Bowhunting from a tripod deer stand
Wisconsin
Does anyone bowhunt from a tripod stand? How do you like it? Are they stable? Is there room to stand and shoot? Are they relatively easy to move? Could I put it up myself or would I need to recruit help? I'm guessing I may have to cut down an entire small tree to give myself some cover. My wife usually gets me a new stand of some kind for Christmas and I have been thinking about trying a tripod. Any advice, tips, experiences are welcome.
I suspect stability and space would depend greatly on brand and model. I have a quad pod that I like. Ladder counts as two legs so really a glorified tripod. I do like it except I did not use the gizmo that would allow the seat to rotate. The plates and rollers it was constructed of was noisy so I just bolted the seat into place. I use it infrequently but my daughter shot two bucks out of it.
I did set it up myself but so long ago don't remember how difficult it was. I also tied off to anchors a ways out, pretty sure some winds we have had would have blown it down. I would not consider moving it frequently, in fact have never moved it.
Thanks for the input Jeff, I have a couple other questions now about your quad pod. Is there enough room underneath to create a ground blind for inclement weather? Would a simple coating of grease eliminate the noise of the swivel mechanism? Does yours have the railing surrounding the seat and if so do you like it or does it get in the way?
The one in the link is what I have. Might be discontinued as when I google gorilla quad pod I don't find much. I got mine at Sams club after season on mark down, you might search them.
If you leave the front rail off you can shoot sitting down that direction. I bolted the seat to face the right so I could shoot sitting down where the rail was. Otherwise you pretty much have to stand up if using a bow. I suppose you could leave all the rails off if you wanted to.
I ruled out grease on the swivel due to smell and the probability that it would seep down to the platform and ground over time.
I just purchased 2 tripod deer stands for hunting in a areas with pine trees not tall enough to put a stand in. We love them. My youngest son shot his bow deer out of it two weeks ago. Easy to put together, easy to move (2 people could do it), plenty of room. I got mine on sale from Sportsman Guide. I started a thread a few weeks ago about the deal they were offering.
Photo is part of our setup crew. The line of Spruce trees is where we put ours and that is where my son (on left) shot his deer.
The other stand is up close to a lone pine tree that overlooks a prairie and a couple of food plots. We will use it during the upcoming gun season.
If you have a spot with no trees, or trees not big enough for a ladder stand then the tripod is the way to go. BC
Bow Crazy, I was about to ask if anyone had tried them in pines that are to small for a stand. I have always thought a tripod nestled into a few spots in my pines would be perfect. Now to get a few for next year.
They come in many sizes. summit offered a lightweight 7 footer several years ago. I thought about getting one for public land hunting. But I think 7 feet may be a bit short, accept maybe for gun hunting.
After checking out Jeff's link and reading a bunch of reviews on different versions I have decided that" Santa" (me) will be getting me a lighter weight tripod, I found one that folds down for greater mobility. And santas wife will be getting me a quad pod. I can convert the underside of the quad into a ground blind for when one of my boys are with or in case of bad weather. I'm already excited for spring turkey so I can get out and set them up.
Here is a link to the ones offered by Sportsmans Guide. I bought two of the Sniper 15 1/2' Deluxe. I got mine shipped to my door for $150 each, quite a deal. They still are a great price.
Rut, we tucked ours into the pines with plenty of back cover. BC
I like that the seat is centered on the platform in the pic above. With my sort-of-quad pod the seat is toward the back of the platform.
I plan to change memory in two cameras at some permanent home made tripods tomorrow, weather permitting. I will try to remember to take some pics. The owner of that land who gun hunts with me uses them and is about the only elevated stand he will use. I built 6 of them for us.
CrusaderDad, what model did you find?
Well I found one I'm interested in, the Millennium T100. But it's only 8' tall to the chair. What interests me is how lightweight it is. I would use it on public land where you can't leave anything up. I found a new piece of public land that has a ton of undergrowth. I think the property was logged or a storm that went through the area wiped out a bunch of the mature trees. But it's $360-$400.
7-8 feet is plenty high for bow if tucked in the right cover, and you play the wind. In fact, it has to be better to be inside the cover than over the top, silhouetted, obviously, with bow at least and probably gun too. (How often is the first deer that shows up the one you want to shoot? Not too often is my experience, so not being seen by the early birds can help you wait out the one you're looking for).
I have 6 set up on my farm here for bow hunting, we love them! They are safe, quiet, and easy getting into and out of. I build up the backs on them and cover with camo cloth, the deer never look at you. In fact to prove my point, I shot a turkey out of one on opening night, they (14) never even saw me!!! Shot at 8 yards!!! I often sit with my wife , together she is the "Designated" shooter and I am the video guy. We get some great footage. Here is a picture with us in the Tri Pod and deer in the food plot. Give them a try...
Silvrtip
