I got to talking with my father about hunting while they were out for a visit a while back. He purchased a tree stand a couple seasons back and quit using it because he doesn't feel as steady being up so high anymore (he's 71). Said I could have it.

I hunted (bow) from a stand back in the late 80's, but always saw more deer from the ground (connecting is a whole `nother story).

Any of you guys hunt from a treestand (climber)? Am I just fooling myself thinking I'd be better off up in the air?

Your thoughts, opinions, tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated.

I have been using a climber for years. Love to bowhunt and it really gives an added edge for a close shot. Use it with handguns
as well. You should always use a safety harness. If you have one from the stand and it is old, replace it even if it looks fine. Had several friends severely injured and one paralyzed from waist down from falling out of tree stands.

I have hunted on foot and tree stand for over 40 years. I have seen lots of game from both. Mostly on the ground the game I have seen have been in high gear going in the opposite direction. I have had far more success hunting froma tree stand then on the ground. Your scent is less of an issue and your movement is less as well. But don't be fooled, if anyone tells you a deer won't look up their off their rocker. If you are hunting areas where winds can shift quickly or in an area that doesn't allow for a safe stalk then a tree stand will be far better. Not to mention heavily wooded areas that will not allow for long shots and are noisy if you are on foot are also better served from above.

Roger that, 460. I know my dad probably got a new one when he bought the stand, but it remains to be seen if it's worthy of use.




Well, my current spot of choice is wedged right between a milo field and a strip of thick, noisy woods (50 yds wide), which runs along river. There's evidence of a lot of deer traffic and while I'd love to take a big Kansas buck with the revolver, in all honesty, I just want to pack the freezer with some venison.

I figured by placing myself on the edge of that thick wooded strip I'd be open for shots both into the open field edge and into the thicker woods.

Winds here are pretty consistent, but getting up may help solve some unforeseen scent problems. There's not a lot of open woods or areas that seem (to me at least) to favor stalking. All the areas I walked last season rabbit hunting (couldn't swing deer hunting last year) seemed to show that the deer prefer the thick edges to hide their movement. I know they like to feed in the fields, but I'm shooting with a revo, not a rifle.

Sounds like a perfect ambush area for you. The deer will defiantely use the heavy field edge cover as a staging area before heading into the field to feed. The problem with open field spaces meeting up with wooded edges is winds will definately swirl as different rates of heating and cooling occur at the tree line as well as the turbulent air created by eddy lines from the trees. Sounds like a good climbing stand is your best bet. If your not real comfortable with climbers there are a ton of inexpensive one and two man ladder stands that would allow you to take your father with you. Just a thought.

I do most of my hunting from tree stands for many of the reasons mentioned above. FWIW...

I would say that about 80% of my time deer hunting is from a tree stand, and probably 90% of my success comes from "above". In the thick timber where I hunt a can see the deer much better than if I am on the ground.

I recommend one of the better quality harnesses available now like those from Hunters Safety System. I also saw what looked like a good one from Muddy Outdoors (no affiliation). I have found that these harnesses/vests that are easier to put on are much more likely to be used...and you MUST use them.

We used to just nail some boards into a tree and climb in...no safety straps or anything. I have had so many close calls there that I am lucky to be here. Remember SAFETY FIRST and I bet your deer success will increase.

Dan

i don't use treestands anymore. i recommend looking at the summit viper(if it is still labeled that) climber if you want it to be easy, lightweight, and comfortable.

at a ripe young 48....i'm done with that crap

I hunt mostly from treestands due to the areas in which I hunt and like what has already been said its an advantage but not bullet proof. The damn deer due look up Cf is 100% right!

It Sounds like you have a great spot picked out, only advice I can give you is make sure you have back cover, Its a must to help break up your profile. If you dont have the proper tree with back cover, zip ties and brush work well especally later in the season when foilage is gone

I can't stand to stand for very long. After about an hour I have to do something so I still hunt or spot/stalk almost exclusively. The trees around here won't allow a climber, too many low branches so we use ladders mostly. An hour in the morning and an hour in the evening on stand, the rest of the day on foot.

FWIW, I actually use latter stands, but it the same concept to me...

Odin,

Not much help on stands, but if your dad is giving up the hunt because of not being able to use one, perhaps you could look into ground blinds for him. I suspect they might be less effective overall, but might be better than sitting the hunt out at home.

Craig

We built a few permanent elevated stands on some of the more popular areas in our hunting area for the old timers. They are about 6'x6'x7' tall with a stairway. No worries about falling out or falling down when climbing. Sure beats sitting in the truck on a field edge, or just staying in camp.

BB, good call. I thought the same thing. I also use ground blinds and have success with them many tmes. I posted a pic of a doe I shot a few years ago here. It was taken from a ground blind. My recommendation for putting ground blinds up are that you place a few weeks before hunting them. The dee will get acclimated to them no problem. I have watched on more then one occasion where guys at my hunt club set up bilnds on the edge of fields and sem deer take one look at them and leave and not come back until after dark. And the blinds were definately down wind of the deer. But all that said they do offer another good choice especially for older or handicapped folks.

Good call!! We had done the same thing at hunting camps before.

I bought a Gelly suite last year. Hunted from the ground if you can keep wind in your face deer would come pretty close.

I used it turkey hunting this year. Had hens with in 10 yds never knew I was there.

Thanks to everyone for chiming in. All you input has been great and greatly appreciated. I'm working my way through a 15-hour day, so hopefully some of my comments below actually make sense.



Thanks for the tips on harnesses, Muddy. Now that I think of it, my dad might just keep his, so I'll have to start looking. I'm off to the big city this weekend, might need to stop in at Cabela's and Gander Mountain.



My dad said his was a "Cabela's" and from what I can tell, they sold re-branded Summit stands a few years back. Heck, anything is better than the rickety-rope-ladder model I used back in my teenage years!



I've thought about this and like the knucklehead that I am, I missed my chance at some skyline camo insulated bibs that were on clearance last season at Cabela's. I was actually going to use them on the ground. Ninety-nine percent of the camo out there is such a joke - waaaay to dark and detailed. The rest is either too expensive for my wallet, or made of some sort of fleece which would leave me in briar hell.

Zip ties and some broken limbs sound like the perfect "helper".




The old man is far, far from giving up hunting. He's got a permanent stand at his little honey hole near the orchard. And just last year he purchased a crossbow because of accuracy "issues" with his compound. His Savage 99 (.300 Sav.) will most certainly have to be pried from his cold, dead hands.

(accuracy issues means he could no longer get all the arrows to touch at 30 yards. the man is crazy.)

I just wish I could hunt with him again. It's 1,000 miles to home and I am, how does one say this, of rather limited financial means.

if i come to an area i have to have a stand these days, i'll probably get a ladder stand. i just hunt local and really don't have the interest i used too.

I have a couple of climbers, but mostly anymore, hunt from ladder stands or tripods overlooking fields. A good restraint system is a must have. I have the HSS but the muddy also looks good.

I can't use a climber down here. With the young shooters I have growing up in the family a traditional hanging tree stand isn't good either. LOL That is the reason I have been using a couple of two man ladder stands. we each have to fit our own needs!

Odin,

I have hunted out of climbers for nearly 30 years, and find them especially useful when adjusting to fickle winds and various game travel patterns. As a bowhunter and handgun hunter, they allow me to setup close to established game trails, food sources, active scrapes, etc without conditioning game to the presence of a stand. Don't get me wrong - I do have permanents that I hunt (ladders, lock-ons, box blinds, etc), but I have killed many deer that were conditioned to come in and "look" for the hunter in the permanent stand.

As far as safety harnesses go, I purchased the Summit "Seat of the Pants" system years ago (before Summit bought the company) because it was the closest thing on the market to my rock climbing harnesses. And I figured if I would trust my life to falling off a rock face with one, it'd work pretty well on a spill out of my treestand.

Seat of the Pants

Regarding the climbers themselves, I hunt from the SuperMag from Austin Outdoors. Rock solid, lightweight, roomy platform, and the option to face towards or away from the tree with adjustable backrest/gunrest.

SuperMag Treestands

As with any of my hunting tools, I practice with my climbers. I practice putting it up quietly, climbing quietly, setting up in the dark, etc. And of course, shooting from the stand (especially with bow). Good advice above regarding avoiding skylining and silhouettes...also helpful to trim up potential trees prior to season if you don't have a bunch of straight, limbless trees in the area.

Good luck!

Thanks SChunter, I didn't know if folks practiced with their stands or not, but I figured I'd head out to a spot close to home and find a good practice tree. I want it to be second nature, and I know that it'll take some work.

It'll be mid August before I can get out in the field to trim up a couple sites though. I'm really itchin' to now, but just don't have the time (working 50-60hrs weekly).I have so many fond memories of going out to "get the tree ready" with my dad. Now it'll be my son going with me. Never thought it would happen (so glad that it is).

Yep practice for sure. SC hit it dead on. Remember you will be setting it up in the dark and taking it down in the dark as well. If your moving or unless you setup mid day.

A couple of other pieces of advise....

When you are setting up your stand at the base of the tree, remember that the tree tapers toward the top, which means the climber platform will normally be an an uncomfortable upward angle when you are at the bottom of the tree, however by the time you get to hunting height, it will have leveled out nicely.
Whe I was fairly new to climbers I had several incidents where I ended up going up and down the tree 2x because I forgot about this little fact. It is no fun being 20ft up in a tree and having your platform canted downward 15 or 20 degrees.

Make sure you tie the top and bottom of the climber together before ascending the tree. More than one hunter has been stranded in a tree after the bottom half of his climber took a one way trip to the bottom of the tree after the teeth failed to bite. About 4 years ago I had to rescue my buddy with my climber after his base did exactly that.

It is not enough to wear your harness once you are up in the stand. Most falls occur during the transition from the stand to the ladder or vice versa. Once you leave terra firma, keep that harness secured until you are back down again.

Lastly, while the SOP (seat-of-the-pants) harnesses are great for arresting a fall, you can still end up dangling below your stand with no way to get back into it. Use one of the self rescue systems to either allow you to climb back into your stand or descend to the ground. It has been proven that hanging from a harness for a relatively short period of time can cause suspension trauma and lead to death....even without actually falling to the ground. Suspension Trauma

I have bowhunted from treestands for whitetail deer for 31 years. That being said, I enjoy gun hunting from the ground. I like to be able to move when I need to. I also enjoy stalking game. The best treestand I have ever used was a Summit Viper. I feel safer using a climbing stand than trying to climb into a hanging stand.



Always wear a safety harness!

I like my Summit backpacker, same as a viper but it folds down which makes the to halfs the same size. Have napped in it many times, super safe and easy to use. Problably should start practicing with it, been a few years due to illness.

I used a ol man climber for years and switched to a summit 180 stand. I wanted the 180 so I could face the tree and rest my handgun on it when needed. It is the most comfortable stand I have tried. I can't bowhunt out of it but use my ol man for that. The 180 can be used to sit away or facing the tree too. As for as using a tree stand or not, I am not hunting unless I am in a tree. If you have a doe come around you and spook you can forget seeing the buck trailing behind her a few minutes.

Good luck and welcome to the site.