ABOVE: Donald Duck carries a Traveling Starr ladder stand from North Starr Treestands.

Aug 18 - Setting Up To Hunt For Group 2

Fred established 30 plus bait sites for Kirby Knackstedt's group to use and they are going at it full bore. A separate area with over 20 baits is set up for the smaller second group. Fred ran all the baits this morning (August 18) to see which ones are the hottest right now. And we began setting the stands for the hunters who are arriving Sunday.

This year North Starr Treestands sent us Traveling Starr ladder stands to use and we put them to work. The Traveling Starr folds up compactly, as you can see in the first photo below. The sections fold out and lock into place and the ladder is ready to take it to a tree. It is lightweight and easy for one person to carry (below Donald Duck carries the Traveling Starr). 

We set this Traveling Starr at a bait called K2 -- it was getting slammed by a huge bear. Fred found a near 6 inch bear track and large scat in the area. Donald Duck (Don Beckwith) set up the ladder stand.

Below Donald Duck pushes the stand against the tree and ratchets it tight. Unlike most ladder stands the Traveling Starr installs close to the tree. 

The Duck moves up to the next ratchets and secures them.  Ladder stands don't get any easier or safer than this.

With his North Starr safety belt attached Don mounts the stand's platform and attaches a rope for the hunter to pull up their bow. Then he straps on a padded back rest for comfort (and to reduce noise).

Because you ratchet it as you climb it is stable and safe as you go up the tree.

The stand is now ready for a hunter. The Traveling Starr fits close to the tree it has a very low profile. The seat is plenty big and has comfortable North Starr foam, comfort is important and this stand has it.

The straight pine and burch trees in this section of Ontario are perfect for ladder stands. And, in my opinion, with its low profile plus the safety and ease of setup the North Starr Treestands Traveling Starr is the right stand for the job.