Leaving up Ladder stands

[Brokenbear]

I put up my ladder stands yesterday ..barely ..plum wore me out ..nice and cool ..like 82 degrees and lower than normal humidity ..but if it had been the the normal temp and humidity I would have only gotten one up (maybe)before I timed out!
70 years old, 3 shoulder surgeries, a missing disc and 2 knee surgeries are telling me putting up and taking down ladder stands is not much longer in my future ....It's probably even telling me it's time to stay out of tree stands ..but I'm an addict ..the thought of acorns falling ..deer acting like hogs and me in a tree stand watch'in it all ..picking and choosing my bow shot ...so any way++++++++++++++++++

How bad would would it be if I left my steel painted ladder stands up ...but relax the straps for tree growth and camo tarp them at end of season .. any other thoughts are appreciated

By the way ..I quit using all the ladder sections and only use 2 now so my butt sits about 10 feet off the ground ..I'm in a gillie suit top and have a skirt of camo mosquito netting around the lift up shooting bar ..There has been zero ...zero changes in the deer's attitudes ..I do hunt the wind though

Bear

 

[E_308]

I have some that have been strapped to the same tree for a decade. Check the straps every time I am in them. Most have a ratchet strap and a security cable on them. Good idea on loosing the straps though as I have one that my uncle lost the key to that is growth 5 inches into the tree -very solid stand though!

 

[cutman]

I leave mine up year round. I couldn't imagine taking them down and putting them back up every year.

 

[Kabic]

I leave mine up...take off the seat pad\arm rest pads the squirrels will chew them up. Loosing the straps is a good idea, I forgot and then have a hell of time doing it latter...replace the straps as needed.

 

[boot]

I leave my ladder stands up, have had them standing for three years now and have not had one problem, might have to replace the straps next year. The only thing that might happen is the straps will eventually get worn out due to being exposed 365 days a year but that will take a few years to get to that point, it sure beats putting them up in the brutal summer heat and taking them down in the cold winter every year.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

I have always left my ladder stands up. I just add a new strap every couple of years as the old one start to dry rot. If they get real bad you can pull them down every few years and put a fresh coat of paint on them and they will be good to go another 5-10 years depending on what coating you use on them and how well the painting surface is prepped.

 

[Jack Terpack]

I agree with the others on this. Some of my stands have been in place for 8 years now. Others vary between 3 and 5 years. We do move a stand or two every year, but then we get the youngster to do it.
We automatically put new straps on stands every two years. One of our nephews gets them at a discount rate so we buy 20 or so every time and spend a day just changing ratchet straps. The most important thing tis to visually inspect them every time you get in and out of a stand. We had a squirrel chew through a brand new strap last year. It had only been on teh stand for about a month.

 

[Brokenbear]

You guys are very encouraging ..helping me get over my "guilt" feeling like leaving them out would be a mortal sin ..my two nephews are equipment nuts ...between them they have something like 27 stands scattered over 4 different farms ...every year they take down ..repaint ..store and then reinstall come August... makes me feel like I'm a failure ...I put sharp sticks in as many deer as they ..and they hunt longer and harder ...I keep jabbing them that it's the fresh paint the deer are smelling !!!!

What is everyone's thought about covering them with a tarp? ..

Bear

 

[boot]

I personally wouldn't mess around with a tarp, most stands would be fine being un-tarped

 

[OkieKubota]

Once I get a ladder stand it lives on the tree the rest of it's life unless I put it in an "iffy" area on our deer lease near the border where it may be stolen. In that instance I just take it down, load it on my wheeler, take it home and store it outside until I put it back up again next fall...only done that with one stand so far...I don't use the padding that comes with them anymore and prefer to carry my own cushion to sit on each time I go out...

 

[dogdoc]

I've got one that has been up a good 10 years. I just replace the straps.

 

[Nebraskaz71]

same, very rarely do i take one day and if i do its just cause i'm moving to a new property and no longer hunting the old

 

[Chainsaw]

I'm with the group;leave them up and in place.it's the using of it that educates deer not the empty stand up all year. I'm only 67 and no way would I consider taking them down for the off season;I think it might tip the deer off more than anything to take them down and then put them back up later in the year.

 

[Buckly]

"I'm only 67" !!! Haha. That's the spirit.

 

[TheOldOak]

i'm a spry 48, but no way i'm putting up and taking down all the stands every year. Mine go up, and only come down when they are no longer safe, 4 years and counting and all are still up. Gotta think deer also get use to seeing these. In my woods, they come across a lot of stands! Now I did finally bite the bullet and build a deer tower for the first time. 6X6 feet covered roof with windows. That will be my cold weather spot, regardless of wind!

 

[Twolftg]

You guys are very encouraging ..helping me get over my "guilt" feeling like leaving them out would be a mortal sin ..my two nephews are equipment nuts ...between them they have something like 27 stands scattered over 4 different farms ...every year they take down ..repaint ..store and then reinstall come August... makes me feel like I'm a failure ...I put sharp sticks in as many deer as they ..and they hunt longer and harder ...I keep jabbing them that it's the fresh paint the deer are smelling !!!!

What is everyone's thought about covering them with a tarp? ..

Bear

In my opinion not worth the time it would take to cover them, I have not found a ladder stand that has became that bad in less the 5 or 6 years being out 365. They usually last alot longer, the average stand is a $100 to $200. Your talking $20 to $40 a year if you replaced them every 5. I waste that much money in one night out.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I'm with the group;leave them up and in place.it's the using of it that educates deer not the empty stand up all year. I'm only 67 and no way would I consider taking them down for the off season;I think it might tip the deer off more than anything to take them down and then put them back up later in the year.

only 67?

attaboy,chainsaw!!!!!

bill

 

[j-bird]

I only have a handful of stands and I like taking them down as it gives me a chance to inspect them. Bolts get loose, welds start to crack, and the straps start to deteriorate. Also consider what happens if someone crawls up in a stand with loosened straps! I only deal with roughly 1/2 dozen or so - so it still takes time but it isn't a huge undertaking.

 

[Chainsaw]

only 67?

attaboy,chainsaw!!!!!

bill

Thanks Buckly and TreeDaddy,
Actually guys there is a huge difference between 67 and 70 or 70 and 72, etc. At 67 I am lucky and do not have any hurts and pains or past surgery that has slowed me down other than the normal everyday stuff ie; currently have a sprained or twisted ankle that has reduced but not eliminated my daily deer related treks. Fell when being pursued by a swarm of mad, ugly yellow jackets earlier this month.

Back on the age subject once what people consider older which is usually only ten or twenty years from where ever an observer is at the time it is circumstance to not get hurt or have a debilitating illness of any kind that keeps one able to do whatever they have been doing all of their life. Once hurt or sick then the age thing makes a big difference. Being 67 is not much different in the first five or six hours of each day than being 50 was;the difference is the last five or six hours of the day are a lot tougher to keep going.

One difference between 50 and 67 is a good massage therapist is very credible and valuable where at 50 I thought them to be flakes. And tower stands (something I did not even try until two or three years ago) are pretty darn nice for some days.

J-bird - That is an excellent point the stands should be checked annually for safety concerns before considered usable for the coming season. I do give them an annual check in place against the tree. Sitting in stands that have been checked to insure they are in good condition is one way to stay "young".

 

[Buckly]

In this climate, straps are only one thing to check. I have had a few stands in the past get water into the rails in the fall I presume. It has no where to go and can freeze inside the steel tubing and split out the steel. I did drill a few relief holes on the underside of the rails on some stands to help with this and I have not had this problem since.