You build these "Simple Low Cost Tree Stands for Huntin

[gleason.chapman]

I have written up my "system" for cheap, simple, safe tree stands and steps into the stands, that you can leave up all year.  See my write up here:

http://www.the-gleasons.com/low_cost_tree_stands_for_hunting.htm

Hope this is useful to all hunters on the Deer Hunting Forum.  

Chap Gleason

[Buckfever]

Thanks for a great way to put up enough stands to play the wind without going broke!   Thanks  Buckfever

[gleason.chapman]

Thanks for a great way to put up enough stands to play the wind without going broke!   Thanks  Buckfever

Glad I could help.  Enjoy.  Chap

[Land_Owner]

Ingenious.  Simple, economical and easily modified to suit anyone's situation.  Safety is the first concern, but a good harness system should be sufficient.  Thanks for taking the time to post it all up.  This is the food for thought that may get others interested in posting their "secret formulas" or making modications to suit.

I have been exposd to and am tending to lean toward the significantly more expensive 1.5" x 1.5" x 3/16" angle iron steel with expanded metal deck stands that take two to four men to erect.  Then chain and lock in position.  Comfortable, semi-permanent, and relatively tamper resistent.  At $250.00 plus for each, that is a long way from your ~$25.00 each.

I used to make 2" x 4" wooden ladder stands and posted those plans on-line at http://www.angelfire.com/on2/LandOwner on the page "Land Owner's Links".  I called them "Hell for Stout" Tree Stands.  They will resist gravity as well as "growing legs".  However, Mother Nature will take her toll on just about anything we put into the woods and their life is about 5 years at the most.  Very comfortable though and easy to make.

[gleason.chapman]

Thank you.  I am "cheap at heart".  I do NOT think these cost $25 each.  Plywood is about $30 and you get 5 stands, so that is $6 each.  Rope is $50 for 600 feet approximately, so  say $.10 per foot, so a single step is about $1.20.  It takes lets say 8 steps to get into a tree, so say $10 for the steps + $6 for the Y-board or about $16/stand.    

I have been using stands that are 10 years old, every 5 years or so, I replace the rope, since the tree grows and and streaches the rope and it could be unsafe.  The only down side to the Y stands is porpine love them and they eat the bottoms out for some reason, when they do, just nail another Y-board on top of what is left.  Thy usually will only eat the bottom out and leave 1 thinkness of plywood.  If you look carefully at the first picture on my web site you will see that it is two Y-board each 2 sheets thick, because the bottom one was eaten by porkys.

Yes an excellent harness is all you need. About $50 for a good one.  I have usually two of these Yboards at each of my 6  hunting spots.    Now I am 58 years old, so ease of use is important to me, as is safety.  At some sites I am moving to commerical ladder stands at $50 each when they are on sale at Cabelas ($55 for their stands after Christmas), since with ladder stands I can stand with BOTH feet on the same level and go up one step at a time when a knee is hurting.  My right knee give me fits and some time getting into a Y-board with rope steps kills my right knee.  I figure when I am 65 or 70, I need to be at ALL ladder stands, so I am buying a few each year and placing them in the same tree as my Y-boards.

[gleason.chapman]

Your also right on "easily modified".  I have friends who buy Lock-on Tree stands and leave them up all year, but use Rope tree steps like I showed on my web site.  They of course use a lock and chain to prevent theft of the stand.   Sometimes, in addition to the lock,  we take out the first 3 steps of a stand that has a lock-on tree stand, so others can't easily steal it and we then place "Sky hooks" in as the first 3 steps.  Removing the 3 sky hooks each time we hunt (see my web site for what a sky hook is).  

>>Of course you then have to remember to bring the 3 sky hooks with you, when you hunt the spot.<<

The other method is to hide the first 3 rope steps in some brush near the stand, and place them in when you get there.  That works OK for evening hunting, but not so great for AM hunting, since it is 5:30 am and dark as heck and raining or snowing and you don't want to mess with putting in 3 steps in the dark with all your gear on and your gun.  Etc.  

So what I am trying to say is that the rope steps are SAFE, easy to put in,
economical, and your stand can be made "tamper resistent" (I didn't say completely safe from stealing), since you can easily take out steps keeping a spry young guy from stealing your stand without a LOT of trouble.    When someone sees a stand with a cable lock on it and the first three steps missing he must say to himself----"I have to come back here with bolt cutters or a couple of wrenches, a safety belt and 3 steps to get this stand.  Boy that is a LOT of trouble, I am going to pass on stealing this."

Oh, Yes I have had steps stolen, but they are $1.20/step and easily made so no big deal.    So I am just trying to elaborate on "easily modified".

Good hunting and be safe.  Chap Gleason

[New Hampshire]

Hey Gleason.chapman, do you think you could give some advice on an alternative to screwing into the tree?  Its illegal to use anything metal or ceramic that screws into a tree.  Maybe some way of ratchet strapping each side around the trunks?
Brian

[gleason.chapman]

You don't have to screw them into the tree, that is just the safest way.  On one property that doesn't allow screws or nails we take a 2 lb slege hammer and pound the Y-board into the Y Tree, it usually is pretty safe depending on the tree, in 1 year the tree has grown around the Y-board so it is rock solid.    We also use a rope step on top of it to tie it in place, so it doen't POP out if you step on an edge.    

I believe your idea of a rachet strap is good with maybe a couple of U-Bolts to allow the strap to thread thru.  In this way the rachet strap is actually holding the U-bolt, which is bolted to the Y-board to the tree.  Now you have added $10 in cost, because a Rachet strap is $5 each.  I know you can get by with rope, cause we use that now, just buy a couple of U-bold drill a couple of hole on each side  of the Y and then attach the rope thru the U-bolts to the tree and pull it very very tight.  It will be fine.    

Another idea is to drill 1/2" hole about 3/4 inch on each side of the Y and then use rope to lash the Y-Board to the tree.  I believe if you jamb the Y-board in and then tie it to tree with rope and 1/2" hole you have a pretty secure setup.  You do NOT have that mush foot space with these Y-board, so if your going to use rope to secure the Y-board to the tree then I would add about 2 inches to each end of the Y-board.  So now you have a board 19"x28".  Your going to have to work this out on cost and safety with rope.  That is the reason I like the U-Bold idea, since you won't loose that much foot space with the Ubold.  

Chap Gleason, Loudoun County Va