What is your favorite tree stand last year I purched an API Grend Slam it is very confortble and a nice rifle stand but I have a hard time shooting a bow out of it becouse of the rail. What tree stand would you recommend for bow hunting.
SHORTMAG

I shoot from an API grand slam as well but haven't had the same problem. I shoot a fairly short axle to axle length bow. API also has an open front climbing stand specifically for bowhunters. You might be able to buy just the top and use your current platform. Good luck.

Shortmag,

I have a API grand slam bowhunter climber. It is excellent for bowhunting, however you cant sit while you are climbing trees with it. You need good upper body strength to use it, but there is no bar in your way while trying to draw and shoot.
My all time favorite tree stand is the Chippewaw Wedge Lock. It has a chain system that you hang on the tree without having to hold the stand in place while trying to attach the stand. Just attach chain then slide the stand on to the chain bracket and your ready to go.
Good hunting!!!
Fordfreak

Bamabow
I shoot a short axle to axle bow but my biggest problem is that i'm short to and it makes it hard to miss the rail with out lowering the top part of my tree stand then it makes it hard to stand up with out a lot of movement.
Fordfreak/Bamabow Thanks for the advice

I have the API Grand Slam Shooting Star. On this stand, the shooting rail can fold down for bowhunting or you can leave it up for gun. This is a sit down/stand up climber. A bit heavy, but it is the most comfortable stand I've ever hunted out of ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Yep, real easy to fall asleep in!

I like the Gametamer stands made in Texas. The seat swivels for 360 degrees of shooting ability. They are very quiet and sturdy. Only problem is they are not very portable or light. Once they are set up they are awesome.

I have two API Grand Slams....I shot an eight pointer out of mine last season with the bow...You just leave the seat a little lower if you're worried about the bar.......Big K

The most comfortably stand I've ever sat in is a summit with the blow up seat. Because of the rail when I bow hunt I put the seat a little closer to the climber so when I stand up the rail is not a factor.

I think the areas I hunt makes one stand just not the thing to do. I have a tower and it is the most conformable but its anything but portable. I have and Ol' Man Ladder stand that is very nice for quick setup in small timber but only 12 feet high ( another section makes it harder to move). There is also the occasion for a multi-stand and I use two man stand at also 12 feet. This is a very heavy stand so it stays. I love a clamp on stand that uses a centipede or like system to get you high. The Climber is something That can be fantastic or catastrophic. I have used these on windy days in swamps and found the tree starting to pull out of the ground. I have seen hunters loose the base and be "treed" for hours. They have become very quiet and that was my main reason for not using one. I guess that all in all the Ol' Man single 12 foot ladder is my pick although for comfort and warmth I'll take the closed in stand over anything. I tried my Ladder with a tree umbrella last year and used the umbrella as a type of hide. It didn't start that way but the wind helped me out. I found that deer and other critters would walk well within bow range. My problem that day was that It was in the way but later on I was doing it as a setup.
Most hunters I know like the tower but shoot from ladders.

Back To La Stove
Turtle

Hi my name is Dick and I'm a treestand aholic!! Manufactures sure have it down now compared to 20or30 years ago when all this new stuff really got started. I have them hanging in three different garages$$$OUCH! Now there are a couple more I want but am kind of happy with some I do! But I agree the API Grand Slam is very good but takes some getting used to for bow shooting, I also know a guy who has the bow hunter one and he likes it. Anyone (with a strong back) want a Summit Shooter 2, or a noisy to set up or carry and uncomfortable Loggy? The main reason I am posting though it that if I plan on hunting a stand allot, I have come to like "lock ons" for a couple of reasons. Easier and quieter to get into and usually more comfortable. I have a couple I made that are very comfortable but for the budget minded buyer, Hunters View has the clibing sticks for about $35 and a very comfortable lock on for about $75 both of which I use and like.

SHORTMAG, there is away to solve your problem. Remove the seat from the GrandSlam and purchase an Olman standard net seat. Take you some nylon 1/8 to 3/16 hard braided cord, like that they use for pull crank cords on chain saws. Spread the net seat out just like it would go on the Olman and start at one end and loop the braided cord around the stand sides, spiraling around the stand sides and through each of the net openings on the end of the seat, leaving a little slack in each loop of the cord, an then tie it at both ends around the stand sides. Do this for both sides. The cord Loops will slide back and forth and when climbing you can push it all the way to the blade bar. When transporting you can pull it all the way to the front and the stand will stack and store the same way it does now. After your up in the tree you simply spread it out for sitting either facing the tree or Facing away from the tree. This will raise your sitting position about 5 or 6 inches, which means you will be able to lower your top platform that much for easy limb clearance while shooting your bow. I will try to post some pic's of the mod's I have made to the GrandSlam in a day or two if any are interested (there are others) like mounted strap binders for top and bottom platform.

[ 09-07-2003, 08:59: Message edited by: ChoPPeR ]

I have an API also LOVE it. As far as the seat I shoot a mathews (very short) I just would keep the foot part close to the seat part effectivly lowering your seat to the bottom (where you stand)

My brother bought the Tree Lounge and used it one night. Biggest pos in the world. He sold it for 30% of what he paid just to unload it.
Andrew

Thanks for all the info.

One of my buddies moved to town and left a two man 15 foot ladder stand and two man lock on stand that we are going to hang up on my farm.
I have a couple of stands that i made out of treated lumber.

[ 09-10-2003, 01:08: Message edited by: SHORTMAG ]

For bow hunting?

http://www.treesuit.com/

Stands are too visable and too much of a hassel.

I have an ol man vision,gets the job done and it doesnt weigh to much and you can sit faceing the tree or face away from it,

I just purchased my first treestand. I got a Warren and Sweat Imperial climber. I have used an API and like this one much better. For adjusting the stand for tree width, It has a heavy duty belt with teeth, which you just slide through a can that you press down to lock, very quick and quiet. It Is also very stable.

Does anyone know why I can find a SWIVELIMB stand at?

Hey Guys,

I am no stickflinger but do use stands from time to time. We use the Ol' Man (original) We found this is the safest and easiest for the Loblolly pines of the eastern shore of Maryland. You can go 50ft to the first branch in these and you want the feeling of security.

As you all know I have 2 young daughters and when the wife and I get a chance in the N.E. Pa. deer woods we use 2 Big Game 12' two person ladder stands. We are on the edge of stateland and there is nothing like being right there hands on with a young hunter. They are roomy enough and the railing is not too high.

ED

I bought Buckshots BIG SHOT and love it. Great stand. By far the best I have been on.

Brian

As far as Bang for the buck Id have to say Game Tracker Gorillas or Kongs. I have bought over 20 of the things.

A bunch of good stands mentioned there. My first climber was a Warren Sweat. Good for being made back in the day, but their platforms were riveted together then. That early design cost me a good buck when it said "creeeeaaak" while shifting positions for the shot. I imagine that they are welded now. I owned some lock on's too, that is until someone else with cable cutters wanted to own them in my absence. That wasn't very nice at all.

My current stand is a Summit Viper... which I like a great deal. Their cable system is quick and quiet and the unit backpacks nicely. I can understand those who have trouble with the seat rail... open front stands are more user friendly for the bowhunter. I do the same thing that many others suggested above, in that by positioning the seat section closer to the foot section allows for better lower limb shooting clearance. I've shot a fair number of deer both sitting and standing from the Summit and it's been a good steady platform.

I also like the Bigshot stands. Ever see one? Take a look at their welds. Unreal. An elephant couldn't harm that stand. You would think it was heavy too, but it's not. Probably the most silent stand I have ever climbed with. Even on those gnarly cherry tree trunks. If I was going to buy another, I'd buy the Bigshot.

Now I'm not trying to make waves here, but I've never been a fan of API stands. A close hunting buddy has had API's since they came out and they never packed well. They also use what looks like a motorcycle chain covered in heat shrink to secure each section to the tree. The ones he had were also heavier than my Summit. Now to be fair, I have not heard anything bad about API, nor have I heard anything negative about their chain drive system, BUT, and I emphazie BUT, if I had one, it would come with a faulty master link like an old RM250 I had and then break at the exact same moment my harness came unglued 30 feet off the ground. I just know it would. I hated that Suzuki too.

That other stand someone mentioned, the cam lock jobby... I'd be as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Ever see an automobiles serpentine belt become all frilly stretched and tattered? Let a couple years of harsh weather work that strap over. Thanks but no thanks. Puts me in mind of a Loggy band... never liked them either. Wanna know why? A buddy had one break. It was only 2 years old and was never abused. Never kinked, never tweaked. No warning either and *POING* at about 7 feet... not a sound you want to hear 7 inches off the forest floor. I can provide another former Loggy owner who felt the tug of his strap due to their metal band of crap. They were prone to slipping on smooth bark maples too. Loggy... just say no. LOL.

So, in MHO, if it's got an attachment system made outta little link pins and rollers, fiberglass reinforced rubber bands or skinny strips of metal, they can keep it. Hey, now how about those cables Summit has? They can break too... right? Heck yeah, BUT they'll be the last to break compared to the others. Don't believe me? Come over sometime and we'll do the winch test. Been there - done that - (log skidder) - cable wins every time.

Hey, in all seriousness... please wear your safety HARNESS. Not a waist belt. A harness. I hope you never fall, but wearing a harness will allow you to hunt again tomorrow. And don't give me that crap that it gets in the way when your shoot. They don't. Wear it and like it. Good hunting.