Ladder stands- when to place in woods?

[FL-NC]

I will be hunting on a new piece of private property (not my property, but I have access) this fall, starting mid- Oct. Was wondering when most people put their stands out? I already have an idea on where I want to place it. Being that this is the tropics, I don't plan on removing any vegetation until Sept. since it will all just grow back between now and then. The property I hunted in NC had stands that lived in the same spot and never got moved.

 

[WestKentucky]

Some will say that stands need to be out for an extended period to allow wildlife to get acclimated to the new stand being there, but aside from the fact it will carry some scent I call bullhockey. Nobody can convince me that a ladder foot, even if put smack dab in the middle of a trail, has any different effect than a large broken limb falling down into the trail. Put your stand out a couple weeks ahead of the hunt and let the scent dissipate, then your good to go. Of course you will bring more scent the next time you show up so just get the stand in place and watch your scent in the future.

Coming from the guy who has intentionally dropped hats and such just to see critters react to certain stimuli. Squirrels love to investigate unattended brightly colored things. Deer just are wary until they determine the scent isn’t a threat.

Biggest concern for me has always been bugs. I try to get stands out in winter just to avoid ticks and skeeters, but I always manage to change my mind on one and move it during bug bite season.

 

[MCgunner]

Just put it out on a nice day before you hunt it, don't matter when before.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Many times I have put up stands and seen and shot deer from them the same day.

 

[entropy]

As long as you're sure no one else will remove it, I agree with MC Gunner. About a week or two is more than enough time, about the time you cut your shooting lanes.

My son had 3 stands stolen from him, on his grandpa's farm. My Father-in-law had been too permissive on letting people hunt his land in the past, and I suspect even though he died last year, there will be people that still think they can hunt there. I warned my niece, who bought the farmhouse and the about 20 acres immediately surrounding it, of that.

 

[Patocazador]

If you are not concerned about it being stolen, put it up whenever you have a chance.
When I put a metal ladder stand up in a place where it could be stolen, I remove the bottom section after securing the top to the tree. I hide the lower section until the early morning of the hunt.
This also keeps others from hunting your stand and messing up the spot.

If it's made of wood make sure it is pressure treated or the termites will be into it by Fall.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Another thing to be concerned about is that many times, for me, the nylon ratchet strap that secured the ladder stand to the tree was chewed by squirrels in my absence. A ratchet strap for tightening it in then a light chain for safety,(belt AND suspenders..) is not a bad idea when leaving it out.

 

[Armored farmer]

Put it out whenever. ..
I prefer my climber. I change locations all the time according to the wind.

 

[WestKentucky]

Another thing to be concerned about is that many times, for me, the nylon ratchet strap that secured the ladder stand to the tree was chewed by squirrels in my absence. A ratchet strap for tightening it in then a light chain for safety,(belt AND suspenders..) is not a bad idea when leaving it out.

I use cheap load binders and light chain for this exact purpose. It’s not your $7 ratchet strap, but a chain and binder will not have to be replaced due to varmints, UV deterioration, or general weathering. $20 up front is better in the long run, provided it doesn’t get stolen. A poor but functional alternative is to use a bolt through the chain links to accomplish tensioning. I would only do this if I were concerned about theft.

 

[MCgunner]

Put it out whenever. ..
I prefer my climber. I change locations all the time according to the wind.

Climbers are fine in the pines. There's only one pine on my place surrounded by post oaks which are not very straight. Hard enough to find a tree the ladder stand works with.

 

[SoonerMedic]

The sooner the better. And I doubt it's too early to cut lanes. Just cut them close and what does grow back will only be a few inches, hardly enough to obstruct views I would imagine.

 

[MidRoad]

We moved our stands in feb/March this year before the ground thawed and it got warm. Last year we were all to busy throughout thw spring and summer and didn't get to it untill August when it was 90 and humid...NO THANKS,that sucks. We dont have a 4 wheeler or any machinery to use up there so we have to carry in everything from the log header. Nice thing about doing it early is you avoid the heat and the bugs. So with the grunt work done all We will have to do is a little trimming ,cut in shooting lanes , safety check stands, hang haul rope, mark trails,range mark for bows ,and scout around. Usually do this late August early September since the season starts beginning of October.

We lease a 1200 acre plot with 17 members (lost three this year) ,all good people so don't have to worry about theft....so far anyways.

 

[Patocazador]

In the Panhandle (or anywhere in the South) you don't want to cut shooting lanes too early. People up north don't realize how fast the weeds, shrubs and grape vines grow down here. The members of my old hunt club in south Alabama would have a 3-day work outing every Labor Day weekend. We would mow roads, trim lanes, and turn the 18 food plots. We wouldn't plant the plots or do final trimming until the end of Oct. since the weeds and vines would be back by the time gun season opened. It always took a "touch-up" work day to get them right.

Having your ladder stand semi-clad in vines would be a plus though for camo purposes.

 

[entropy]

The sooner the better. And I doubt it's too early to cut lanes. Just cut them close and what does grow back will only be a few inches, hardly enough to obstruct views I would imagine.

He's in Florida, they will start growing back the instant he starts walking away.....

 

[SoonerMedic]

He's in Florida, they will start growing back the instant he starts walking away.....

Lol roger that

 

[FL-NC]

I live across the highway from where I hunt. I know exactly how fast the vegetation grows here. It may be slightly faster in the Panama Canal Zone, but not by much.

 

[Varminterror]

I cut my lanes at least twice, sometimes 3 times per year. I like to encourage the deer to use the lanes, and keeping them clear longer in the year does that. I always WANT to get my stands all up about 6wks or even more before season, but I usually end up putting one or two up within 2 wks of season, or moving something I already placed. Things change too much in late summer/early fall. I have a few stands which have been on the same tree for many years, and killed deer every year, but usually my biggest bucks require a slightly new position almost every season - they all have their own preferred paths.

I have been lucky and killed deer from a day old stand, but more often than not, it is NOT a prime buck, or even a good eating weight doe.

 

[Captcurt]

I have one ladder stand that stays out all year. It overlooks a 1/2 mile creek bottom field. It only gets hunted when the acorns are gone and the deer hit the fields. My other stands go wherever the deer are moving as season progresses. I have 4 ladders, 4 climbers, 2 lock-ons and 4 tent blinds. All may be up by the end of the season. I have had locations that produced the first setting and never again, and I have had places that produced every year for 10 years. You need to let the deer dictate where you need a stand.

 

[alsaqr]

And I doubt it's too early to cut lanes.

It's not too early to cut lanes. But they will likely require re-cutting later on. Our deer lease is WRP land that is flooded with 3-6 feet of water at least twice every year. All that human waste, animal waste and fertilizer causes the brush and grass to grow very fast. We cut the trails and shooting lanes there 3-4 times each year.

See your PM.

 

[MCgunner]

It's funny, I put my ladder stand up when we first moved here, that'd been 2012. So, it's been in place for 6 years. It's still in great shape, even the straps! On my old place, I've gone through 3 tripods and need a new one if I'm going to hunt down there. They rust away in the length of time this ladder stand has been up. No big trees down there, just scrub oaks and tall grass. One needs to be elevated to see very far down there.

I think maybe it's the humidity down there, just a mile from Espiritu Santos bay near Seadrift, Texas. Here in the woods, that ladder stand is also shaded from the sun, has to be better for those nylon straps. Only thing I use the ladder stand for is bow hunting. I have a box blind about 25 yards back of that stand that I rifle hunt from, more comfy in cold, windy weather if nothing else. From that box blind, I have views down the sendero as well as down the fence line to my feeder. With all the deer and hogs we have out here, I do have fun. I sorta prefer shooting hogs, though. I no longer care about shooting deer for meat so much. It's not as good as the pork. SO, I have found myself just hunting for the bigger bucks. But, I can legally take a doe during bow season. I just don't know if I care to. I won't pass on a good buck, though. I took a decent one, if no Boone and Crocket monster, a few years ago from that bow stand with my crossbow, first crossbow kill. We have enough pork out here in the woods, I don't normally need the meat.