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Highland Lofts
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Here is the start on something in the woods.
Tree Stands from Yesteryear Picture Thread
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Most, if not all, of the old abandoned stands that I have seen have been on private land. The land just happened to get sold, or re-leased, to someone else sometime after the stand was put up and the previous owner decided it wasn't worth the effort to retrieve it. Add to that the somewhat lackadaisical environmental outlook of previous generations and you end up with a lot of rotting wooden stands on pretty much every decently sized tract privately owned of woods here in the east.
WestKentucky
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I have a couple that I hope to get to over thanksgiving. If nothing else I just want to walk the land that I grew up on for a few minutes. I had a pallet nailed into a tree that I used for bow hunting for a long while. Chains held up one end from a branch a foot or so higher than the branch that held up the other side. 2x4s nailed to the tree to climb up. I pretty much let it go after I got my other stand which was a chore and quite honestly was a bit of a “crap show”
The other stand is a welded steel beast that is 3 ft wide top to bottom and had a 3 ft square platform at the top. It leans back against the tree and is so heavy that strapping it or chaining it isn’t absolutely necessary but we did. It was made by a guy who swore he owned land that he did not own, and never had a legal claim to, but he built this stand and installed it anyways. The landowner got law enforcement involved and eventually had a signed statement from a local official stating that anything that was on his property that was not his property could be removed after fair warning to the owner of said items. He was warned, he fussed, the stand got dragged out of the woods by a logging chain behind a raggedy old Mazda b2000, then dragged down the road leaving dirt and leaves all along the way to my hunting spot and got lifted into the tree using a cable thrown up into the tree and hooked to the truck to help lift the stand. It has had a bunch of pallets nailed to it over the years and still was standing last time I was in that area of the woods. I killed a couple out of it. More on the way to it and from it than out of it.
The first portable stand I ever saw was one that my uncle made when he had a short lived gig as a shop teacher. Tube steel with slightly undersized pins welded into the ends to slip-fit together. It was actually a really nice setup and not too far away from what a lot of currently produced commercial stands are. It’s in dads barn. I think dad won it from his brother in a bet of some sort years ago.
The other stand is a welded steel beast that is 3 ft wide top to bottom and had a 3 ft square platform at the top. It leans back against the tree and is so heavy that strapping it or chaining it isn’t absolutely necessary but we did. It was made by a guy who swore he owned land that he did not own, and never had a legal claim to, but he built this stand and installed it anyways. The landowner got law enforcement involved and eventually had a signed statement from a local official stating that anything that was on his property that was not his property could be removed after fair warning to the owner of said items. He was warned, he fussed, the stand got dragged out of the woods by a logging chain behind a raggedy old Mazda b2000, then dragged down the road leaving dirt and leaves all along the way to my hunting spot and got lifted into the tree using a cable thrown up into the tree and hooked to the truck to help lift the stand. It has had a bunch of pallets nailed to it over the years and still was standing last time I was in that area of the woods. I killed a couple out of it. More on the way to it and from it than out of it.
The first portable stand I ever saw was one that my uncle made when he had a short lived gig as a shop teacher. Tube steel with slightly undersized pins welded into the ends to slip-fit together. It was actually a really nice setup and not too far away from what a lot of currently produced commercial stands are. It’s in dads barn. I think dad won it from his brother in a bet of some sort years ago.
22250Rem
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Update to my previous post on this topic: This afternoon I hiked over to the other end of the woods next to my house. Planned on getting pix of a very old tree stand that looked ratty 20 years ago. Guess I'm a few years late for a shot of it. Only visible trace of it is one step and the rest is nowhere to be seen. Took a shot of the step, anyway... Once upon a time there were a few others in the area but either they also vanished or I forgot the exact location.
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Armored farmer
Member
Yes
I made one too. I used a cattle panel for a floor. What a deathtrap!
it went to the scrap yard a few years ago.
I dont use climbers.
Never have.
Dont hop in old wooden stands i find either.
Used to make some, darn good ones too
But man they were heavy ( ladder stands ).
I did when young and broke, put some supports way up in a monster tree. Amazed I didnt get hurt or die doing that
25 ft up, big cross piece.
Never killed a deer from it
Next yr bought a Loc On and EZY steps and on a different farm got my first deer.....first shot ever at a deer, w my bow.
On the run.
LOL
Never have.
Dont hop in old wooden stands i find either.
Used to make some, darn good ones too
But man they were heavy ( ladder stands ).
I did when young and broke, put some supports way up in a monster tree. Amazed I didnt get hurt or die doing that
25 ft up, big cross piece.
Never killed a deer from it
Next yr bought a Loc On and EZY steps and on a different farm got my first deer.....first shot ever at a deer, w my bow.
On the run.
LOL
.455_Hunter
Member
As a Colorado elk hunter, my comment is "What are these "stands" you speak of?"
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Highland Lofts
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A tree stand is an elevated platform to get above the sight of deer and to take advantage of seeing a littlemore realestate.
Back east here the woods are totally different then there in Colorado and surrounding states.
We can can not see openly ridge to ridge. Most sight distance is average 80 yards or so with rolling landscape.
And then people like to sit elevated to look over brush lots and over grown fields and cow pastures.
Hunting here is totally different then out there.
Just like hunting in Washington State. The east side is mostly hihh dessert where the west side id mostly evergreen trees and where I live the woods are very steep and some times unpenetrateable.
Every reagion has different hunting tactics, and with in that reagion there are several varations of hunting tactics.
Down in the south - east some areas are so thick the use dogs to run the deer so they can shoot them.
In the north - east around some of the larger cities you can only use shotgun with #00 buckshot.
Around some of the larger cities it is bow only.
Where I hunt the average shot at a deer is only seventy-five yards or so.
I shot one yestrrday that was only at 50 yards or so in the woods.
Where you are the average shot is probably 300 to 500 yards.
The average yearly deer kill in Washington State is 26,000 deer a year.
In New York State which is smaller in square miles then Washington State the average deer kill is 220,000 deer.
Pennsylvania is smaller in square miles then New York has an average deer kill.of 330,000 deer.
It all boils down to habitat and deer management.
I live in Washington State and wouldn't pay a nickle to hunt there. It is expensive and they have a very small deer herd. I seen more deer here in Upstate New York yesterday then I have seen all year back in Washington State.
It is cheaper for me to buy my non-resident small game - big game combo license here in New York or Pensylvanis then it is to buy a resident hunting license in Washington State then you have to pay for all the different stamps or pay gor tag drawing.
Washington State can keep their deer licenses and tags.
I hunt where there are game animals to harvest.
A yearly air flight cost me $300 a year round trip and I get to deer hunt three & a half weeks and visit my family.
For $35 i can check in fifty pounds of boned out venison to take back to Washington.
By the way I quit useing tree stands over twenty years ago, but enjoy coming across them out in the woods and just think of the hunting stories that they could tell if they could talk.
I'm sure many on here feel the same way.
Back east here the woods are totally different then there in Colorado and surrounding states.
We can can not see openly ridge to ridge. Most sight distance is average 80 yards or so with rolling landscape.
And then people like to sit elevated to look over brush lots and over grown fields and cow pastures.
Hunting here is totally different then out there.
Just like hunting in Washington State. The east side is mostly hihh dessert where the west side id mostly evergreen trees and where I live the woods are very steep and some times unpenetrateable.
Every reagion has different hunting tactics, and with in that reagion there are several varations of hunting tactics.
Down in the south - east some areas are so thick the use dogs to run the deer so they can shoot them.
In the north - east around some of the larger cities you can only use shotgun with #00 buckshot.
Around some of the larger cities it is bow only.
Where I hunt the average shot at a deer is only seventy-five yards or so.
I shot one yestrrday that was only at 50 yards or so in the woods.
Where you are the average shot is probably 300 to 500 yards.
The average yearly deer kill in Washington State is 26,000 deer a year.
In New York State which is smaller in square miles then Washington State the average deer kill is 220,000 deer.
Pennsylvania is smaller in square miles then New York has an average deer kill.of 330,000 deer.
It all boils down to habitat and deer management.
I live in Washington State and wouldn't pay a nickle to hunt there. It is expensive and they have a very small deer herd. I seen more deer here in Upstate New York yesterday then I have seen all year back in Washington State.
It is cheaper for me to buy my non-resident small game - big game combo license here in New York or Pensylvanis then it is to buy a resident hunting license in Washington State then you have to pay for all the different stamps or pay gor tag drawing.
Washington State can keep their deer licenses and tags.
I hunt where there are game animals to harvest.
A yearly air flight cost me $300 a year round trip and I get to deer hunt three & a half weeks and visit my family.
For $35 i can check in fifty pounds of boned out venison to take back to Washington.
By the way I quit useing tree stands over twenty years ago, but enjoy coming across them out in the woods and just think of the hunting stories that they could tell if they could talk.
I'm sure many on here feel the same way.
Back in the 60s and 70s my dad and I built more than one tree stand with 2x4s across limbs and a piece of plywood or 1xs to sit on. Used these heavy spikes for climbing. We always had a rope to tie our rifle to and bring it up after we got sitting. I even had places I hunted where I climbed a tree by its limbs and sit on one of the bigger limbs. Talk about hard on the old butt for several hours but it was all about the hunt. Now it's box blinds, sliding windows and office chairs.
JFrank
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Espresso stand
Loyalist Dave
Member
This is a bit hard-core..., This is called a "tree saddle" and you are held the whole time in your harness, but it allows you to maneuver around the trunk for a good shooting position, instead of straining to make a fixed treestand work.
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Rembrandt
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Just curious, how does one urinate from a tree saddle when the need arises?
As mentioned previously, we use to make stands from oak pallets. Got to be a little dangerous removing them after they fell apart. Photo with three stands illustrates the progression over the years, started with wood, upgraded to metal, added a home built ladder stand so two can hunt from the same tree.
I did not snap pics today, too honked off.
Maybe next time.
The tree saddle stuff is public land legal (use strap on climbing sticks).
Light and quiet.
The guys on The Hunting Public have done vids with em.
You can wear the harness while going in and w a few climbing sticks on your pack ..... proly THE mobile hunters best method.
Lighter, less noise, and you can still ground hunt w the harness on.
The Tethr'd stuff aint cheap though.
I might get one next yr anyway, and use screw in steps on private ground.
LOL...............I can use anything this year, as there are no deer around
Maybe next time.
The tree saddle stuff is public land legal (use strap on climbing sticks).
Light and quiet.
The guys on The Hunting Public have done vids with em.
You can wear the harness while going in and w a few climbing sticks on your pack ..... proly THE mobile hunters best method.
Lighter, less noise, and you can still ground hunt w the harness on.
The Tethr'd stuff aint cheap though.
I might get one next yr anyway, and use screw in steps on private ground.
LOL...............I can use anything this year, as there are no deer around
About 20 years ago we had permission to hunt the muzzleloader season on private land. One of the homemade stands was in a broken down willow tree, almost 20' up, bridge spikes to climb up to it. They had used painted boards, nailed at odd angles in the crotch. On a frosty December morning, it was treacherous! My brother and I shot many, many deer from that stand, before a storm took the tree down. I put a homemade steel tripod in the same area and continued shooting deer there for several years. I do miss the simplicity of the old home made tree stands. hc18flyer
Loyalist Dave
Member
I haven't seen an old tree stand in awhile, I guess price/availability of ladder stands has to do with it. Plus MI didn't legalize them for gun until 90s, and still never really caught on. Still see a old 2x4 nailed to a tree in the woods from some make shift ground blind.
Farm country you see more towers. I like my tower, but with brush, you really have to work at it, to clear shooing lanes.
Farm country you see more towers. I like my tower, but with brush, you really have to work at it, to clear shooing lanes.
Ahh, I still just use a milk jug in a ladder stand. That thing looks a little to ah ???
I love finding old broken down wooden stands on my land. They are a sign of a good hunting spot and it stands to reason. Those old timers weren't going to haul in wood, nails, tools etc. unless they were pretty sure it was a good spot.
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Highland Lofts
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There is a old broken down, what's left of a tree stand right next to the road where we hunt that I will get a picture of and get it posted along with a newer tree blind in the next couple of days.
countertop
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I found one of those stashed behind some rocks way way way off the beaten trail while deer hunting in up on a mountain in a National Forest of NW Georgia a couple of years ago.
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Highland Lofts
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Here is what is left of a yesteryear tree stan next to a dirt road on a piece of state land here in New York.
Here is a nice tree state on private land next to Bumps Creek State Land.
It looks to of not been used for a few years.
You can see the aluminum ladder up on the porch that they would climb to get so they can climb up into the tree stand
Here is a nice tree state on private land next to Bumps Creek State Land.
It looks to of not been used for a few years.
You can see the aluminum ladder up on the porch that they would climb to get so they can climb up into the tree stand
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