4x4 bases on deer stand. stain or paint?

Good deck treatment (better than Thompsons which is useless) will work better than either paint or stain. I'm fond of Sikkens but it is hard to find.

A good thick coat of some decent latex every 3-4 yrs should do just fine.. It will help if you take some valley flashing and wrap the bottom of it, extends life x2..

Go to home depot and ask for whoops paint. They regularly screw up colors for peoples orders and then mark it down cheap. We bought 5 gallons of brown paint for cheaper than they sell gallons. Roll that stuff on and it will last a heck of a long time.

Sikkens cetol works well, but you really can't beat paint. The issue is uv protection more than anything. Paint is your best option. I've built a lot of entryway doors over the years, and for a "natural" finish I prefer Sikkens cetol because it does not harden like varnishes and can expand and contract, plus to refinish you just lightly sand and re-coat, vs Spar which you have to sand all the way down. None of it works as well as paint(the lighter the better) as far as uv protection and ease of application. Paint is also a lot cheaper.