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For those who have harvested mature bucks with a bow

Bushape

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Have any of you had long term success using ladder stands? So much talk about your chances decreasing every time you hunt an area but I would assume the presence of a ladder stand with your scent would keep deer out of bow range at the very least. What has been your experience with using ladder stands??
 
I have a few spots on private with climbing sticks and lock ons, but I notice a decrease in deer sightings especially in bow range after roughly 3 sits. Much more success staying mobile. I prefer a climber. Hanging sticks every hunt and a stand is a lot of work. I do have a setup for this but 99% is climber and on public. Hope this helps.
 
Nothing wrong with a ladder stand if you leave it up all season and save it for the right time. Which will usually be during the rut in most cases.

Doesn't matter what kind of stand you use, what matters is where and when you hunt, and how often.
 
I echo What Cat said on this one. It's not about the type of stand. It's about the amount of pressure the areas receives. The issue I can see with this scenario is that a ladder stand is very convenient for the hunter to get in and because of that the stand could easily receive to much pressure to kill a mature buck. Mature bucks react to human pressure more than any other single factor bar none. Its real tough to get inside 30 yards of a big ole buck who knows the game is on…..
 
I occasionally hunt with a friend who kills good bucks fairly regularly with a bow from ladder stands. As a matter of fact, he won't use any other type stand, and won't allow anyone to use any stands on his place but his ladders.

It's a small honey-hole, tucked in between two large
parcels, with only 5-6 ladders on the property.

He does a few things to give him an advantage though. He builds his stands himself, 20 feet high, and super sturdy and HEAVY. And, he builds them with comfort and room in mind. It takes about four guys to move or place one.

He only places them where he has super background cover, and keeps them brushed in very well. As a matter of fact it's hard to see and find them if you don't know they are there.

He places them in fantastic rut travel corridors, usually on the edges of areas that he's hinge cut or hacked and squirted to thicken them up, and takes a chainsaw and creates extra "funnels" by dropping trees and brush and using it to bring the deer even closer.

Most importantly, he never over-hunts them, and is very picky about who he'll let hunt with him. His system works very well for him.
 
I was the manager and lead guide at a Kansas Lodge for 5 years. Many of our dozens of stands were hunted on travel corridors repeatedly and there was success year after year, however, our stands were set for specific winds. Stands were never hunted if the wind was wrong. Wind should be your determining factor on whether to hunt a specific stand or not.
 
Doesn't matter what kind of stand you use, what matters is where and when you hunt, and how often.
^^^^^
This.

80% of the mature bucks I've killed were shot at distances under 20 yards. And almost all were killed from ladder stands. But as others pointed out, usually within the first 3 times that stand had been hunted.
 
Ladder stands have their place in bow hunting. It's not a one size fits all thing, though, and they come with caveats. I'd say that seems true for any type stand.

With ladders, I've found them to be noisy while climbing or if I move around inside the stand. Even the nice ones screech. I also have to be more careful about where I put them. Since they're usually shorter than I sit from climbers or hang ons, concealment is more critical. I also am not a fan of the ladder base being several feet away from the tree. That sometimes makes it tricky when setting up in a thick area.

That all said, they have their place. Each stand type has its strengths and inconveniences. I've killed out of ladders and have one in particular that is a staple. It sits in a cedar tree that had top broken, so my head can swivel and see 360* but my body is well concealed. In that situation, having the ladder several feet out is a plus. It was absolutely the best stand for that tree. So on top of everything the others have said, I think it's worth adding that the stand should match the specific situation.
 
I have had really good luck using ladder stands bow hunting over the years. One particular stand I received as a gift 12 years ago is only 13 feet tall at the base. It is imperative to remain extremely still; but was designed for bowhunting (your can shoot almost from all directions sitting down. I have killed a ton of deer from it.

My favorite by far is a 21 foot millennial stand. Extremely comfortable for all day sits. Almost as comfortable as my Summit Titan climber. At 21 feet movement isn't as critical as the 13 footer but you have to stand up most of the time to shoot with a bow.

I love ladder stands.
 
Nobody mentions scent control! Without good scent control practices any stand or even climber location is limited. I see people come from work, gatherings and more, pull on some camos and go climb. Makes me crazy... they grumble about getting busted or not seeing much, they blame the wind or the setup. Its always the same guys. Scent control is one of the very most important factors to get within bow range of any mature deer, far more important than the type of stand or how often its hunted cause face it, some of you guys stink!
 
Nobody mentions scent control! Without good scent control practices any stand or even climber location is limited. I see people come from work, gatherings and more, pull on some camos and go climb. Makes me crazy... they grumble about getting busted or not seeing much, they blame the wind or the setup. Its always the same guys. Scent control is one of the very most important factors to get within bow range of any mature deer, far more important than the type of stand or how often its hunted cause face it, some of you guys stink!
Well you'd have a heart attack if you hunted with me lol. Just out of curiosity what does your scent control regimen look like?
 
I have killed mature bucks with a bow, from a stand, lock ons and climbing (never bowhunted from a ladder stand, gun hunted from them and the ladder stands I have hung to not make a sound, if you know how to strap them and tighten them, they do not make a sound) and from the ground, My best 2 came from the ground. Both qualify for Pope and Young. I don't pay attention to scent or wind, well when I get to the exact spot I want to hunt, I try to use the conditions to my advantage as best I can. Most important to me is time in the woods. No one will ever kill a good deer if they are not actually hunting. I will hunt a different location every single hunt at times and I will hunt the exact same spot every single time for many days and even weeks continuously and both techniques have worked and failed.
 
Well you'd have a heart attack if you hunted with me lol. Just out of curiosity what does your scent control regimen look like?
Since my job is what it is I begin my regimen in August when I start running trail cams and replacing straps and fall restraints on stands. Its all day every day till Christmas. Every shower, every laundry, every hand wash is about scent control. I carry scent control wipes in my truck, UTV, day pack and use them faithfully. My gear and boots get wiped and sprayed often, when you do it every day its not that big of a deal, it just replaces ordinary habits. I am not obsessive about it but just mindful.
 
I have a few large ladder stands that I have added burlap skirts around . Still easy to shoot over rail with short bow or crossbow. Really hides movement. Put the skirts on in august and leave on all season.
 
Your full of it
Nope, never! Killed a pile of small deer with a bow before I moved to MS 25 years ago, but haven't bowhunted in 15 years. Last time I bowhunted down here, it was opening day, 98 degrees, and sweat poured off me when I came to full draw on a doe under me. I thought to myself, 'I don't even want to fool with her', came down off draw, sat down; and watched her feed on the iron and clay peas. When she got full and left, I climbed down and haven't been back since. Haven't touched a bow except to elk hunt out west.
 
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