Portable deer stand pics

[huntman]

I personally own both bought stand and homeade stands. If i had to choose without a doubt i feel much safer in a homeade stand then a bought ladder. If the stand is made with pressure treated wood bolts, nuts beleive me the stand will not move!!!! I have been hunting in the same stand for the last ten years that mwas made just as i listed. You should check the stand every few seasons, but not much if any work is needed. Like all things if the construction is done right long term you will have no problems. If your a hack then the stand will eventually fall within a few years.

[Tom]

Bill that is mine and dandy for your own choice and your own property. Not everyone has the money to fork out for top notch stands like that. But you implying that all home made stands are unsafe bothers me alittle. I have seen many home made stands that I would not give you 2 cents for (not even in Canadian). There have also been stands that you could buy that I would not even trade the bad homemade stand for.

I agree that the stands that are just built between branches or forks in the tree, or tieing trees together are generally unsafe after a few years.Trees grow causing the stand to tilt, boards to come loose, nails rust, boards work free with tree movement n the wind or tree growth. Many factors can make them become unsafe in time, espically if they are left out in the woods all year.

Now adays manufactures are cutting costs and trying to make them all lighter in weight, some are getting so skimpy or not enough saftey factors in the stands, I would prefure to make my own then buy a new stand and have to modify it to my saftey standards.

I have absolutly no problem with home made stands ......... as long as they are made with saftey in mind. Again, I have no problem in you choising to go the way you have, but I disagree that ALL HOME MADE STANDS ARE UNSAFE.

[mblaney]

I checked out that link for the tripods; I prefer the white one.



I don't know how anyone can compare this to my stand. Thats like comparing a Chev Impala to the space shuttle. I would love to have one of those (stands, not the shuttle) though but I would probably fill it with grain or water or something.

I have contacted the manufacturer for pricing on the beer-stand but it is only available empty

[fudster]

i've built 3 stands the same way had them in the bush for 3 years not a thing wrong with them except had to replace the strap. had a buddy buy one and when he put it up we tried it and the stand broke where it joins on the ladder he was swinging there like a monkey lucky we had time to take it back and fix it.

[MichiganBill]

That's all that counts. It's not a money thing, believe me. I simply allocate a few $$'s for new tripod stands every year out of the money I collect for dues.

If you have a safe homemade stand, all the power to ya, Just not my cup of teas as it relates to safety, comfort, legal liability. quiet, ease of ascending/descending, comfort and value. Oh yeah, did I mention comfort?

[Hoss]

.[/quote] Just because it is store bought does not mean that in 2 or 3 years that it will be safe either.[/quote]

Come on Tom If its Steel and you take it down every year and maintain the paint, nuts and bolts it will last a lifetime.. I didnt know they sold wooden stand in the store..

besides alot of the old stands I use to build out of wood would squeek and creek a bit..probably cause Im a heavy dude. but when It comes down to it I can buy a ladder stand for 100 bucks..that steel ladder stand will out last a wooden stand without a doubt...those plans our good I even like the design but....way it heavy as far as price and time to build, longivity, maintenance, and safety---------steel ladder stands win...they may cost more at first but they will last longer and our easyer to handle ect..

[Tom]

.

Just because it is store bought does not mean that in 2 or 3 years that it will be safe either.[/quote]

Come on Tom If its Steel and you take it down every year and maintain the paint, nuts and bolts it will last a lifetime.. I didnt know they sold wooden stand in the store.. .........................[/quote]

Hoss you hit the nail right on the head. If its Steel and you take it down every year and maintain the paint, nuts and bolts it will last a lifetime. Tha is exactly what I am trying to get across, No matter what stand you have, you MUST maintain it on a constant basis.

I have seen lader stands (steel) that were left in the woods for over 3 years. Now how was it maintained. I have seen a hangon stand that had a very, lets describe it as CHEAP, connection of the pedistal to the base. Now this is where you sit. Now if that weld broke (on the single up right post with no extra bracing) you would sure be thankful you had your full body harness on. I have seen reports from people that have had climbers break, the connections for the cables or chains and even the hinges.

And I never even implied that wood stands were sold in stores. What I was trying to get across was that putting out a blanket statement that all of this kind is this and all of that kind is that ........ is not always the truth. I guess a bad comparson would be of having someone compare a cheap $125 off of E-bay to a high end crossbow with a blanket statement of I had this garbage bow so all crossbows are garbage

I generally go dislike wood stands because they normally are left in the woods24/7 365 days a year. and with that, they see no or little maintance. This latter stand easily comes out of the bush so it can be checked JUST LIKE ALL STANDS SHOULD BE CHECK EVERY YEAR.

[Hoss]

ok Tom good response...i agree buddy...maintenace is a good idea...and yes i know they dont sale wooden stands in the store. I didnt mean to offend that was below the belt.. . but generaly speaking all store bought stands our steel and even if you left them outside they would out last wooden stands side by side ! so yes stands purchased in the stores would be safer in 2 or 3 years compared to wooden homemade stands in 2-3 years if left outside in the elements..So--------your money ahead in the long run to buy a steel ladder stand at the end of season at a discount and take it down every year for maintenace..even if you took your wooden one down after awhile time catches up to wood and the integrity is conpromised to the point more money must be spent to insure safety..so cost comparison analysyst would show that in the long run its cheaper and safer to go steel..because in the end we are talking whats the cheapest and safest for now and the long haul...not whats cheapest for now...

[chris4570]

I see no problems with a wooden tree stand or ladder stand, if properly made. How many have a wooden deck with stairs? Pretty darn safe, lasts a good amount of time too.

Wood can rot, steel can rust. Both can fail. What will last onger? Depends on what care was given during the fabrication, and what kind of maitenance followed.

[billert]

Good debate, what do you guys think about these stands that Rookie and I made? We swaped out that chain for 1500 lb rated clothes line wire. Welds and botls hold it together.

[GREY OWL]

Not bad billert, looks a lot like the ones I made a few years ago. Put some padding on that seat, it could be uncomfortable seating there for a couple of hours. I always wear a professional body harness, just in case it fails.

Good luck out of your tree stands.

Grey Owl

[billert]

That's a good point and we always do wear our harnesses. Our stands are way overbuilt and light at 17 lbs. Homemade can be better the store bought but am just as confortable in these as a store bought. I am not very keen on the woods built stands though JMO. But then again we all built tree houses when we were young didn't we!

[JCB]

I have read this whole thread with great interest and surprise. I guess my Dad is really an unusual guy, because I have been hunting in his stands for 32 years now. In fact, I have never killed a deer from a manufactured storebought stand. I have sat in a few and found them generally difficult to get in and out of and not very comfortable to sit in. Most of them make it impossible to turn around and look behind you.

Dad makes repairs to his stands as needed, one piece at a time, every year. These stands are made of wood, nails, bolts, angle iron, metal poles, bed-spring roofs, sheet metal roofs, tar-paper roofs, even rubber covered roofs. All of these stands are big enough to stand up and turn around in. Some of them you can actually lie down on and take a nap or stand up and take a stroll.

Now when I said "wood" that may have made folks think that they rot out quickly. But Dad used creosote-treated wood (Yeah, I know you cannot get it anymore) for his 30+year old treestands. Lately, we have had to take a step down to pressure treated wood which is good but not as good as the old creosote wood.

All of Dad's creations are designed to 'give' with the natural movement and growth of the trees. This is an art all by itself. And Dad will use only a certain kind of nails. He always leaves part of the head undriven to allow the tree to grow. (These are looooooooooooooong wierd coated nails.) He even has some kind of nails that cannot rust.

Let's see if I can name some of them:
Big Buck Stand--33 years old named after 13 Pointer taken from it.
High Stand--My favorite, 32 years old. About 20 feet up there!
Double Decker--Yes, it has two decks with swivel chairs!
Box Stand--It is actually a treehouse about 12 ft high.
Playground Stand--His newest creation made from playground equipment. It is only about 12 feet high, but my Dad is 83 yrs old now.

[Raven1962]

Resurrection #2

Just trying to get a set of the plans, specs and parts-list for mblaney's folding lock-on ladder-stand. As I understand it, there were plenty of requests...