How Heavy Is A Tree Stand?

[Swede]

Some of you may have thought "Swede you could look up the answer on any manufacture's web site." That is not where I want to go with this question. I wonder if it has occurred to some elk bow hunters, that a tree stand could be a great supplemental tool to have, even for a person that likes to run and gun. You can very effectively extend your hunting time. Regardless whether you pack in, or hunt from a drive in base camp; hunters generally get up very early and hunt as long as they can. Many hunters get some of their rest with a mid day nap. It is too tiring to go from 0 dark thirty in the AM, to dark o'clock after supper for days with nothing except night breaks.
Most of us know of a special spot or two in our hunting area, that would be ideal for a good tree stand. Maybe we just never carried in a tree stand thinking they are too heavy. After all a good comfortable stand, with steps and safety equipment is going to run about 20 pounds. The good part is, once you get your stand in, you can hang it in a tree and are done until it is time to leave. What I am thinking is that the stand will allow you a great place to rest and hunt at the same time. Instead of lazing along a trail doing nothing, why not rest in a stand? If you have a good stand set up, you can spend an entire afternoon and evening in one and be very productive. In addition you are resting rather than tiring yourself out more and more. In the morning you can be more productive on the ground if you don't want to sneak back into your stand. I won't tell anyone you spent the entire day in a tree. So, maybe a tree stand really doesn't weigh anything.

[WapitiTalk1]

I am so pathetic. I bought a new Lone Wolf hang on stand, a four pack of the climbing sticks, a good safety harness, and a handful of recommended accessories several years ago and have never used the setup! I also have a heavy duty metal hang on stand an old codger made and gave me. I "need" to take my tree stand gear on my Idaho hunt this year and put it into the mix! I know of a handful of spots that would probably yield results if I hung a stand up at those locations. I'm heading over for a mid/late summer scout trip and I'll make it a point to prep a stand area or three. Thanks for the reminder/urging Swede!

Now, I just have to figure out how to deploy/use the gear I have, plan some hunts using the death from above method, swallow my marginal fear of heights, and re-read Tree Stand Hunting Rocky Mountain Elk.

[Lefty]

I built a nice steel stand for rifle hunting in Utah,.. 53lbs I put wheels on the front, handles on the back and wheel-burrowed it to the site
when I left Utah I gave the GPS coordinates and pointed out the location from my house. 3000 feet up 1 1/2 miles away. I know the neighbor boys ( over 30 years old now) still hunt from it .
Looking back now I really found a super honey hole and regret not knowing how I should have hunted that area

Hm I know I have a pic of that place

[ishy]

Super heavy, but only has to go in once and doesn't have to be during the season. So it's a win win, scouting and weight training wrapped into one trip.

[Swede]

Ishy, I was hoping someone would point that out. I wasn't thinking about the weight training part, but a second trip or early scouting trip are very practical in the grand scheme of things.

[Brendan]

My lone wolf hand climber weighs 15 lbs, and probably another couple pounds for harness, straps, etc. Very easy to strap to a backpack too. I have a Ladder Stand I use for whitetail that's probably pushing 100, that thing isn't getting carried very far from a vehicle.

[ishy]

100 lbs.! Hope that sucker is the most comfortable tree stand ever!