Q: How do you make a deer blind?
A: Poke his eyes out.

After 15+ seasons, it's time to start thinking about reworking my deer stands. What I have up right now are a half-dozen buddy style ladder stand. Some are in places where we haven't taken a deer in years. The oldest is rusted to the point where I believe it to be unsafe. My goal this year is to bring them all down, re-paint and repair them all. Retire at least one an mix and match the parts to put as many back as possible.

However, I'm also looking for other ideas. When I was in my 40's, 15 feet in the air on a ladder stand was a bit of a come-down. I'd spent my 20's and 30's being a nosebleed cowboy in climbing stands. Now I'm 58. I'm looking at options.

First off, I'm thinking of this:
[Linked Image]

I have a set of the Elevators brackets left over from another project. I figure a 5X7 foot platform up about 10 feet in the air with just a railing will suffice. I won't need a roof.

The other idea that intrigues me is a design I saw out on the web. It's a scissors design:

[Linked Image]

This one looks a little tippy, but I've seen other versions of this design that had longer legs and appeared far more stable.

I'm just interested if any of you have thoughts or experiences with these designs, or others you'd like to recommend. I don't really need a roof over my head. I have other options for when the weather is bad.


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