We have a few ladder stands and use them quite often. They work great! We try to place them either directly in a cedar or pine tree or in a deciduous tree that is right next to a pine for extra cover. They simply don't see you if you do that in my experience.

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I hunt exclusively out of ladder stands, 80% of them are of the homemade (wood 2x4) variety, most of them are in the 15" range.

If you are going to buy a metal one, make sure the seat flips up, makes a world of difference in comfort and having the ability to set up for a good shot.

The most important thing about a ladder stand is tree selection.

A single trunk tree with limited branch cover is setting yourself up for a lot of frustration. (excluding a good bushy pine) If at all possible find a double trunk tree and wedge the stand up into it providing you with a nice back drop that will allow you to blend into the skyline.

The difference between a 15' stand and a 20' stand is huge, that extra 5' is usually enough that the deer will make it to and past the stand with out them busting you if you do make some movement. (of course you have to play the wind properly but that holds true for all stand placement)

And whatever you do, don't forget to use a saftey harness, even with the rails on the side of a ladder stand, it is an illusion of saftey.

I love ladder stands and you can tuck them into cover! All you need is a good saw and some creativity. I have killed most of my deer out of 15 foot ladder stands.

I've been using ladder stands for 6 years now without problems. I re-did the paint job on them to multi color flat black and brown. I move them during season and have had 2 deer walk between the ladder and tree. It helps to have a teenage son help with moving them though. I prefer them over my climbers now, especially the noise part.

I have all three like the ladder stand the best

I keep one 15'Ladder stand set in a funnel that is always good and has lots of cover.

Nothing easier than walking out and crawling up in that stand. I would probably use more ladder stands,but intially they are a pain to set up and then a pain to move. The rest is pretty pain free!![8D]

I think as long as you are in a spot that has adequate cover they work Great!!

Dan

As long as you have good cover and a pretty good back drop you'll be good. My ladder stands are15 &16 feet. One of my ladder stands has horrible cover in the front, but agreat backdrop, and it was productive a lot. IMO, when it comes to ladder stands, its all about gettng the stand up real early, like spring, and having some sort of cover.. Just my opinion, I could be wrong

I love ladder stands....I've killed a 173" P&Y from a 15 ft and this year a 154" from a 12 ft. Plus I've killed a bunch of other deer from them. If you have good cover behind you that breaks upyour out line you will be fine. I dont have any cover in front of me. I like the ease and lack of noise getting in ladder stands also. If I could I would only hunt from ladder stands but that can't always happen.

I've always wondered this too. I hunt mostly ladder stands. I've had a lot of success out of them and rarely noticed a negative about them. Like others have said just make sure it's brushed in pretty good and watch your backdrop. Get them up early too. Mine stay up all year round. I've had some that have been out there for over 10 years. I just spend a day checking them all out and making little adjustments if necessary. IMO they become part of the woods. Nothing beats the ability to just slither up the ladder with no noise and be hunting in 10 seconds.