Check your tree?

[Enigma]

Down for the count! The neighboring landowner sent me a text in late Dec telling me the news. I wasn't able to get out to my stand site until yesterday. Sure enough, there it was. Now reduced to a mangled mess! This was my #1 gun stand I've had in the same tree going on 15 years. I never noticed any problems with the tree, always seemed sound. Thought at first it might be foul play but quickly realized probably not. So . . . I guess just a reminder, check your setup carefully each time you hunt.  

[grampy]

Thankfully it didn't happen in November!!!!!       

Looks like you have a couple other trees close by though, to keep that spot a #1 .

[mowin]

41 minutes ago, Enigma said:

Down for the count! The neighboring landowner sent me a text in late Dec telling me the news. I wasn't able to get out to my stand site until yesterday. Sure enough, there it was. Now reduced to a mangled mess! This was my #1 gun stand I've had in the same tree going on 15 years. I never noticed any problems with the tree, always seemed sound. Thought at first it might be foul play but quickly realized probably not. So . . . I guess just a reminder, check your setup carefully each time you hunt.  

I've got a stand that's been moved onto it's 3rd tree because the first two ended up dying. Beginning to think this stand is poisoning the trees.  Lol

 

[Dom]

I am glad no one was hurt/killed.This is some of the reason I purchased the sniper tripod from Guide Series I can still place near the areas that I like and wont disturb the trees.Looks like the tree had been dead for awhile.

[rob-c]

Glad no one was hurt, I inspect my trees as I use a climber and at 280 lbs it would bring a dead tree down fast with me hanging off the side. 

[Five Seasons]

it's been real windy. chances are you would never been in the stand in the conditions that caused it to go. We've had a few pines topple in wind storms usually ruining a few ladder sticks in the process. Have also removed some stands from some trees that are still standing, but did not inspire confidence.

The main thing is this. Is there a good tree nearby?  

[doebuck1234]

Yuck!hang er back up in another tree and make it happen!

[Zag]

Looks like a ash tree that was dying. Better now than during deer season!

[philoshop]

Check your stand trees or potential stand trees during the summer. If the leaf canopy doesn't look right, chances are the tree isn't healthy.

[GreeneHunter]

I've had my Ladder Stand on the same tree for 8/9 years now and I lag bolted the seat to it several years ago using pipe clamps . This past year I noticed that the pipe claps had moved , or at least I thought they moved .... the tree is still growing ! I'm going to put some strap iron on the seat bars to secure it . It definitley pays to check your tree during the summer !

[Nomad]

I was thinking ash myself ,but I really suck at id’ing trees . I did have about 50 ash in my yard , cut down about half and treating the rest . Ash show signs of ash borer  on the bark which I didn’t see here . It takes awhile for them to die ,it’s pretty noticeable with missing or light colored bark, you’ll still have leaves ,till they die . There’s tons of dieing or dead ash in my neighborhood , totally dead ones still standing after a few years .

ill take some pics tomorrow.

[G-Man]

One of the reasons I take my stands down every year and put them back up.. no only does the tree keep growing or die but the metal itself becomes stressed and can have hidden damage.not to mention straps...easy to test back in the yard close to the ground. Then. Up in the tree

.

[nyslowhand]

Obviously, what G-Man suggests ^^ is ideal! If most of you are like me, you inspect the ladder stands "as-is" or still attached in your favorite/productive spots.

Have a couple ladder stands in the most productive areas where I hunt that have been up 10+yrs. What works for me is to start with a HD stand, 2ea-2K# ratchet straps around platform and a ~1.2K# long strap criss-crossed at vertical support. Those 600# ratchet straps that are included with a stand are great goodwill gifts to neighbors and not so great for securing a stand!! I always put a PT plank section under the bottom of the ladder to keep it from sinking in. I try to pick the largest available tree within bow range of the best travel routes. ideally one that's ~18-24" dia up where platform rests against the tree. The species of tree (root system) also makes a difference! Only issue I've ever encountered is every 2-3yrs I have to put wedges/flat rocks under the PT plank as the tree grows and pulls stand up with it. Granted, a smaller tree will have more growth in/around the trunk/platform area than a more mature tree that has it's growth out in the taller branches. Can't always pick a larger tree, but there are several benefits, IE: more secure stand attachment, hides your profile up in the stand better and they have a less "white-knuckle" experience in windy conditions.

Will admit I've had a couple trees with attached ladder stands blown over during the winter months. Basically my fault for choosing a boogie terrain, my bad. As a sort of testament to my (^above) madness, when blown over those stands remained attached to the tree w/o any damage. Clearly, I abandoned that area for erecting stands after numerous nightmares about what-ifs...!!!

Edited March 26, 2019 by nyslowhand

[landtracdeerhunter]

Watch the Ash trees for stand purposes.   First, Ash dye back, now Ash bore came in last a September here.  

[Enigma]

Not sure of the tree species. Whatever kind of tree it was it served me well. There are other trees on this hedge row that might do for a stand, but man this location was right in the sweet spot, kinda like my second home lol. Will be looking for a tripod as some suggested, for 2019 and taking a closer look at my other setups this summer. 

[nyslowhand]

Poplar trees are maybe the worst choice for s/u a ladder stand. 

[Five Seasons]

On 3/25/2019 at 7:38 PM, GreeneHunter said:

I've had my Ladder Stand on the same tree for 8/9 years now and I lag bolted the seat to it several years ago using pipe clamps . This past year I noticed that the pipe claps had moved , or at least I thought they moved .... the tree is still growing ! I'm going to put some strap iron on the seat bars to secure it . It definitley pays to check your tree during the summer !

every few years we adjust the straps to adjust for the growing tree. It's a good practice for screw ins and sticks too.

[Northcountryman]

Shit that sucks , even if it’s been years , it’s a lot of work staying up a new one. Sorry that happened but part of hunting I guess 

[Enigma]

On 3/25/2019 at 6:59 PM, Zag said:

Looks like a ash tree that was dying. Better now than during deer season!

Stopped over to my spot yesterday on a walk for turkeys. I hadn't seen the downed tree without some snow cover. So I looked closer and sure enough, I believe it was an ash. I m really poor at tree ID but the grain of the wood said ash to me. Not sure what killed it EAB? So it takes me awhile, a year in this case lol, to put 2 n 2 together to figure out what happened but I'll call it case closed for now. 

[fasteddie]

Check your tree and nearby trees . I have had to move stands due to nearby "widow makers" . My friends woods in Walworth has a lot of downed trees in the swamp as well as widow makers . I have a stand that I will have to move when it gets warmer out . Also check and change the straps when necessary as they tend to deteriorate over time .

[Don_C]

We decided to get out of the home office yesterday and take a drive to the property in Ellington. We hiked a few miles and came across a few of these. It always amazes me to see these giants snapped like toothpicks. 

[wolc123]

About half of the trees on our farm are ash and they have been getting hit hard by the borer for the last few years.  I am getting sick of burning ash firewood.  That is all I have been using the last 6 years.   All of my permanent tree stands were in ash trees and I finally got the last one of those down (2) years ago.   Thankfully, I never fell out of any of them.  Now it is all ground blinds or ladder stands in maple, oak, or poplar trees for me.   One thing is for sure, I wont miss the ash trees when they are finally all gone.  I hate cleaning all the ash they make out of the woodstove.  I see where they got their name.   I don't need to clean the out stove nearly as often when I burn cherry, oak, maple, or walnut.   Good riddence to those ash trees.  I also don't think they have any value to deer, and aluminum works better fro baseball bats     

[Steuben Jerry]

2 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

About half of the trees on our farm are ash and they have been getting hit hard by the borer for the last few years.  I am getting sick of burning ash firewood.  That is all I have been using the last 6 years.   All of my permanent tree stands were in ash trees and I finally got the last one of those down (2) years ago.   Thankfully, I never fell out of any of them.  Now it is all ground blinds or ladder stands in maple, oak, or poplar trees for me.   One thing is for sure, I wont miss the ash trees when they are finally all gone.  I hate cleaning all the ash they make out of the woodstove.  I see where they got their name.   I don't need to clean the out stove nearly as often when I burn cherry, oak, maple, or walnut.   Good riddence to those ash trees.  I also don't think they have any value to deer, and aluminum works better fro baseball bats     

Hmm, I like burning ash. Burns hot and leaves good coals. So easy to split, and I like the smell of it burning. If I didn't still have tons of dead, standing ash, I'd come help you out!

[Einsamer Krieger]

A sign from God,  find a different more solid tree.  Move your treestand but within your location, just might prove to be more productive.  Good luck and great hunting from a more solid tree.

[Moho81]

Look at the bright side. Now's a good time for a ladder stand upgrade!