Hunting Dreams of An Insomniac...

...and yes insomniacs do dream, sort of like daydreaming but its at night when they can't sleep. So I have been up since I tried to go to bed at midnight, its now 2:38 AM, and not a yawn in my future tonight from what I can tell right now. Oh well, I watched happy Texas, and I have been thinking a lot about a purchase of hunting gear I want to make, so I guess I have been passing at least some of my waking time okay.

As to the hunting gear, I am thinking of buying a two man ladder tree stand. They have two offerings at http://Sportsmansguide.com in which I have a keen interest. The first is a 12' stand, with 13x40 seat, same sized foot rest, movable front rail, steel construction, and a weight of 78 pounds. The other is one with the same seat and foot rest dimensions, but is 16' tall, made from steel and only weighs 73 pounds. Both are marketed as Guide Gear Tree Stands, the brand name for Sportsmansguide.com items, but I am sure they are manufactured by someone else.

I found one that has all the exact specifications of the 12' stand at http://HuntersView.com; so I am pretty sure they made that one for Sportsmansguide.com, but no one at Sportsmansguide could tell me if this was correct, and no one answered the phone at Hunters View. I have no idea who makes the 16" one. The 12' model costs $89.99 for club members (of which I am one), and the 16' model costs $107.97. The 16' model comes with two safety harnesses, I am not certain if the 12' model comes with them or not. If the 12' model does not have them, then the 16' model seems a better buy to me except maybe that is weighs 5 pounds less and that makes me wonder about sturdiness as compared to the 12' model; I mean heck 4' longer yet it weighs 5 pounds less, must be thinner steel.

I am torn between these two choices. I wonder, does anyone out there have either of them? The models I am talking about are: 16 footer: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=351922, and the 12 footer: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=356189.

Please, if you have any experience with them, or with the Hunter's View 12' Buddy Ladder tree Stand, let me know in a comment to this blog. Even if you don't have one of them, check them out at the links and let me know what you think. Thanks.

All the best,
Glenn B