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Post by boonechaser on Sept 24, 2014 10:32:17 GMT -5
We re-hung some stands Monday and checked on some that we left out last year. Had to replace cables on 3 stands as they were badly rusted and coming apart. (Replaced with chains). Be sure to check them and always, always wear a safety belt. Happy hunting
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Post by jjas on Sept 24, 2014 10:42:42 GMT -5
Great advice. And don't forget to check the ratchet straps on hang on or ladder stands too along with the nuts/bolts and replace as necessary.
It's well worth the time and money to do so.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2014 11:12:13 GMT -5
Yep. I had a hang on stand I knew needed new cables last year. As a temporary measure, I rigged a reinforcement system out of ratchet straps that got me through last season. This year I got a new stand and replaced the whole thing, but I wanted to repair and use the old one. Boy, was taking that off the tree a job!!! The tree had grown around all the contact points. I didn't think I'd ever bust it loose! I'll bet you it would have supported my weight with no straps at all! I finally got it down and replaced the cables with chains. That repaired stand is the one I put on my new double set that I posted about in another thread.
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Post by tynimiller on Sept 24, 2014 11:15:51 GMT -5
Every year all stands get atleast one new ratchet strap and fully inspected whether they came down or not.
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Post by HuntMeister on Sept 24, 2014 12:55:09 GMT -5
All my stands come out after season and reside in the barn out of the weather. I inspect them and repair / replace parts as needed before putting back out for the next season. A little extra work but I figure my well being is well worth the effort.
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Post by henson59 on Sept 24, 2014 12:57:44 GMT -5
A little extra work but I figure my well being is well worth the effort. EXACTLY!!!! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2014 13:04:55 GMT -5
All my stands come out after season and reside in the barn out of the weather. I inspect them and repair / replace parts as needed before putting back out for the next season. A little extra work but I figure my well being is well worth the effort. Wow!!!! How many stands do you have? Is your hunting property relatively flat? Can you drive to the stands with a vehicle? I can not even imagine taking down all my stands every year. It might kill me. I have over 20 up between the two properties I hunt and some of them are in some mighty steep terrain. I couldn't begin to get any vehicle near some of them. I do inspect them and repair as needed, but some have been in place so long that they are now a part of the tree they are in.  |
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Post by HuntMeister on Sept 24, 2014 13:32:15 GMT -5
All my stands come out after season and reside in the barn out of the weather. I inspect them and repair / replace parts as needed before putting back out for the next season. A little extra work but I figure my well being is well worth the effort. Wow!!!! How many stands do you have? Is your hunting property relatively flat? Can you drive to the stands with a vehicle? I can not even imagine taking down all my stands every year. It might kill me. I have over 20 up between the two properties I hunt and some of them are in some mighty steep terrain. I couldn't begin to get any vehicle near some of them. I do inspect them and repair as needed, but some have been in place so long that they are now a part of the tree they are in. Between me and my hunting partner we have about the same quantity as you. Some places we can use an ATV to get close to them and some not. It is lots of work but again, my well being is worth the extra effort. I have some stands that are 5+ yrs old that look like they have only been out one season. Hang ons go in harder to access places and ladders in easier to access places is the general rule. I would be as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof in a stand that the tree had grown around it! Cables and steel corrode in places you cannot inspect. To each their own, this is how I roll and safety rules the day. |
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Post by airborne on Sept 24, 2014 16:41:49 GMT -5
I know a man that grew up a stones throw away from me that fell 20 feet last year getting into an old
stand. He is now in a wheelchair for life. Sure wish he would have taken care of his stand like you
guys do. My self, I have to keep both feet on the ground.
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Post by beermaker on Sept 24, 2014 18:36:39 GMT -5
While I'd really like to remove my ladder stands each year, it's just not going to happen. And, frankly, I don't have enough friends and even if I did, they'd be gone in no time.
I am diligent about inspecting the bolts and welds each fall. Mine have all been painted in addition to the factory finish. I find very little, if any rust on the stand itself. I loosen the ratchet straps and replace if needed. I already use at least two more straps than the mfgs. recommend, so I am fairly confident with the attachment to the tree.
I do not use hang-on stands. I have a fear (that I am NOT in any way afraid to admit to anyone) of falling during the transition from the steps to the platform, and vice versa. I am the same way with getting on roofs from ladders. It is just something that has evolved over time from a few falls during my construction days in college and some home improvement adventures.
It still amazes me how many guys neglect to use harnesses, my dip brother included. I just won't get in a tree without one. I have spent a morning or two in my climber, at the base of the tree, with my harness in the truck. It does make taking a leak a bit less challenging. I have also sat on a nearby stump while one of my ladder stand sat empty. I have wife and two kids that need me more than I need to hunt. |
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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Sept 24, 2014 19:42:59 GMT -5
We re-hung some stands Monday and checked on some that we left out last year. Had to replace cables on 3 stands as they were badly rusted and coming apart. (Replaced with chains). Be sure to check them and always, always wear a safety belt. Happy hunting  |
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Post by 36fan on Sept 24, 2014 20:43:21 GMT -5
We re-hung some stands Monday and checked on some that we left out last year. Had to replace cables on 3 stands as they were badly rusted and coming apart. (Replaced with chains). Be sure to check them and always, always wear a safety belt. Happy hunting Get rid of that old belt and get a harness. Your less likely to get a spinal injury from a full harness compared to belt. |
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Post by boonechaser on Sept 25, 2014 12:33:58 GMT -5
I'm kinda in same boat. In a perfect world we would pull all the stands every year, but I have upwards of 25 total and at best I loosen straps and don't get around to pulling them all. I fell 18 ft. 6 year's ago while hanging a stand. (Broke 2 ribs and fractured my hip.) Now when we hang stands we use extension ladder and if possible to access I have a front end loader on my tractor which I have buddy lift me up in bucket and put up stand from bucket. (Only works around field edges and logging roads though). We are adding life lines to the lock on's 1 stand at a time. But one should be secured to tree up and down and most importantly when transitioning from ladder or steps to stand. Like Toby Keith sing's. "I'm not as young as I once was."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2014 13:38:37 GMT -5
I'm kinda in same boat. In a perfect world we would pull all the stands every year, but I have upwards of 25 total and at best I loosen straps and don't get around to pulling them all. I fell 18 ft. 6 year's ago while hanging a stand. (Broke 2 ribs and fractured my hip.) Now when we hang stands we use extension ladder and if possible to access I have a front end loader on my tractor which I have buddy lift me up in bucket and put up stand from bucket. (Only works around field edges and logging roads though). We are adding life lines to the lock on's 1 stand at a time. But one should be secured to tree up and down and most importantly when transitioning from ladder or steps to stand. Like Toby Keith sing's. "I'm not as young as I once was." This raises a really good point. I've never fallen but the scariest times for me BY FAR are putting stands up. That's the most dangerous part. I hate the thought of having to go through that 20 times a year. |
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Post by HuntMeister on Sept 25, 2014 13:49:30 GMT -5
I fell 18 ft. 6 year's ago while hanging a stand. (Broke 2 ribs and fractured my hip.) What was the circumstances on your fall? Were you tied in with a harness? |
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Post by boonechaser on Sept 25, 2014 14:03:35 GMT -5
Yep, thats kinda my thoughts as well. Kinda a damn if you do, damn if you don't thing. I have some stands that have been out 6 plus years that show little signs of wear or rust. Seems like the older stands hold up better than the newer one's?? Anyways hanging and taking down are definitely more dangerous for sure.
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Post by steve46511 on Sept 25, 2014 16:07:59 GMT -5
A great thread. Good advice. 2 cents to add hopefully as food for thought. Please accept it as such. As I got older and treestands got more and more difficult to put up due to age and more and more expensive, I (re)discovered that I have tons more fun hunting from the ground and actually started doing 90 percent of my hunting from the ground years before I became UNABLE to use them. It's been a dark cloud with a silver lining that I wish I'd had rain on me years earlier. Some say such is not for everyone. I say few people today even give it an honest try. There ARE "cons" to using treestands too (other than the obvious safety) and such are not ALWAYS better as far as increasing a hunter's odds. I can't go into that much. I'll get off on a tangent on WHY would someone (including myself) take on a challenge for challenge sake......then try to take all the challenge out of it they can? so..... I'll stay out after this post I can tell you how even non hunters equate "deer hunting" to "tree stands". I recently asked a local farmer, who has had deer hunters on his property all his life, if I could please hunt a few very small sections of cover that is being ignored by other hunters and I informed him I would not be driving nails or drilling holes because I do not use tree stands to hunt deer except REAL rarely and had no plans to do so on his property. His reply was the one I hear the most frequently from hunters and non-hunters when I mention it: "Do you ever kill one?" God Bless |
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Post by Woody Williams on Sept 25, 2014 16:24:01 GMT -5
............ Like Toby Keith sing's. "I'm not as young as I once was." And we don't bounce near as well either....  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2014 16:25:59 GMT -5
A great thread. Good advice. 2 cents to add hopefully as food for thought. Please accept it as such. As I got older and treestands got more and more difficult to put up due to age and more and more expensive, I (re)discovered that I have tons more fun hunting from the ground and actually started doing 90 percent of my hunting from the ground years before I became UNABLE to use them. It's been a dark cloud with a silver lining that I wish I'd had rain on me years earlier. Some say such is not for everyone. I say few people today even give it an honest try. There ARE "cons" to using treestands too (other than the obvious safety) and such are not ALWAYS better as far as increasing a hunter's odds. I can't go into that much. I'll get off tangent on WHY would someone (including myself) take on a challenge for challenge sake......then try to take all the challenge out of it they can? so..... I'll stay out after this post I can tell you how even non hunters equate "deer hunting" to "tree stands". I recently asked a local farmer, who has had deer hunters on his property all his life, if I could please hunt a few very small sections of cover that is being ignored by other hunters and I informed him I would not be driving nails or drilling holes because I do not use tree stands to hunt deer except REAL rarely and had no plans to do so on his property. His reply was the one I hear the most frequently from hunters and non-hunters when I mention it: "Do you ever kill one?" God Bless I kind of prefer hunting from the ground too...with a gun in my hands. However, I can't think of many situations where I could see a benefit in hunting off the ground with a bow. In fact, 3 of the 4 biggest bucks I've killed, including the 2 biggest were taken from the ground. |
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Post by boonechaser on Sept 27, 2014 3:44:28 GMT -5
I suspect as long as I am able that i will be hunting from treestands. Lot's of advantages EX. Helps keep scent above deer nose, can see better. I have always subscribed to the theory. "Get in one spot and stay", the tendency for most ground hunt's is to want to move around if not seeing anything. Yes ground hunting can work and there is nothing wrong with it, but just my preference and espically with bow.
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