Which tree stand for you?

A doctor friend was having a birthday several years ago, and his wife called and asked if I knew anything about tree stands. That's like asking Henry Ford if he knew anything about black cars.

She was assured that I did know quite a bit about tree stands, and wondered why she asked. It turns out that she wanted to purchase a tree stand for her husband for his birthday. Would I find one for under $100 and call her back?

I told her no, I wouldn't find one for under $100 bucks, because most well-made tree stands sell for much more, and that I wouldn't suggest a cheap tree stand for her husband, who is my doctor, or anyone else.

This hunter sits in a Family Traditions two-person tree stand.

She wanted to know how much a good stand would cost. Since she had no clue whether he wanted a fixed position stand, a ladder stand or a climber, I asked if I could use my discretion.

She agreed that was probably wise, and turned me loose to look for stands. It took about 10 seconds for me to dismiss the climbing models simply because Michigan has so few trees with no branches near the bottom as to make such a stand worthless for most hunters.

Should I have dismissed climbers so easily? Who knows, but since she was leaving it up to me, I chose not to put my gastroenterologist up in a stand that I'd never use. It's been some years since I used a self climbing stand down south, and there is a good bit of room to make an error. A mistake with this type of stand can be dangerous or deadly.

I decided to look for a good ladder stand. I'm convinced beyond any doubt that a ladder stand, a sturdy haul rope to raise and lower a bow, and a full-body safety harness would keep him safe unless he was to do something incredibly stupid. He simply doesn't operate that way.

So, for my purposes, the search was narrowed down to a ladder stand. The make wasn't important simply because I knew I'd purchase a stand endorsed by the National Treestand Manufacturers Association, and that meant the manufacturer stood behind the integrity of its construction, used only the highest quality materials, and submitted to a yearly unannounced inspection by the association.

They would randomly pick two or three stands. All welds were inspected, the bolts and locking nuts were inspected, and the stand and ladder was inspected for perfection and great integrity. Members of this association must build safe and well constructed stands, and if inspections find faulty welds or other problems, the maker is no longer a member. Wise hunters look for the Association's trademark when buying any tree stand.

Over the years i’ve used more than 20 stands but some were not TMA approved.

A tree stand must be strong, well made, and provide the user with a sense of safety, strength and security. In the early days of tree stand manufacture there were certain manufacturers that installed a quarter- or half-inch piece of plywood in an aluminum frame to stand on.

Those stands, and I owned two at one point, were prone to giving way and causing the user to plunge down to the ground, bouncing from one limb to another. Me and another man used one for two years until the bottom collapsed. He fell only eight feet and was not injured, but I scrapped both stands, and made a wise investment in good stands. That manufacturer was repeated sued for shoddy stands, and was soon put out of business.

I can't remember which brand-name stand I wound up buying for my doctor friend, but the store owner allowed me to take it home, set it up in a tree just off the ground) and jump up and down on it. I put that stand through some rigorous testing, and it was a perfect match for my doctor friend.

There are a whole raft of quality tree stands on the market. Over many years I've used many fine ladderstands. I've hunted from Ameristep, API Outdoors, Big Game,  Family Tradition, Gorilla, Summit and others. All are approved by the Treestand Manufacrtuer’s Association (TMA).

If you hunt from a tree stamd, buy one that is safe & secure.

The stand I spent other people's money on had a wide platform to stand on, a sturdy seat, excellent ratchet strap for holding the stand to a tree. I also bought a five-foot length of case-hardened chain, sprayed it with brown paint, bought a quality lock and used the chain as additional security to hold the stand to the tree and to prevent its theft.

His wife was impressed with the fact that I'd put about eight hours into choosing an excellent stand, but was a bit less impressed with the price. At the time the stand was a bit over $300. The chain, padlock and full-body harness took the price up to something close to $400.

I told here you have but one husband, several children, and a good wage earner. All of these things are designed to help keep him safe. I'm certain you have plenty of life insurance on him, but a cheap stand and no safety harness may not kill him in a fall but it could turn him into a quadriplegic or paraplegic. It's difficult if not impossible to check a patient's innards from a wheel chair or hospital bed.

She saw the wisdom of the investment, and it was a done deal. All I got out of it was a thank you from her, and the knowledge that my doctor would continue to dip into my wallet whenever I visit his office.

And that is a good thing for both of us.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors