15' Duo Ladder Stand or 10' Tripod Stand? Or neither?

[npaden]

Okay,

I'm not in an area with nice straight trees where you can pick your stand location wherever you want it. So far I've been hunting out of a ground blind on the top of a hill and now have a small permanent blind on the top of the hill. I'm wanting to branch out and setup blinds or stands in several different locations but haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet.

I've been wanting to buy a 16' Strong-Built deluxe tripod stand that runs about $230 at Academy so I could put it where ever I wanted to and still have the elevation to be out of the deer's line of sight and see over some slight rises in some of the areas where I would want to place it.

Academy is having a sale on a BBK 15' Duo Ladder stands for $100.

http://www.academy.com/images/products/400/0339/0339-00213-0005-P1.jpg

Here's a link - http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=content&target=products/outdoors/hunting/stands_ladder&start=0&selectedSKU=0339-00213-0005

I have some large trees, in several of the areas where I would want a stand, but they aren't straight by any means. How difficult would it be to setup a ladder stand like that on a large mesquite tree?

Ignore the feeder in the picture, but this would be a good example of the kind of trees I would need to set it up in.

http://padens.com/v-web/gallery/albums/FisherCo/spin_feeder.jpg

The top of that feeder is probably about 10' tall for perspective.

This is another example of the type of tree I would be trying to use the ladder stand on:

http://padens.com/v-web/gallery/albums/FisherCo/fisherco_padsite3.jpg

(Obviously I wouldn't be using that particular tree, but I don't have any pictures of the trees that I would be trying to set it up in).

Would a ladder stand work on trees like that. There are not any trees that are straight up and down for 15' so that might not be an option.

The other option that I'm debating is whether I should even bother with a 10' tripod setup. They are on sale pretty regularly but 10' just doesn't seem high enough to mess with. The 16' tripods are never on sale, but would I just be wasting money on the 10' tripod?

Thanks for any input.

Nathan

[shack]

I like hunting from tripods I have two of the strongbuilt 10 ft. stands and one of the 16 ft. The 16 is just so hard to move and sometimes you get above the canopy and can't see well. My favorite tripod was a texas tripod that the loggers dropped a tree on last year. It is all alum,has adjustable legs and can be taken down and moved in just a few minutes. It folds up and you can carry it to a better location easily. The one that got crushed last year was 30 years old.

[npaden]

The BBK 10' tripod is $109.00 now (it was on sale for $89.99 last week).

The strong-built tripods are closer to $200.

[asmith]

Do a google search and you'll find several choices of tripod manufacturers.

[ICALL2MUCH]

Rifle, shotgun or bow?

That is what makes a difference to me. If bow, ground blind. If rifle, MAYBE tripod.

IMO, the ground is better then 10 or even 15ft. I hunt out of a tree 99% of the time, but I hun a heck of a lot higher then 15'.

With a ground blind, you can have very good cover. If you're in a treestand at 10', you'll be able to see, but they'll be able to see you, too.

Best of luck, and let us know what you decide, and how it goes!

[dmusgrave]

Based on your pix, I would think there might a few possibilities to put a ladder stand. Just need to take into consideration how the tree leans, which branches you would need to remove to get clearance to the trunk etc.

[Bad Faulkner]

Thing to know about buddy stands are the tree has to be straight where the platform and seat posts rest. Not negotiable. So really inspect the tree at the height you want to put the stand. Those metal posts need to be into wood.

On another note...

I've been intrigued by Summit's Predator pod lately. $179, weighs forty pounds and is 8' off the ground at the gunrest.

Seems like it'd be handier than a tripod, more versatile.

[MDuffy]

I use ladder stands almost exclusively and there isn't a straight tree on our farm. Most of the trees I hunt out of are willows. The toughest thing is finding a tree that not only will set good at the top, but one that is straight enough to get the ladder brace to go against the tree. That is the part you will have the most problems with. If you could find a good 15' ladder stand that had a double ladder you would probalby be ok, but I wouldn't hunt out of much anything else without the brace.

[Skeeter94]

Most ladder stands recommend a minimum diameter to mount. The one I just put up was 9". Even a with mesquite that large at the top, you would probably get some movement in the stand and tree. I would suggest the tri-pod or a pop up blind for areas with heavy mesquite. It is very hard to find a good spot in a tree that is not straight to mount the ladder. The tri-pod would give you more options for stand placement.

Good Luck.

[Lobes]

I really like hunting from ladder stands the most for portable stands but you absolutely need to be able to get that cross brace solidly on the tree and it offers the best support from the middle of the ladder rung. I didn't see any trees in your pictures that I would set one up in. I also have a 12" tripod that is very comfortable and very stable. From what I saw in your pictures the tripod is your best choice between the two. A good solid stick built tower blind would be the ultimate setup there.

NBG