Tree Stands, help!

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SoonerMedic

SoonerMedic

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So, I've gotten a few hundred dollars for my birthday and they're split between Cabela's and Academy. I've decided I do want to buy a tree stand and some quick sticks for the upcoming season as I feel like some places will do better with a tree stand and some places with a pop-up blind. I've decided to stay within about a $120 budget and these stands are all very similar with the main differences (that I've noticed) is the weights. Is it worth it to save 2-4 lbs? I know that it'll cut down that much on packing in and out, especially if I decide to hunt public land. Does anybody have any personal experience with any of these? Pros and cons? Is the harness that is provided sufficient and comfortable enough to use or would upgrading be wise? Any help is welcome!

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/brow...=grid&CQ_ztype=GNU&CQ_ref=~priceRange-300|400
 
out of those I would go hawk. I have the biggame/muddy boss xl and its a giant unsafe piece of crap. several welds busted on the mesh floor when I first stepped on it.

Yes, weight does make a difference when packing in and out considering the pack, harness and bow/gun it helps a lot. my word of advice is never skimp on a treestand or harness because it could cost you being able to walk again or worse. I spent almost $350 on a summit goliath climber and it was well worth it for weight, safety and comfort.

I would also save the money for a summit climber or a millennium hang on and hawk sticks. climber is a little easier if your new to stands.
 
Having a climber would be nice, I agree...but in Oklahoma, the trees don't always like to grow straight and often have large branches that are fairly low. I would rather not have to saw or prune anything larger than my thumb so that I don't make too much noise or cause much unnecessary stress to the tree. I would be happy to spend $250-300 on a hanging stand and sticks package, but I don't think any companies do this. I really haven't looked though.
 
i have those sticks and its only 3 and they only get me 6ft6 about 14ft high and they are heavy. hawk helium sticks are the way to go.
 
ohihunter2014 said:
i have those sticks and its only 3 and they only get me 6ft6 about 14ft high and they are heavy. hawk helium sticks are the way to go.
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It has 4 sticks included. Plus I read where I can make some strap steps to attach to the bottom of the first stick to give about 5 more feet of height. I'm good with packing in 35lbs. I am trying to budget to where I can buy some Carbon Express Maxima Red arrows as well as some other things.
 
SoonerMedic said:
It has 4 sticks included. Plus I read where I can make some strap steps to attach to the bottom of the first stick to give about 5 more feet of height. I'm good with packing in 35lbs. I am trying to budget to where I can buy some Carbon Express Maxima Red arrows as well as some other things.
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do what I do and buy a little here and there. millennium is the lightest, most comfy hang on ive used and can be found on sale and uses a bracket to hang. I have 4 brackets I'm going to stick on 2 farms and use 4 of those hawk sticks. id buy the good light sticks now, arrows next month and stand after that when they go on sale before opening day. I tried the rope thing but wasn't a fan. it kicked out and made the stick kick sideways. if I did a rope step it would only be on the bottom one.

do you have a good full body harness like a hunter safety system? you need that before buying anything and a linemans belt for hanging the sticks and stand.
 
ohihunter2014 said:
do what I do and buy a little here and there. millennium is the lightest, most comfy hang on ive used and can be found on sale and uses a bracket to hang. I have 4 brackets I'm going to stick on 2 farms and use 4 of those hawk sticks. id buy the good light sticks now, arrows next month and stand after that when they go on sale before opening day. I tried the rope thing but wasn't a fan. it kicked out and made the stick kick sideways. if I did a rope step it would only be on the bottom one.

do you have a good full body harness like a hunter safety system? you need that before buying anything and a linemans belt for hanging the sticks and stand.
Click to expand...

These stands that I've been looking at come with full body harnesses and I'm thinking they come with areas to clip into for a linemans belt style rope to go around the tree.
 
SoonerMedic said:
These stands that I've been looking at come with full body harnesses and I'm thinking they come with areas to clip into for a linemans belt style rope to go around the tree.
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those harnesses will not save you in a fall, they just put them in there for insurance reasons. trust me on this one I know a guy whos killed more deer and big game animals and has more time in a stand than any of us and he was wearing one of those and the stand broke and he broke his back and laid there for hours. my friend and I also tested out the ones that come with the stand by actually stepping off the stand about 8ft up and they didn't work so well. one leg strap actually came loose.
 
Just a decent safety harness is going to almost blow your budget . Just throw the harness that comes with the stand away , they are terrible .

I would get a Summit Viper Climbing stand . I got mine on sale for around $250 dollars . I would get a quality harness especially if you are going to use one of those hang on stands . I like the Hunter Safety Treestalker , $99 dollars . I use the Hunter Safety rope style tree strap for my tree strap . It makes it much easier to climb up and down the tree and still be attached . Get a good limb saw , I have the Wicked Tough folding saw and it is a good one , $40 dollars .

It is going to be noisy setting up to climb a tree and while climbing it , no doubt about it , but I kill more deer and see more deer when I use one .
 
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red rick said:
Just a decent safety harness is going to almost blow your budget . Just throw the harness that comes with the stand away , they are terrible .

I would get a Summit Viper Climbing stand . I got mine on sale for around $250 dollars . I would get a quality harness especially if you are going to use one of those hang on stands . I like the Hunter Safety Treestalker , $99 dollars . I use the Hunter Safety rope style tree strap for my tree strap . It makes it much easier to climb up and down the tree and still be attached . Get a good limb saw , I have the Wicked Tough folding saw and it is a good one , $40 dollars .

It is going to be noisy setting up to climb a tree and while climbing it , no doubt about it , but I kill more deer and see more deer when I use one .
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But like I said, I would rather not molest the hell out of every tree I climb, ya know? I know it's probably a silly thing to be adamant about, but I just don't think I should have to cut a bunch of branches and limbs off to climb a tree. Just seems a little silly. I did find a nice Harness on sale at Cabelas for about $60 (originally $150) that has great reviews. I figured that would have probably been the case that I needed to get a new harness, but who knows maybe it'll be alright? I tried to find reviews on the harnesses themselves on Youtube but I was unsuccessful.
 
Molest a tree ?

I can understand if there are thick branches . Around here the trees I climb , I rarely have to cut any limbs and if I do , its usually just 1 or 2 higher up in the tree that are only about 6 inches or less in diameter ..
 
red rick said:
Molest a tree ?

I can understand if there are thick branches . Around here the trees I climb , I rarely have to cut any limbs and if I do , its usually just 1 or 2 higher up in the tree that are only about 6 inches or less in diameter ..
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I know I know it sounds like hippie liberal s#*t but, I feel like it's something we should all take care of. I mean the woods do provide the things that feed the things we like to hunt. It only makes sense to take care of them and tread as lightly as possible.
 
Buy a hangon a sticks and a hunter safety system harness or tree spider! I've been doing this for quite awhile and the least little movement the wrong way can send you screaming to the ground. please do not mess with the stand harness as it's complete garbage.
 
Armored farmer I kind of hunt with a mix of the way you and your sons hunt . I have several ladder stands set up in areas I hunt a lot and I use my climber when going to new areas . My Summit Viper is so comfortable , I could fall asleep in it and I feel safe in it . I have had it slip down a few inches once or twice on a slick tree . That makes your butt pucker and reinforces the use of a good safety harness and tree strap . If you haven't tried the Hunter Safety rope style tree strap , I highly recommend it for the easy of use . I use to not attach a strap to the tree while climbing until I got to the where I was going to sit . I now use it climbing up and down because it works so easy .

I will add my uncle fell out of a tree stand hunting alone after he retired . He has not hunted since . It broke both of his legs and he had to crawl to his truck and drive it to the road using a stick to work the pedals and flag down help . This was before cell phones were mainstream .
 
red rick said:
Armored farmer I kind of hunt with a mix of the way you and your sons hunt . I have several ladder stands set up in areas I hunt a lot and I use my climber when going to new areas . My Summit Viper is so comfortable , I could fall asleep in it and I feel safe in it . I have had it slip down a few inches once or twice on a slick tree . That makes your butt pucker and reinforces the use of a good safety harness and tree strap . If you haven't tried the Hunter Safety rope style tree strap , I highly recommend it for the easy of use . I use to not attach a strap to the tree while climbing until I got to the where I was going to sit . I now use it climbing up and down because it works so easy .

I will add my uncle fell out of a tree stand hunting alone after he retired . He has not hunted since . It broke both of his legs and he had to crawl to his truck and drive it to the road using a stick to work the pedals and flag down help . This was before cell phones were mainstream .
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Yes
I like my summit. It is so comfortable and secure. I have side bags that I leave some gear like rattling antlers, calls, water bottle, etc.

I always wear safety harness. Always. I feel naked without it when I go to the blind. I have my buck hunting knife attached to a shoulder strap. I have carried my .45colt blackhawk attached to a strap like a shoulder holster.
 
Armored farmer said:
I also was going to suggest a summit climber.
We own our hunting property, my sons have semi permanent stands all over. I have one. My Summit.
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I have a Summit Titan and a Lone Wolf harness both rated to 350. I move around a lot and like the mobility of a climber. I have used it in the Arkansas piney woods and in North Texas when I can find straight trees. When I go to the Texas Hill Country or south Texas, I opt for a ground blind.
 
I liked the cheaper aluminum climbing stands they used to make that didn't have all the bars and padded seats and foot rest, ad inf. The new ones are bulky, heavier, and made for 400 lb. people. I still use 2 stands I bought on sale for $89 each back in 1988 from Cabela's.

The only stands you will be able to get with your $120 will be hang on stands which limit your mobility from one place to another or a very cheap 15' ladder stand on sale. If you plan to hunt from one spot all season, these will be fine. If you want to move to different areas, they are a pain to take down and move.

I did see a short 10' tripod stand in Sportsman's Guide for around $110 but it is made for a small person.
 
I'm almost leaning toward a $99 hawk hanging stand and the helium sticks. I'll only get 3 sticks but I can supplement about 4' of height with two initial stirrup type steps I can build out of webbing/550 cord. I'm only wanting to be between 15 & 18 feet off the ground. High enough to get out of their peripheral vision but low enough that I don't have a terrible angle if they walk within about 20 feet.
 
SoonerMedic said:
I know I know it sounds like hippie liberal s#*t but, I feel like it's something we should all take care of. I mean the woods do provide the things that feed the things we like to hunt. It only makes sense to take care of them and tread as lightly as possible.
Click to expand...
Removing some branches isn't going to effect the ecosystem that much, unless there's an eagle nest in it or something. Its not like he's planning to deforest the area.
 
I wouldn't pay for a stand that I didn't get to see a demo model of fully set up, and preferably be allowed to climb in/on. I have a couple I got for free (thank you, trespassers) and I have hunted off of some home made junk that wouldn't be safe for a squirrel in my younger days. And I'm terrible about wearing a harness since I don't have one- but I am going to get one and use it. I spent many a hunt tied to the tree with a 15' sling rope through a rigger belt. A friend got hurt this year falling out of a stand, and my new wife asked me about harnesses and I told her I should get one. So I'm pretty sure there will be a safety inspection in the future before any hunts I plan on doing.
 
It helps to have a variety of stands and blinds. Although heavy, the $80 climbers from Sportsman's Guide have served me well. Well enough that I have 3. They are more or less a copy of the Summit Viper but made out of steel instead of aluminum. Over the years I have accumulated a collection of stands and blinds. Last year I had 3 climbers, 2 blinds and 3 ladder stands on one farm. They come in pretty handy when the wind changes, and the blinds have saved many a hunt when the rain or snow set in.

For years I used homemade chain-on stands like the Lockons. Now that I am less agile I prefer the climbers and ladders. The best money that you can spend, though is a good climbing harness. As a Hunter's Education Instructor for the AGFC I get a report of hunting accidents every year. They usually average about 25 annually and half will be treestand related. Some are fatal. Please, please, wear a harness!
 
Captcurt said:
It helps to have a variety of stands and blinds. Although heavy, the $80 climbers from Sportsman's Guide have served me well. Well enough that I have 3. They are more or less a copy of the Summit Viper but made out of steel instead of aluminum. Over the years I have accumulated a collection of stands and blinds. Last year I had 3 climbers, 2 blinds and 3 ladder stands on one farm. They come in pretty handy when the wind changes, and the blinds have saved many a hunt when the rain or snow set in.

For years I used homemade chain-on stands like the Lockons. Now that I am less agile I prefer the climbers and ladders. The best money that you can spend, though is a good climbing harness. As a Hunter's Education Instructor for the AGFC I get a report of hunting accidents every year. They usually average about 25 annually and half will be treestand related. Some are fatal. Please, please, wear a harness!
Click to expand...

Not wearing a harness was never an option. I think the harness that is included would PROBABLY be sufficient, however I went ahead and ordered a Summit harness for $64 through Cabela's. It was $90 off and has great reviews, soooo kind of a no brainer in my opinion.

You can find it here in case anybody is looking.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/barg...at-o-the-pants-sts-deluxe-harness/1841713.uts
 
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