Comfort Zone Ladder Stands

[DTrain]

What do you guys think about these? Are they good/bad? What are the pros and cons?

I bought a Big Game Stealth Deluxe ladder stand from Gander Mtn last week, and I am looking to buy one more this year while everything is on clearance.

Any other stands I should look at? I will be both bow and rifle hunting from them. I want to stick with ladders for right now. They will be on Pvt Property so I can put them out early, and hopefully they stay put.

[jk hillsdale]

I've become a big fan of stands that have a camouflage skirt around them. It's amazing how effectively they hide you and your movement - we even have a two person ladder stand with a skirt around it. The stand is HUGE, but even though it's only 15 feet to the platform, I've yet to have a deer spot me (at least that I know of:) ) while I'm in the stand, and many times I have one of my children with me as well.

When it comes to fixed position stands I love the easyway treestands with the camouflage skirt around them. They're extremely comfortable, and you'll feel safer sitting in this stand than anything out there. Personally, I'm not a fan of climbing sticks, so I purchase a very inexpensive 15 foot ladder stand, and then hang the easyway tree stand approximately 2 feet above the top of the ladder. The stand can be padlocked from the bottom which makes it impossible for someone else to hunt out of unless they cut the lock, and in my estimation this makes it a more difficult stand to steal as well, although admittedly anyone who was a committed thief would be able to steal this stand just like they could any other. Again, a critical point here is the camouflage skirt - you won't believe the difference it makes. I've had no problem getting mature bucks in bow range while hunting out of these stands, meaning the standard dogma of needing to hunt from an excessive height or hunt from a small fixed position stand just ain't so. This would be my recommendation for a fixed position bow/gun stand.

[Gobblerman]

I've been thinking of purchasing a couple of ladder stands as well. The older I get the more I think about safety and these seem to be safer to climb than the conventional tree steps and hang on tree stand. I was just questioning weather 15ft was high enough. Sounds like it is. I normally hunt from 18 to 20 ft.

[sniper's mojo]

They make a few ladder stands that go higher than fifteen feet. I like the 20 ft range myself. Only advice would be to camo well with natural foliage if possible and get it out in the woods early. Definitely a more solid feel when sittin in one of these.

[the old archer]

I have four from different makers, and I like them all. Two I leave up year around on my property in southern Indiana, and two I use on the property I hunt here in MI where I live. I love just sliding into the woods, go up the rungs, put my tush down, and I'm hunting. At 62 I still use a climber and eight or ten hang-ons, but I can see a time coming when the ladder will be the much preferred set up. This year, I killed three deer from ladder stands, and nothing from hang-ons (in the wrong place at the wrong time!).

I look for quiet when I'm in the stand, easy up--it's only me, so I don't like anything over 20 feet tall and over 50 or 60 pounds. I do like the slightly higher ladder stands.

Best of luck, Arch