Trail Cam... because like others have said if you are hunting public land, it will probably end up stolen (cam might too)... but you have to know what is there so you can hunt it... Also, a tree stand is better than a ladder (my opinion) because you can put the stand up and take the ladder down until the day you are going to hunt it... and if nothing else you can use a ground blind (get a pop up and be mobile)...
Before and After Photo's... I love trail cams...