Do you all put your ladder stands over looking larger areas or in drain ways or both? I usually use lock ons or climbers but this year am looking to hunt sagebrush two year old pines.

Anywhere that hides you and the stand.

Using the terrain I'd get up as high as I could and then climb from there. I like to see more real estate vs. less.

Bow hunting it's gotta be the right tree and that tree must have cover.

Ladder stands sux for bow hunting .. Not high enough or quit

I try to find the right spot, then pray for a tree suitable to hunt from. If I can get a lock on where I need to, I will add cover if needed.

you can make cover from fake christmas tree limbs drilled into the tree...done it lots of times.

Most bow hunters I know hunt food sources, and sometimes good trails to and from bedding and feeding areas. I personally have 25 ladder stands out and I use nothing else unless I hunt from the ground. Ladders work fine if you have cover, especially when the leaves fall off. Therefor you have to have pines or cedar for cover, or a lot of limbs. Like Fred said we also add our own cover using cedars most of the time. Your food and trails will change or be cold one week and hot the next so moving stands is a way of life for us. We also hunt good creek crossings. Your game cameras are one of the best tools you can have to find your hot spots! Good luck!

I bow hunt out of my Summit 95% of the time. Always on the move!

Got to have cover. Gun doesn't require as much as bow. With bow you better be covered up.

Kinda' what I think also. I have killed a few deer with a bow from a ladder stand, but they usually always saw me before the shot and the cover behind me kept me in the game. Really hard to beat a climber when you have a bow in your hand.

For years I have primarily hunted from my summit also, but I am trying to get several lockons in good places. I am placing them in big old oaks, and a couple cedars, using spikes for steps and leaving as many limbs as I can for cover. I prefer lockons for because I can sneak in and climb up quieter and I can leave more cover then having to limb a tree to climb.

Yeep they do... Won't hunt in one at all...I always have a climber handy in the event I wanna hunt a certain location and the wind ain't right.... I can always move around when I don't have time move a lockon...

I have to disagree with that. I use to think the same thing but in the last 4 or 5 years I've killed a bunch of deer with my bow out of ladder stands. I leave plenty of cover when I put them up. I actually enjoy hunting from them now.

I can't find one thats comfy for my big arse.. What kind you use?

X2

man i've got all kinds. mostly just whatever i've found on sale over the years. not real sure of the brands. its just a metal seat and a platform and i carry my cushion to sit on.

A guy in our club uses those Summits and they are very nice and would even fit you well... And I mean that in a nice way...