I usually bow hunt out of my climber but it's a little noisy climbing the tree. I'm either going to put a lock on or a ladder stand up in a good spot I found last year. I want to be able to get in and out with little as possible disturbance. Would you guys suggest me going with a ladder stand or a lock on ?

Id say a lock on. Is it public land? I would pick the one that is least visible to both deer and people.

yes it's public land.

if its public land that means a public stand...unless you hide it real good.

Get you a lock on and buy a hand auger with spikes to match the ID of the hole you drill. A guy in North Alabama sells the auger. Hang your lock on, drill your holes and leave the bottom three out. You will not have to worry about anyone taking it or hunting from it.

As for your climber. You should try this spray coating they have to help silence your climber. It is around $15 a can and it works. I cant think of the name of it but I have a can left over from last year and will let you know. One can will spray two climbers if you are selective.

I have never liked bowhunting out of a ladder stand. It is much harder to find the right tree so that you are hid.

I would use a lock on and use screw in steps like muzziehead suggested. I have done pretty much what he mentioned on the steps at times, but I went to Lowes and got some 10" bolts to slide in as steps. You can wrap them in electrical tape and they won't clank together when your walking.

If you buy a lock on, you may want one with an arm rest, I can't sit for very long in any stand with out an arm rest. I kills my back to sit for more than an hour. It may not bother you though. Good luck!

You may also want to consider locking the stand to the tree. Most thieves won't go through the trouble of fooling with it if its got a stout lock on it.

No doubt about it. It will be locked.

Have you ran across any more pigs lately?

I havn't seen any lately, but I don't have any feed out right now either. This house has pretty well taken up most of my time lately so I havn't been fooling with them.

You better read the regulations for the public land. Some of them specifically prohibit anything that requires drilling or otherwise injuring the tree.

I hate ladder stands. A lock-on is absolutely the way to go. You can find a tree with lots of limbs to climb, eliminating the need for many steps.
Use climbing sticks which can be locked to the tree, and take the last two or three sections with you when you leave. They are quick and easy to place on the tree when you return and most of them pack easily.

I'm aware of the law Outback but thanks anyway. What I usually use for steps to lock ons on public land is two 10x2x4's with off thread running through them for steps. When a would be thief sees my steps he just shakes his head and walks off.

If you need anymore of that all thread, I have about 800' in 10' sticks

How high do you want the stand? In all honestly, a Summit stand is pretty quiet. But if I was going to hang a loc-on on public land, I'd go with a ladder. You don't want to keep screwing in steps in the same location, and multiple screw-in locations is no good for the tree. You can't leave the steps in because someone will see them.

I use lock on sometimes while hunting public land and the the stand I got from Buckscent are great. I also use Lone Wolf climbing sticks, they are fast and once you practice very quiet.

Lock-on for sure!!! I would take more than three screw in steps out though, especially being on public land. You would hate for someone to take the stand especially with the work earned money and work you put into it.

I'd would get a lock-on with arm rest two, they are a whole lot more comfortable than one's with out them.