1/11/2024 0 Comments Comfortable ladder stands![]() As the sole bow hunter, I am lucky to have the farm to myself during the long and quiet archery season. Even though the secrets out on how good this location has been for me, the other hunters are respectful enough not to build another stand in the vicinity. By constructing it, I’ll be claiming this section of the farm as my own during the crowded gun season. I’ve got a wooden tree stand to let other hunters know they’ve entered my zone. ![]() In that time, I’ve recognized it as a forgotten and ignored gem.īucks have scrapes and rubs to let everyone know they are around. Over the last couple years, I’ve been using hanging stands to hunt a 20-acre section that for a variety of reasons, has not been heavily hunted for a decade or more. Many of the hunters have “their” stand location and have been at that specific spot for most of their lives. Our farm has a fair amount of pressure on it during the 9-day November gun season, with up to 10 guys spread out over 300-acres of woodlots, CRP and harvested crop fields. It’s not just a stand, its Dan’s Stand or Mark’s Stand or Scott’s Stand. Even though a stand built on a shared property should be open to everyone, there is a very real sense of ownership if you are the one that built it. More importantly, the permanent stand expresses just that: permanence. ![]() Maybe it’s because I grew up hunting from them, but I just feel more comfortable in a home-built stand, especially when facing an all-day sit. There is just something about wooden, homebuilt tree stands. The SYCT doesn’t allow for that but it’s wide enough that I can keep my bow on my lap or just hang it on a hook off the tree.Building A Wooden Ladder Stand For Hunting I like to put a bow holder on the arm rest of the Onyx and it’s very handy. If there’s one drawback to the SYCT it’s that the arm rests flare out a little. We plan on replacing the lifelines with new ones next year just to be safe. We also have Hunter safety system life lines permanently on all of our stands. One son and I are both 6’4 and 190 and the other is 6 foot and 245. We rifle hunt and bow hunt but they have to be bow friendly for us and they both really shine there. The shooting rail on the Onyx is better and I left one on over the summer on the SYCT and the squirrels apparently are quite fond of foam rubber. The X-stand is locked solid before climb up. One of the cables on one of the Onyx slipped through its clamp but it was an easy fix. This is the third year for the SYCT stands and the second year for the Onyx. They are very comfortable and very stable. I have two each of the Rivers Edge SYCT wide stands and X-stand Onyx. If you are willing to put up with the assembly issue (it was a few years ago so maybe it has gotten better), it is a good choice. The guy at cabelas told me how to do it because they had a half dozen returned because guys thought they were defective because of how hard it was to assemble the seat. You have to stretch the fabric seat yourself and it required hammering sections into place. Assembly was problematic and much harder than the millennium. It is just as comfortable once you are using it. It is similar height but has a middle stabilizer bar. If you like tall stands and are ok with straight trees, one in your price range is the Muddy Stronghold 1.5. The ladder is wide and rigid and I don't have an issue climbing it, but it is a steeper angle than many ladder stands. This lets the tree bar move against the tree as it sways in the wind when the stand is not in use and keeps the tree from growing over it. At the end of the season, I loosen the strap and lean them out from the tree a bit and ease them back slightly higher or lower. The weight is not a big issue for me as I'm hunting private land and don't move them. Besides the cost, the downsides are weight and angle. These are very heavy duty and last many years. ![]() This means the tree only needs to be straight at the point where the stand contacts it and above. They have a double rail and don't require the stabilizer bar. I've sucked up the price tag for a 21' millennium. I'll just stretch out the time over which I replace my existing stands. Personally, I've opted for more expensive stands. That limits you to straight trees which in many cases doesn't matter. Everything in your price range will have a stabilizer bar. I love the new char type seats with no metal bar pressure points. The characteristics I like are first a comfortable seat. Sorry, no recommendations at that price point. ![]()
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