Hey guys! I have two quick newbie questions. First one, I am looking to put a treestand in public land but I don't want it stolen, are there any stands that you can chain the platform to the tree and bring the ladder as you hunt? I think a thief would be less likely to steal a platform 20 ft up if there is no ladder. Part two of this question is, for the guys that bring their stands in on their backs as they hunt,(atleast I think some people do that) how hard is it to set up in the early morning with low light? how risky is it? or what process do you go through. Question 2. I am considering investing in a trail cam or two. I want a camera that gets a picture (doesn't have to ultra clear, I just don't want its max range to be 10 ft.) And a affordable price, I am a high school student so you can probably assume I don't have the most lucrative of jobs And again there is a real chance that it could be stolen, so anything that over $110-130ish is probably not gonna happen. And if you do suggest a camera what is the average battery life on it? Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions guys!
I use a muddy outfitter steel with a super mount and lone wolf climbing sticks. the mount base make super easy the hang and mobile alone with the climbing sticks.
I use a light weight stand that I carry on my back and tree pegs. The stand I use is a Big Dog hang on tree stand (looking to upgrade to a little comfier stand this year) and they are light weight. I usually only bring Max of 6-7 pegs with me just so It's a little quicker to put up. Practice is key when doing this in the dark. Put the stand up in your backyard multiple times to get the feel of it and figure out the best way to hold the stand and learn how the straps work. I have had a lot of success doing this on my own land as well as public land. As for a decent low priced camera there are lots out there. I personally use Moultree cameras but I have also had great luck with Wild game inovations cameras. Most are usually under $110 and work pretty well.
I too use climbing sticks and either take the bottom two down or take the stand with me. I've actually hidden the climbing sticks under a nearby log so I don't have to pack them in and out. With practice you can hang a stand in 15 to 20 minutes, but it takes a lot of practice. Since you said you are a newbie please be safety conscious and always wear a safety harness in the stand and a lineman's belt when hanging your stand. If you are not familiar with life lines make sure you look them up and consider using one. If you look around you can find a camera in your price range. I use Covert brand and they work great with superb battery life. Wing Supply has the MPE5 for $89.95 right now. Hunting Supplies Online | Discount Hunting Equipment Supply Store | Hunting Gear for Sale Online Good luck and be safe.
I use a climbing tree stand, and i love mine. quiet, easy, fast, and not heavy at all. I would recommend the browning strike force camera. You can also buy a lock box for a lot of trail cameras so that you can lock it to the tree. The battery life is really great. The only time the battery life sucked was when i put it on video mode for a minute intervals. Other than that it took months to drain
Check your local laws, it may or may not be legal to leave your stand out. When on state land and we leave stands out because we'll be back in the morning, we leave our hang on stand but pull all the steps. Check your local laws on steps too. Screw in type are illegal in many areas so you may need to purchase climbing sticks if you don't want to risk it. I know here in MN if you use screw in pegs and the CO so happens to find you using them, its so much per each step you screwed in which can add up in a hurry if you are a shorter person using more steps. With that said, Millennium stands use a cam lock systems. You can leave your cam lock in the tree then come back and quickly put your stand in the tree with that cam lock. I think another stand company uses a similar system too if I remember right. I'll be investing in a Millennium stand before season this year being I hunt state land too and am sick of worrying about my illegally left stand in the woods to be stolen or some one not happy about seeing it calling the DNR about it. Plus the chances of some one seeing that cam lock in the tree are pretty dang slim compared to seeing a deer stand and having some one else hunt "your" spot.
Nothing is theft proof. They are going to take it if they really want too. So what you are really doing is decreasing the number of individuals that may take your stuff by making it more difficult. I always remove my first two portable steps. I may hide those steps near by or take them with me. I will use a stand that has a receiver type system and again either hide the stand near by or take it with me. I will use a python lock if I do leave it.
Not true. I've been hanging 2-3 trail cams on State land for 13 years now without one being taken. If you use your head as to where you locate them, you lessen the chances of theft greatly. I never leave my stand in the woods UNLESS I know I'll be back before first light the following morning.
I'd go with a Summit Viper - light, portable, quiet and easy to use even in the dark. --about $300 I would recommend Covert cameras. MPE5, MP6 and MP8 are all within your budget. I've used Primos, Moultre, Cuddebac etc.. and they've all failed me after a season or two. Since I made the switch to Covert, I'm getting thousands and thousands of pictures per set of batteries usually lasting 6-8 months, ultra clear pictures and awesome customer service. Check out the trail camera section if you haven't already and have a look for yourself
I am a college kid myself so I know the money is tight, go to a ****s sporting good store and you can pick up a wild game innovations camera for right around 50 bucks, I swear by mine. As far as your tree stand question goes I hunt public land and we used to use hang on stands and climbing sticks. My dad got fed up with people shooting deer out of his stand so he started taking just the very bottom section out with him and that seemed to work pretty well. This past year there were loggers on the game lands we hunt and they actually climbed the tree and stole his stand. We typically just use a bike lock or a chain with a combination lock to lock the stands. Good luck this season. Adam
I use a climbing stand on public land. Take it with you in and out. I have the api marksman. It is light and you can get it at sportsman warehouse for about 150. Make sure you practice at home first with any treestand. And always wear a harness. Going up coming down and while in stand. Always stay attached to the tree.
I hunt via climber stand only anymore. If you get a good stand, it isn't that hard to do in the dark/low light. I have a head lamp that I use to get started and the moment my feet are on the platform, I turn off the headlamp and climb. But, I also hunt private land, prepare my spots in spring/summer and I use the same trees over and over, so I know there are no limbs in the way and such. I did have a ladder stand that I left on a tree on PRIVATE land, with a chain. Came back a week later to find someone tresspassed, used a slug gun and blew the chain off to steal the stand. Even leaving a hang on in a public land tree w/o a ladder.. if they really want it, they will get it. They will just come back with climbing sticks or something. If you do decide to leave a hang on in the woods, make sure you put it in a good cover spot and fold it up to make it as hard to see as possible.
My advice from hunting public land for my first 18 years of bowhunting is to use a climber like others mentioned. i used a summit viper for 15 of those years, and swear up and down by it! It's the most comfy climbing stand there is. take it in and out with you each time. the key is to get one soon and practice with it every weekend until the season starts, that way you can do it blind folded on opening morning!! also, make sure you are connected to the tree at all times!! Good luck and let us know what you decide to do!!!
I am exactly 1 year (and some change) in front of you as far as the new-hunter thing goes, so here's what I've learned regarding cameras/stands I'm a big fan of trailcam pro and their reviews. even if you ignore the little write up they do about the cameras, the data about shutter speed, battery life is valuable. They are high on the browning cameras and I bought one of the browning strike force cameras based on their reviews. I have since purchased 2 more. If you order from them at 129 they send you an 8 gig sd card and it has a 2 year extended warranty. I have had zero problems thus far and would highly recommend them. Tree stands, You're a young hunter.. you don't need the creature comforts some of these old farts require. A reasonably priced stand from a reputable company and you'll be good to go. No offense old farts. ;-) I too am concerned about stands walking off, I use rapid rails or whatever they're called. I have done things two ways, early on, I carried 5 in with me all lashed together and climbed the tree to my stand and then brought them out with me. As I acquired more I would leave 2 or 3 on the tree (at the top) and only bring in 2. (I'm not permitted to use the screw-ins) I have tried the carry it all in and set up the rapid rails, pull the stand up, attach it and hunt once. it was a giant Pain, and I did it the afternoon. With practice I'm sure it would have been faster, but still not something I'll do again without a super light weight stand and climbing sticks. If you're looking at having a single stand, I'd recommend a climber, with practice it's as fast as climbing a ladder. Then you don't have the problem of leaving it for the deer to steal, buying climbing sticks etc. Just remember whatever you do, don't plan on it working right the first time, and spend time practicing out of your stand!
As far as setting up/climbing into the treestand goes, I am praying it goes right the first time, and all the other times too Thank you all for your advice so far! I really do appreciate it
Spend the coin on a good safety harness, as you'll be more likely to wear it. Tie on the tree, each and every time. If you can do lifelines, great! Otherwise climbing belt on the way up, and strapped to the tree when up top. Do not become a statistic, if it adds 30 seconds to your climb or 5 minutes, you can't hunt laid up in the hospital. By working right, I mean it goes as planned. I had the platform close on my middle finger on my right hand while hanging a stand for the first time. I couldn't get the strap loosened as my hand was covered in blood. I had to cut the tree strap. That was my mistake, but think about your plan, to hang the stand. Try it at the ground level. Try it at 6 feet, while on your method of accessing the stand (rails, steps, ladder etc)
amazon.com has the covert MP8 No spook for $108.47 and the stealth cam g42ng for $116.09 if you have their prime account. They have cheaper models as well these are just the 2 i'm looking at. I don't have prime but a couple of my buddies do so I get them to order me stuff from time to time. Find someone who does. Buy a python lock for $17 and put it 12 feet up with a stick or pre-cut block behind it angling it down and you're good to go. As all the others are saying always wear a harness of some sort the entire time from when your feet leave the ground to when they return to it. It's a bit of a pain in the rear but you'll get used to it. So many people are injured or killed every year from tree stand accidents it's amazing they still happen with all the safety equipment available. One of the BHOD crew lost his father to a fall. You are young so will probably think it won't happen to you but it can. I came close several times to falling before I wisened up. I got really lucky.
Make sure to check the hunting laws about using screw in pegs. I know in ohio you cant screw anything into trees on public land.
