Mobile tree platform vs fixed tree stand
 

Me and a friend of mine were having a debate. He swears by fixed tree stands as the best platform for deer hunting. I prefer my tree saddle because of its mobility and basically, i can go up any tree I want.

His point was that the biggest negative of my saddle was that it takes some time to set up and some noise. It takes me 20 minutes to set up and I guess makes some noise but not that much.

I never saw this as a huge negative, partially because you're always going to cause a disturbance coming in anyway. does anyone think he is right? We hunt in new England which is very thick anyway.

He's not right or wrong. Do what works for you.

I mostly hunt from my feet. But I have ladder, hang on and climbing stands.

My hang on stands with climbing sticks is my preferred mobile stand set up now. But I have a ladder stand behind my dad's place that's been stationary there for years. And you can probably walk out there tonight and shoot a doe if you wanted to.

The obvious advantage of a mobile set up is the ability to move wherever you want to be. Like you, using a lineman's belt and climbing sticks I can get that stand hung anywhere in under twenty minutes. And I don't even make that much noise typically unless I screw up. Hanging the sticks and stand is quieter than my walk in most of the time. I've got a good system that works.

I added a second stand to it this year for my junior hunters. We did it Saturday for the first time. From leaving the truck to sitting in the stands was 40 minutes and we were 800 yards from where we parked.

-Jake

there are pr's and con's to both
as stated use what ever you like
,
me personally I prefer using known stand sites/tree's
as then I know more or less yardages, what the view will be like, and I am 100% certian I can get in and out with less noise and leaving less scent on the ground doing so
the less energy you exert the less your body has to work and as such, the less scent it will make IMO

carrying in stands and setting them up, even the fastest one's and lightest one's
still cause you to burn more calories than if you wee not carrying one in and setting it up,taking down at end of day and so on!

another pro to set up stands is deer actually get used to them being there over time, all the m ore so if you have them over things like food plots and such, where having a set places stand makes very good sense, as deer hit food plots more consistently, than other food sources!

I typically only use preset stands on either lands I own or have permission to, so, that is a big part of where I use what type of stand!

like said, pro's and con's to both,,use what makes you happy!

I have hunted out of fixed, lock ons and climber tree stands. Most of the fixed were over food plots which drew in deer. The lock on and climber stands would be put up and taken down or moved regularly. I always had my best luck on the first day or two that a temporary stand was used. For ease of use and comfort I like a climber providing the area has plenty of straight trees. The lock ons were accessed with strap on climbing sticks. No matter which temporary stand I used I have to mention I always used a HSS vest and stayed attached to the tree.

I'm guilty of not using a harness in ladder stands sometimes.

But in my strap on and climbing stand I do.

Using a lineman's belt makes hanging the strap on stand and climbing sticks much easier anyway. It would be tough without the belt and harness.

The belt frees my hands up to hang the steps/stands.

-Jake

My personal perferance is a hang on stand with ladder sticks. I also have ladder and climbing stands. I haven't used my loggy bayou climber in years only ladder and hang ons. ALWAYS use a harness and climbing belt when setting up a stand and once up use a lifeline rope to get up and down so I don't have to mess with a tree strap.
NOTE: Always check your stands at the end of the season. Either replace rusted cables and bolts or trash the stand. (Old stands make good campfire grills!)

I have never hunted from a portable stand, I always hunted next to a tree that was in an area with lots of deer trails on public land. Then in the 80's I got permission to hunt my wife's family's property. It is a little over 100 acres and is mostly wooded with some grass hay fields and a huge pine plantation in the center. I looked around and found a spot thaat was a pinch point and befrore I could build a permanent stand one of the owners did it for me. I was successful year after year until the owner of the property my stand on sold her land and the new land owner said no. So I found another spot on the property that was even better and build a permanent stand big enough for my grandson and I. That stand was attached to 4 trees and every spring I would have to refasten the stand to the trees because of tree movement. It got to the point where I would have had to put 9 inch screws into the trees to secure the stand. I then moved about 50 yards away and erected a 360 tower stand and have never looked back.

I have been taking 1 or 2 deer a year form this stand since I built it. It really doesn't matter how mobile you are if you are where the deer want to be. That takes scouting every year.

Looks comfortable and safe. Nice hunting spot OT

I am tickled with the stand. 360 degrers visibility, 13 windows that open, 6'6 high and 6'wide. On cold days I fire up the my buddy propane heater for a while and no longer have to worry about the cold weather. I am not as young as I used to be,:D

That is a SWEET hunting tower OT.

-Jake

Wow Oldtimr that's cheating! LOL I know what you mean about getting old though. When my alarm goes off at 4;30 or 5:00 I lay there for a couple mins deciding if I really want to get up and face the cold or just stay there nice and cozy under the covers! 5 years ago it was about 80 - 20 in favor of gong out. These days it might be closer to 50-50. Most of the time my decision is based on "Alexa" when I ask her what the temperature is! And rain - ain't a chance of going out. I killed enough deer and just enjoy being out there enjoying God's creation and being comfortable doing it. ( But I can honestly say when I do force myself to go out on those frigid mornings - I'm glad I did)
One of the coolest things I'll never forget was on a very frosty morning during archery season a few years ago. It was 28* and I was up in my treestand when this 8 pointer came trotting in I guess looking for a hot doe. He stopped at 20 yards facing me and had vapor coming out his nose on an angle. Reminded me of a fire breathing dragon in the movies. He turned and walked past my stand giving me a perfect broadside shot. After the hit he only ran 35-40 yards and fell over.

:D:biggrin:, Yeah, I know what you mean, My alarm is set for 4:00 and for the first couple of days of the season I jump out of bead and get dressed, go downstairs and turn on the coffee pot, get my gear ready to be loaded, have a cup of coffee, load the truck and head out at 5. Then about 4 days into the season I lay there after the alarm goes off and think about it a while before I crawl out of bed. News flash, the older you get, the longer you will probably lay in bed and think about it.

You might check this mounting bracket / hanging / adjusting / leveling system, it's called The Tree Hugger Bracket. I bought one to try at the Iowa Deer Classic last weekend. They said Friday was their first debut, I couldn't resist buying one to see for myself, their display was very convincing. You can check them out at: treehuggerbracket.com

I started a "permanent" tree stand program last summer. The goal is to build 6 stands on our property using the "hub and spoke" theory. The stands are the hubs and I used a chainsaw to cut shooting lanes as the spokes. All the stands are built with good lumber and 3 inch lag bolts. This summer I plan on building stands 3 and 4. Because we built stands 1 and 2 last summer....all we need to do is trim up the shooting lanes and stands 1 and 2 will be good to go.
As others have mentioned, permanent stands keep me quieter going in and out of the woods and the animals get acclimated! I also have a 12 year old son and comfort is a big deal in keeping him engaged.

Permanent Stand
 

Before I had the tower stand I had two permanent stands fastened to three or four trees and I used heavt lag bolts, Because the trees sway with the wind after the 2nd year I had to replace the lag bolts with longer ones because they were getting loose and pulling out, When I got to 6 inch bolts I decided to get a tower stand. This is one of them. It was very producting but I just got tired of the constant maintance.

capital one bank in florida

Both Stands have their own Pros and Cons
 

Both Ladder Tree Stands (Fixed) and Climbing Tree Stands (Mobile) have their own Pros & Cons. One can't say that Ladder Tree Stands are better than Climbing Tree Stands and vice versa.
If a climbing tree stand takes you 20 mins to set up, it also makes you go much higher on the tree as compared to a fixed tree stand. You can read more about the difference between the two stands and their benefits and drawbacks on this website https://thehuntingdude.com/ladder-st...ng-tree-stand/

That would all depend on where you hunt . I used to move around and hunt different spots that had deer use sign. Then I was luck enough to get access to 100 acres of private land which I scouted hard and found where the heavily used trails were and picked a spot that had several heavily used trails and and a pinch point and that spot was not near any of the other three hunters on the property so I build a permanant elevated stand and never looked back. I was much more comsistantly successful that I ever was hopping from spot to spot. Eventually as I got older I bought an enclosed elevated stand that allows me to keep much of my gear in it such as a heater and swivel chair etc about 50 yards from my open stand wich I knocked down. If you only have public ground to hunt, mobility is probably the best bet but if you can gain access to a good piece of private ground and lean it well, it is not necessary to be mobile. I kill more deer where I hunt now being stationary than I ever did being mobile and I am a heck of a lot more comfortable as well. In addittion, you will find that the older you get the more comfort will mean to you.