I had a question. I normally hunt in ladder stands and I have hunted at different heights. I believe myself you need to be at least 20ft high to make sure scent and movement is less noticeable. I have killed deer at 16ft high though. Looking at the cost factor, 20ft ladder stands are a lot more expensive than 15-17ft. Was wondering if anyone had some experience with which is better. Thanks!
I have two climbers, use two ladders and have a number of hang-ons. I climb as high as I can usually 17-20 feet and try to get my hang-ons 17-20 as well. When I get busted, 9 times out of ten I am in one of the ladders. They are 16' and 14' cheap ladder stands. If I get busted in a climber, it is because the deer is right under me and I am not shooting. I think the extra 2-8 feet makes a huge difference. If I believe it, then it changes me as I hunt. Completely different confidence level.
I personally go 25-30. Depending on the terrain and wind I may go a little higher. Never without a harness though.
When bow hunnting i try to stay between 15 and 25 foot. During rifle season i've climbed 50+ feet watching cutovers. But i dont like being over 25 foot when bowhunting becuase i dont like that much angle when deer are less than 20 yards.
I bought a Muddy 20ft Ladder Stand called the Archer this year and I like it a lot. Neutral color and very comfortable. I like to be at least 20 feet off the ground when bowhunting for the reasons you stated. Here is a link showing the one I bought. Ladder Stands - Archer 20' Ladder - Muddy Companies
I really can't stand to sit in a short ladder! If I am going to buy a ladder it has to be at least 17 feet! 20 would be my preference!
Completely depends on the set. This season I've sat as high as 28' and as low as 5'. I love the versatility of hang-ons
Thanks for the responses. I think 20ft is a way to go. I hunt ladder stands due to the safety and comfortably of easy in and out. The only down fall is that some ladder stands stick out. That is why I try to get my stand out early so they get use to it. Has anyone tried spraying the rubber spray and throwing sand on it for better grip on the ladder steps?
To answer your question "which is better?" I'd say it alllll depends on the terrain and the person. Like my dad hates huntin in anything over 15ft cause of the hight thing, so that's how i grew up hunting. Now I still don't go any higher just cause I feel the closer the better. I feel the closer the better, I like to smell them coming haha
I have a few 16ft stands and i usually have to put them on a cedar or a tree that will conceal me or i usually get picked off but it all depends on the setup, Sometimes lower is better sometimes higher is better.
Agree it all depends on what your desired stand location gives you to work with. I've hunted a ton already this season & have not been any higher than 17-18 feet. And have not had a single deer pick me off even when I've had my 11 yo daughter with me. We use ladders almost exclusively but also hunt good private land where deer aren't pressured by tons of hunters. This morning I am in a stand that isn't much higher than 10' but it's worked well for us because of how deer enter shooting lanes - they usually come in with heads down while eating soybean stubble or are working scrapes or chasin. 20' is way too high for us. Primary reason is that it makes your shot much longer before you even touch the release & it's a lot harder to make a stand as silent as possible when you need to make adjustments that high up. And I've also got 2 friends who are very experienced tree stand hunters who have fallen & prob wouldn't be alive if their stands were any higher. HSS harnesses are way too bulky to allow you to snap off a really quick kill shot & do so quietly. Just one guys opinion. Good luck to all & make safety #1 priority no matter how huge the buck you're after is!
