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...

What are you trying to say that he's a big feller or something

I'm a big fan of hunting funnels and cutover edges. I have a few that I put a stick and a half on for 30ft. Makes for a nice cutover spot during gun hunts.

I too have all kinds. Most are 15' ones we've got less than $60 in. And I also use a cushion I carry on my pack for the metal seats. I have one 21' Millennium L110 I got at a good price. Oh Lawd!!!!! Talk about comfortable. Sometimes you can get good prices on them at deer shows.

I've hunted out of those millennium stands and dammit are they comfortable but they are proud of them!

I bow hunt almost exclusively out of Millinium loc ons. It's the only loc on I've ever used that I could comfortably sit it for four hours. They are expensive but I try to pick one up a year at the Buckmasters show and usually get a pretty good deal.. I also take them down after the season and store them indoors.

I have one ladder stand that I'll hunt out of .. I cut out a hole in a cedar tree and buried it in the tree .. Conceals it really good but your visibility is limited

Use lock-ons and ladders. Originally bought 15' Big Dog ladders,not big enough, so I moved the arm rests out to where I have 24" between them and moved the stand 3" farther from the tree and made longer foot rest, and made 5' extension. And welded all contact points so no squeeks. Then Just started building them from scratch. Comfy enough to hunt all day.
Also use home made lock-ons.
Put them up in cover and add some if necessary.