Question about lock on stands

I'm needing 3-4 more lock on stands and I'm trying to decide if I want to buy lockon stands and stick ladders or just buy 1 millennium M100U and a few extra brackets. I can leave the sticks and the brackets up on the tree and just tote the stand (weighs 11lbs) in with me and just slide it in the bracket.


What would be y'all's preference?

I prefer to not tote anything in with me. Awfully nice to just slip in, climb ladder and sit down without the added weight, and noise.

If you are in a hurry it is a pain carry a stand with you when you go and sort of defeats the quietness aspect of a lock-on. Last season I had 2 lock-ons stolen. (nice ones) The upside to the bracket is all they could steal would be the ladder sticks and bracket. I am looking to replace the stolen stands and not sure if I am just going the cheap route or not.

There's a $59.99 sling seat loc-on in sportsmansguide that is really comfy. 20' ladder for under $40. Been using them for years, i leave them up year round.

Screw in steps and a loc-on. Take it in and out.

I like the millenniums and hanging collars. Make sure and put new carrying straps on the stand if you go that route. The ones that come on them suck. Set your alarm on your phone in the evenings to go off at dark so you don't sleep til daylight the next morning.

I have the millienium(4 of them) and although they can be moved, it is best to use an extra ratchet strap on the bottom to keep it from sliding as you step on it. It also would be noisy putting the stand in the bracket every morning. I just bit the bullet and bought 4 and leave them up.

Have any of you put mole skin on top of the bracket to keep it from dinging when you put the stand on the tree? I did and it stopped almost all the noise making.

Great idea. I think I'll add that to mine.

I've never used brackets for my lock-ons.

I use the muddy climbing sticks for portability and then have 9 sets of ladder sticks with brackets. I just carry the Millennium in and out to whichever tree I am hunting that evening. I have three climbers that I use for mobility as well.

A Millennium with lots of bracket/stick setups is the way to go.

You already know my opinion on the subject. I will say that if someone can't hang a millennium stand into a perhung receiver quitely you are in to much of a hurry. I own a pile of these stands and they are by far the most comfortable on the market and very easy to hang with or without a bracket in place.

For those that are serious and spend more than a couple hours on stand the millennium stnad can't be beat for long sits. I've owned them all and hunted out of Loc-Ons for over 20 years. Nothing compares to this stand functions and comfort!! I will take one Millennium over 20 of the other types on the market.

I do exactly this. I would get too hot and sweaty by the time I walked in with my bow and the stand on my back and then had to haul it up a tree and hang it.

I guess you could have two pull up ropes pre-positioned, one for your bow and one for the stand.

I have the millennium and also have other loc ons. I like the m100 over them. I tote it in and slide it on the receiver. Do to the unfortunate death of my brother in law I will have two more m100's this year

I'm sorry for your loss.

Thanks. It will be a different hunting season this year.

I have the foot rest with mine. Also Dennis Wilborn had a great price on the m 100's at the Rick and Bubba show. I would call him

Agree with squeaky , best stand for the $ by far

I would agree that they're the best stand, but they are also one of the most expensive, so i don't think they're the best stand for the money. Either way, carry on.

I dont think 160-180$ for a safe comfortable loc on is to expensive, lot better than sitting in a piece of crap on that is uncomfortable

If your gonna tote your loc on in and out with you may as well just use a climber. I hunt out of loc on stands because I don't want to have to carry my stand in.

I thought about replacing my lazy boy with a Millenium

I have comfortable loc-ons, that i paid less than $75 for. I hate the small seated gorilla's and such, too. I have probably 30 stands at 2 different properties, if i spent that much on 1 stand, i'd be broke. They are great stands.

While it is hard to argue with the comfort of the M100 if I were going to set up sticks/steps and then hang and hunt with a single stand, it would have to be the Lone Wolf Alpha II...

I prefer (1) Millennium m50 with a bunch of brackets and sticks all over the woods. I've been doing this for years. It also helps to keep people out of your stands when you're not hunting them. They can't hunt a stand that isn't there. It has paid off for me. It has also allowed me to spend money on other things I need besides stands.

You don't have to buy the bracket stands if you're going to use an extra ratchet anyway.

Do what I do and buy whatever stand you want. Use screw in utility hooks to hold your stand steady at the top of your climb while you get your ratchet put together. When your tightening it down, lift it a couple of inches off the hook.

Another idea if you are worried about folks sitting your stand or stealing it because you leave the lockon on the tree: Buy your normal sticks and leave them on the trees you use leading upto your stand. Leave a 5-10' gap between the top of your sticks and your lockon. Pick you up one or two individual strap on sections to carry into the stand and place in the gap each sit. Super quiet and prevents the lazy folks in your club from sitting your spot or taking your stuff.

great idea never thought of that

this

I do this near property lines ^^^^^. But I leave the bottom 2 sections off, that way I can stand on the ground and put them on in the AM.

You got that right! I have loc-ons and ladders all over my property. I wake up and wanta hunt a ridge I haven't been to all season, there's a stand there ready for action. When the bucks are really on their feet during rut, if I'm not on a specific buck, I stand hop. Many times based on past history with a place, I go in blind, unscouted and first morning put ones chin on the ground.

I do have a millennium. Won it in a big buck contest, I'd never spend that kinda $ on one. They are comfy! I have thought a good way to use them would be to have a bunch of brackets and two stands, play leap frog with the stands. That way you could have at least one up and ready and move them around.

The loc-on to pack in and put up each hunt is a Lone Wolf with their sticks. Very slick system.

^^This is my main set-up for my annual Kansas trip^^

like 2Dogs, I have a lot of stands scattered out over our farm and every year I find at least 2 or 3 more areas I need a stand. That being said, I can buy 3 $100-$120 "nice" lock on's for same price as 2 Millenniums. You can get a pretty good lock on for $100. I'm not a big guy so comfort isn't too much of an issue as long as it's not one of those cheap $60 stands. The new Gorillas with the arm rests are plenty comfortable for me.

I have both the M50 and the M100. I seldom use my climber anymore simply because I like being able to get into trees that have limbs on them. Most of the time I pre hang my sticks and brackets then hunt the wind. Between the two, I prefer the M50. I bought mine a few years ago at Sportsman's Outfitters in Dothan for $99. The way I look at it is I pay $20-$30 for the extra hangers and each hanger is another stand.

Millennium's are by far the most econmical.

I can get more brackets and a 20' sticks for $60 per setup.

Takes about 20 seconds to silently hang a millennium. This is my process:
I climb up the stick with the stand on my back. It only weighs 15lb...
I use one of the reel type pull up ropes trailing off my left side.
My safety harness has a lineman strap connected on right side with a carabiner (the loop end of my tether from the back of the harness is also through this carabiner). The excess lineman strap is stuffed in my right cargo pocket with another carabiner on the end.
When i get to the top of the stick, i pull out the lineman harness, put it around the tree and connect it to my left side lineman loop on my harness. Now i can safely use both hands to take the stand off my back and put it in the bracket. Use moleskin on the bracket to silence it. Now i unhook the left carabiner and clip it on the line on the right of the tree, then unhook the right carabiner out of the right lineman loop but still connected to the loop tether going to the back of my harness so im connected to the tree in a hunting configuration. I climb into the stand, pull up my weapon, and im ready to hunt. Its super fast and easy. Takes about as long as it took you to read this.

I use Millenniums as well but I always add a ratchet around the bottom to stabilize the base. Without the ratchet, the stand wobbles, especially when you first step on it.

I still use some of the "nice" stands for hunting over fields in the afternoon. My limit on those is about two hours tops. I just can't take sitting on a skinny cushion mounted to a piece of plywood or a metal grate. I tend to get fidgety or stand up which is not good. I hunt the millenniums in the morning. I can sit in those for six hours or more.

I rarely have that problem, mine normally bites pretty well.
Its not like it gunna drop you or slide out if you step down off your stick to the center of the platform.
And Im strapped on the tree before I even step foot on the platform so why worry about it.

how bad do the millennium's "kick out' if you don't put the strap at the bottom?