Tree Stands

[Blaine]

Well, unless a Doc pulls off a wonderful fix, my hiking days are over. I can go for about 5 minutes walking or standing, before my back forces me to sit for a few minutes...that's beside the point and it is what it is. What I think I'll do about it is get a good, light, easy to use self climber. Any recomendations? Light, and easy to climb with. (I'm going to see the Spine Doc next week )

[Booger Bill]

I dont think I want to walk 5 miles even if I feel good! To start with, your sucsess factor will be far better sitting still than walking. My dad pointed this out to me as a boy when I first started hunting with him. He said, "You watch. A cop is always more sucsessfull geting a deer than other hunters. That is because they are more used to just standing or sitting than other hunters."
When I was a kid in the 40s and 50s in wisconsin tree stands were illegal. Shortly after I left home they must have reversed the thinking and law. After that you seen tree stands wherever you looked!

[Pisgah]

My personal opinion of climbing treestands -- they are deathtraps. Everyone I know who has used one has eventually taken a fall when the climbers, or the tree they were used on, failed in some manner. One friend died from the fall; another received back injuries that have left him seriously crippled, even 20 years later; and sevral others have had broken bones and/or cuts, bruises and a well-earned permanent loathing of the things.

Personally, I have outgrown the impulse to get high up to hunt. Five feet or so is just about ideal -- high enough to get me above the brush, low enough to keep me out of the high limbs. I made my stand out of half of an old five-foot aluminum stepladder with a seat affixed to the top. Cinch it to a tree with a cargo strap, and it is rock-solid. Very lightweight and easy to carry through the woods, too.

[Dave]

The Summit Viper is a great climber. It is light, comfortable, and a lot safer than the old style climbers. I used to have a Deer Thief and it seemed good until I got the Viper. Stands are nice but a lot of deer are killed on the ground. A good hidey hole and a face mask can be a good set up.

If you have a little stool and can rest your back against a tree that is at least as wide as your shoulders you can be in good shape. A stool is a lot lighter than a climber to carry too. Sometimes the legs of the stool will want to sink into the ground if it is muddy so you have to put a rock or piece of bark under them.

[Rusty]

I like to keep my feet on the old terra firma, and the more firma the less terror.

[JB]

I'm a big fan of Summit climbers. ALWAYS use a safety belt both while climbing up and down as well as while you're sitting in the stand. If my stand ever does fall, I know I'll only drop a couple feet before my belt saves me.

[Hobie]

I like to keep my feet on the old terra firma, and the more firma the less terror.

That about sums it up for me!

[markinalpine]

Here's a short instructional video about tree stand safety: http://www.versus.com/the-bucks-of-teco ... nd-safety/

Note, it may start with an annoying video ad, but just wait and the main video should load and run.

Mark

[Blaine]

This one went a bit awry I have one vote for a Summit Viper.....

[Leverdude]

Summit makes a good climber Tubby. I dont know the model name of mine but its aluminum, light & rock solid in the tree. Mine has an open front but most have a bar going across. I found the bar type too constraining & it was in the way of my bow. With a rifle its probably a good thing to have. Plus you cant fall out with a bar in the way.

[AJMD429]

If you have a little stool and can rest your back against a tree that is at least as wide as your shoulders you can be in good shape. A stool is a lot lighter than a climber to carry too. Sometimes the legs of the stool will want to sink into the ground if it is muddy so you have to put a rock or piece of bark under them.

They make really, really light 'climber-type' stands (don't know their official name) that hook on the tree the same, but you don't 'climb' with them. They just function as a ground-level place to sit that's not damp, and unlike a stool, won't sink into the ground. A friend uses one almost exclusively due to arthritis and so on. Kills several deer every year.

I'd be VERY wary of using a climbing stand if I had any back, knee, or hip problems (I have none of those, but am immensely un-coordinated, so that disqualifies me anyway). Just one little twist the wrong way when making the 'lift the foot support' motion, or any of the other gyrations you make using a climber, and you'd be in a pickle. (In a pickle, and in a tree, actually...)

We've killed many deer just sitting at ground-level, particularly if there is terrain that is hilly, and brush to be behind.

[madman4570]

How bout a bottle of Scent Away and one of these Deer Blinds below?
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?p ... g-_-923347

Super Light/easy setup(some less than 10 seconds) and can be moved very easily wherever you want?

[win38-55]

Climbers are for young guys in really good shape. Either get a 20 foot climbing stick with a nice big stand.
Or a ladder stand, and make sure you put either one of these in a good area because they are a pain in the rump to move.
The ladder stands are harder to put up, but once they are up they work real well.

[Mac in Mo]

I second the vote for the Summit Viper. Mine is about five years old, I think they recently changed them, but don't know what changes were made. That being said, I also agree with the Doc. You can easily get into trouble with one of these things. The viper is the most comfortable stand I have ever sat in, but getting into position and then getting back down without tweaking something would be a risk.


Kevin

[RIHMFIRE]

Summit Vipor is the best climber out there....
very light....no screws or pins to mess with...
I have put mine up in the dark with no light at all.
And it is very comfortable.....Goliath is awesome too!

[Old No7]

"This one went a bit awry..."

Blaine, I know you're big on puns, and I don't mean to needle you... Well OK, I'm sure there are others who don't like puns who would like to stick it to you...

...but in all seriousness, give up on the Tree Stand idea -- and get yourself some acupuncture!!!

Seriously, besides the relief you'd get which will help your hunting -- think about all the other quality of life improvements you'd get with better mobility & flexibility and stamina, with less (or no...) pain too.

My best friend had 2 failed back surgeries and "almost pulled the trigger" as he was so frustrated with the pain and loss of life quality -- until he tried acupuncture out of desperation... Now he is a true believer and a changed man! I have personally seen the before & after differences myself, and I'll gladly go and "get stuck" if/when I need that relief. Medicines and surgery did not work for him -- but acupuncture did.

Try it... You may just get your life back!!!

Good luck!

Old No7

[Stan in SC]

Three years ago I decided that at my age I was dumb for climbing trees and the risks involved.I bought a ground blind which has a chair incorporated.It only weighs 12 pounds and I have had both deer and turkey walk right up next to me completely unaware of my presence.You are protected in a light rain and they are relatively warm inside.I believe the brand name was scent away or something like that.They are carried at Natchez Shooters Supply.The cost may have changed but they were less that $40 each.I bought three of them at that price.One is still new in the box.I heartily recommend these over the pop up type since these have a chair integral to them.They sleep really good too.

Stan in SC

[madman4570]

Three years ago I decided that at my age I was dumb for climbing trees and the risks involved.I bought a ground blind which has a chair incorporated.It only weighs 12 pounds and I have had both deer and turkey walk right up next to me completely unaware of my presence.You are protected in a light rain and they are relatively warm inside.I believe the brand name was scent away or something like that.They are carried at Natchez Shooters Supply.The cost may have changed but they were less that $40 each.I bought three of them at that price.One is still new in the box.I heartily recommend these over the pop up type since these have a chair integral to them.They sleep really good too.

Stan in SC

Thats sure a winner Stan------For that you be da man!
Think I might get me one myself! (will be first time ever used a complete blind,not just a couple of big logs/branches just placed in front of big tree or two?
At least in New York State here is one tip they recomend!

An important New York deer hunting tip:

Use ground blinds. It is old style hunting that still produces. Often that perfect tree isn't perfect. The canopy is too thick; the wind is wrong; the tree is right on the trail; there is no tree! No problem. A few well placed sticks and grasses are all you need to conceal slight movement. Hunt on the ground. And the best part - you won't worry about falling out of your ground blind! Naturally, create the blind in advance of the season not repeating last years location.

[Dave]

They make really, really light 'climber-type' stands (don't know their official name) that hook on the tree the same, but you don't 'climb' with them. They just function as a ground-level place to sit that's not damp, and unlike a stool, won't sink into the ground.

That is a good idea. You can google "tree seat" and find a chair like that. They make a lot of sense. Lighter than a climber and keeps gravity on your side.

In order to get this thread further afield I will relate a story from a few years back. I met a guy in his 80's out in the woods. He had started hunting again after being forced to quit by his age. Here is his system.

He rode a 4 wheeler with a winch and had a pop up blind. He would ride his wheeler to his spot. He had a back rest to put on the seat for comfort. Then he would pop his blind up over himself and his wheeler and sit on the wheeler. If he got a deer he would drag it out with the wheeler or use the winch to lift it onto the wheeler. He had a cell phone and a GPS. If his wheeler quit or he had trouble he could call someone and provide his co-ordinates. Pretty cool system and it got him back out there.

[86er]

Summit - the archery stands are lighter because they do not have a "shooting rest" bar across the front. Get a safety rope. You throw the rope over a branch, loop the rope through itself and pull it tight. Then you attach a Prussic knot to the rope. Your harness is attached to the knot the whole time you climb. You need to get a light cord and take it up the tree with you. Once up there, tie the cord to the safety rope loop. When you get to the bottom again you're gonna need that cord to pull the loop loose and get your rope down. I've climbed hundreds of trees for years and never had a major problem. I did have the foot platform slip two different times but I had it tethered to the seat so it didn't fall out of reach.

[Pete44ru]

About 30 years ago, I bought one of the first climbing tree stands - back when the Baker had to be made from a "kit", consisting of the metal parts only - w/o anything like a hand climber (they hadn't been thought of yet).

The Baker customer installed the metal parts on a piece of plywood, and climbed the tree via reaching up, hugging the tree & drawing up the legs - the stand along with them.

Icy/frozen/wet trees, especially those with smoother bark structure (Beech/birch) were a guarantee of a quick un-intended elevator ride downward.
Sticky sap/resin, deposited on the climber's chest, was a given - if a pine/cedar tree was the aerie of choice.

20 years ago, I switched to an aluminum ladder stand, and never looked back.

.

[Blaine]

About 30 years ago, I bought one of the first climbing tree stands - back when the Baker had to be made from a "kit", consisting of the metal parts only - w/o anything like a hand climber (they hadn't been thought of yet).

The Baker customer installer the metal parts on a piece of plywood, and climbed the tree via reaching up, hugging the tree & drawing up the legs - the stand along with them.

Icy/frozen/wet trees, especially those with smoother bark structure (Beech/birch) were a guarantee of a quick un-intended elevator ride downward.
Sticky sap/resin, deposited on the climber's chest, was a given - if a pine/cedar tree was the aerie of choice.

20 years ago, I switched to an aluminum ladder stand, and never looked back.

.

I have one of those from 1979......anyone here is welcome to it for free if ya pick it up! Even in good shape, that thing was a PITA to get up the tree.

[Old Time Hunter]

If you can look close, you'll see it even has a dumbwaiter lift:



Half the floor goes up and down via a pulley and manual winch system.

[FWiedner]

I used a climber for a while. Never had any problems climbing or falling, but I took extreme care on issues of safety just because I have more than one buddy who has taken a trip to the ground and then to the hospital.

The improvement in field of view from up high was great but I finally decided that the hardware was just more junk to haul around in the woods and I opted to use a portable ground blind of my own design.

Had OK luck with the climber, but really GOOD luck with the ground blind.

JMO, but if I were having major back problems, the last place I'd want to be is in a tree-stand,... because sh*t happens and you might not come out of a fall as intact as you'd hope.

[junkwrencher]

I'll tell you guys what I use for a "tree stand", it is a plastic lawn chair with the legs cut short with a hack saw and the sharp edges filed smooth. I then ran a nylon strap through the back and throw it over my shoulder on my hike in. It is light weight, comfortable and I've shot deer, turkey, coyotes, and all kinds of small game out of it. Throw in an inexpensive blind and you have a great set-up..