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First climbing treestand you had

after reading the new WVBA Voice that came in today and the artical on treestand safety, I got to thinkin (this may show our age) about the equipment we used to hunt with years ago,, just for fun name some of the old equipment,stands etc we used to use and maybe a story...this might entertain some of the young whipper snappers on here........ did anyone else use the man killer stand the notorius state of the art "Baker climbing treestand",, up two foot down 3 foot if not careful,, saftey belts? one loop around my waist... anyone else have a Jones hat? how about the charcoal hand warmers from Herters my hunting buddy set his shirt on fire with one on them had to jump in creek to put it out I laughed so hard i was crying...oh and the bear whitetail compound where you changed the draw weight by movin the pullys in and out.. or remember when Tink Nathan came out with Tinks 69 and the best was Tinks corn flavored turkey scent,, guest he never knew birds cant smell?

I used everything you mentioned except I must have missed the tinks turkey lure. My first compound was a whitetail from Hecks dept. Store. Bakers were a trip. (usually down really fast)

I had a bear blacktail . I was cheap. I never had a baker because I borrowed my friends. Lol.

had an old baker climber that you had to buy plywood and put it together. No hand climber you just hugged the tree and pull yourself up or down. Your forearms and your chest would be tore up from the first day to the last day of the season. Still have it but quit using it a long time ago.

wvbownut, you reminded me of my very first experience with that wonderous original baker climbing treestand. A half hour before daylight I had pulled myself 18 feet (on my way to 20) up a slick popular tree in Gilmer county when the stand slipped off of my feet. I can still hear the chug,chug,chug sound of the stand as it ratcheted its way back down the tree to the ground. Luckily those things came out when I was still young and strong so the journey back down the tree wasn't near the adventure it would be today.

how i remember the good old days. baker tree stand , polar ltd bow. tree bark camo. the bow had cables and pulleys, the stand had sit like bar you used to pull yourself up with.was climbing up a tree my feet came out of bungee cords. stand fell to ground. well there i was hanging on to that bar. let go of bar and tryed to hug the tree. took all skin off my arms.the bar came falling behind me, and hit head me in the head. after that that old baker became a lock on held up with 2X4s. least thats how i remember it,many yrs and lots of whitetail ago. hoppies56

forgot about the treebark camo, I still got a set in basement better put it on ebay might be worth something,, remember what the old Herters catalog looked like? they were the cabellas of the 60,s black and white drawings on newsprint 2inches thick,,dad had a jeep willys station wagon with military tires man wish I had that, used to go turkey hunting up at his camp near Sherwood lake, there was a guy who had a store right below lake with a big 10 foot tall cage with several squirrels in it I would spend hours watchin them squirrels between hunting times, cnat remember the stores name? anyway the men made me ride in back of willys jeep with the turkey dogs Id get sick from smellin the dogs and exhaust,(no one thought of scent control) but was ready to go when got to top of mtn in national forest,, dont remember seeing many deer back then,, everyone wore Jones style hats and brown duct jackets and matching pants and wolverine boots water proofed with vaseline,, heated cabin with warm morning stove, remember them,, never heard of scent control, I took a white tail hunter bow to camp one day and one old man said for me to put that thing up too dangerous said it looked like a helicopter crash and was just a fad will never catch on.. I hunted with it any way only ground hogs and squirrels wasnt any deer much then,, about 1,000 bows later look at us now lol

hoppies56 I had a polar LTD also (boy was that thing fast and noisy) But is was so fast deer could not duck that arrow HA HA I remember purchasing the set of treebark camo from treebark. I think it was $35 or $45 for pants t-shirt,jacket, hat and mesh facemask. Greatest thing since sliced bread. I did not have the climbing bar for my baker I was a young teacher with two kids and could not afford it. I just hugged and cussed. Had a fellow teacher who came to my shop class and sharpened the back bar on his baker. On his next hunt he hunted about 3 feet off the ground, and had to jump down and pry the stand off of the bark. The next day he was back in the shop and made them dull again and was climbing up a tree and it came off his feet and slid down the tree and he had to shimmy down the tree. From then on til his death he hunted from the ground. Younger generations don't realize how easy they have it now.

I was real smart. Back when I was invincible I hunted from old wooden treestands I found in the woods.I figured that if they held up for the for the eons since it was built it would hold long enough for my hunt.

My 1st climber was a Summit.Pretty good stand and along with my rib breaker treestand belt, I killed a bunch more deer than I did from the ground.

Now that I'm older ,wiser and no longer invincible I use lock-on's and ladderstands with a full body harnes.I still use my new Summit when the need rises.

I bought my first compound used all set up with arrows and broadheads and the guy thew in a baker climbing stand, I still have it, I think, attached to the last tree that I tried to climb. I left it there in the woods.I was never able to let go of the tree after I would climb up. I wore a jones style hat from the time I was about 15 until it fell completely apart

Man o man I must be an Old Fart and a hoarder as well. Still have the baker, haven't used it in who knows how long. I guess I was a tree hugger back then, didn't have the hand climber part. Can't tell you how many times it came down the tree without me. Skinned up arms, legs, etc.I still climb trees, didn't start tieing off till a couple of years ago. Must be a slow learner. Still have the white-tail hunter compound in the closet somewhere. The only compound I ever owned. Somewhere in the closet is my tree-bark camo, man I thought that was the best ever.Out in the garage, and they still work, is a 40 yr. old 3 burner coleman stove,a 30 yr. old or older coleman mushroom heater and lantern. Those were the days, campin, huntin and fishin with your friend. Then we all got married and started having kids.......

looking at that old baker if the angle would have been smaller at the plywood I don't think it would have come down the tree as much. Most stands today are just a variation of this.

My first stand was a baker w/o hand climber. It hangs in my building in the dark reminding me of days when safety wasnt an issue and splinters in the chest didnt hurt. The bow was a Browning Excelsior I believe (30)years ago. It was solid wood with 4 cams and way prettier than the Bears or Jennings. So many good times and not enough memory. I dont miss either one of these fine pieces of technology.

My first treestand was a baker, after using for two years and faling 18 feet the first year and having it stolen at bowpoint the second, I decided that if he wanted it that bad he could have it and I hope that he has just the luck that I had with it!

Eskimo-Bert

The Baker "Mighty Might" or "Mighty Mite".

(as in you might fall and you might not)

I remember riding one down a sycamore in Pocahontas county a long time ago. Glad they have gotten so much better/safer now.

wow you guys still have those old baker tree stands. those are collectors. those where the days very few other bowhunters, no 4 wheelers. it just make me think again how much bowhunting has changed. hoppies 56

How many of you scent gurus started out with Pete Rickard's Original Indian Buck Lure? Remember Skunk Screen...where you had to mix the two components to get that wonderous skunk aroma - cover scent at it's finest!

I remember the skunk screen.Was that stuff ever strong. Even today whenever I smell a skunk it reminds me of sitting in a treestand.

Skunk screen I bought a new Mazda glc station wagon in 1979 for 4700 dollars my first new car. I left my hunting bag in it one night when it froze. Well the 2 bottles that you mixed together both froze and broke that night. The next day the 2 liquids mixed together in the carpet. Despite multiple cleaning attempts every time you opened the door all you could smell was skunk. My new bride was not impressed. That smell lasted until the next summer.

worst butt whippin I ever got (1972) was when me and buddy caught our other buddy asleep in the woods and poured some of that skunk scent on his boots and then went up hill behind him to watch the fun... when he woke up he was going to shoot us but figured hed get in too much trouble with our dads so he beat the crap out of both of us,, still good friends to this day, we did buy him a new pair of boots lol,, somewhere in this house I got an old empty bottle of that Indian deer lure.... remember the x ray vision glasses you could buy out of the back of Field and stream,, I had great ideas for them with the girls at schools,, or the fishing glasses you could see under water? ordered them both they was just dark glasses with tiny pin holes in center I was bummed to say the least,, how many remember the first Cabellas ad in the back of Field and Stream where the Cabellas brothers were selling fishing flies out of their garage or a nickel or so,, now theres an american sucess story

You're x-ray glasses didn't work. You're pair must have been defective.

ur kiddin lol

No really, thats how I used to screen out old girlfiends. lol

You guys are too funny.

First camo was some kind of funky woodland green from Cheads in 1968 and first stand was a Baker. It still hangs on the tree were I left it years ago when it fell. The skin from my arms and belly have been long gone. The plywood has been gone for many years also. Cover up skunk or buck stop 200 and bear razor heads. Green rubber boots with bright yellow strings in them and not much tread. First bow was a bear tiger cat.

Wow, you guys are makin me feel young. My first climber was an API Grand Slam. But my first stand was was a Walmart Special chain-on that was almost big enough to shuffle my feet on. Platform on that thing must have only been 12" by 12" lol. Somehow though they made it slightly heavier than a bulldozer. And the sling seat.... lets not go there. First bow was a High Country Extreme 55-70 (set at 55) and 29" (which is right now, but sure too long then) with hatchet cams that were way more than my 16 year old frame should have been pulling and Autumn Orange 2315 tree trunks with Pucketts Bloodtrailers (yes I said it). Had some cotton Trebark Universal Gray coveralls on sale from Cabelas and froze every morning. Makes me smile to think about those days though because looking back, I loved every second of it, even though most sane people would disagree.

I was in the 7th grade and my Dad would not buy me a bow. He said " I am not buying you a bow and you use it one time and set in on the shelf". ( that was 28 years ago) So I used my Uncles recurve for 2 years. Dad finally bought me a used Bear Whitetail hunter with used full length arrows when I was in the 9th grade. I hunted out of tree stand built of 2x4's and plywood; some I built and some I "found". I had an old camo coat I wore with jeans. I graduated to treebark and an Amacker Hang on. Scent control and wind direction....what is that? It was several years before this was a thought of mine. And for the Treebark Camo...I still wear a Treebark Camo turkey vest for spring gobbler. I love that vest and have not found a new one I like better. And ther turkeys do not seem to mind... until a load of #6 greets them.

I started out with a Bear recurve w/ wooden shafts and Bear broadheads. Back in the 70's when I was real young, my Dad and cousin were some of the only people bowhunting where I grew up in Michigan. They had that WWII camo too. I moved up to a Darton Trailmaster. Up until the late 90's, I used a home made climber almost identical to that in the pic Bob Dunn posted. My arms and belly were always raw.

Hmmm, bunch of old geezers here aren't there? Oh, yeah, like bownut, every time I smell a skunk I think of bowhunting :o)--Skunk Screen! Used a "scent vent" with it--you just unscrewed the cap a bit and put in whatever scent you used and pinned it to your hunting clothes! Had a Baker Deluxe as well as a Mighty Mite. Best favor anyone ever did me probably was to steal that Baker "Deluxe". Owned one item of camo clothing--uninsulated military woodland camo coveralls--still have them as I just enjoy looking at them from time to time and savoring the memories of simpler times. Later bought some from the old Camo Clan outfit in Texas. I hunted with a Black Hawk recurve and cedars with bodkin points in a clamp-on "quiver" that had no shield for the heads--Kwikee brand. I carried everything I needed on a military web belt with an army surplus canteen, sheath knife, and a small ammo pouch for everything else--slipped my flashlight into the strap on the side of the pouch--now I'm amazed at the amount of stuff we think we absolutely have to have while hunting 1/4 mile from the truck :o) We knew little about deer biology, were not deer gynecologists, had tons of fun. Sometimes I am sure we have lost something with all the "progress" we have made in equipment (even traditional gear) and deer knowledge. I think it takes away some of the magic and mystery.......Dave

I remember the old brown quikee quivers on my recurve. I'm suprised more people weren't hurt with those things.

The first climber I almost had was a baker-my buddy that was going to sell it to me decided to demonstrate it on a hunting trip-when it let go at 12 feet up and as I was carrying him out of the woods with a broken back I decided that I might invest in a hang-on stand instead of the baker. Had the trebark camo outfit also-still have the jacket wish it still fit. Thanks George for starting a much needed trip down memory lane

Loc-on -lem, hunted day light to dark many times.

Dave. You are right. We have lost something. I made an effort several years ago to go back to the way it was. I carry a small light and that is all. If I kill a deer I drag it to cabin and work it yo. Dave. I remember that quiver . I still have mine.

Oh,the good old days. When I was single,carefree, and making good money I was a spending fool. Was the envy of guys on the mountain with my Baker treestand with handclimber,and my state of the art Bear Polar II compound. Every hunter I meant had to take a look at the young guy's new fangled contraption. And don't forget the cans of sterno,and the vienna sausages. I was buying guns and 4-wheel drive vehicles back then. 1947 Willys CJ-2A, 1965 CJ-6, And then brand new 73 CJ-5, New 74 Bronco, New 74 Gran Torino, New 75 Mercury Cougar, And then the toughest of all 1978 Ford F-150, the king of the mountain. I know I was foolish back then but hey I had fun and that's what life is all about.

I remember gary you always had some good hunting vehicles

I used the Baker and then the TSS which I fell out of.

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