idahoelkinstructor

The thred "Tree Stands of Big trees got me thinking. Which type, and brand of tree stands do you own. I myself have 4 tree stands to use over elk wallows. Don't know why because I can never sit in one long enough to get a shot. I hear a elk bugle and off I go. But anyway back to my point I have two Gorilla's and two River Edge, all four are hang on, are those brands very good? When it comes to knowledge about tree stands, I am very much a novice!

neck4752

Good question Idaho! I was going to post the same thing. Tell me do you like the four stands you have, and which models are they?
I am buying treestands right now for deer hunting. Its going to be my second season and i have never been in a treestand, but heard they provide a good advantage. I purchased a bushmaster hangon and it seems that the platform is really small to stand on. Im looking at North Starr Steel Starr, i only have the money for 2-3 stands being in college in all.
Anyway how do you like your rivers edge and what not?

Thanks from new guy

Jim

Kanga

I have 2 Gorilla stands IMO they are the best hang on stands.
1 is the Silverback Lite which has a 18"x24" platform but is perfect if you have to hike a long way.

The second is the Silverback it has a 21"x27" platform.

I also have 2 sets of Gorilla climbing sticks.
1 set has 3x3' sections that I pack in with Silverback Lite the other set is their stacknsticks 4x4' secrions wich is better suited for a perminant stand.

At the moment BassPro has them on sale I seen that they have the Silverback Magnum which has a 24"x30" platform for about 89 bucks

idahoelkinstructor

Neck nice to meet you. I have The Gorilla Silverback, and the Gorilla Baby Gorilla. River Edge Litefoot XL and a older modle Bandit Chain on, with a hard seat. Being a big guy,. 6'4" and 250 pounds I like big stands. The problem is I pack with horse or carry in a tree stand in very steep big country. So weight is a factor, also as for where I hunt a tree stand does you no good most of the time, except over a elk wallow. Anywhere else if you want to get above a animal you have to hike up the mountian. I realy like my Silverback, and my Litefoot XL, both cost around $120-$150, if I remember correctly. The other two are just too small for my liking, they cost around $65-$100, again not positive on pricing. I do put them up anyway, I usualy hunt with 3-4 other friends/family. In late august early Sept. before the elk rut and when it's still warm. The elk hit the wallows hard. They ues them in the rutt too, but by then, the calling game is on and that's what I love. I hope this helps you out. Just courious where are you from and where do you hunt.

kelincp

I have a Brutus LS hang on. Its a great stand rock solid on a tree big platform. It has a swivel seat that you can be replaced with a marine bass seat that makes it super comfy. I also use a Cabelas Trophy lite Magnum Ladder, talk about room. Very solid, lots of room to move. A great stand. I plan on picking up a climber soon.

cfdjay

I love my summit viper

Mike from Texas

Well, the first question I'd have to ask in the words of the famous Roy D Mercer "how big a boy are ya"?

Here a list of the stands I own.

Lock Ons:

Gorilla Silverback - Just bought this year, no experince.

Summit Headhunter Lite - My favorite stand. Also have a set of the Summit Bucksteps to go with it, awesome. Light weight, comfortable, easy to hang and rock solid. What more could you ask for?

(5) Versions of the Hunter's View Wildcat - Cheap steel chain on stand, moderately comfortable with the right cushion.

Hunter's View Wildcat Lite - Fairly uncomfortable but very light weight.

API Grandstand Ultra Light - Lightweight, somewhat comfortable, kind of a pain to hang with the strap they have on it. Overall not a bad stand.

I also have several of the Strongbuilt 20' stick ladders to go with my lock on stands.

Climbers:

Summit Bushmaster equivalent. I bought it about 15 years ago. The only change I made to it was to swap the seat out for one like on the Viper stand. Not a bad little stand now.

Ol' Man Multi Vision. By far the most comfortable climbing stand I have ever sat in. The biggest problem is that I fall asleep in it regularly. The downfall is it's weight. Otherwise a great stand.

I have a couple more home made climbers and one that I don't even know what brand it is so their really not worth giving you my opinion of them.

IMO Summit has the best line of stands going right now and as a bonus you get their Seat o the Pants harness with any treesstand purchase.

b2simple

I have a couple of River's Edge and a Tree Lounge for a climber.

XX75

I have a summit climber that I bought around 1990. I go over it every season making sure it's still safe and in good working order. I know i'm going to have to buy a new one someday but this old summit has been a great stand.

ufg8r93

After sitting in several different types of stands for the first time last year, I have to say that I prefer lock-ons with one key assumption - you can put your stands up and leave them there for months at a time. Lock-ons seem much more flexible than other types of stands to me (ladder, climber, and tower). Based on my (experienced bowhunter) brother's advice and my very, very limited experience (exactly one deer season in 15 years or so) I also prefer the Blackwater Creek Binders over the others I've sat in (strictly a satisfied customer, no other relationship with BC at all). The web seat is really comfortable and the platform size is nice (20x28 as I recall). I like the chain binding system as well (seems really easy to get 'em tight and sturdy). I have three Binders which we put up a couple weeks ago (before the GA woods get to hot and to get the animals accustomed to 'em), two North Starr Steel Stars (good values at less than $50 a pop), and two Cabelas steel EZHangs (no relationship with either of those manufacturers, either). After putting them all up, the Cabelas are certainly the easiest to hang, but they are the least comfortable and have the smallest platform of the three. The NS are relatively comfortable and have a nice sized platform, but the straps that come with them are not as sturdy as I'd like. All of the stands were hung from 24' to 32' with Big Game climbing sticks. I have pics of the stands up if anyone is interested.