today or they will get wacked..

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

deers get used to it and they do not pay any type of intrest in it at all. That is my opinion

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

15 feet will work, 20+ is better in most cases. It's NOT however if you're uncomfortable up there. You'll find that the more you hunt from above the more you're willing to squeeze out a couple more feet and those few feet do help with scent control and movement if you have cover. Sometims the smart thing is to stop lower so you have cover. Each stand is itself. Even with my climber I find that as the year progresses I feel much better going a few feet more. Early in the year heights scare me.:D

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I put up a ladder stand in July for this past Archery Season, well rifle too. It is a 16 foot stand and is nice to be able to just climb and hunt like someone else said without getting all sweated up using my climber. The deer were under my stand almost every evening and I could have taken alot of does/ button bucks/ doe fawns from it, but I wasn't hunting for any does or imature deer this year. Anyway I'm a bit off topic. I like the ladder stands and will buy another one this off season. Just dont leave the seat cushions on all fall or the porcupines or squirrels (not sure which) will eat your cushion. You can only see what looks like a tear in the picture, but it was definately cheewd. The foam shows little teeth marks and foam missing.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

the one i got goes up 15 ft,i agree any higher i would feel a little dizzy, ha..

mine does not have rail on both sides to hold you inside on seat..at first,that scared me a little that i could fall off side but ,i got used to it..

do any of you use rail on sides, pro/con ..thanks..

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

Mine has rails and I have no problem with them.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

I have 3 ladder stands. There are places where you must have one, but for the most part my Martix or T5 can be poped up and hunted anywhere I need to be.

RE: LADDER STANDS FOR ARCHERY SEASON
 

where I hunt there are only a few parts of the land that the cows dont go into. any place the can go to I know they will rub up against it and knock it down, dumb things grrrr. so for that reason I only have one but have not put it up yet (scared cows will destroy it) maybe if I can get a corner of the property fenced off then I will put it up. we will know then how well it works!!!