Stands - take down or leave up?

[j-bird]

i typically have all my stands down by now. Not sure why I take them down, but I do - all of them. Well I'm behind this year and they are all still up.

How many of you leave your stands up year round?

If you leave them up what precautions do you take?

I have one 2 man stand, 2 ladders and 2 or 3 fixed position stands. In most cases the stands will go right back up where they are now come late summer. What should I do regarding straps and the like if I leave them up?

 

[Bill]

This is not advice. :D

Just what I do and it's probably wrong. My stands stay 365. I just put on new rachet straps every year. Ladder sstands only.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

I just put on new rachet straps every year. Ladder sstands only.

Good move. I've recently found out how much damage UV does to non UV treated straps, which seems like all the straps for ladders and climbing sticks I use. They can get to the point where you can tear them like paper.

 

[chummer]

Second year I put on a second strap. Year three I replace year one strap. It gives me two straps, one new, and one a year old every year.

 

[gunther89]

We bring in our hang on stands and leave the ladder stands up. We check everything over in spring and again right before hunting season. The squirrels chew the straps pretty good on some stands.

 

[BJE80]

I leave my ladder stands up all year too. No way am I dragging all those stands out of the woods every year. I do replace the straps every year.

 

[willy]

I leave our stands up year round. Replace the straps every couple years but also have chains attached rather snug and can let out a bolt/nut connection as the tree grows. Squirrels can't chew steel. If the straps give while in the stand the stand will not be going over because of safety chain.

 

[tooln]

I leave my ladder stands out 365, I loosen the straps after hunting season. I replace the straps every other year. I have a climber that I take down & one older one that stays out.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

I'm on the fence with this. 3 yrs ago one of my close friends stepped on to the platform of a stand we hung a year prior.....the strap broke as he was clipping into the safety tether on the tree. He fell 20 feet straight down and landed mostly on his a$$. He messed up his back pretty bad but escaped without any real serious injury lasting injuries or worse...he was very lucky. 3 days prior to him falling out of the tree....i sat the same stand. He outweighs me by about 50 lbs. When i climbed up i checked the strap on the stand all the way around the tree and it seemed fine to me. in most stands i hang i can clip onto my safety tether before stepping foot on the platform...as was the case with this one. I guess he weighed just enough to stress the strap to the breaking point.

Last year i put a new hang on in the tree and replaced straps on the climbing sticks. I think i will pull the whole set down this spring and give everything a good once over. I also am thinking of replacing the climbing sticks altogether because they are a few years old at this point and have been out the whole time.

 

[j-bird]

Thanks guys.

 

[Tree Spud]

I leave them up but always add a 2nd ratchet strap in addition to the strap on the tree stand. I usually go out in the spring and check on them, loosen the straps and the tree grows, and replace anything I am concerned with.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I do 2 straps as well. Back-up. I rotate straps like Chummer said he does - new one each year and get rid of the 2 year old one, leaving 1 new one and 1 that's a year old. I loosen after hunting season for tree growth. I use only ladder stands now as older, work-strained, sore back prevents gymnastics I used to do in trees.