# In search of the perfect trad bow tree stand...



## Triple C (Jun 29, 2020)

Last year I had the good fortune of having Al33 down to my farm for a weekend hunt.  He connected on a nice doe on his 2nd afternoon sit in a lock on stand that he hung earlier that afternoon overlooking a loaded persimmon tree.  To my amazement, he hung the stand only 10 ft off the ground.  A little backstory...First day down I showed Al all of my ladder stands I had set that I thought were in good locations as I had seen deer out of all of them.  All were a minimum of 18 ft high.  I could tell he wasn't overly impressed with my setups.  After he hunted the 1st afternoon and 2nd morning with no luck, we were having lunch and Al asks me if I have a known food source that deer were using.  I immediately think of 2 persimmon trees that were loaded and dropping and off we went to check them out.  1st one is on the edge of a small swampy beaver pond with a small rise overlooking in with thick cover.  He spots a pine tree about 8 yds from the persimmon and surrounded by thick vegeation and says that's where I need a stand.  I grab an extra hang-on and sticks from the shop and All proceeds to hang it.  And to my amazement, hangs it maybe 10 ft off the ground.  I'm thinking busted.  Well...he proved me wrong.  1st sit and he has backstraps on the ground with his self made bow, arrows and stone point. Lessons learned:

Stand must be over an active food source with a shot opportunity of 12 yds or less.
Stand must be portable and easy to move during season to adapt to food sources as they change.
10 to 12 ft is plenty high for trad bow hunting.  Anything higher and the shot angle becomes too steep.
There's a reason Al kills so many deer with a trad bow.  Boy, did I learn some lessons from him.  With that in mind, I began to search for the perfect ladder stand (I prefer them over hang-on's at my age).  I've bought a number of different stands over the years.  Most in the 20 ft range, heavy and once set, you just didn't wanna move them due to the weight and aggravation of setting when alone.  I hope I have finally found the stand that I can easily move from area to area without needing help setting against the tree - The X-Stand Apollo.  10 ft high...weighs 38 lbs...ladder folds and packs against the stand...easily maneuverable...locking jaw system...and easy for one person to move and reset.  I have one X-Stand with the locking jaw which I really like but it is a 2 person job to set.

So, I just ordered a couple of these.  Hopefully it will fit the bill as a very portable, lightweight ladder stand for trad bow hunting.  I'll update as to how I like it when I set em up and begin to hunt this season.


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## Hillbilly stalker (Jun 29, 2020)

Good luck. I’ve found higher is not always better, especially in the early season. Let us know how you like that stand.


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## Longbeard1975 (Jun 29, 2020)

My all time favorite hang on was made by Gorilla( don’t think they are still in business) weighs 5 pounds but solid when mounted. I never liked the real big platforms I just needed enough to move a little for a shot. Killed a pile of deer from that stand with a Bear recurve and a HH longbow. I always used the ladder sticks 3 or 4 sticks would get you 12-16 feet and were light. One of my best public land spots was a small pin oak tree in the middle of a big CRP field  I was able to climb the tree without any ladder and my feet were maybe 10 feet above ground.Play the wind and keep still you don’t need to be 25’ up. Those stands look like they should work.


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## dm/wolfskin (Jun 30, 2020)

Critters shouldn't test that one eyed bandit hunting abilities, they will lose. Al bad on fish too.


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## Triple C (Jun 30, 2020)

Longbeard1975 said:


> My all time favorite hang on was made by Gorilla( don’t think they are still in business) weighs 5 pounds but solid when mounted. I never liked the real big platforms I just needed enough to move a little for a shot. Killed a pile of deer from that stand with a Bear recurve and a HH longbow. I always used the ladder sticks 3 or 4 sticks would get you 12-16 feet and were light. One of my best public land spots was a small pin oak tree in the middle of a big CRP field  I was able to climb the tree without any ladder and my feet were maybe 10 feet above ground.Play the wind and keep still you don’t need to be 25’ up. Those stands look like they should work.


Longbeard...At just 38 lbs and easily packable, I'm hoping these ladders prove to be quite easy to move as needed as the season progresses.  I got a lot of ladder stands out but once set it is a pain in the butt to even think about moving.  Most all are a 2 man job to move.  Honestly, when Al hung that stand last year at probably not even 10 ft off the ground I just thought "No Way" but he proved me wrong.  Tucked that thing in tree with plenty of foliage around it and bam...dead deer.  After shooting a compound for many, many years and quite comfortable at 20 ft or higher and shots out to 30 yds, I'm slowly learning that trad hunting is a whole different world.  12 yds or less and not as high.


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## Triple C (Jun 30, 2020)

dm/wolfskin said:


> Critters shouldn't test that one eyed bandit hunting abilities, they will lose. Al bad on fish too.


Nor should they test you!  Plenty of dead pigs all around Oglethorpe County from dmwolfskin roaming the woods at all hours of the day and night.


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## dm/wolfskin (Jun 30, 2020)

If I drill a tree my Loc-on is 16 ft high. If I use my Buck steps my Loc-on is 14 ft high. Now if I find a good Sawtooth oak dropping I might not be over 10 feet high with some cut out foliage for a shooting lane.


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## John Cooper (Jul 1, 2020)

I like the old lock on lems and windwalkers.  Rope on tree steps. Light and portable.


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## hambone76 (Jul 9, 2020)

That setup should serve you well. 
I’m using a Millenium lock on and a couple sections of sticks this year. 
I already have another Game Winner Loc on set up on a high-banked creek crossing and an older API that still needs to be set up. I’ll hold off on setting it up until I find some muscadines that are dropping.


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## deast1988 (Jul 10, 2020)

Saddle is different but you can hang off the tree with it between you and the game. It’s a different concept but works fantastic.


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## Triple C (Jul 13, 2020)

deast1988 said:


> Saddle is different but you can hang off the tree with it between you and the game. It’s a different concept but works fantastic.


deast - My son hunts out of a saddle from time to time.  I understand it is the safest way to hunt from a tree as you are never unattached from the time you leave the ground.  I have a mental block of looking down at that small bridge and thinking it ain't gonna break.


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## Triple C (Jul 13, 2020)

Well...I've got a couple of these put together.  They seem to be of decent quality and quite sturdy.  But...they are made in China.  That typically means the precision is lacking here and there when it comes to everything lining up.  No different with these.  I had two missing parts that caused me to have to run to the hardware store to complete the assembly.  Took about 45 minutes to assemble the first one and bout half that time to assemble the second.  I'll strap em on a tree here in the next month or so and post pics of the setup.


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## godogs57 (Jul 18, 2020)

My “lowest” kill with my Black Widow was years ago and I was six (6) feet off the ground. Had a nice 8 pointer cutting across a field I hunted seen on many occasions. His path always crossed in front of an outside corner of the field with a huge pine tree growing right at that corner. I decided to put up a stand in that pine...ohhhh....15-20 feet high should be about right. The pine, however, had a stinkin mass of greenbrier growing up the tree with a giant “ball” of vine at 6’ elevation. It was huge. My lightbulb went off, which it did rarely back then, and I hung the hang on @ 6’.

I was embarrassed to be only six feet off the ground and hoped the farmer didn’t see me and think the idiot hunter was scared of heights.

To my utter surprise, that dang buck showed up at the upper end of the field and made a beeline across the field, crossed less than ten feet from me and never had a clue I was in that mass of greenbrier vine. Afterwards, I thought I could give advice to both Gene Wensel and Fred Bear.


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## Allen Oliver (Jul 27, 2020)

Been looking at that stand myself. I have a section on my club that is young pines and nothing to climb but I think I can get one of these stand setup in some thick stuff and make it work. Intrested in how you like them. Please keep us posted sir.


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## Triple C (Jul 27, 2020)

godogs57 said:


> My “lowest” kill with my Black Widow was years ago and I was six (6) feet off the ground. Had a nice 8 pointer cutting across a field I hunted seen on many occasions. His path always crossed in front of an outside corner of the field with a huge pine tree growing right at that corner. I decided to put up a stand in that pine...ohhhh....15-20 feet high should be about right. The pine, however, had a stinkin mass of greenbrier growing up the tree with a giant “ball” of vine at 6’ elevation. It was huge. My lightbulb went off, which it did rarely back then, and I hung the hang on @ 6’.
> 
> I was embarrassed to be only six feet off the ground and hoped the farmer didn’t see me and think the idiot hunter was scared of heights.
> 
> To my utter surprise, that dang buck showed up at the upper end of the field and made a beeline across the field, crossed less than ten feet from me and never had a clue I was in that mass of greenbrier vine. Afterwards, I thought I could give advice to both Gene Wensel and Fred Bear.


Watched an interview with Gene Wensel and was surprised at how low he hunted out of tree stands with the situation called for it.  His favorite was bout 6 to 8 ft tucked in a cedar tree.


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## Triple C (Jul 27, 2020)

Allen - I've got 3 of em assembled.  Made in China.  Go figure.  But, they are sturdy and seem to be well built.  Too freakin' hot to wanna go set em right now.  I've got multiple keiffer pears that are loaded this year and 3 mature persimmons that are just calling these stand's name.  Will update when I set em up.


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## Allen Oliver (Jul 27, 2020)

Triple C said:


> Allen - I've got 3 of em assembled.  Made in China.  Go figure.  But, they are sturdy and seem to be well built.  Too freakin' hot to wanna go set em right now.  I've got multiple keiffer pears that are loaded this year and 3 mature persimmons that are just calling these stand's name.  Will update when I set em up.


You are right about Hot!!!


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## godogs57 (Jul 27, 2020)

Triple C said:


> Watched an interview with Gene Wensel and was surprised at how low he hunted out of tree stands with the situation called for it.  His favorite was bout 6 to 8 ft tucked in a cedar tree.


Gene is a friend of mine...great guy and a great hunter. Always one step ahead of the deer .


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## Stump Shooter (Jul 28, 2020)

I have shot a few from a 6 to 8 ft stands. My favorite tree before it was cut down by a logging operation used six steps high.


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## Allen Oliver (Jul 29, 2020)

Stump Shooter said:


> I have shot a few from a 6 to 8 ft stands. My favorite tree before it was cut down by a logging operation used six steps high.


You just lucky!!!


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## baddave (Jul 29, 2020)

i use a Hardtail Bow hunter . has a hand climber/seat . i've always set-up about 12-14'.  But i met a man last year (David Waldrop) that only hunts from the ground and with longbow . killed a ton of mature bucks off the ground . I'm going to try bowhunting from the ground this year as i have almost switched to rifle hunting from ground exclusively . I am nowhere near scared of heights , I'm just getting smarter w/ age.


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## sawtooth (Aug 2, 2020)

I like hunting from the ground more and more. it's not difficult. The wind makes me cuss sometimes, but that's huntin.  I can say that hunting deer from the ground is WAYYY more exciting than sitting over them. Two years ago I had a big doe blow snot all over the back of my neck...  I almost had to use the paper I keep rolled up in the cargo pocket of my britches.


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## rnfarley (Aug 10, 2020)

sawtooth said:


> I like hunting from the ground more and more. it's not difficult. The wind makes me cuss sometimes, but that's huntin.  I can say that hunting deer from the ground is WAYYY more exciting than sitting over them. Two years ago I had a big doe blow snot all over the back of my neck...  I almost had to use the paper I keep rolled up in the cargo pocket of my britches.


Any tips on ground hunting deer? Thinking of going that route this year - do you use a ghillie or natural blind or anything usually or just setup off trails and sill hunt through an area or etc? Appreciate any advice for to help a fool not just waste his time ground hunting with a recurve


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## hambone76 (Aug 10, 2020)

When on the ground, I like to use a really big oak for cover and set up with the tree trunk serving as a barrier between the deer and I. It helps conceal my draw somewhat. 
I’m right handed, so I set up to where the deer come past me on my left. 

I scratch the leaf litter all the way out from around it so that I can slowly move around the tree to keep concealed. 

I killed my avatar deer and shot another 5 minutes later doing exactly that.


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## twoheartedale (Aug 12, 2020)

I like hang ons and ladder sticks.  I have an API bowhunter and Lone Wolfe I use to carry in mountains.


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## Triple C (Aug 12, 2020)

Triple C said:


> Last year I had the good fortune of having Al33 down to my farm for a weekend hunt.  He connected on a nice doe on his 2nd afternoon sit in a lock on stand that he hung earlier that afternoon overlooking a loaded persimmon tree.  To my amazement, he hung the stand only 10 ft off the ground.  A little backstory...First day down I showed Al all of my ladder stands I had set that I thought were in good locations as I had seen deer out of all of them.  All were a minimum of 18 ft high.  I could tell he wasn't overly impressed with my setups.  After he hunted the 1st afternoon and 2nd morning with no luck, we were having lunch and Al asks me if I have a known food source that deer were using.  I immediately think of 2 persimmon trees that were loaded and dropping and off we went to check them out.  1st one is on the edge of a small swampy beaver pond with a small rise overlooking in with thick cover.  He spots a pine tree about 8 yds from the persimmon and surrounded by thick vegeation and says that's where I need a stand.  I grab an extra hang-on and sticks from the shop and All proceeds to hang it.  And to my amazement, hangs it maybe 10 ft off the ground.  I'm thinking busted.  Well...he proved me wrong.  1st sit and he has backstraps on the ground with his self made bow, arrows and stone point. Lessons learned:
> 
> Stand must be over an active food source with a shot opportunity of 12 yds or less.
> Stand must be portable and easy to move during season to adapt to food sources as they change.
> ...


*(Update) *I've got 3 of these put together but haven't set them as of yet.  Basically, like a hang-on with a stick ladder in front.  Pear trees are loaded this year but dropping like crazy right now.  Assuming they still have plenty of fruit on them I"m gonna set a couple of these up about 12 yds from pear trees for early bow season.  I'll post pics once they're set.  As far as functionality, they seem to be well thought out in the design.  The ladder folds in on it's self and straps to the stand.  Weight is 38 lbs in total so relatively easy for one person to set.  I'm gonna have to get accustomed to being only 10 ft off the ground and make sure I have the right tree with cover around me.


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## Sautee Ridgerunner (Aug 12, 2020)

Lone wolf hand climber 2. Man I love that stand.


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## rnfarley (Aug 12, 2020)

It's hard to argue with the lone wolf hand climber - and just so happens they're $50 off on amazon right now for $319 - that's as low as I've seen them: https://www.amazon.com/Lone-Wolf-Cl...lone+wolf+climber+combo&qid=1597270688&sr=8-2


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## Triple C (Aug 31, 2020)

Had the chance to set 2 of these stands this past weekend.  Here’s my thoughts after taking it in the field and setting up:
Pros -

Lightweigt for a ladder stand - 38lbs.
Compact and easy to transport.  Ladder folds in on itself and straps to the platform for transportation. Fits in back of UTV or comes with straps for backpacking which I threw away.  Cheap straps and for me, not needed.
Easy to maneuver and carry in woods. 2 persons not necessary.
Quick setup.  Takes hardly any time to unfold ladder and attach to base of platform.
Easy for 1 person to set against the tree.
Locking jaws that secure the stand for initial climb and strap down work great.  Anyone that owns an X-Stand knows what I talking about.  The jaws are designed to securely hold the stand against the tree while you climb the stick ladder to do final lockdown.
One person can easily set this stand. 
Pretty sure it eliminates “moving remorse”.  Light enough to not dread moving as season changes dictate.
Comfortable tension seat with no armrest interference for shooting while seated.
Cons-

Height - It’s only 9 feet to base of platform.
I can see it being limited in trying to find a tree with background that provides good cover in order to set up for a 15 yd or less shot without getting busted.
Here’s a pic of the stand erected.  I tucked it in a cedar tree parallel to a travel corridor between bedding and our largest plot.  There’s a large ditch with a natural bridge that deer funnel across and surrounded by red oaks and water oaks.  Should be a nice spot to intercept deer as they are coming into the plot.


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## bowhunterdavid (Aug 31, 2020)

Nice looking set up.


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## transfixer (Aug 31, 2020)

I was just having a discussion with a fellow member in our club this weekend about stand height,  he's a "gotta get as high as possible"  kind of guy,  and he hunts almost exclusively with a compound bow,   some situations are better served with a stand only 8 or 10ft off the ground,  many times ground level is the best height,  depends on the area,  and whether you've got the right back cover . 

   I'll think you'll do well with those stands,  they don't stand out blatantly,  and in the right tree they're really hard to see !


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## Triple C (Aug 31, 2020)

transfixer said:


> I was just having a discussion with a fellow member in our club this weekend about stand height,  he's a "gotta get as high as possible"  kind of guy,  and he hunts almost exclusively with a compound bow,   some situations are better served with a stand only 8 or 10ft off the ground,  many times ground level is the best height,  depends on the area,  and whether you've got the right back cover .
> 
> I'll think you'll do well with those stands,  they don't stand out blatantly,  and in the right tree they're really hard to see !


When I used a compound I would get as high as possible as I could shoot out to 20 plus yds with no problem.  Trad bow I'm finding out is a whole different deal.  Shots are generally 12 yds or less and shot angle gets too high at 20 feet.  Plus, with age, heights bother me much more.  We'll see how I do with these in terms of getting busted.

I tried to position in such a way that I would have the shot to my left without having to stand to draw.  Last year, I had an up close and personal experience with a mature buck in a 20 ft ladder stand.  I had to stand to shoot in this particular stand and the minute I began to stand he locked up, focused right on me and eased around me.  Trad bow hunting definitely has a learning curve.  Movement is a killer.


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## Al33 (Aug 31, 2020)

Forgive me Tripple C but I have just now read this thread for the first time. Dang, I have got to get around these parts more often. Since I retired almost 15 years ago I don't have the computer time like I used to when I was on the job. Anyhoo, certainly looks like you are getting things worked out for a productive deer season and I wish you the best of good luck! Some good feedback has been shared in this thread.


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## Triple C (Sep 1, 2020)

Al33 said:


> Forgive me Tripple C but I have just now read this thread for the first time. Dang, I have got to get around these parts more often. Since I retired almost 15 years ago I don't have the computer time like I used to when I was on the job. Anyhoo, certainly looks like you are getting things worked out for a productive deer season and I wish you the best of good luck! Some good feedback has been shared in this thread.


I"ve learned from the best Al...


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## dm/wolfskin (Sep 1, 2020)

Al33 said:


> Forgive me Tripple C but I have just now read this thread for the first time. Dang, I have got to get around these parts more often. Since I retired almost 15 years ago I don't have the computer time like I used to when I was on the job. Anyhoo, certainly looks like you are getting things worked out for a productive deer season and I wish you the best of good luck! Some good feedback has been shared in this thread.


Why do I think of slaw dogs when I see Triple C on here?


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## Triple C (Sep 2, 2020)

dm/wolfskin said:


> Why do I think of slaw dogs when I see Triple C on here?


As you should!  Triple C Special.


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