Two man ladder stand

[Boomer]

I'm looking for advise on a good two man ladder stand or other similar options. I've looked at River's Edge brand and the Big Game two man stands, but I have no idea if these are good options. I'd like something sturdy enough for two adults and easy enough for a youngster to climb too.

Any help would be great!

[harvey lee]

A fellow I hunt with has a Rivers Edge two man and it is a pretty good stand.I have used it for bow hunting a couple times and it sits well but you are somewhat restricted with your bow shots I feel.If strapped up tight and agaisnt a good straight tree,then she is good and stable.Enough room for a big adult and a smaller person.I think it would make a great rifle stand as this is what my buddy uses it for.

Iam a big guy at 275,so for two it would be a bit small.But for two normal sized guys or a man and child it should work fine.Also,the ladder is easy to climb.

[Boomer]

Thanks for the information.

I have been rifle hunting for years, but this will be my first year of bow hunting. I was wondering how well it would work with a bow, but I am a bit heavier than you and around 6-3 so I just don't feel comfortable in the climbers and thought a good alternative would be a ladder stand. Do you have any suggestions other than climbers that would work well for a bigger guy? I have a ground blind that is fine for rifle, but I'm not sure if it'll do the trick for bow hunting.

[harvey lee]

I will say this,my son didnt like climbers along with alot of people I know and once they used it and got comfortable with it they love it.They do make ones for bigger guy's.

As far as ladder stands,you could go with one that it rated for your weight and doesnt have alot for side rails,but that gives you less protection.

Another avenue would be to go with a fixed portable stand rated for your weight along with tree pegs.

The portable blind will work in most places and will be even better if you have private land where you can place it out in the woods in advance of your hunting.This gives the deer time to get use to it and they will then be willing to come a little closer.

One last option would be to build a small permanent platform stand with a seat around the trunk in a tree and hunt from there.

Your true goal is to get as high as you can comfortablly and hunt from there.Your above the deer a ways to help with scent,sight and movemant.

[Boomer]

I will be hunting private land, so that will be nice for leaving out the blinds and stands. I am planning on giving the ground blind a try and we do have one permanent stand on the land, but we're hoping to add a couple more this fall. It's our first year on this land and that was another reason I was thinking something that could be moved around if necessary would be good. I realize the two man wouldn't be all that portable, but at least from year to year as we learn the pattern of the deer we could move it.

Thanks for the additional info.

[Neiko]

I never hunted out of a 2 man but have set a Big Game one up for my buddy. I don't like it because it wasn't as solid as a Rivers Edge. Seems like a thinner metal. It also made some squeks. I have used Rivers Edge ladder stand and hang ons and love them. Well built and comfortable.

[Boomer]

Squeeks would not be good! I also looked at an API two man stand online and it looks really nice, but it was about twice as much money. I would pay it if I knew it was worth it, but so far the only place that I know of that carries API is BassPro shops and we don't have them in MN.

Could you leave the shooting rail down with a blind on it and then stand to shoot the bow over it or wouldn't that work?

[harvey lee]

Yes,if your bow limbs dont come to close.I have never had any luck with that.

[chucker34]

I'm a big believer in ground blinds now. You might want to try a big enough one like a Double Bull ($400) or a Big Game Escape Deluxe ($150). I've been in both and recently purchased the latter. You can definitely fit two people within either for bow hunting comfortably and I know people that huddle three in there for turkey gun hunting.

You can get away with a lot more movement in a blind in my opinion provided you take the right precautions - keeping a few windows open and wearing all black or camo that matches the outside. Scent is the biggest concern but provided you take great care of that aspect, ground hunting is a blast. I had many deer milling around my blind at 10 yards last year. I think one of the keys was to put it out early to let them get used to it and put it in a spot that looked like it made sense from a natural perspective. Or rather, I put mine in the midst of a bunch of little saplings and deadfall and then brushed it in some more.

One more thing, the nice thing about a blind is that you carry all you gear to it, walk through the door, sit down, and get ready to hunt. There's no climbing the tree and checking to make sure no deer are watching and straping yourself in and hauling gear up. Less troublesome in my opinion.

Mind you, I still treestand hunt and like that method too but a blind seems more relaxing to me and perfect for getting into position very quickly for the last hour or two of daylight after work.

[deadminnowcatcher]

i got a 2 man at wallmart for $99. It works great for the money. not very portable and takes 2 to set it up

[EatSleepFish]

one thing about the big game 2 man stands, is that they have a annoying back bar that is so uncomfortable!!! its also welded on so you cant take it off. it sticks out and makes you lean forward while sitting.

[Boomer]

Sounds like Rivers Edge is preferred over Big game 2 man stands. After reading Chucker34's post I am back to debating another ground blind or two man stand! I wish I could shoot out of one of the stands because I am a bit worried about the bar effecting my shot - still not sure about being able to stand to get the shot off over the bar with a blind on it or if it would be better to swing it back out of the way - which would somewhat defeat the added safety of the stand.

It's kind of hard for me to make the decision since this will be my first year of bow hunting. I know I'd love the stand for rifle, but I plan on using it for bow hunting only.

Well, thanks for all of the comments. This is exactly what I was hoping to gain - a lot of experienced input.

Thanks again.

[harvey lee]

Boomer

I'am glad we could be of some help to you.As you stated the stand would be and is great for rifle hunting as I have used it for that.But,when it comes to bow hunting there are better options out there.I realize safety is and should be a great concern.Maybe you might look at a fixed portable stand as they do offer some pretty nice ones.Only problem is its for one person.

Something else to consider is you could use the two man stand without a blind around it and drop the rail.One would just neeed to make sure you wear a safety harness so if you did slip it wouldnt turn out to be a terrible accident.Good luck in whatever you do and if you have any other questions that we might be able to help you with please feel free to ask.This is what FM is all about.

[luckey]

We have a two man ladder stand and no matter how tight you cranked it to the tree, it always moved if you stood in an outside corner. Now we always put it in a location where one side (left or right) is up against a large branch or another tree (basswood clumps). We put one strap on the back and one on the side. This way it is solid even when stepping to an outside corner.

[Shwangman]

I just purchased a 2 man Rivers edge and put it up, trust it took two of us but,talk about solid!! Its about 17' up so its nice and high, lots of room. I also have a ameristep that I plan on using while saving up for a double bull!! Good luck..

[crookedfisher]

Maybe I can help. I sell them at cabela's and have tried both the rivers edge and the big game and over all I belive the river's edge is better than the big game but the big game's constrution is better I belive but now big game has another one out that has a padded back on it, but when it comes to shooting out of any two man stand it isn't going to be the greatest because of the bar right in front, at least bow hunting. And I belive ground blinds are also a great option to, but It takes the right area to ground blind hunt.

[Boomer]

Shwangman, do you bow hunt out of your 2 man stands? I've been told you can flip that front bar back on some of them which would help with bow as long as the deer cooperated and stayed right out in front.

As for the land I'll be hunting on it's 8 acres mostly wooded with a slough(wetlands). There are 2 big openings enclosed by trees - right now the two openings are mostly tall grass(6ft.). We have matted the grass down in one area and have fed the deer there. We have a camera and have seen many doe and fawn with a few nice bucks coming in to eat.

Could we do the same in another area and use a ground blind or would the tall grass limit the shooting area too much?

Also, since we don't have a huge amount of land to hunt, can we get by with a 1/2 acre food plot and put a ground blind by it? We just don't have the equipment or time to till up too much land and get it planted by this hunting season.

Thanks again!