I put up a new tripod stand. Any advice?

[goosifer]

In January, I bought two Amerstep 15' tripod stands. link if you are interested I put one together and out into the field this week. I was very impressed with the stand. The instructions were well done, and all of the bolts were blister packed and color coded. I put it in the middle of a large field (former crop field, now overgrown with brush). It has a camo skirt around the stand (not shown in pic). Below are two pics showing the N and S view from the stand. Other than keeping my head low and not moving around, any suggestions for hunting from this stand in the middle of a field? Is it worth trying to hunt with a crossbow from this stand, or better to wait till shotgun opens up?

 

[Dabills]

I think I see it in one pic... Looks well hidden.

[fasteddie]

3 hours ago, Dabills said:

I think I see it in one pic... Looks well hidden.

I doubt that you see it . The view is "from the stand" ........... 

[Paula]

I would love to have a stand like that, but no where to put it

[Jeremy K]

Good luck this year ,i hope all your hard work pays off . I'd be worried about being in the open like that , as long as you stay on point and dont move around a lot ,you could probably pull it off. 

[Dabills]

2 hours ago, fasteddie said:

I doubt that you see it . The view is "from the stand" ........... 

Hahahaha love it. I'm sitting over here squinting and mfing my phone.

[Moho81]

That’s a really cool stand! Being that you just set it out there it may not work for crossbow as it’s something new in the field.

I’m not sure if this actually works but I know guys that will set a stuffed dummy up in the seat so the deer will be use to seeing the outline of a person up there. They will even put a orange vest on the dummy.

Just a thought.


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[stubborn1VT]

I would be tempted to ziptie some saplings to the ladder and the uprights to break up the outline.  Not enough to get in the way of your shots, but something to keep your upper body from being the highest visible point in the landscape.

[goosifer]

8 minutes ago, stubborn1VT said:

I would be tempted to ziptie some saplings to the ladder and the uprights to break up the outline.  Not enough to get in the way of your shots, but something to keep your upper body from being the highest visible point in the landscape.

I could buy the roof kit and attach saplings to those uprights, I suppose. I wonder if I could use and old Christmas tree for branches. Thanks for idea.

[goosifer]

30 minutes ago, Moho81 said:

That’s a really cool stand! Being that you just set it out there it may not work for crossbow as it’s something new in the field.

I’m not sure if this actually works but I know guys that will set a stuffed dummy up in the seat so the deer will be use to seeing the outline of a person up there. They will even put a orange vest on the dummy.

Just a thought.


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Yeah, I'm starting to think this one might be better for shotgun season in two weeks. With a 100'+ range, I'd really be able to cover a good chunk of the field, depending on wind, and be less likely to be detected. I put up another tripod, a 12 footer, against a clump of aspen trees in the other field. I think that one might be a better option for crossbow.

[growalot]

Want to stay warm and movement hidden? Get on line find JoAnn Fabrics and their sale coupons...fleece is on sale all the time...  measure around th rail and buy enough yards to cover. Here is the great thing about fleece...it doesn't unravel. So you simple make cuts into the edges long enough to tie through platform and around rail on the other side.. cuts wind,quiet,will dry fast,won't flap in the wind. They have a bunch of different patterns available and colors...cheap when coupons are  used..got mine 2.99 a yard....Son has that stand and loves it. BLIZZARD FLEECE it's the heaviest

[growalot]

Also to cut wind around your feet...tractor supply has cut by the foot  thinner rubber matting 4ft wide. Measure the platform and buy enough to cut and fit. To make safe Drill holes side by side in places to fit long black tie wraps through and tie wrap sections down. No more freezing feet on cold steel. Also cuts up draft  keeping you warmer .Ps if there is ice or snow tie just one side so you can lift bend and let it pop off.

These things are easy to remove so taking down the tower at end of season is so easy . Snip tie wraps and untie fleece..Our son takes his down at camp each year..won't leave it for theifs. They tried stealing my ladder stand...I chain everything and nail support bars.

Edited October 29, 2017 by growalot

[wildcat junkie]

1 hour ago, goosifer said:

I could buy the roof kit and attach saplings to those uprights, I suppose. I wonder if I could use and old Christmas tree for branches. Thanks for idea.

Wrap the sides below the shooting rail with several layers of burlap, then attach conifer branches if you like, but unless it's tucked in among other conifers it won't help much once the burlap is applied. . Go to the lumber yard and ask for a "cover sheet" that is used to protect the finish of palletized sheet metal roofing. They usually give it away free for the asking. Get something gray, green or brown if you can.

Here is a view from about 60 yds on the trail leading into my tripod. Since 2001, myself and 2 other hunters have taken over 30 deer from this strand, most of them bucks.

An hour or so with tin snips and a screw gun will have a nice permanent roof for your stand. I left the fabric under the sheet metal to cover the white underside of the metal. And NO the small area of metal roof won't make a racket when it rains that is significantly louder that the rain hitting leaves. I initially put burlap over the roof to muffle noise but found it unnecessary after weather rotted and wind removed the burlap from the roof. I never found it necessary to go to the trouble of replacing it. The roof also helps your shoulders and head blend in because you are in a shadow and no longer "above" the outline of the stand.

 

I do have a large ladder stand built on the same design as the tripod except it has a wide bench seat. It is trucked into a white pine next to a hemlock tree. I used the burlap/branches to blend it into the background.

This picture as from about 20 yds on the entrance from the horse trail.

 

This is directly in front of the stand about 40 yds away. This picture was taken last year. I have added hemlock boughs on either side of the slit in the burlap on the front. They are spread apart to get in and do a great job of concealing the square outline.

 

This picture is from about 60 yds at the stand's 9:00. You have to look very closely to pick out the stand. It is about dead center in the picture and the square outline of the roof is the only thing that gives it away.

Edited October 29, 2017 by wildcat junkie

[rachunter]

I at in those stand down south hog hunting defiantly get the top the ones without them where a little rough on sunny days.i wish I had one when I was hunting long island so many good spots with no good trees.

[goosifer]

although not shown in the store pic, the stand did come with a camo rail skirt, which I put on. will look for the rubber flooring next time I am at at tractor supply.

[growalot]

Usually in back by tires...

[hunter49]

  Cool stand, does the seat swivel at all?  Also I think Glowalot's ideas are good.   I have a spot for one but afraid someone would steal it.   Also Harbor freight sells the rubber pads.

[fasteddie]

I bought one of the Tri-Pod stands and had a spot where I planned to put it but ...... with the rain and the water having no where to go , it was just too wet to install it . The area is too muddy . Even putting it on 2 X 8's would be a problem as they would rot . 

[growalot]

Patio paving blocks?...I actually use those to level my big tower blinds..They sink...I pull out the jack...jack them up and add another block the right depth...eezzee peezee and you can use L brackets and screw them into the concrete blocks ..making stealing just a tad more difficult.

[Jeremy K]

You can add stone before you put down the paver.

[wolc123]

That looks like it would be a very good blind for crossbow hunting someday, but maybe not until next year .  The swivel seat and rail all the way around should allow for a 60 yard range radius, if you have a 350 fps or more crossbow.   With a 300 fps model like I have, I would limit shots to 50 yards.    I killed my first deer at 59 yards with my entry-level model, but penetration was only 8" (fortunately thru the heart).   An extra 50 fps would probably provide plenty of energy for a pass thru at 60 yards, based on that experience.

As has already been mentioned, deer may avoid the area for a while, so it might not get good until the end of gun season this year.  By late ML season, it may work ok.   I moved a big two-story platform blind into a different hedgerow a couple years ago, and the deer really avoided it the first season.   Last year it was good for three kills though, including a 2-1/2 year old crossbow buck at 15 yards, and a doe and button buck at 100 yards, a week later.   There were also numerous other deer in close to it last year (that got passes).  The year before, not a single deer appeared within 200 yards of it, from the start of crossbow, until the end of ML .  If you leave that tower up all year, it might be great next season.   3 deer is a record for the most that have been killed from a single stand in a season at our place.   

A shotgun slug would be ideal from that stand in that type of cover.   The deer might feel safe sneaking thru the surrounding brush, and deflection from a branch strike would not be as great of a concern with a relatively slow moving, large diameter shotgun slug, as it would be with a rifle bullet or arrow/bolt.  Cammo up to the rails is a good idea to hide your motion as you rotate your body to make a shot.  I wrapped the upper platform of my blinds with old barnwood, up about 3 feet, and it keeps me hidden very well.  The deer never know what hits them.  Good luck with it this season.  You will not be needing any luck next year.            

Edited October 29, 2017 by wolc123

[wildcat junkie]

2 hours ago, fasteddie said:

I bought one of the Tri-Pod stands and had a spot where I planned to put it but ...... with the rain and the water having no where to go , it was just too wet to install it . The area is too muddy . Even putting it on 2 X 8's would be a problem as they would rot . 

I bolted my legs and ladder base to 4' lengths of treated 2x8. They eventually got settled into the ground enough that the stand has survived some pretty good winds without tipping over. The 1st year, before I added the bases,  it got blown over.

Edited October 29, 2017 by wildcat junkie

[goosifer]

4 hours ago, hunter49 said:

  Cool stand, does the seat swivel at all?  Also I think Glowalot's ideas are good.   I have a spot for one but afraid someone would steal it.   Also Harbor freight sells the rubber pads.

yes, the seat swivels. It has a large plastic washer and a large bolt holding it in. It was pretty quiet when turning. To be safe, I sprayed it with silicone lube. It then squeaked or hummed as you turned it. Go figure, so, I had to take it apart and wipe the silicone off.

[goosifer]

2 hours ago, fasteddie said:

I bought one of the Tri-Pod stands and had a spot where I planned to put it but ...... with the rain and the water having no where to go , it was just too wet to install it . The area is too muddy . Even putting it on 2 X 8's would be a problem as they would rot . 

Wouldn't ground contact rated pressure treated wood be good enough? and or solid concrete pavers like growalot suggested.

[wildcat junkie]

1 hour ago, wildcat junkie said:

I bolted my legs and ladder base to 4' lengths of treated 2x8. They eventually got settled into the ground enough that the stand has survived some pretty good winds without tipping over. The 1st year, before I added the bases,  it got blown over.

 

58 minutes ago, goosifer said:

Wouldn't ground contact rated pressure treated wood be good enough? and or solid concrete pavers like growalot suggested.

Pavers would be hard to anchor to.