Tips & Tactics

Ladder Lover’s Leg Tip

Ladder Lover’s Leg Tip

By John Waldron

I’m a big fan of hunting from metal ladder stands, and I bet a lot of other Buckmasters fans are as well.

There are a lot of advantages to these fixed position stands. The deer get used to them quickly, they are easily accessible, and ladders are probably the quietest of all types of treestands when it comes to climbing up and down and getting in and out.

About the only negative thing I’ve noticed with my metal ladders is, over time, the joints between the leg sections tend to develop metallic noises when I’m ascending and descending.

This usually happens as the stand gets older and has been out in the elements for a few seasons. The legs and connections have loosened up from hunting use, or from the wind twisting the stand.

Ladder Lover’s Leg TipRust or corrosion can build inside the joint between the male and female ends of the leg tubing. When weight is applied, the slight give in the connection could cause a squeak.

Also, the connection pins sometimes make noise when weight is applied to the rungs and they jam against the holes.

This often happens when it’s wet outside and the feet of the ladder sink into the ground. There is a lot more stretching of the ladder as a hunter climbs.

I‘ve found wrapping electrical tape or duct tape around the pins and connection points is the solution for eliminating virtually all noises in ladder legs.

The tape secures the pins, adds support to the connection and dampens any noise created when metal moves upon metal.

When I get done, I hang the roll of tape on a limb hook or put it in my backpack because it has so many other uses in the field.

Ladder Lover’s Leg TipAnd weather does not seem to bother it.

By the way, if you use a knife to cut the tape rather than pulling it until it rips from the roll, you will find the end does not curl up and get debris stuck to it.

Editor’s Note: If you have a unique or special tip you’d like to share with Buckmasters fans, please email it to huntingtips@buckmasters.com and, if chosen, we will send you a cap signed by Jackie Bushman, along with a knife!

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