Just put this platform up. Its about 20foot up in a pine tree... on the backside of a pond with a trail running by it and a good rub from last year right under it. Almost fell out of the tree 3 times while putting it in, and dropped the drill once..... It still needs two more suports before i will feel safe standing on it for a while at a time but its already strong enough to hold my weight. I plan on painting it black so it blends better. I hope to maybe kill one out of it this year. It doesnt have a seat and the platform is just wide enough to stand on.
Oh, and i built tis after a rain and the tree was reeeeeaaaallllly slick haha.

Let me know what you think!

Looking at the stand


From the ground

Travis be very careful using a stand that is nailed or screwed into a tree. When the wind blows and shifts the tree the screws or nails become loose and even get pulled out. You would be much more safe buying a portable stand and using it. If you do use this stand please use a safety harness. I knew some one that used a stand just like that and he fell to his Death. He was a Mechanical Engineer that should of known better. I know this is not what you want to hear but NO deer is worth taking a chance on getting injured or worse.

I thought of wearing the safety harness while hunting while i was putting it toghether.

I know its not very safe and i will not be hunting from it much since i have lock ons to hunt from but it will be a place to go when i want to try somewhere different. I could have either stood on the three limbs themselves or put the platform there.

Nice work, you be careful up there young man!

Ditto on Tom's thoughts. Nailing or screwing wood to a tree is asking for trouble. I know people have done it for years, but it doesn't make it right. I'm a safety guy (I do safety inspections at construction sites, etc.) I hear ironworkers use the "we've done it like this for 100 years" excuse for working without fall protection a hundred times. My response to them is the same as in this case - "And people have been dying from falls for millions of years!"

Save up some money and get a Gorilla lock-on from Wal-Mart. You can get one as big as that platform with nice, comfortable seat for less than $50. It's much safer, and comes with a free harness.

Holy smokes travis. Im only 130 lbs and I would not stand in that thing. Heres and idea. 2 2x4's with a platform built ontop of it. The you can strap it to the tree. You can get 2x4's pretty cheap these days, and put 2x4 between the legs for steps.

i weight 130 also it holds i wouldnt jumop on it... or move haha. Im not gonna use it.... i built something better, see my post under this on ground blind forum.

Two words come to mind. "DEATH TRAP" IF you got to go there just make sure you have a "good" safety harness. Hate to read on here that you fell out and something bad happened.

that is called living on the edge
man be careful

I agree...