[M.T. Pockets]

Thanks for the input everyone, I always appreciate the help from experienced people on this board.

I went back to the spot on my property I had in mind to put the stand and cut away some brush & a couple trees and got close enough to some larger trees that will support a nice ladder stand. I'm going to go that route for now. For less than the price of lumber I can buy a nice one with a nice seat & safety harness.

I'm a volunteer Firearms Instructor here in MN and I can confirm that the biggest cause of serious injuries each year is tree stands, nobody wants to be a statistic.

Here's a trail cam photo of the area I have in mind, one of those trees right behind that little timberwolf. (that's another thread - the Feds are delisting them in MN and the state will be taking over management, by the time this fellow grows up I might be able to get a tag)