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Post by thelefthand on Feb 4, 2012 21:37:32 GMT -5
I've got a few hang on deer stands that I use. I've got two that are the cheap design where the platform bolts onto an up-rite an the front is supported by cables, and there's a cheap seat that folds down. I hate these things. I've got the biggest platforms I can find, and they are still way to small, uncomfortable, and just a plain pain in the rear to use. I've also got a hunters lounge that I got from cabela's about 8 years ago, and I love that thing. I got rid of the seat and cross bar, and built a small wooden bench type seat to sit on. The only draw back to it is that it takes a rope and pully to safely get it up in the tree. Then I tie the rope off to something and climb up the ladder to secure it to the tree.
I splurged last year, and bought 3 more 20' tree ladders because Menards had them for dirt cheap on clearance. Now I have a total of 5 of them, and only 3 stands. I'm trying to find a hang on style stand that would be as comfortable, safe, and versatile as my hunter lounge, but that is easier to mount to the tree. Ideally, I'd like to find something that had a mount that attached to the tree, but the stand can be removed. The idea being that I put up the ladders, and attach the mounts to the tree, but I bring the stand in with me. I've seen this with the cheap designs that I don't like, but I didn't know if anyone was aware of a design that was more comfortable like my hunters lounge.
Thanks,
Mark
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Feb 7, 2012 18:20:37 GMT -5
Hang ons are tough. However they can put you in the tree you need to be in and not the tree that will take your stand. As I get older (45 by next season) I do not like the hang ons so much.
Tree stands are all about location, location and location. The Hang ons will work just about anywhere and as long as I can climb and work in trees, these are what I will use to be in the right spot.
Right now, our group has 35-40 of them that get left out there or put elsewhere after the season. We are slowly trading out the smaller ones for larger ones. One suggestion is attaching a pressure treated board to the tree. Paint it brown. Shim it as needed to get it plumb. THEN attach the hang on. You will get several benefits. 1) a perfectly vertical attachment area. 2) the tree will not swallow the contact points after a few years 3) more room to sit comfortably cause your away from the tree 4-6 inches more than if you simply hang the tree on 4) ease of take down.
Hang ons are really the way to go for the semi-mobile situation where you need to be where you need to be. Ladders stick out like a sore thumb to deer and thieves in areas where there could be a thief.
I use one of our guys as a gauge for these setups. He's in good shape for 58. When he can't do it, I'll know about how long before I have to about a different way.
Lefty, aren't you just a young whipper snapper? Suck it up ;D ;D
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Post by huntmeister on Feb 8, 2012 9:21:57 GMT -5
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Post by rangeball on Feb 8, 2012 10:34:28 GMT -5
Large platform, full size grating, wide sling seat, arm rests to make me feel secure, is what I look for in a hang on. There are several on the market now, but we've gone almost exclusively ladder stands. Heck, lately if there's a ground option in an area I want to hunt, it's my first choice  |
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Post by thelefthand on Feb 9, 2012 20:07:19 GMT -5
My el chepo stands have a 34x25 platform, and that's about as small as I would care to go. I'd like to find something with a shooting rail. If the millennium stands had a fold down shooting rail, that would be ideal. I just have a hard time coming off that kind of money for a hang on, when I can get a pretty good climber for a little more. Then again, I don't like having to deal with attaching the climber quietly in the dark either. I guess I'm just too picky, and too much of a tight wad.
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Post by mike3132 on Feb 10, 2012 10:13:53 GMT -5
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Post by jeremylong on Feb 15, 2012 13:55:38 GMT -5
Familytraditions are big and comfortable, but not as comfy as tree Lounger.
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Post by foxgrape on Feb 15, 2012 22:09:49 GMT -5
+1 Tree Lounge
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Post by dougedwards on Feb 16, 2012 6:46:28 GMT -5
Point is well made that hang-ons can be placed in almost any tree making them a more strategic and potentially effective stand than ladders or climbers. The most comfortable place that I know of is on my living room couch but not many deer pass by. I will give up some comfort to create a potential possibility of seeing the type of deer that I look for. I bought two Guide Gear Xtreme Comfort hang on stands from Sportsmansguide and have them in places that I can lean back and enjoy the scenery. They are heavy and I have to install them in the tree with a rope and pulley but once in place are rock solid with a pull over gun rail if needed. I like the gun rail even for bow hunting because it makes me feel more secure as I usually place my stands 25 feet or more above ground. www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/guide-gear-extreme-comfort-tree-stand.aspx?a=546777 |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2012 10:29:16 GMT -5
I don't own or am ever planning on owning a hang on deer stand
for safety sake, my summit viper is the only stand that I will use.
Where I hunt I can find a suitable long leaf pine that I can climb
as high as I need to, for harder wooded trees I have ground/sharpened the teeth on it to bite/anchor onto the tree.
The summit's easy cable system is both quiet and toolless which
makes things easier in the dark.
I do not use a safety harness which most might think is not a good idea, but I feel very secure and have no problem taking a nap in my stand.
From what I've read most treestand accidents happen getting into or getting out of a stand. I am ALWAYS in it above ground level so I don't put myself in harms way.
Climbing frozen ladder stand steps, climbing up a tree like a monkey is just not safe to me and a safety harness MUST always be used when attempting such feats..........
By the way, summit makes a gun rest for their stands....
Greenhorn
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Post by rangeball on Feb 21, 2012 16:33:35 GMT -5
Point is well made that hang-ons can be placed in almost any tree making them a more strategic and potentially effective stand than ladders or climbers. The most comfortable place that I know of is on my living room couch but not many deer pass by. I will give up some comfort to create a potential possibility of seeing the type of deer that I look for. I bought two Guide Gear Xtreme Comfort hang on stands from Sportsmansguide and have them in places that I can lean back and enjoy the scenery. They are heavy and I have to install them in the tree with a rope and pulley but once in place are rock solid with a pull over gun rail if needed. I like the gun rain even for bow hunting because it makes me feel more secure as I usually place my stands 25 feet or more above ground. www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/guide-gear-extreme-comfort-tree-stand.aspx?a=546777I've always liked the look of that stand but wonder if the crossbar make your legs go to sleep? |
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Post by thelefthand on Feb 22, 2012 20:33:39 GMT -5
I bought two Guide Gear Xtreme Comfort hang on stands from Sportsmansguide and have them in places that I can lean back and enjoy the scenery. They are heavy and I have to install them in the tree with a rope and pulley but once in place are rock solid with a pull over gun rail if needed. I like the gun rain even for bow hunting because it makes me feel more secure as I usually place my stands 25 feet or more above ground. www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/guide-gear-extreme-comfort-tree-stand.aspx?a=546777That is the stand that I have that I like, but wish it were a little easier to move. The seat is very comfy, and the cross bar is not an issue. However, I took the cross bar and the seat out to free up some room in the stand. I built a small stool to sit on in stead. The stool is about 11" deep. I strap the old seat to the tree so that I have something soft to lean back against This gives me lots of leg room, and makes it pretty easy to get in and out of the stand, and to turn around and shoot to my right, or behind me even with my bow, even with the rail down. That price is the best I've seen on them. Most of them are around $100. I think I gave $99 for mine. At the time it was on sale at Cabela's, but that was back in '03 or '04. Maybe I'll just save up my pennies and buy one or two more for next year. |
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Post by dougedwards on Feb 23, 2012 11:48:36 GMT -5
I bought two Guide Gear Xtreme Comfort hang on stands from Sportsmansguide and have them in places that I can lean back and enjoy the scenery. They are heavy and I have to install them in the tree with a rope and pulley but once in place are rock solid with a pull over gun rail if needed. I like the gun rain even for bow hunting because it makes me feel more secure as I usually place my stands 25 feet or more above ground. www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/guide-gear-extreme-comfort-tree-stand.aspx?a=546777That is the stand that I have that I like, but wish it were a little easier to move. The seat is very comfy, and the cross bar is not an issue. However, I took the cross bar and the seat out to free up some room in the stand. I built a small stool to sit on in stead. The stool is about 11" deep. I strap the old seat to the tree so that I have something soft to lean back against This gives me lots of leg room, and makes it pretty easy to get in and out of the stand, and to turn around and shoot to my right, or behind me even with my bow, even with the rail down. That price is the best I've seen on them. Most of them are around $100. I think I gave $99 for mine. At the time it was on sale at Cabela's, but that was back in '03 or '04. Maybe I'll just save up my pennies and buy one or two more for next year. That is a good idea about removing the strap on seat for a stool. I have had a problem with the stock seat making some noise when I shift my weight in it. Doug |
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