Ladder Stands
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Don
17-Feb-15
I'm a public land whitetail hunter & usually have 3-4 stands scattered around my primary hunting area. Fixed & climbers I lock onto the tree, & one old ladder stand that I found abandoned & made huntable again. Never considered buying a ladder stand before, but I have a new spot found that has two giant oak trees in a sweet spot. You can't use tree steps on public, & the tree is to big for a lock-on anyway. So picked up two cheap ladder stands on clearance. I'm going to put one of them against one of the giant oaks. My question is, does anyone know of a way I can chain or cable the stand to make it un-huntable for others without a key to the lock. This is public land, but I don't really want to leave my stands sitting there for any dipwad to climb into. Any suggestions?
From: R. Hale
17-Feb-15
Someone had a system advertised that showed up on BS but I have no link.
You should check all applicable laws on public land stands. In many areas they must be set at and removed prior to specific dates. Also, must be usable to all on a first come/first served basis.
From: Don
17-Feb-15
In my state they cannot be put out before September 1st and must be removed by January 31st. I don't believe they are open to the public though
From: Saxton
17-Feb-15
I had the same problem. With my hang on and climbing sticks. My solution. I took a piece of plastic, like a roll up sled. (mine was black)
I camoflauged it. I hole sawed to holes on each end, side by side about 2" apart.
I cable locked the one end using the holes to thread the cable through to the sticks (ladder) at about head hight.
I strung the cable down to the other holes and locked to the sticks.
This blocked access to the steps from about 2 feet from ground to about6 feet from ground.
This gave zero access to the stand without removing it.
From: Bill Obeid
17-Feb-15
I once saw a removable section of steps for a ladder stand , But its been a while .
From: Mule Power
17-Feb-15
A guy has a ladder stand on a piece of private I hunt that people trespass on all the time. In order to keep others from using it he removes the bottom section. He puts a pieces of white plastic PVC pipe over the above section to support the stand. But they won't support the weight of a hunter so nobody uses it. Plus there are no steps in between them to use either. The only downside is he has to carry out (or hide) the bottom section which means making noise in the morning putting it back in place before he hunts.
From: Don
17-Feb-15
Bill, the problem is you have to bring that removable section back to get up the tree yourself. I like your thinking Saxton. I was wondering if there would be a way to block the seat part. Maybe something I could lock over the seat section.
From: Grubby
17-Feb-15
I'd just chain something above the seat to make it real uncomfortable.
From: Swampbuck
17-Feb-15
You could get midevil and drill holes in a steel plate the same size as the seat and jb weld large nails in the plate. Place them on the seat and lock it on both sides. Remove it when hunting, facing down on the platform under your seat, so as not to step on it ( metal on metal noise ). Just a thought.
From: Brotsky
17-Feb-15
I'd just take the bottom section out with you. One section of a ladderstand doesn't weigh much and you wouldn't make much noise putting it back together. Best solution IMO.
From: Butcher
17-Feb-15
Guys down here use pile wood cut the same width as the ladders, hinge on one side and pad lock the other. Roughy 2ft wide by 5ft tall. I have never done one but doesn't look hard. There are a one of them on public land in ms although they could be considered a permanent stand, which is illegal in ms, guys don't seem to have any problems with wardens. Downside would be you can spot them anywhere cause most guys here don't bother to camo them which doesn't make a lot of sense to me but there's an idea
From: Don
17-Feb-15
Butcher,I don't know what pile wood is but I think I understand. I'm thinking even a piece of plywood drilled and locked to the bottom of the ladder where you couldn't climb up would work. Thanks
From: Don
17-Feb-15
Butcher,I don't know what pile wood is but I think I understand. I'm thinking even a piece of plywood drilled and locked to the bottom of the ladder where you couldn't climb up would work. Thanks
From: Butcher
18-Feb-15
Haha yeah plywood. Not thinking man, 3 month old not yet letting anyone sleep right now
From: Dave B
18-Feb-15
Try to find a loc on Titan ladder stand. They are ultra portable, super light and easy to pu up and take down. They are aluminum tubing which I fill with spray foam to deaden the noise. They are only 10-12 feet tall but if you are in an old oak you don't need much.
From: orionsbrother
18-Feb-15
I have some River's Edge Ladder stands. The padded seat has webbing straps that hold it on. The foot platform pivots up.
I remove the seat when I'm not hunting and lock the platform in the upright position. Pretty quick and quiet.
From: jjs
18-Feb-15
I got a friend that retired last yr from the USFS and every yr they go out and cut the chains and carry out latter stands that are left, then they have an auction to get rid of them, some expensive stands that went for very little. He got a call one day to break a fight up over who was going to hunt the area, the stand wasn't tagged with owner's name and address; wasn't good.
From: Don
18-Feb-15
Been there Butcher, long ago:-) I didn't realize you actually meant plywood. Thanks for the info. everyone.
From: R. Hale
18-Feb-15
In some states it is illegal to render a stand on public land unsafe or unusable. Think about it. Do you want 10 stands on the same tree so everyone can have his own? It is PUBLIC land. If you put a stand up, it is only right that it is first come, first use even if the law does not spell it out.
If this were not the case, you would simply have people taking down and destroying stands and putting up their own. Just a fact of hunting public.
From: Davy C
18-Feb-15
Personally I think if it is on public land you should not be laying claim to the spot just because you left your stand there.
From: RutNut@work
18-Feb-15
How about a big pile of fake poop left on the seat?
From: Don
19-Feb-15
Obviously some of you don't hunt public. It is public, if you can't find a spot of your own I guess you can put a stand in the tree next to mine. Doesn't mean you need to sit in my stand.
From: stanlh
25-Feb-15
An idea I had, but have not tried yet is to make a flat cover using plywood that covers the bottom six feet of the ladder and padlock it in place so others cannot ladder. I would unlock it when I came to hunt and just lay it on the ground then re-lock it in place when I leave. In Iowa you can leave a stand out on public land for the season. Others may possibly use it when you are not around, but if you show up and someone is in it they have to vacate, it is your stand. The reason for using a deterrent then is so deer don't learn that people use the stand due to other sloppy hunters leaving scent or other sloppy hunting habits.
From: stanlh
26-Feb-15
Oops, I see you already had that idea of a plywood ladder guard. I have seen this sort of thing done on cell tower ladders.
