As it says in my signature, I am new to bowhunting and so I would like opinions on which type of treestand I should use, how high up, etc. I live/hunt in the Central Sierra Nevada mountains in California (zones D-7 and D-8) at 7200' elevation. The terrain ranges from steep and rocky to dense forest. There are red fir, white fir, and many types of pine trees. In addition, the brush/bush types include manzanita and buck brush.

So what would you guys recommend?

Only have experience with the hardwoods, can those trees be used with a climber? Do you own the land and is it reasonably accessible to use ladder stands? I usually go 15-18'. I prefer a climber and I really like my Summit Viper. The ladder stands I hunt out of are not mine, and even when I hunt on that land I've often used my climber instead of one of the fixed stands.

I also only hunt harwoods in the midwest but I wont hang a stand unless it says API on it. I dont skimp on stands. I buy the magnum bady grands. They are well worth the money for fixed stands in my opinion.

Doesn't sound like a climbing stand would fit you but if you can use one I would go with a summit. It is the most comfortable stand I have and I feel a lot more comfortable in it especially 20 feet high compared to a fixed stand. I can sit for long hours in my summit because of how comfortable it is.

My personal favorite are the lone wolf stands. Their pricey but worth every penny in my opinion.

I use Lone -Wolf.Easy to hang very secure.With a set of their climbing sticks bungied to the stand with my backpack I can hike in as far as I want .I take the climbing sticks down when I leave the stand and hide them near by or take them with me .Treestand height depends on the spot your hunting,as low as possible to reduce the shot angle.I own five loggy-byou I also use but the hollow design makes noise .I would buy an extra seat pad, Gorilla is excellent the more comfortable you are the less you move.I also bring an old bath mat in the snow, this stops the noise from snow and ice stuck to your boots. I also attach a extra Kwiki-quiver mounting bracket to stand fletching with-in reach .I can unclip quiver from bow and clip to stand.These are the stand I know about.Wolf

I use Lone -Wolf.Easy to hang very secure.With a set of their climbing sticks bungied to the stand with my backpack I can hike in as far as I want .I take the climbing sticks down when I leave the stand and hide them near by or take them with me .Treestand height depends on the spot your hunting,as low as possible to reduce the shot angle.I own five loggy-byou I also use but the hollow design makes noise .I would buy an extra seat pad, Gorilla is excellent the more comfortable you are the less you move.I also bring an old bath mat in the snow, this stops the noise from snow and ice stuck to your boots. I also attach a extra Kwiki-quiver mounting bracket to stand fletching with-in reach .I can unclip quiver from bow and clip to stand.These are the stand I know about.Wolf

And last the shoulder straps they give you are terrible .I use bucket-boss tool belts made into straps or the best are Duluth pak shoulder strap pads they sell for their Duluth paks . Duluth tent and awning .Wolf

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will do some research on them and see which ones will work best for my area.

The Summit Viper looks really nice, but I think I'd have a hard time finding a tree to climb without getting stuck from lower limbs. I think I'm going to go with the API Grandstand Magnum BabyGrand with the Lone Wolf climbing sticks this year. Maybe next year I'll add the Summit Viper for out-of-state hunts. Thanks again!

Yeah, I wondered if a climber would work for you.

I thought most of the hunting in your neck of the woods was spot and stalk?

I thought most of the hunting in your neck of the woods was spot and stalk?

me to thats what i thought