Favorite ladder stand

[TjdUSAF]

The Millennium Buck Hut comes with a very sturdy tower. I also added the small platform to the ladder. Which I love. Can clean your boots off before entering and safer on exit after dark. They can be ordered from Millennium and were free shipping when I got mine. Great value.

Not questioning… we’re dealers and this is right from the Millennium site:

They have to be shipped freight and I know there’s no way we could ship for free…. We do ship but it’s often a few hundred $$$….

They are very popular and many of our customers come back to add more!


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[goatman]

I was talking about the ladder platform and yes I bought one with free shipping for $60. We all know your a dealer by now.

 

[TjdUSAF]

Ah… thanks… I misunderstood.


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[bwoods11]

Just bought a 21 foot Hawk Denali @ Menards for a very reasonable price.

 

[Brian662]

I know it's expensive but Novix just came out with a ladder stand. I don't have one, as I generally hunt from hang on stands. I have several Lone Wolf stands (before they became Novix), I like the lightweight aluminum, the quietest stands I've ever owned, and made in the USA. That being said, they are always spendy.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I know it's expensive but Novix just came out with a ladder stand. I don't have one, as I generally hunt from hang on stands. I have several Lone Wolf stands (before they became Novix), I like the lightweight aluminum, the quietest stands I've ever owned, and made in the USA. That being said, they are always spendy.

I just just checked out the Novix ladder stand. Can't even imagine spending $800 on something so minimalistic...and seemingly uncomfortable. No backrest. No armrests. Looks like a small platform. Am I missing something?

 

[Brian662]

I just just checked out the Novix ladder stand. Can't even imagine spending $800 on something so minimalistic...and seemingly uncomfortable. No backrest. No armrests. Looks like a small platform. Am I missing something?

Like I mentioned twice in my post, they're expensive.
Things that are truly made in the USA aren't cheap, generally speaking. I don't own one, but I also haven't hunted from a ladder stand in 4 years.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I know it's expensive but Novix just came out with a ladder stand. I don't have one, as I generally hunt from hang on stands. I have several Lone Wolf stands (before they became Novix), I like the lightweight aluminum, the quietest stands I've ever owned, and made in the USA. That being said, they are always spendy.

I have several of their hang ons and their alpha climber. They damn sure werent built for comfort. But being mobile, I haven’t found a better one yet. If you add the footrest they are bare able. Ever since I started owning land I have bought more millenniums and less lone wolf/novix.

 

[Brian662]

I have several of their hang ons and their alpha climber. They damn sure werent built for comfort. But being mobile, I haven’t found a better one yet. If you add the footrest they are bare able. Ever since I started owning land I have bought more millenniums and less lone wolf/novix.

I'm with you. I now have 6 millennium and 8 lone wolf's but I can't do an all day sit in the lone wolfs and all mine are equipped with the foot rests. They are the most silent tree stand I've ever owned but they are proud of their product.

I don’t believe my millennium hang on stands are made in the USA, but they sure are comfortable and I like that they come with a high quality safety rope.

ETA: having a high quality seat adds to the comfort of the lone wolf's, but that is an additional $70 and something I carry to the stands with me so the squirrels don't chew them up.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Like I mentioned twice in my post, they're expensive.
Things that are truly made in the USA aren't cheap, generally speaking. I don't own one, but I also haven't hunted from a ladder stand in 4 years.

Yeah, I caught it both times.

I fully get that Made in the USA can cost more and I always buy USA and support local mom and pops when I can. But $800 for a stand like that, just because it's made in the USA by veterans?

I agree with you about the Milleniums. I have 4 Monster 150's that I absolutely love. For ladder stands I use River's Edge Upper Cuts, but I am always looking for new and innovative stands that come along. That stand by Novix ain't it. Not for me at least.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I mentioned in this thread already, but I have had pretty good luck with the Big Game Hunter HD 1.5. I know Scheels has a sale every late summer and it looks like they just put it back on sale. For my mind, it is the best ladder stand for the money and Scheels is by far the cheapest for it. I just bought my 4th and decided to share in case anyone else is in the market for a new stand. https://www.scheels.com/p/big-game-the-hunter-hd-1.5-treestand/09797300248.html

 

[Maddog66]

Old thread I know, but I have to admit I’ve really liked the X-Stands (Duke 21’) I started buying a few years ago when this thread started. I have 5 of them now and the Mesh seats are holding up well. They’re comfortable enough for me for all day sits. (6’5” x 220#)

Not an expensive stand, but not cheap either (definitely not USA-made). Also not very easy to put together the first time…..took 4 beers, my entire living room floor, lots of cussing, skinned knuckles, dogs got yelled at, and about every tool I own. The second one was better.

They are Rock solid with their “jaws” wrapping the tree trunk ……and everything else ratcheted up tight. Way better than the old HS crap they replaced!!

 

[Peeps]

I mentioned in this thread already, but I have had pretty good luck with the Big Game Hunter HD 1.5. I know Scheels has a sale every late summer and it looks like they just put it back on sale. For my mind, it is the best ladder stand for the money and Scheels is by far the cheapest for it. I just bought my 4th and decided to share in case anyone else is in the market for a new stand. https://www.scheels.com/p/big-game-the-hunter-hd-1.5-treestand/09797300248.html

I have 6 of these and I love them. I’m sure there are more expensive brands that are better but I feel these are the best value out there.

 

[bwoods11]

Had anyone hunted from the 22 foot Primal Mac Daddy ? I just bought one for $179 . It has good reviews!

 

[356]

Thanks...I just ordered one--L&M Fleet Supply had them on clearance for $219 with free shipping, so I'll give the Spector XT a try and compare it to the Big Buddy. I like the larger platform, which will be perfect for the oak grove that the blind will be servicing.

Here is a comparison: Big Buddy (Small Platform) Spector XT (Large Platform)
View attachment 50008View attachment 50010

By way of update, the Big Game Big Buddy stand is still doing great after 10 years. Other than an annual Scotch-Gard treatment, I’ve not had to do anything with the blind. The Spector XT is up in the oak grove and is working well. Both are comfortable ladder blinds that I would purchase again.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I am not so sure I can recommend the Big Game Hunter HD 1.5 anymore. I bought one a few weeks ago right around the time I made the last post above and assembled it this past weekend. I noticed the build quality wasn't quite the same as the previous 5 that I have purchased. This became super obvious when my brother and I were setting it up and this happened:





Fortunately, this happened before we put any weight on the stand and no one was hurt. We were using a pole to help raise the assembled stand up into the tree, and the pole slipped, putting the top-heavy weight all on the ladder section that snapped. I am hoping for many other's sake that this is a one-off production quality issue. I did buy this at Scheels who historically has amazing customer service. Unfortunately, they are asking for me to disassemble the stand to return it for a refund.

 

[Brian662]

Scary stuff, glad you guys are OK.

I stay 100% tied off when doing stand work and I still hate every minute of it, had some close calls and even an accident before and it's bad news.

 

[KY wild]

I hope it is a one off because I have 2 on the front porch I ordered from a Labor Day sale from Cabelas. They had them marked down from 189 to 119. Your pics are making me nervous

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Like I said, this was my 6th one that I had purchased. The previous 5 had zero issues and I felt like I was shill for all of the good things I was writing about them in the past.

In all fairness to the manufacturer, a rope slung over a branch would have been better to pull from the heavy end of the stand. The horizontal weight pressure was clearly too much for this point in the ladder and the build design may not account for it.


I also wear a harness of some kind when installing any kind of stand. Either use my hunting saddle (rare) or a Muddy safety harness. We weren't even to the point of putting one on because we were still just getting the stand up against the tree.

 

[Electrodigical]

I put up a Primal Double Vantage Deluxe this weekend. So far I'm pretty happy with it. It's sturdy and steady, feels real solid. The tree I put it on is actually "too big" for the design, so the grabber arms didn't really do what they're designed to do (wrap around the tree), but it still held it steady enough that I felt perfectly safe climbing up to put on the hold down straps.

Nit picking... I wish the platform were a little deeper front to back, though I know that would make for a really big monster of a stand. I didn't think the mesh of the platform was all that thick, but it feels solid, no give when standing on it. I don't know how comfortable the seat will be, but that's probably just a me thing. I'm big and tall. 6'4", at least was once upon a time, so all tree stand seats are too low for me (butt's lower than optimal for comfort and ease of standing up). We'll see. Assembly was good, instructions are okay. Any issues I had were caused by me. Aint light. I used a block and tackle hoist that I use to hanging deer to put it up. I lifted it up and walked it to the tree while my 91 year old father pulled on the rope. We were both shocked how easy it went up. I think if I had to, I probably could have done it myself with that setup. But moving it while it was in the box, forget it. I could only drag it a few feet at a time. I had to break open the box in the driveway and bring it inside in pieces.