When it comes to hunting deer, one of the best ways to increase your chances of success is by using a stand. The most common stands for deer are climbers, hanging tree stands, and two man ladder stands.
Raised, box style blinds and ground blinds are a little less common, but do their job more than adequately in the right situation.
These are the best 2 man ladder stands for 2020.
- Millenium L220 18′ Double Ladder Stand
- Muddy Stronghold 2.5 XTL 2-Man Ladder Stand
- X-Stand Jayhawk 20′ 2 Man Ladder Stand
- Hawk Big Denali 2-Man Ladder Stand
- Muddy Double Drop Tine 2-Person Ladder Stand
- Bolderton 18′ 2 Man Ladder Stand
- X-Stand Comrade
Understanding your hunting area is key to increasing your chances of success. Simply walking into the woods and hanging a stand anywhere you please isn’t necessarily the best route to take. Doing things like planting a food plot for deer can also help your chances.
Using a trail camera system to pattern deer between bedding areas and feeding ground will drastically improve your success rate as well.
Best 2-Person Ladder Stands
These are the best 2-man ladder stand for 2020. Let’s dive into it!
Millenium L220 18′ Double Ladder Stand
The best deer hunting 2 man ladder stand you can get for 2020 is the Millenium L220 18′ stand.
Keys to Finding The Best Two Man Ladder Stand
While many often prefer hunting alone, there is a healthy demographic who prefers companionship to double up the action and make hunts in some of the most challenging locations and terrains. A 2-man ladder stand fits perfectly well if going outdoor hunting with family and friends.
A Few Pros of Using a Two Man Ladder Stand
A ladder stand delivers plenty of advantages in hunting, few of which often come in handy sometimes in selecting the right ladder stand for your hunting trip. Ladder stands beat climber tree stands in situations where there are too many branches to use a climber. They’re better than a regular tree stand when hunting with two people, for obvious reasons.
Ladder Stand Provides a Better View-Point
Better viewpoint means larger hunt area, and in turn, increased chances of making a kill when the hunt is within reach. There is a large variety of 2-man ladder stands available, and most of them are well above 15 ft. height standard. Remember to visualize the viewpoint you will be getting with your choice of ladder stand.
Keeps You Above the Scent Line
Deer have a strong sense of smell and get alerted as soon as they sense anything unfamiliar within the area. For deer hunting, ladder stands keep you above ground and well above the scent line to help your scent drift further away.
Going for stands that are small in height should be avoided at all costs as it may make you lose your spot and alert the nearby hunts of your presence. Make sure you don’t fall for such a mistake while selecting your ladder stand.
With that being said, choosing a quality ground blind is never a bad idea, for those situations where you cannot get a stand up.
Better Visibility & Companionship Makes it Easy to Spot the Prey
Extended visibility and better line of sight is a distinctive advantage of using a ladder stand. It makes spotting and game hunting easier. Besides, good-quality ladder stands come with an extended platform to help in providing a complete 360-degree view of the area, thus increasing your chances of hunting.
Safety from Invertebrates and Insects
Hunting while staying at a place requires focus and patience, which can be easily hampered by the presence of insects and other harmful invertebrates. Using a proper ladder stand can help you avoid such a situation. Staying at height also keeps your scent away from other large creatures helping you in preventing any unwanted wild encounters.
While the benefits of a ladder stand way surpass the already mentioned ones above, it still takes a lot of other factors into consideration, much of which influences your choice of ladder stand.
So, here are a few other helpful tips that can help you in selecting a great ladder stand for 2-man hunting.
It Depends on Your Hunting Region
Your preference of ladder stand depends on the kind of terrain you plan to hunt. 2-Man Ladder stands are most commonly available in tree-support designs however, they require a minimum 9″ treewidth for stronger support.
So, you have to make sure that the area where you plan to make the hunt has some supportive trees to help you set up a strong ladder stand to avoid any mishaps.
Comfortable Stand with Large Enough Platform Size
Hunting while remaining motionless on an elevated stand requires sharp focus, and often entails long wait periods. Comfort for such instances becomes a necessity rather than an option. Great ladder stands are always accompanied by large-platform size, strength, and capacity good enough to handle the weight of two grown adults.
They are assisted with cushioned seats to provide comfort while patiently waiting for the prey. Other added features shall include a strong steel frame, reinforced platform, strong clamps, and joints to assure sturdiness and less noise.
Weight of The Ladder and Its Handling Capacity
Ladder stands come with a frame and platform sturdy enough to support the weight of two grown men with weight handling capacity ranging between 300 to 500 lbs. However, this often bulks up the overall weight of the ladder, thus making itself heavy and difficult to move and set up. So the other two things to look for when choosing your ladder stand is the weight handling capacity of the ladder as well as the weight of the ladder itself.
If being accompanied by kids, try to keep the stand weight as low as possible. Despite their overwhelming enthusiasm and efforts to help, it is not always possible to set up a ladder stand on your own, especially if it weighs too much. Try carrying one that is less bulky, lightweight, and easy to carry.
Accessibility and Ease of Set Up
Your preference for a ladder stand should depend on the ease of accessibility, mobility, and set-up. While most of the 2-Men ladder stands are well-equipped with proper accessories and support systems such as armrest, footrest bar, and a strong built-up with firm clamps and supporting ladders, however, they are sometimes difficult to carry from one place to another. The bulky material can also require a helping hand from your companion for setting up the ladder. Try to choose one that is quick, easy to carry, and set up to make hunting experience better and less painstaking.
Safety & Concealment
Hunting in the wilderness is full of surprises. You cannot ignore the fact that you are not the only one hunting for the game while in the wild. A place that is often visited by the prey is also susceptible and open for other predators as well.
One primary function of a ladder stand is to provide you protection from other existing predators when in the wild. While the extra above-the-scent-line height of the stand helps in keeping your body odor away from them, it is, at times, also assisted with camouflaged enclosures to provide you proper shelter, safety, and concealment against weather other animals such as bears and wild cats.
Durability and Maintenance of Your Ladder Stand
Besides being strong, ladder stands also demand maintenance to maintain its strength integrity and keep it noise-free. The long-lasting capacity of any ladder stand is defined by its built-up material which is usually steel and metal, along with rust-proofing or powder coating to provide protection against the varying weather conditions in the long run. While it is often required to oil up the joints and clamps in order to keep its noise-free, proper high-end power coating is a feature that you should look for to ensure low maintenance and better durability to last better in the long run.
Ladder stands can spruce up your hunting experience. Hope the above tips help you in selecting out the best suitable ladder stand for your trip. With that said, have an amazing hunting season up ahead!