Built my stand today! NOW WITH NEW PIX on may 8

[TheCoachZed]

Or at least, got started on it.

I went to town this morning and got a bunch of free pallets. I took 'em apart, threw the pieces in my Tracker, drove back in the woods, and went to work. I have it probably 75% done now. I've never built a deer or bear stand before, so this is all a fun learning experience.

I also managed to find a source of free bait (Subway!). And, I got a couple buckets of spawning smelts when I was home on PEI last weekend, so I have lots of stink bait.

Should be a great year for bears! I might post some pix of the setup if I get around to taking any.

[TheCoachZed]

here it is . . . nothing fancy but I think it's pretty sturdy and utilitarian for my first try. It's got sheets/blankets on all four sides high enough that nothing walking by can see me inside, but I have a few holes so I can see out.

My only downside is that it's kinda squeaky if I move around too much. That can be bad when a bear is moving in close!

[Empty Quiver]

I don't want to be criticizing your work now understand. But... be careful every time you go up there most especially after a wind storm. Useing more than one tree means they might all work against each other and pull nails loose. Secondly the squeeking may be a serious problem, or not. If it squeeks all the time no biggy if only while you are in it bad deal.

Good luck to you this season. For the sake of your family wear a safety belt always , this stand and all stands.

[TheCoachZed]

I thought about the wind problem. If it starts to work apart I'll tear it up and build again. But there are a lot of cross members there. I thought about using only one tree, but then I'd need a ladder, which I don't have, and I'd also need bigger trees. I might try it next year, though.

The squeaking is from the plywood I've nailed over the floorboards, not from anything structural. The stringers I've laid across aren't all level across, so the plywood nailed over them sorta follows the contour - and it squeaks.

[Graybeard]

Additional concerns are the boards are not pressure treated so likely next year it will not be safe. Using nails or screws to hold boards to trees is a real easy way to find yourself in the hospital with a broken arm, leg or back.

I've built a bunch of them and I always use PT lumber and make a ladder of same. I use either 4x4 PT or 2x6 PT for ladder uprights and 5/4"x6" PT as steps.

I have stands that have been in place since '88 that are still safe to climb and use. Some other guys built two on the same property one year in the '80s without using PT lumber and the very next hunting season it was unsafe and broke when they tried to use it. They too use boards attached to the tree. Two years after their stands were built they were completely rotten out.

Be very careful, safety is job one with tree stands.

[TheCoachZed]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm pretty careful by nature and I built this with a lot of redundancy, but I will be cautious.

Around here, permanent treestands on Crown land are technically illegal (although game wardens almost always turn a blind eye). As such, I'd have a hard time investing a couple hundred dollars into something that could be torn down on a fish cop's whim. Again, I've never heard of it happening to anyone, but it is the law, if they wanted to enforce it. I can't really afford to be hunting at all, and I certainly don't have the money to spend on PT lumber - it's a lot more affordable to be careful.

If I owned my own hunting land, that would be a different story, though.

[TheCoachZed]

This was the first one I ever built, so I learned as I went along, but I did learn a few things along the way.

Having the two "ladders" (the steps nailed to the trees) made it a lot easier to build the stand, because I could brace myself between them. But I think that proper, massive spikes would make better steps, and I also agree that PT wood, or at least some painted juniper sticks, would be the way to go for structure. And building it in one tree would be more effective for many reasons, not the least of which is that the four (actually 5) trees it's nailed to are growing at different rates, so next year this stand will probably be unusable.

But right now - bear season opens Monday and I've got a stand!

[Daman]

Congrats on it! I have hunted out of stuff that other people wouldn't have even climbed up to take a peek, but it was all I could afford to have at that time. The only stand I ever took a tumble out of was one I had spent a lot of money on and got complacent about all the safety features so I didn't even have a harness on. Luckily I landed flat and didn't even hit a limb on the way down. I did ruin a $500 scope when I threw my rifle barrel first into the mud on the way down and the scope hit the tree it landed by.

Moral of the story, be careful and wear a safety harness.

Daman

[theoldarcher]

 I, too, echo the caution when leaving the ground.  At my age I now use only quality stands, and really love the ladder stand.  With their pricing now under $100.00 US, I find them a good deal and very safe once strapped to a tree.  They are quiet, easy to set up and take down, and relatively quick to move if you change locations (I often leave mine together and just carry it to another location on the property I hunt). I like slipping in to it, climbing up and straping in, and just turn around and sit down--easy and quiet.

You might consider saving some pennies along and watch for sales on the ladder stand.  I think you'd like the set up.  I even carry mine on a hauler that slides into the hitch receiver on my Jeep for hunts out of state.

Best of luck...and send us a pic or two of your bear!

Arch

[TheCoachZed]

I think I'll consider get a "store bought" stand next year as it would save money and time in the long run. It would be a lot of money to build a separate tree stand out of good materiel in every good hunting spot.

But right now, the hunting and fishing fund took a huge hit at the Old Town Canoe factory sale....

[theoldarcher]

Old Town??!!  I understand that perfectly!!  I've had Mad River and Old Town canoes for years--as a matter of fact I just sold my Duck Hunter at a yard sale last fall.  My wife wanted 'his and hers' kayaks, which suited me just fine--I did all the work anyway while she usually sat and read one of her books!  Now I just leave her drifting with her book while I take my ultra-light spinning rod and my fly rod saying, "See you when I get back."  Much better!

Best of luck with the new craft! 

Arch

[TheCoachZed]

I took it out for the 2nd time today, first time solo. Had it loaded down with camping gear and fishing and hunting stuff (running it into the camp so I can drive out there after work tonight).

I got a Guide 147 at the sale last week for $380. It had some of the lettering missing so it was almost half off!  I guess the sale used to be a lot better though.

They had some real purty solo canoes that I would have loved to pick up.

One day I'd actually like to try bear hunting from a canoe. There's lots around the river where my friend's camp is.

[TheCoachZed]

Mr. Bear stopped by for the second time on the weekend . . . 

[TheCoachZed]

I won't be sure how big it is until I see it in person . . .

[mcwoodduck]

The ears are usually a good indicator of how big a bear is.
Bear ears are aout the size of you palm give or take.
The larger the ears look the smaller the bear in general
The smaller the ears look compared to the head the larger the ear will be.

[TheCoachZed]

This momma and cub were in the other day.



Sows with cubs are protected in spring season, so I was worried until I saw these from the next day. Not sure if it's the same bear or not, but this one didn't seem to have a cub with it.














We sat out in the stand tonight and had a bear come in just before dark. We waited to see if it had a cub, but it just walked right back out. It didnt seem scared, so I dont know what happened. But I am glad we didnt take the shot.

[charles p]

I couldn't see your picture but it is my assumption from your description that what you have is an accident waiting to happen.  I would not trust non PT wood, and especially not pallet wood (the cheapest of all available materials).

You are setting yourself up for a visit to the ER, if not the morgue.  Rethink your decisions!  If you want to build something you might use for a long time, consider starting a wheel chair ramp to your doorway.

I did it when I was young, but I know better now.  Got a friend whose son has very little feeling on one side of his body.  Fell out of a stand and broke his back.