I hung my first tree stand is about 20 years a few weeks ago and it about killed me. Getting older sucks. I've got climbing sticks and a lineman's belt, which makes getting up the tree easy, but the stand itself is quite heavy (33 lbs). What do y'all use to help hold the stand loosely in place while attaching the racketing straps?

There's all kind of gadgets out there nowadays. I'm more of a simple and cheap kinda guy as long as it's safe and effective. I normally keep a 50' rope in truck or on atv. Climb to top of sticks, screw In a T-screw or a large screw in step, tie rope to stand, pull rope over step. Stand at bottom of tree and hoist stand until it gets about 2' from step. Tie it off to tree, step, atv, etc. climb up and fasten your stand. Simple, cheap, safe and easy

I made a simple pulley system with a plastic clothesline pulley. Bought it at Lowes for $6.

I use something pretty much just like this. Works like a charm.

Ur stand should be well below the top of your climbing sticks to make getting in and out easier and safe as possible. With that being said, I can let it rest on one knee or the other while CHAINING it to the tree. Also, get u a lighter stand! There are several cheaper stands (if money is the reason you haven't bought one) out there that weigh a lot less than 33 lbs.!

Young help!! Take a kid hunting! Get one old enough that can help and wants to hunt probably in middle school or high school. Then in return maybe they will help drag out your deer and help clean it. Give them a safety vest with double linemans safety rope and let them go up and attach hoist pulley. You can give directions to hang stand from ground! Don't know how old you are, but when you where young didn't you a lot more agility to climb trees. Their you go!
Don't forget to use a double system to hang stand on tree. I would use chain and ratchet strap. Never just ratchet straps! For safety purposes check behind them to make sure all work is up to par. Good luck!

Youth is not a good answer, They young refuse to be safety aware. they wont wear safety belts. several of the guys on here , Ive raised hell, but I couldnt get them to use linemans belt.
Yes the key is screwing somethung in tree then placing stand bottom om it while you rachet strap. You must also be aware that squirrels will chew tem up. I use a chain again aswell as ratchet strap. it onlt takes one fall to take you out.
Hunt safe

I'd be willing to bet there's more younger guys that wear safety harnesses than older guys, simply because we were raised with that awareness where as older hunters grew up without them

iLL ARGUE THAT POINT, YOUNG PEOPLE THINK THEYLL NEVER GET HURT, THEY DONT EVEN CONSIDER IT POSSIBLE.

No point in arguing about it, but I'd say making a generic statement about either age group would be pretty foolish.

Strap with slip cam buckle and hooks on each end, hook one if the hooks into the eye of the other, tighten strap, use other "open" hook to pull rope through. Mush easier than screwing something in the tree while standing on the top of the ladder.

Exactly what skintback said with the cam buckle. Now add a rope ratchet instead of a plain rope, best thing I've ever come up with. You can get one at lowe's that comes with 8' of 3/8" rope on it. It holds 250# I think, but anyway, I removed the short rope and bought a roll of 100' 3/8" rope. This rope doesn't have a lot of weight capacity but the loc ons don't weigh that much anyway. I then cut about 30' off to replace the short one.

Get you a linesmans belt so you use both hands to mount the stand, attach the rope to the stand and the ratchet part to you. Now climb up the tree or stick ladder and attach the linesman belt then attach the slip cam about 3' or so above where you want the stand mounted. Attach the ratchet to the eye of the slip cam and start pulling.

The good thing about the ratchet is it locks as you pull the rope thru like a chain hoist, makes a clicking noise as you pull but makes putting up a loc on a breeze.