mauser06

last year on our 2 mile drag out we seen a guy with a ladder stand on wheels...he built it in the parking lot and wheeled it in and out...it doubled as a hearse for your deer after you got one too....but i cant find one to buy....we never hunt from a stand but this year we both are hunting diffrent areas and the land makes it hard to ground hunt and a stand will let us see a bit farther too....so were thinking about a ladderstand like that guys...its a state game lands and we cant damage a tree so just about everything else is out...i dont want to take a chance and buy myself an oak tree because i scratched it or something.......so anyone know where i can find one? or a way to attach the wheels? we dont have a welder....a drill and basic tools...thats about it...anyone have any plans or a site you happen to know? im sure its simple but neither of us are really big into contructing things....i can do some wood construction....but never tried metal.....the guy had his wheels where the seat is so the platform held the deer and then just secure the deer down with rope and push it out....looked like it would work pretty good....anyone know where i can get one or a way to attch wheels or a site or anything?? thanx alot...

JimPic

My bother-in-law converted his ladder stand into a deer hauler.I' ve never seen it but I kinda know how he described it.He has a 3-piece stand and he ran a 22" (I think)axle thru the top ladder rung and attached bicycle wheels using cotter pins.When he gets to his tree,he pulls the pins and wheels and sets it up.When he has to haul a deer out,he takes the 3 sections apart,bungee straps them together,puts the axle and wheels back on and rolls it out.The wheels are at the front of the stand below the platform.He said it works out real well for since he has back problems and can' t drag them out anymore.Sorry I couldn' t help out more but maybe you can picture the set-up.

Daffy

[:-] Ok let me have a stab at this problem that you are having... You could take a step " A " ladder and then about the 2nd. or 3 rd. rung attach a set of bicycle wheels.. I would use 24" mountain bike wheels just for the ground clearance.... I would use a 12 or 15 foot " A" ladder just so that you get a bit of height...the top rung of the ladder would be the part that you put a handle on for pulling... Once you have done all the modifications then use ordinary primer paint to color it to match the woods that you are going to hunt....This sounds a bit clumsy but as you say it may be better that buying a tree...Hope this will help....

" A" ladder===A frame folding ...

Tree climber

Wal-Mart has a three piece ladder stand , you can take that and run a thread all through the upper part(at the balance point),put a nut on each side of the uprights,then drill a small hole through the bolt to hold a cotter key(to hold wheels on).when you get to the tree,slide the key out lay wheels by tree,put together and hunt.as said I would use the 24" or 26" wheels for clarence.
This type stand would be a lot lighter than wood,also only $69.00 at the local super center.

hope you wear out several sets of wheels hauling deer out!!!![:-]

Daffy

Tree climber has a good idea too...but you still need a tree to hold it up..I was under the impression that it had to be free standing.....So here is another idea..4 pieces of square tubing.. 2 pieces 2" X 2" and 2 pieces 1 1/2 X1 1/2 and 3 pieces 3/4 " round bar... the 1 1/2 will fit nicely into the 2" the round stock is for the steps... start wider at the bottom and a little smaller at the top... however upi will need a welder to weld 1 -6" X 6" plate to the bottom of each leg...you can now build your tree { free standing ladder stand } as high as you want...and not use any trees to suport it... Just an idea....[:-]

mauser06

daffy has some diffrent ideas....but i dont feel safe in any a frame ladder and ahve no welder.....the stand doesnt have to be free standing at all....i just cant use a climber or screw in steps or anything htat will damage the tree....andything on the latter stand is getting a strip of carpet...im going to play it smart....will the cotter pins be enough to keep the wheels steady and not wobble or anything?i do have an old 24 inch bike......beat me what dad will ahve to do when he wants one lol.....im sure i can find a bike for 5 bux at a yard sale if needed....i guess i will get the stand first then study it and see how it will work best for me...then use your guys axle designs......thanx alot....

6ptsika

Mauser06, you certainly can use a climber in PA, there' s dozens of guys on this forum who do. You just can' t use the old kind with the spikes going into the tree, but any Summit, Loggy, API, etc, is perfectly legal.
You can buy a deer cart then lay your rifle, climber, extra clothes, etc right on top, and the deer on the way out. They sell nice ones that are very light and strong and fold up for throwing it in your vehicle. I' m trying to pick one up for a spot where there' s only walk in access, but my trail starts about a mile down a dirt road. Hell of a drag, and the state puts stones down that really tear up a deer while dragging.
Check out the ones in Cabelas, if you' re only using it a couple of times a year, you could probably make one that would work just fine using old bicycle tires.

mauser06

i am getting a summit soon but not for this year....probally for next season....im buying a muzzleloader and all the goodies soon and i am getting my driving liscense in a little over a month so i want to have enough saved by trout season to buy my own truck.....so i want to save money....and i have spots where i can leave a latter stand up all season and be fine after this year so it wont goto waste....i thought scraping the bark ect would be a way to get a nice fine...maybe damage is penetrating the bark.....i dont know the book really doesnt say....i really dont need a deer cart.... i mean it would be nice....we walk about 2 miles back one way and the drag is just as long....this year im smart...im hunting away from dad and its about 1/2 mile closer to the truck lol...we shot 3 deer one day back there....it took us a long time to get out even with the snow...without the snow we would never shot 3 like that....most of the drag is on cut game commision trails so its not so bad...but a long ways....but if i could put wheels on a ladder stand it would be easier to get back there and also double as a cart when im coming out.....if my object was a deer cart id buy one....

Jimmy S

Scraping the bark on trees is not causing the tree any damage, Using spikes/screw-ins to secure stands does damage the trees and is therefore unlawful, in my area at least. I don' t know what' s involved in trying to build that kind of ladder stand on wheels, but to me the one solution is a self-climber. I use mine each and every time I enter the deer woods. It may be a hastle at times, especially when the weather fails to cooperate, but to me it' s all worth it. I guess there are some pretty sophisticated ways to get your deer out of the woods, but to me, I prefer the old fashioned way.....since we only have one tag during M/L Rifle/Shotgun season (unless we hunt down south where we can get an additional antlerless tag), how we get our deer out of the woods is low on our priority list. Our biggest concern is putting that tag on the deer then we simply...start draggin' !