shortest ladder stand

[habersham hammer]

For all of you ladder stand hunters, what is the shortest ladder stand that you have ever killed a deer out of?

I know we all have a preferred and minimum height to be, but it has not always been the case in certain situations.

 

[shdw633]

4 foot section attached to the seat section. It fit nicely under a pine tree limb and provided excellent cover. The deer never even know I am in there.

 

[ugajay]

I had a buddy who was scared of heights when he was a young fella, and his dad built him a few latter stands about 4 feet off the ground. Worked just fine but man did we have some fun at his expense once he got a little older.

 

[swamp hunter]

Used half a 15 ft. Sportsmans Guide Ladder stand for years. Still got 2 in the woods now. Certain places..But usually if a stand that short works a pile of old branches and a chair is a lot more pleasant..

 

[gtmcwhorter]

I’m 6’5 and I’m taller than one of them on our farm. I think my cousin got bored on a slow hunting weekend and found scrap wood around to make it. Everyone has killed deer out of it though

 

[Buford_Dawg]

I have taken the 3rd ladder piece off of some of my 15 foot ladder stands thru the years and placed in areas where shorter stand was needed. Worked out well for me and my sons and other members of the clubs. As long as you do not move alot, it works out great. Obviously, scent control matters too.

 

[bradleyjanes06]

I've killed deer sitting in a camp chair next to a tree no blind. Slow methodical movement is the key. Both my bucks were killed this way last year. Just go with what you are comfortable with. Try it if you get busted don't move let em pass try something different. This is my first year owning a blind so I can take my kids some and just bought a climber gives me a few options now but if I find good sign in an area I'll take an old chair to next to a tree anytime.

 

[Tmpr111]

I prefer to hunt low. Gotta really hunt the wind and be more Indian like, but that’s the fun (and rewarding) part of it for me. I also like using the top third of a ladder stand and strapping things to it, carries on the back well too. Pending how long it is you may have to hacksaw off the ends a bit. Makes it more manageable.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

I've killed better than 90% of my rifle kills spanning 30 years with my butt sitting on the ground.

 

[marknga]

When I was 16 I had messed up my knee playing basketball and was on crutches. Dad took my Baker stand, drove a big old nail in the tree about 6ft up. Hung the Baker stand hung in on the nail. Used a step ladder leaned against the tree to ease up in it. Killed a good 9pt on Thanksgiving morning 1976.

 

[jmac7469]

6 feet to the bottom of the seat. Killed 9 bucks and 3 does out of it over the years.

 

[Mark K]

Haha, great thread. My son and I have have a stand named, Short Stand. It was originally a full sized two man stand but when put up full height you couldn’t see anything, lol. So it has one section and the top part with the seat. We put burlap around it and use Deer Dander as a cover scent. I’ve had deer close enough I couldn’t see them because of the burlap. Makes great for picture taking and videoing deer. Believe it or not several deer have been taken with a bow out of this stand. It’s left in place and kept up year round.

 

[redeli]

aint climbed a stand in 5 years...ground blinds work just fine for me

 

[Mark K]

Some properties/clubs/leases, etc...don’t allow hunting from the ground for safety reasons. I hunted a military installation that was mandatory 6ft minimum on stands and that was a Archery only installation.

 

[strothershwacker]

Most productive stand I ever had was 6' on a thick little cedar tree in the middle of a little field. Sadly there's a 2 story house sitting there now.

 

[oops1]

4 foot section attached to the seat section. It fit nicely under a pine tree limb and provided excellent cover. The deer never even know I am in there.

This^^. My dad has aged quite a bit and doesn't feel comfortable climbing anymore so I set him one up like above. Works great.

 

[hambone76]

When I was younger I built a few, simple ladderstands out of PT 2x4’s that were 8’ to the platform. No seat, just climb up, sit on the platform and rest my feet on the next rung down. Killed quite a few out of them back then. It was just enough elevation to get out of their line of sight. Had I made them any higher, the canopy in those young pine stands would have blocked my view.