ok now another foolish ? to you but i am not sure what is the general height you set your stand at and also is a ladder stand basically the same as a hang-on the reason i ask is i am 285 pounds a big ole someabitch and i think i would feel safer on a ladder stand but if they tend to be less productive or harder to hunt from i will have to get used to a hang on thanks *ken*
I prefer to use my sticks and usually hunt about 18' up. But I would just suggest that you hunt with whatever type of stand you feel most comfortable in. I have never hunted out of a ladder stand but I know they still work. I was speaking with T-bone at the ATA show last week and I know he usually hunts out of ladder stands and he shot 31 deer this season so they clearly work.
In my experience, ladder stands tend to be a bit noisy. especially in colder temps. I sat in one once this year and its noise spooked a P&Y that was at 11 yds. However, you need to feel comfortable in your stand. My dad still swears by all his ladder stands. Take a look at Lone Wolf stands. They are rated #300+, and are quite. They even have a ladder stand.
I have two ladder stands and can't stand them but keep them in case my pops comes up to hunt. I am pushing 270 and use hang on stands primarily and a climber occasionally. I have some crappy Rivers Edge sticks but they blow so I am planning on a set of Lone Wolf or Muddy sticks and will aim at my comfort zone which is around 20-24' up in the tree. I move pretty good for a big guy and hate hunting under 20'.
im a big boy too (275lbs) i easily hunt out of all the lone wolf stands!!!! sticks work better than screw in steps but never really had a true problem. just hunted out of an API for the first time this yr which had a ratchet on it and worked beautifully! best adivce for any stand as a larger dude is have "tow ropes" for all your gear... remain as light as possibe when climbing:d
We have both hang on stands and ladder stands. I don't really have a preference between the two. Both stands have been productive. My dad has killed a buck that scored 192" out of a ladder stand, and just recently missed a buck that grossed just over 200" this year. They do make noise every now and then, but so do hang ons also. No stand is perfect.
i use both..one thing to consider is if you are hunting private land or public. I hunt both. I have ladder stands (perminent) on my private land and i leave them up all year.. i do the general maintenence on them mid summer. If you hunt public land than you are left with nothing but a hang on and stick or a climber. I have shot many deer from both the ladder and hang on stands..i like the secureness of my ladder stands and ease of climbing and its nice to go into the woods and just climb up and sit rather than hang your whole set each time...jmo
I use all kinds of stands (except climbers). And i prefer the cheapest-biggest platformed hang on stand i can find and 20 foot sticks. Thats the perfect setup to me, very versatile. Ladder stand are nice, but you have to use them in the right situations. Early season brushy feild edges are the best IMO, they can be easily concealed that way. I have a few permanent stands built on my property, but im debating taking them down for safety reasons. They only work great for gun season as well.
