Ground Blind, Ladder Stand or Climber?

Coming into my 2nd season of whitetail hunting, I'm setting up some nice 25' tall ladder stands at the camp. They are a pain to install (I secure a snatch block high in a tree and use my side by side winch to hoist it in place) but they are affordable and really tall.

25' ladder stands:
https://www.sportsmansguide.com/pro...eluxe-double-rail-ladder-tree-stand?a=1935512

I'm convinced that getting high is key to whitetail hunting. Properly descent clothes and myself, UV dampener detergent and quiet camo are important, but it seems their sense of smell is their primary sense. Getting 25' up should put me in a good position.

I could go higher with a climber, but I've heard they can be noisy and I'm a bit clumsy, so not sure that's the right solution for me. Also not sure if I can stay up there all day as I'll need to be alert descending the tree. I know a lot of hunters use climbers with great success, but right now I like the ease of just climbing a 25' ladder and sitting.

I see these expensive ground blinds advertised everywhere and I just can't justify the cost. What's the benefit of a ground blind? You don't have to climb a ladder, have more elbow room and can turn a heater on?

Wanted to see what yall had to say about ladder stands VS. ground blinds VS. climbers regarding white tail hunting on private lands.

While ladder stands work deer will get accustom to the seat being empty and learn to look up after a couple of encounters. A climber is my preferred way of hunting because you can play the wind and get above the deer without a connection to the ground. Now bow hunting in a climber during October can be a hot sweaty experience so covering scent is more difficult. I have used ground blinds successfully the last couple seasons. Brush them in nicely and keep as many sides as possible zipped up to contain your scent. No matter how you hunt playing the wind in your favor and scent control or cover are the most important things I have found. Good luck this season, I may see you in the Pearl !

On private property we have several boxes we built. Easy for kids, wives, and no climbing for the old uh heavy guys...we sit such that you are in the dark and your silhouette doesn't show. (Also protection from rain and wind.) once the deer get used to them they ignore them. Two big deer killed from them last year. I personally like tree stands for two. We use burlap so only upper body shows and you try to stay next to the tree. I also use lock-on stands that are easy to move. I used to use a climber but I get tired of carrying it in and messing with it.

Unless you absolutely want to go 25 feet up you don’t necessarily have to. I have killed most my deer sitting in ground blinds and just on the ground in general. I’ve sat on a tree base and had a doe come so close I could’ve reached out and touched her believe it or not. As kids we used to find 3 sticks and make a makeshift frame and we would lean branches we cut off of trees on those sticks giving us decent cover. I’m not talking anything crazy just something to sit behind we would usually make it wide enough to where 2 of us could sit behind it. We’ve seen countless deer with that type of set up. I’m only telling you this because deer aren’t as finicky as some think. A lot of it depends on the pressure they have on them. As in how many hunters are around your area. Scent plays a big part so definitely wash your clothes with non scent and spray off before hunting. Also spray your boots down, bottoms of them too just in case. If you want an answer on off the ground hunting it’s kind of a hard choice. Climbers are very convenient because you can pick a tree that puts the wind in your favor but you also have to carry it to your selected tree and you create a ruckus climbing up a tree. Especially if it’s a pine tree. There is a possibility of not *seating* a section of your climber properly in the bark and that section could fall from beneath you. Lock on stands are easy to get into not hard to put up and I would say much safer ( I’ve dropped my bottom section to my climber about 15 feet up it is not a good experience getting down hints the advice above). But with a lock on you only have one spot to choose from if that’s your only stand. This is just my ¢2 on your question. Ultimately it comes down to what you prefer and what works best with your property. If you have a bunch of skinny trees that will lose all the leaves in winter and force you to stick out in the open it wouldn’t be wise to hunt in the air putting you on the ground. Or if you property is mainly tall mature trees spaced out with no brush below them it wouldn’t be the best choice to hunt on the ground because all though the blind is camo if there’s nothing on the ground for it to match it’s going to be obvious. Good luck I’m sure that’s lots more guys on here that can chime in and help you make a decision.

As long as you don't move the deer cant distinguish you from a tree, stump, car, or whatever. He relies on his nose mostly.