I can appreciate that.

"falcon, this makes a lot of sense too, if that hook was in there very securely!the main problem is that these stands are so top heavy that they're just awkward and dangerous to move."

Yes, they are awkward and very dangerous to move. My stand came with two long ropes for wrapping around the tree. These ropes attach to the upper part of the stand and hang down so you can wrap them around the tree in order to hold the stand in place temporarily while you make the permanent fastenings.Assembled mine with the top of the stand close to the tree trunkand pulled it up using the rope and pulley. Thenwrapped the standropes around the tree, tied them off, attached the brace, climbed up anddid the upper attachments.

In addition to the upper tie down straps i use a chain and padlock.Took a piece of treated two by four, drilled holeshalf through it for the legs to fit in and put this under the legsso they do not settle in the ground.

My son and grand daughter just love that stand. Katy spotted a ratty 11 year old buck from that stand last season and my sonkilled it. This made it all worth while for me.

Red Lion. I can appreciate the climbing stand too. Been thinking about getting one of those two but I need new boots and to restring my bow and a few purchases here and there doesn't seem like so much to my wife. So climbing stand will probably be on next year's plan.

falcon, that's great you can use it to hunt with your family.

I thought abou doing a similar thing with the bottom ladder section cause mine sunk about 6 inches into the dirt.

I can appreciate needing to prioritize your hunting needs as well, as I have #2 child on the way mid-october. I made a climber stand one of my limited priorities this year, and got a summit bullit backpacker climber. I have only used it twice to scamper up a tree, but really like it.

Congrats Red Lion! We have number two on the way any week now, which is nice cause it will give some time for things to settle down before I grab my bow this fall. I should be able to get out once or twice a week in the woods/sloughs right behind our house for a couple of hour morning or evening hunts and my wife understands now that I want to hunt sun up to sundown the opening gun weekend depending on how things go.

Anyway, my son is almost three and I'm thinking I'm going to bring him on a few hunts next year from my pop-up blind. Maybe in a couple of years he can start climbing the stand with me to watch.

Thanks and congrats to you. I wish our due date was not middle to third week of October, but what can you do. I will still be able to bow hunt during our season in MN, but will not be able to head north to Hill City for Firearms opener, so will stay more local around Big Lake and the state land around the Sherburne Wildlife Refuge. My wife knows that I would go crazy and be a major grouch if I was not afforded time to hunt all three season, bow, rifle and ML.

A two-man stand is not made to be put up by itself and most manufacturers actually mentioned that in their directions and manuals. I've struggled just like many of you and then I started simply asking a buddy of two for help. It's amazing how quick and easy they are to set when you have some help. Surely there's a friend or two that could help all of you folks. It's also much safer that way, a guy would be seriously screwed if something happened like one of those monster stands acttaully fell on ya or something. Be careful out there guys?