Tree Stands

[Reflector]

My fear of falling and unstable angles prompted me to build this.
Swivel chair.
There was not a store bought stand/ladder that would do it.
Hows your tree stand??

[Hoss]

I like it! no tree stand here though I was a ground blind man for many moons. One day my best hunting bud said go ahead use my stand. I did adn I am a big dude. I broke his stand and landed on a Mountain laurel . Glad it broke my fall even if it did poke me in a couple spots. LOL. After that day I never ventured back up a tree. My Budd would say I cant see you anyway. LOL The only time he could pick me up was if the wind blew. I was the only bush not moving in the forest. Reflector best of luck in the hunt!

[taxidermist01]

What? No hand rails? Seriously, I would add rails just for a prop if and when needed. Nice Stand. Nice view. Good luck.

[Kyflintguy]

I seriously advise you to also wear a harness. I know two people personally who have fallen from tree stands, one of whom still struggles with issues due to a severly broken leg.
You also want to check it for safety every year you use the stand, espescially if you didnt use pressure treated wood and exterior screws or nails. Weather is tough on that stuff and regular framing wood and plywood will deteriorate in a very short time.
Otherwise good luck on the hunt!

[Hoss]

I seriously advise you to also wear a harness. I know two people personally who have fallen from tree stands, one of whom still struggles with issues due to a severly broken leg.
You also want to check it for safety every year you use the stand, espescially if you didnt use pressure treated wood and exterior screws or nails. Weather is tough on that stuff and regular framing wood and plywood will deteriorate in a very short time.
Otherwise good luck on the hunt!

I agree

[Ron Kelley]

Hey Reflector, That's a great lookin stand. I took many a whitetail from tree stands when I was younger. My old bones are too afraid to leave the ground. Explaining from my own bad mistake: when you climb hold to the upright poles and not the steps and always lower your weapon on a rope.

OK here is my stupid but lucky story: I had just started down carrying my bow when the step came off in my hand. As I was falling backward I threw the bow and somehow got my feet under me. I hit the ground shaken but unhurt.

[hudson]

I have hunted from a lot worse.Just don't think I would any more. Age is starting to catch up with the ability to recover from injuries.

[Reflector]

All good advice.
The chair is bolted to the 2x 10`s. But a hand rail isn`t out of the question.And a strap.
I spent last year about 45 min with my head turned , ouch the neck.
Last year everything walked. I mean some grown ones.
This year maybe not. I`m still able to pull a bow back.
thanks guys.

[Kyflintguy]

Heres my scary story...

I was sitting in my treestand early one morning, the wind was blowing slightly with a strong gust every little bit. The tree was a massive oak, about as big as my climbing stand would fit. Suddenly i hear an enormous crack and i just had enough time to cover my head with my arms. When i look up im covered in limbs and leaves, i look up the tree and realize a massive limb aroud 15 ft long and a good 2 ft around at the base fell out of the main top of the tree. The only thing that saved me was a few other limbs below it that kept the main trunk from hitting me. One situation were my harness wouldnt have helped. After that i chose my trees more wisely. No more large limbs over my head.

[sailorjoe]

Dang, that's almost a tree house. What are you using as bait to assure that deer are gonna pass by that? That's a lot of effort and expense unless one is assured he is going to see a lot of deer. Some states don't allow bait and some do but hunters put out salt blocks, etc. to get deer in close enough for a shot. In some areas here in Alabama there are blind houses built beside grain fields where all one has to do is go up and shoot deer. In the old days in Tennessee when we use to scout deer trails and buck "rubs" we would set up a spot nearby where we might see deer passing and then figure on an ambush spot. In those days when deer were not as plentiful as now there was no way we could carry all that material back in the woods. There was no four wheelers or other such transportation. The way the old timers use to get an "edge" on deer was to use dogs to drive deer towards you in the same manner as driving rabbits with beagle dogs. That was outlawed in many states years and years ago. Just a few comments from an old guy who use to hunt but am not able to any more. Good luck to you and don't fall out of that tree.

[CoachG]

Nice stand. I prefer to ground hunt. I'm not much on being off the ground.

[sneakygroundbuzzard]

i never understood hunting deer from a tree
i have always hunted them from a ground blind

after all i have never seen a deer climb a tree
so why should i have to climb a tree to hunt them lol

seriously though, i do all my hunting from ground blinds
i have had deer so close i could reach out the blind and pet them
cant do that from a tree

[Hoss]

I wish I could hunt. I miss it so much being in the woods just smelling freshly fallen Autumn leaves. I could still do it but bad knees and back prevent me from field dressing for one and then the drag would be another no go. I would be stuck with a simple trigger pull for my enjoyment and I just do not think it would be the same as if I had gone and scouted to find the trails then to lay out some Tink's #69 doe in estrus urine.

We pretty much scouted just the same way as SailorJoe just mentioned for the old days in TN. Except I was in CT a few times up in the big woods of Maine. Now there are so many people in CT who do not hunt that the deer are a problem. Many traffic accident due to them being over populated in areas. Forested areas would have no browse from ground level all he way to the 6 foot mark on trees. SO many deer they would just eat everything from the ground to as high as the could reach. Most deer we took would have healed over broken bones from surviving getting hit by cars. A real problem up there. A legal Hunter can take 12 deer a year if they pursue all the proper tags. Between Archery, Black Powder , Private Land , and State Land lottery a hunter can get loads of meat for the freezer. If you tag out early in Archery they give more tags for the following January winter hunt. I never went that rout I would take one or two My hunting buddy and I would split every deer. Lots of fun and lots of stories from those days.

Ground blinds can be a hazard too. That day I fell I picked myself up and moved over to a small rock and sat down. I was a bit shaken and sore so I did not bother to knock an arrow. My tinks was laid out in the trail right near me. I was just regaining my composure when I heard a foot fall behind me. Expecting a squirrel I turn to look and a doe is standing there. She looked like her fur was on backwards and her tongue was hanging out of her mouth about 8 inches. Just then I hear a grunt. Then another and this big ole buck runs right up to my tinnks give a sniff looks at the doe which is in a line behind me now. He must have been after her all night it was November 9 and peak Rut in CT. No hesitation on this Bucks part he charges straight at her. .I was in full camo. All I could do was stand straight up in a split second he was right in my face with all four of his legs putting on the brakes and spreading to the sides like a cartoon as his eyes got wide as baseballs with the realization it was a man standing there. This was split seconds I did not have time for anything. All I could do was try to knock an arrow as I watched him run off after his gal pal.

Another time. It was dark and early Oct Bow season I sat on a pair of mating copperheads. I never saw a copper head before that day. Here was two under my leg as the sun rose I was like what the H E double toothpicks. Luckily they slowly slithered off. I did not get bit but always wondered about them two. The next year I took a Nuisance Wildlife control officer training course. I learned copperheads mate in the Fall and give live birth in the Spring. I guess they were so busy bumping uglies that they did not even notice I was there.

Oh well I have more but my toes are getting tired from all this typing!

[Reflector]

No bait, although allowed.

Only bait is a running doe. Indians I`m sure did and still use trees as an advantage w/concealment and vantage point.
But the monsters I`m letting walk would indicate somethings going right. Its like the sportsman channel the minute I arrive.
Also in a great area. The biggest deer I`ve seen are on the short walk home from the stand. It gets dark quicker back in the woods.
Some very nice posts. Thanks for the read.

[sailorjoe]

Hoss, those are some great stories you told. One of the things I miss about going to hunting camp with a friend or two is the stories at night around the fire before turning in for the night. I haven't hunted since I messed up my knee badly in a car wreck in the summer of 1999. I haven't hunted whitetail deer since I moved to Alaska in the mid 70's. But over the years when I lived there I did a lot of moose and caribou hunting. I also got to hunt Sitka blacktail deer on Kodiak Island and Dall sheep in the Alaska Range but moose and caribou were the main big game species I hunted in those days. After retiring and moving back south, I just did fishing and sailing. BTW, that Sitka blacktail on Kodiak has to be the sweetest venison I ever ate. It is tasty beyond belief.