Deer Stand Plans – Review
This is a review of the deer stand plans offered by Chris Rhyne. While ladder-type treestands are among the easiest to design and build, many folks are at a loss when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of designing and building a deer stand. A fellow hunter, Chris Rhyne, offers instructions (with a video) for building a fourteen-foot tall “semi-portable” wooden tree stand. According to the “plans,” expected material costs are around $50-$60.
One thing I’d like to note early on is that these so-called “plans” aren’t really plans at all. What you get is an acetate report folder with a materials list, cut lists & partial assembly instructions, setup instructions, and a very crude schematic drawing that does little to illustrate proper assembly. The included video is of a very low “home video” quality, and is really not complete at all in the area of assembly instructions.
Those of us who can realistically call ourselves “mechanically inclined” will have little trouble following the instructions, although some portions of assembly are not fully explained to my satisfaction. Those hunters who have a real need for plans and detailed instructions due to a lack of mechanical expertise will most likely find this product of little use, as it treats many aspects of assembly as “givens,” when in fact the lacking information should be included to make this offering a complete product, suitable for everyman.
Included at the end of this video is approximately thirty minutes of poorly-shot footage, including some of deer, turkey, and other critters viewed from treestands, and quite a few dead deer in the beds of pickup trucks. I found most of the treestand footage is shaky, boring, and otherwise hard to watch, and in my opinion it adds little or nothing to the value of this product.
The design of this deer stand is sound, in my opinion, and I’d only make minor changes to it if I were to build a similar ladder stand. If you’re looking for a stand to use on public land, you’ll most likely want to go with something lighter (or an abbreviated version of this one), because while this stand is somewhat portable, it’s really too cumbersome to be moving around, and removing at season’s end.
If you’re looking for deer stand plans for a ladder stand to use on private land and you’re at a loss for a design, or if you fall somewhere between the mechanical extremes of “inclined” and “declined,” then this product may be something of value for you. If you’re looking for an easily-portable stand for use on public land, or if construction principles don’t come naturally to you, you’d probably do well to look elsewhere.
Good stuff
- Practical knowledge & advice – Chris dispenses helpful hints throughout the video.
- Reasonable price – $9.99 gets you the plans & video.
- Down-to-earth – Chris is definitely “one of us,” a hunter first and foremost who speaks plainly.
- Sound design – This really is a sound design, with only a few things I’d change to suit myself.
- Can be moved – The stand can in fact be moved, but not without considerable effort. Hence the name, “semi-portable.”
Not-so-Good Stuff
- Lack of real drawings – a real schematic, showing us the fit of the pieces, is necessary — and lacking.
- Poor Quality video – I think if Chris had taken just a little more time, had called this version a practice run, and re-shot it using the experience gained, he’d have a much better product.
- Lack of proper instructions – While there’s enough information between the paperwork & video for a knowledgeable person to get the job done, I feel there should be a bit more detail.
Happy hunting,
- Russ Chastain
Tags: deer stand plan, deer stand plan reviews, Deer Stand Plans