Ask a conservation officer:

[Lee Borgersen]

    Ask a conservation officer:

      Check with land managers on rules for deer stands.

 
Nov 8, 2015









Q: I want to use a ladder-style stand for deer hunting this fall. Can I leave the stand up after the season is over?

A: Metal-constructed/store-bought ladder stands are becoming quite popular because of rather inexpensive prices, their overall safety from having durable construction and multiple points of fastening to a tree and the ground, and the fact that they can be installed without causing any damage to a tree.


When and where you place them, and when they have to be removed, varies by what entity manages a piece of land. Wildlife management areas/aquatic management areas, state parks and some municipal hunts require that only portable stands are used and are removed from the area each night.


State and county forest land managers are usually more permissive with the timeframe of hanging/removing stands, but you need to check with the individual land management office to see what types of stands are legal to place or leave on the section of land where you are hunting.

Keep in mind, a stand placed on public land is still open for anyone else to use, and with a ladder-style stand you run some risk of the stand being stolen.

Good luck this season, and make sure to wear a safety harness in your tree stand!

Matthew S. Miller is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources