Muddy Tree Stands, Ground Blinds and Harnesses

What Muddy makes for deer hunters

Muddy makes gear for both ends of the deer hunt: getting up a tree, and hiding on the ground. On this site, the Muddy grid covers:

• Ladder stands: one-person, one-and-a-half-person and two-person models
• Tripods and quad pods: freestanding stands that don't need a tree
• Hang-on stands: platforms you strap to the tree, some sold with sticks
• Climbing sticks and steps: rope-on and cam-strap sticks, and strap-on steps
• Safety gear: full-body harnesses, a tree strap, a lifeline and a lineman's rope
• Ground blinds and a tower blind: hub pop-ups, a bale blind and a soft-sided tower
• Seats, chairs and trail cameras

The grid above filters by type, and it changes as listings come and go. So I'll write about the lines and what separates them, not about how many are listed this week. Nearly every spec in the grid comes from an Amazon listing. Where a listing leaves a field out, the grid shows a dash. I'd sooner have a dash than a number somebody made up.

Muddy tree stands: the ladder stands

Ladder stands are where most Muddy stand listings sit. A ladder stand is a seat and platform on top of a ladder that leans and straps to the tree. You climb rungs instead of sticks. My knees remind me of that difference every October.

What separates the Muddy ladders, per their listings:

• One-person: the Odyssey XTL is a 20-foot steel stand with a shooting rail that flips back
• One-and-a-half-person: aluminum stands at 17 and 21 feet, with wide seats for one big hunter or one hunter and a lot of gear
• Two-person: The Partner, the Legend XLT, the Big Dually, the Maxim and the Double Droptine, all steel, from 16 to 18 feet where the listing gives a height

The two-person stands list bench seats from about 36 to 38 inches wide. Rule of thumb: that's room for two adults sitting still, not two adults in parkas swapping a thermos.

Weight limits across the Muddy ladders run from 300 to 500 pounds in the listings. The two-person stands sit at the top of that range. Count yourself, your clothes, your pack and your bow. Never go over the maker's limit.

The ladder stand page compares ladders across makers by height, seat width and weight.

Muddy tripods and quad pods

A tripod stand stands on its own legs, so it works where the trees are too thin, too crooked or missing. Muddy's listings split these two ways:

• Tripods: the Liberty, a 16-foot steel tripod with a swivel seat and a shooting rail, and a 12-foot steel tripod with a swivel seat on a 19-inch round platform
• Quad pods: four-legged steel platforms at 10 and 12 feet, both listing a 57 by 57-inch platform and a 500-pound limit

The quad pods are wide, open platforms with a rail around them. The tripods are a seat on top of three legs, which is a different sit: a smaller footprint, less room to move.

Jess's take: "A quad pod is a porch that forgot the house." I asked which house. She said mine, the one with the drafty porch at Hemlock Run. That's fair.

More tripods are on the tripod deer stand page.

Muddy hang-on stands and the sticks that go with them

A hang-on is a platform and seat that you strap to the tree at height. It's lighter than a ladder and goes in more trees, but you need a way up: sticks or steps.

The Muddy hang-ons in the grid, per their listings:

• 1-Person XL Hang-On: aluminum, a 25 by 34-inch platform, Flex-Tek seat, for trees 9 inches and up
• 1-Person Hang-On FlexTek: steel, 24 by 30-inch platform, 300-pound limit
• Wide Stance and XL Hang-On with 3 Sticks: aluminum, sold with sticks, for trees from 9 to 20 inches
• Ultra Tree Seat: a steel hang-on seat, also sold as a two-pack

Flex-Tek is the seat name on several of these listings. A tree-diameter range matters more than people think. Too thin and the stand won't sit level. Too thick and the straps won't reach.

The hang-on tree stand page has more. No Muddy climbing stand is among the current listings. Climbers from other makers are on the climbing tree stand page.

Muddy climbing sticks and Pro Sticks

The sticks come in two families, and the attachment is the difference:

• Pro Climbing Sticks: 4-packs and 8-packs that attach with rope, 300-pound limit
• Cam-strap sticks: a steel 3-pack with 31-inch ladder-style sections, and the Quick Step XL
• Micro Stagger Steps: four 6-inch strap-on steps, steel, for when you want less to carry

Rope sticks pack lighter and quieter. Cam straps go on faster. The 8-pack of Pro Sticks gets you higher, or gives you two sets. Pick by how high you hunt and how far you walk. The climbing sticks page compares sticks by length, weight and attachment.

Muddy tree stand harnesses and safety gear

Muddy sells the harness, the lifeline and the straps that go with its stands. Per the listings:

• Safeguard Harness: sizes from Small/Medium to XL, plus a women's Small/Medium
• Magnum and Magnum Elite: the Magnum is one size fits most and lists a suspension relief strap
• Crossover Harness Combo: Small/Medium and X-Large versions
• Diamondback and the Hunting Safety Harness: the latter in Optifade Elevated II camo, one size
• Safe-Line: a 30-foot lifeline, 300-pound rating
• Lineman's Rope and Safety Harness Tree Strap: the rope and strap that tie a harness to the tree

My one opinion on this page: wear a harness every time your boots leave the ground. No exceptions, no "just a minute". The Treestand Manufacturers Association says the same thing in plainer words: wear a full-body fall arrest harness every time you leave the ground, including while you climb up and down.

A lifeline like the Safe-Line keeps you connected for the climb itself, not just once you're sitting.

What else the TMA guidelines say, in short:

• Read the stand and harness instructions every season
• Keep the tether snug, with no slack when you sit
• Use a haul line for your bow and pack, and climb with empty hands
• Keep three points of contact on every step
• Practice with the harness and stand at ground level first
• Replace any harness after a fall
• Carry a phone or a signal device you can reach while hanging

Wisconsin DNR adds: tell someone where you're hunting and when you'll be back.

Size the harness over your hunting coat. A harness that fits in September may not close in November.

Muddy ground blinds

On the ground, Muddy's grid has hub pop-ups and a few specialty blinds. A hub blind pops open from a folded hoop. What separates them, per their listings:

• Infinity family: see-through walls and silent windows; the 3-person models list a 65 by 65-inch footprint and a 270-degree view, and the Evo and Evo Max list a 180-degree view
• VS360: shoot-through mesh all the way around, a 360-degree view, about 70 inches tall at the center
• Three Person and Prevue: 3-person blinds, the first with shoot-through mesh and a 270-degree view, the second with see-through walls
• Garage Ground Blind: about 67 inches tall at the center
• Hot Box Insulated: an insulated 3-person blind, 66 by 66 inches, about 72 inches tall
• Bale Blind: shaped like a round hay bale, about 73 inches tall

See-through walls let you watch out while the deer can't see in. Shoot-through mesh lets you shoot through the wall itself. Those aren't the same thing. Read which one a blind claims before you plan a shot through it.

Center height matters if you shoot a bow from a chair. Measure your bow tip at full draw while sitting, then compare. The ground blind page has more.

The tower blind and the blind platform

The Soft Side 360 Tower Blind is a steel tower with a soft-sided blind on top, a 72 by 72-inch footprint per its listing. The Ground Blind Platform is a steel frame that lifts a 65 by 65-inch hub blind off the ground, with a 500-pound limit. For hard-sided boxes, see the box blind page.

Muddy hunting chairs and seats

A blind needs a seat, and Muddy sells several. The swivel blind chairs (Swivel-Ease XT, Padded Swivel, 360 Swivel, Swivel Extreme and the Swivel Roller models) all turn 360 degrees per their listings. Some add a backrest, some adjust in height. The Swivel Roller Chair lists a seat height from 19 to 24 inches.

For carrying in, there's a folding tripod ground seat (steel, 250-pound limit), a director's-style folding chair, a cushioned hunting seat and an 18 by 10-inch seat cushion.

A swivel chair lets you turn toward the window instead of turning your whole body. In a blind, less movement is the whole point. The hunting blind chair page compares them.

Muddy trail cameras and the rangefinder

Muddy sells trail cameras in two kinds:

• SD-card cameras: the Pro Cam line, from 14 to 28 megapixels per the listings, with low-glow or no-glow flash on the newer ones
• Cellular cameras: the Manifest, Mitigator, Matrix and Merge lines, mostly on AT&T and Verizon or dual-carrier auto-connect, plus the Revolver 360 and Trifecta 180, which list wide fields of view

Some cellular listings are bundles with solar panels or power packs. The grid also lists trigger speed and flash range, so read those next to the megapixels. The trail camera page and the cellular trail camera page compare them across brands. The grid also has the LR650 rangefinder, with few specs on its listing. The hunting rangefinder page covers how to choose one.

How to choose within the Muddy lineup

Start with how you hunt, then read three numbers:

1. Stand type: ladder for easy climbing and a fixed spot, hang-on for more trees and lighter carry, tripod or quad pod where there's no good tree
2. Height: from about 10 feet on the smallest quad pod to 21 feet on the tallest ladder
3. Weight limit: you plus everything you carry, under the maker's number

Then check the platform size and the tree diameter range. Then, and only then, the camo.

Inspect straps, cables and welds before every season. The TMA guidelines say to contact the maker for parts and to destroy any stand that can't be repaired. They also say not to leave a stand up for more than two weeks, since weather can damage it in ways you won't see.

Who's behind Muddy

Shooting Sports Retailer reported in January 2019 that GSM Outdoors acquired Mainstream Holdings, the company that owned Muddy Outdoors, Hawk and Big Game. Hawk and Big Game have their own pages here: Hawk and Big Game.

Pick the stand, size the harness, practice at ground level. In that order, every year, before the first hunt.