First tree stands

[Jeff H]

Reading Podad's thread on tree stands got me to thinking of all of the stands I've had over the years and the progression of tree stands in general since I started hunting in the 1970's. It's amazing how far we've come from the Baker tree stand.
My first tree stand was simply a piece of plywood about 24" x 18" with "v" notches cut into two sides. You had to find a tree that split into a "v" pretty low and pull down on it hard to keep it secure. Then I had a rope ladder attached to it to get into and out of the stand. That was the first time I had ever hunted any way other than sitting on the ground next to a tree. I was probably 13 or 14 years old. I don't remember having trouble finding a tree to put it in, but I never got more than 6 feet off the ground either. A good sized dog could have licked my boot most days.
What was your first tree stand like ?

 

[Podad]

The first stand I built was in a large limby pine tree. The seat was a board on a large limb with another limb in just the right place for a foot rest. I used boards nailed to the main trunk and other limbs to access the stand. It was about 12 feet off the ground. It was on my grandmothers land and the nails didnt matter to her. It was overlooking a field that was between the stand and a creek swamp. That was between 45-50 years ago. The guy who owns the land now still hunts the same field but the old pine is long dead.

 

[Btaylor]

Baker climber and a homemade rig Dad and the guys called boom downs. Basically it was a sort of inverted version of today's lock on. Support framing was made with conduit and the platform was either 1/2 or 3/4 marine plywood. Attaché at the back of the platform was a piece of 1/4" flat steel that had the boom and chain attached to it. Go up the tree with pole climber spurs, flip chain around, hook it to the boom and boom it down. It was the most solid stand I have ever hunted off of but no way you could get me on one today. Switched to screw in steps and a lock on lem around 86 and around 90 started using a linemans belt. Harness came along a few years later. Very fortunate to have never had a bad fall with the crap I got away with for a lot of years.

 

[Jeff H]

Baker climber and a homemade rig Dad and the guys called boom downs. Basically it was a sort of inverted version of today's lock on. Support framing was made with conduit and the platform was either 1/2 or 3/4 marine plywood. Attaché at the back of the platform was a piece of 1/4" flat steel that had the boom and chain attached to it. Go up the tree with pole climber spurs, flip chain around, hook it to the boom and boom it down. It was the most solid stand I have ever hunted off of but no way you could get me on one today.

^^That sounds pretty creative. I guess it's true what they say about necessity being the mother of all invention.

"Very fortunate to have never had a bad fall with the crap I got away with for a lot of years.

"

^^ My thoughts as well.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

We used to just weld up square tubing into an "L" with a flat iron cross brace. Drill a couple hole in it and bolt a piece of plywood to the bottom piece of tubing. Then had two piece of angle iron welded onto the top piece of tubing and then would use same application as platform to add a seat. I had many of these that I made and welded a chain onto it with a hook on the other side and tightened like a boomer earlier mentioned. I always threw an extra strap on it just in case.

Oh yes and lag bolts to get up the tree. They were always so good on the trees too

 

[Btaylor]

Sounds almost exactly like our old stands except you were smart enough to use square tube and not conduit. There's no reason for anyone to hold your beer and watch if you always over build stuff.

 

[Jeff H]

I remember when a couple of my hunting buddies got their Baker stands. Man, that was cutting edge stuff. If you didn't buy the hand climber part of the stand (I guess it was optional) you had to hug the tree while you pulled up the bottom with your feet. Good thing we were young back then!! If I remember right a Baker stand was just angle iron and plywood.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

The kids now a days would have no clue how to hunt if they had to go back to the old days of home made stands, compound bows with no let off or very little wood or later aluminum arrows, no releases, etc, etc. We just made what we had work and if couldn't find anything that worked we would go without. Gabe Shaffner was one of the first people I knew around my area that was doing tree stand hunting when I was a kid and I am sure all of his were homemade stands. And of course he was one of the best deer hunters that I ever met maybe still to this day.

 

[Shack]

My first climber was a Baker with a hand climber. I still have it sitting up a my camp. Those were spooky to climb with. First ladders were 8 feet tall made out of treated pine. I build my ladders 16 feet now and use EMT. We built lock -ons and spiked trees with 8 inch landscaping spikes long before you could buy them.

 

[Jeff H]

I never had a Baker, but as mentioned before I had a couple friends that did. It was scary watching them try to climb a tree. My first climber was an Amacker climbing stand. That thing was a HEAVY, but once in the tree it was solid as a rock. I grew up hunting the Hatchie River Refuge near Brownsville Tn. It was 11,000 acres of bow hunt only and no motorized vehicles so you had to walk in from access roads. I toted that Amacker for miles with nothing but rope for shoulder straps.
Boy, we wanted it bad back then didn't we.

 

[Jeff H]

My first climber was a Baker with a hand climber. I still have it sitting up a my camp. Those were spooky to climb with. First ladders were 8 feet tall made out of treated pine. I build my ladders 16 feet now and use EMT. We built lock -ons and spiked trees with 8 inch landscaping spikes long before you could buy them.

Shack do you still hunt out of that Baker ? I'd love to see one again. Don't think I'd get in a tree with one though.

 

[farmhunter]

I see a couple bakers grown into the trees around our farm LOL!
some of those first hang ons, geeze I don't know how we didn't fall. I remember strapping my feet in the bungee straps and using the hand section to pull myself up - remember them?

 

[Brushpile]

Before there were tree stands... before most deer hunters were hunting from trees, I stood on limbs and branches. In about 1975 I made a portable tree stand from wood and angle iron that I strapped to the tree while wearing telephone pole climbers. I also built trees platforms from wood. One day I went to get in my tree platform and the tree had fallen over!

Another time I tossed my bow out of the tree and climbed down with my pole climbers when a buck was attracted to the sound of the pole climbers and ran up to within feet of me, but my bow was out of reach.

 

[zuke]

This brings up a lot of memories. My Uncle help me nail some 2 by 4's on 2 limbs that came out of a small oak. It was about 5 1/2 feet off the ground. I would sit on another limb. Shot my 1st deer out of that stand with a used darton bow I bought for $50. My Uncle helped me get the doe back to his place. This was the 1st deer anyone in the family had ever harvested. We called my cousin who is a butcher to come over and show us what to do. He skinned it, cut it in half, and cut out the roasts, backstraps, etc. all boned out. That took him about an hour. He left me with the other half of the deer. It took me 4-5 hours to cut up that half and my steaks and roast didn't even come close to what he had from his half.
My 1st bought stand was some type of harness that I would put my legs through and strap around my waist. I would climb a tree and tie the long strap from this on a limb over my head with another limb under me for my feet. I didn't use this much because it was hard to find a suitable tree to hang from where I really wanted to hunt. What good advertisement complies one to buy???
I tried a homemade climber my friend made from angle iron. I used it once and almost fell out of the tree when I was descending. Thanked him for letting me try it.
I finally bought an aluminum portable ladder stand. I would hang this on my back with 4 feet of ladder rungs protruding straight out. It was lite so no problem carrying it but stealthy I was not. If I was not careful and made a wrong turn, clanggggggg, that 4 ft. extruding Al would hit the side of a tree. I would also carrying a 5 gal plastic bucket to place on the plywood base to sit on in one hand and my bow in the other. If I used all 3 sections I would be 12 ft. up but most of the time I would only carry 2. I shot many a deer out of that stand. I still have this stand and it still is in excellent shape.
Now I usually sit in 2 man ladder stands with a safety strap on.

 

[Jeff H]

Lots of good stories guys. conjures up some fond memories.. Keep em coming !!

 

[JohnL48]

TSS plywood climber. I had to hug the tree and lift my legs, crazy. I remember climbing one afternoon during freezing rain, I got up about 15 ft and slid down about 13ft, no safety straps back then. I shouldn't be here lol

 

[Btaylor]

TSS plywood climber. I had to hug the tree and lift my legs, crazy. I remember climbing one afternoon during freezing rain, I got up about 15 ft and slid down about 13ft, no safety straps back then. I shouldn't be here lol

Bakers would do that too. Different deal but dropped my baker when I was 13. When my 20' pull up rope went tight my feet came out of the straps. Stand chattered its way all the way to the ground. There I hung on the side of the tree like a skwerl trying think of a better way to get down than the sliding I was about to have to do. Early Oct so I only had a long sleeve t-shirt on. Slide my way down, packed my crap up and walked back to camp.

 

[Jeff H]

Bakers would do that too. Different deal but dropped my baker when I was 13. When my 20' pull up rope went tight my feet came out of the straps. Stand chattered its way all the way to the ground. There I hung on the side of the tree like a skwerl trying think of a better way to get down than the sliding I was about to have to do. Early Oct so I only had a long sleeve t-shirt on. Slide my way down, packed my crap up and walked back to camp.

OUCH !!

 

[j-bird]

My first tree stand wasn't even mine. It was an old wooden stand that was built lord knows how many years before my use. Yep - I still used it. I finally wised up and quit using the stand. However I had someone making repairs to it for me! Once I saw this I went out and cut it down with an axe - I may not have had my chainsaw yet. I left it at the base of the tree with a prepared note in a gallon zip-lock bag. The note read, "I don't know who you are but you don't have permission to be here. I own this place and if I catch you here the result may be the same for you as this stand!" I have not had an issue since!

 

[dogghr]

My dad started hunting longbow in early 60's. He always climbed a tree and sat on a limb and had bucks walk underneath with no problem. So I learned the same thing. But then I got the TSS climbing stand in the 1980's with hand climbing strap. I thot life couldn't get any better. But those things you had to get your heel inside a strap and your toes under another. Well the toe end was too close to tree section. I found out you could get down the tree really quick when I went to lock in my toes and dropped the 18 ft down the smooth bark maple. Lesson learned, don't use small smooth bark trees and watch the toes. I was alone atop a mountain in the winter with a 2 hour walk to the road. Never was too smart when had buck fever on my mind.
Second lesson, don't go up icy tree. Same surprise quick drop to ground. How I survived either of those not sure. It still hangs in my garage to remind me to stay safe and relish the tech we have today.
Best stand for caring into backcountry was a Loggy Bayou. Thing weighted almost nothing at 5# and tho a pain to get strapped on a tree, was a very comfortable stand to use. Still have it and will occasionally use it.
My good friend and hunting buddy had a Predator climber, if you remember those. It did the same to him and dropped him 20 feet one day. We were all live testing dummies for todays technology.