I feel like this may be a dumb question to some but who runs a ladder stand? I'm wanting to put one up so my better half can come sit with me in the evenings sometimes. Any pros or cons?
Ladder stands?
- Thread starter rooster85
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nis1
Junior Member
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I agree with what beentown has said. I have a couple double ladder stands and they just aren't tall enough. They're also heavy and not easy to get up in a tree. May be a better investment to get blind if your wanting to actually sit beside her. If you have to be in a tree, I like hanging double sets with lock ons better than having a double ladder. That way, you can still be in the tree with her without sticking out like crazy 14 feet in the air.
They can be heavier and harder to put up. Most people feel fairly safe in them unless it is one of the cheap, basic ladder stands. Some of those you feel like you could fall off at any moment. The only other downside I see is: Your wife would be in the woods with you when you want your time to escape reality to yourself. hahaha I'm teasing. Everyone is different. My wife and I enjoy time together but hunting isn't one of the things to do together.
I like ladder stands. A lot. But they NEED to be in the right tree. I particularly like multi-trunk maples.
cspot
Member
Depends on how much your better half likes to talk. :smiley_crocodile:
I really like ladderstands. We do alot of quick after work/school hunts and a ladderstand allows a quick quiet access to them. Getting the right tree where you have some concealment can be an issue especially later in the season when the leaves are off. Obvious downsides are they are bulkier to move and are easier for thieves to see. If hunting public land that can be a bigger issue.
I really like ladderstands. We do alot of quick after work/school hunts and a ladderstand allows a quick quiet access to them. Getting the right tree where you have some concealment can be an issue especially later in the season when the leaves are off. Obvious downsides are they are bulkier to move and are easier for thieves to see. If hunting public land that can be a bigger issue.
Joel
Senior Member
Another ladder stand fan here. Never tried a double one though. A blind would be easier and probably more comfortable .
All I run is ladder stands (Rivers Edge) and they're comfortable and you can get them in 20' so you some decent height... I can hunt all day out of them and not get too fatigued...
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KYhunter
Junior Member
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Gonna echo everyone else on this one. I prefer to be up higher in a lock on, but I do run a couple ladder stands. They are quieter and easier to get in, I also feel much safer sitting in a ladder stand. The key to ladder stands is most def picking the right tree. I've got a 15' buddy stand in a very large beech tree and I've never been busted in it. We hung it specifically to take kids on youth hunts to harvest their first deer.
I prefer a hang on myself, but I do have 2 ladder stands positioned nicely in multi trunked trees and behind good cover.
motorbreaker
*Supporting Member I*
All we use is ladder stands, At 280 lbs i'm done with hang on's. Had a cable break on me once. Also just use x bows and guns so the shooting rail is a huge plus. We weld them together from top to bottom to make them quiet. It also makes them harder to steal. Most of our single ladders are 22', Plenty high enough. We have doubles from 12 to 18' Most of the short stands are in large cedar trees with plenty of cover.
Some good advice here. I have a couple hangons and about a dozen ladder stands. If running a double, I suggest in buying the mesh 3-D netting. It will hide you so much better and allow for some movement. Also depends where your hunting. If you are hunting in the middle of big timber, you will stick out something terrible. I hunt mostly field edges up here and usually find a multi trunk tree or a tree with a bunch of smaller ones around it to conceal it. They can be noisy where you bolt them together. What I do is take plastic zip ties and stuff them in the cracks of the joints then tape over them. Any type of small shim will work, I like those because they are plastic and wont rot out. That will eliminate the awkward metal "Creak" when your climbing in.
We've been hunting together for years, she's hunted mule deer, blacktail and hogs with me. We fished all over from Mexico to Oregon together as well. We haven't hunted together in a few years though, with a little one at home who's not ready to hunt it's hard.
I'd rather use a ladder stand to be elevated but a ground blind doesn't sound bad either. It'll be during gun season so she won't have to be motionless but she's good about not fidgeting, well, she's gotten better. Her first couple of hunts were pretty trying on me. Lol
I'd rather use a ladder stand to be elevated but a ground blind doesn't sound bad either. It'll be during gun season so she won't have to be motionless but she's good about not fidgeting, well, she's gotten better. Her first couple of hunts were pretty trying on me. Lol
Bigcountry40
Member
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I have to 3 ladder stands, 3 hang ons with sticks and 3 self climbers , I prefer the self climbers, but of course feel the ladder stands are the safest and the climbing sticks the most unsafe but are the most versatile. I dont use ladder stands in north west ohio (to flat, they stick out to much where I hunt). Eastern Ohio I try to use ladder stands on side of a hill with some sort of cover, so if the cheap ladder stand is only 18 foot in the air on the side of the hill I'm like 30' in the air.