Climber Safety Tip
Connecticut
I'd like to pass along a tip for those new to using a self-climber treestand or those who aren't fond of heights and a suggestion when using a climber on a smooth, hard tree like a beech tree. Once I get to the position I'm comfortable with, I take tie-down strap and cinch in the upper part (seat) of the climber to the tree, nice and firm. Not too tight so the seat is tilted upwards, but firm and snug.
I've been doing this now for the 2nd year in a row since I had a close call during a snowy/icy day in climber on a beech tree. I must say, once I have the upper part of climber locked in with tie-down strap, I feel much safer with movement on the platform (lower section) and the seat (upper section). I do advise having a rope connecting the upper with the lower sections of the climber. It's imperative to make the rope no longer than the length from your hip to your foot, in case the lower slips, it won't be beneath your leg reach from the upper section.
I practice shooting without quiver so I remove the quiver once I get settled in. If the tree is too wide to place quiver on upper section of climber, I place it below on the platform section.
Just thought I'd pass along and hope everyone has a safe and productive season in the stand.
Thanks for tip. Last year i had my top half collapse without notice while sitting on it on a hard smooth tree. I avoid them now. My fav is poplar
Every time I go to pick the right tree its always a smooth tree and it scares the crap out of me. My stand top always slips down until I strap it in. My Summit stand has smooth teeth which I dont understand.
The smooth teeth are so they don't get stuck in softer trees. That would be more dangerous trying to yank out either section while climbing, especially if you are not tied in with lifeline.
I do the same thing Smoothie. Takes an extra minute, but between the stabilizer straps and this strap around the top part of the climber, I'm rock solid.
Thanks smoothie. I've been using a summit climber for 10 yrs now and have been doing it since day one thanks to Buckillers advice.
I'm not a height guy so securing the seat is a huge plus for me. I like being able to sit down without fear of seat slipping.
Hunt safe everyone
I hunt mostly wetlands, swamp areas & river bottoms and a lot of the time the only tree that's not a widow maker is a smooth tree that I climb 25ft+ to get some cover. Just having the upper strapped in gives me peace of mind.
Whats even better is when the smooth trees are wet from rain. That gets the stomach rumbling in the morning.
Oak trees are the best for me
Good advice. American beech is a bad species to use climber. Red oak and red maple can also have very smooth bark and hard to get a bite on. Ash has a very thick spongy bark and they are usually straight with no low limbs! I climb to a good spot about 20' and secure my seat to the tree and then the foot platform to the seat before I do anything else!
Another good product to have on your climber are the stabilizer straps from Third Hand Archery. Check out the site, they have some good stuff.
I've been using ratchet straps for years after a few bad experiences, plus I'm scared of heights too. After climbing to my position I also drop the seat down to the footrest and ratchet that too before I do the seat. It requires some gymnastics but boy do I feel safe, the ratchet digs the teeth into the tree.
Be careful to not overtighten. After a few months of using a ratchet strap on my Summit hand/seat portion, it began to spread the vee gripping the tree. I use to like to lean on the side rails of the seat portion. Being secured by the ratchet strap was the only way that was possible.
I love climbing white oak.
A strong rope, not a string, connecting the foot section to the seat is an absolute must have. It needs to be no longer than your leg length and strong enough to manhandle the foot section if it should slide down the tree and somehow get stuck. I had the worst experience once when I was in the middle of nowhere before the advent of cell phones and my foot section slid down the tree. I was barely able to hang down from the seat with my arms and snag the foot section!!! Not a good feeling when the sun is just setting and you know that you'll spend the night there if you can't get out of it.
That was in the day before a full body harness and just a strap around your chest guaranteed to asphyxiate you in a few minutes if you fell.
Since I had a mishap a few years back I've installed a kneeling loop on my hand climber section. It allows me to support myself on my knees, should the bottom section fall away from me, as did happen. I was then able to use my hands to re-attach the bottom section and continue down.
I attach myself to the tree with a climbing static line and a caribiner. Problem was, the caribiner would always loosen and slide down the tree. I like to keep it face high and allow only enough tether for me to touch the bottom platform with my hand, by straining against the tether. I've solved my problem with a small line that pulls the caribiner tight to the tree. One end is hitched to the static line(with a constrictor hitch) and I slide it towards the back of the tree. The loop is made with a honda knot and allows me to catch the caribiner and draw out the slack, which in turn, keeps the caribiner tight to the tree. To release, I make slack in the tether with the prussic knot holding the caribiner, and then open the loop of the honda knot. I then slide the constrictor hitch back towards myself and it is then clear for the tightening and loosening I have to do at each reset, to decend the tree.
The third hand archery is good. The two securing saftey straps i have used when lower stand fell. Bow holder works well. I can climb up and down with bow on stand. In fact last week I had a deer go right by me while I was climbing down. I grabbed my bow but deer was on the move.
Wild Bill,
Look up the Prusik knot. You can use it with your carabiner. Basically you have one line that you loop around the tree with the free end hanging down. You then have another line with a Prusik knot that slides up and down the hanging length. You attach your carabiner to this. Very simple to use and works great.
Edit: Here is a link...
http://gnsc-amboy.com/Documents/General_Docs/TheLifeLine.pdf
Great tip Mike. I have been green strapping or even ratcheting my top section for years. Always.
Always keep the side away from the tree higher than where it hits the tree.Going up hill with the climber always is much safer than level or down hill.I have been using a viper for years and never strapped it to the tree,I will now ,good information you guys posted.
I never set up on a smooth tree . I always use oak trees and never had a problem with them . Smooth trees are dangerous when wet .
Not every property has oaks, especially swamp lands and river bottoms. At least the properties I hunt.
wreddy,
That's fine if you already have the line left in the tree. My caribiner is attached to the end of my tether line with the prusik knot. The tether goes up the tree ahead of the handclimber section. The prusik allows me to easily loosen and tighten the loop around the tree, as I go up, and when descending.
Just saw this and thought I'd share. Looks like one of those smooth trees I'm referring to (click on video screen to play).
Smoothie,
Great video. That's exactly why the harness goes up the tree ahead of the hand/seat portion of the climber.
I was expecting a slip, but when he hit the ground, that hurt. When you fall, there is NO time to grab the tree.
Way to impress your wife and kids! That's what happens when you get to comfortable and cocky! He's smoking too so I guess he really doesn't care about his health!
Wild Bill,
You may want to try the setup in this photo. This way you don't have to worry about the carabiner sliding around.
The bottle represents the tree. The camo rope has a fixed loop in it that is big enough for the prusik knot to go through when attaching the camo rope like a noose to the tree. The carabiner from my harness clips onto the prusik knot.
I keep lifting the camo rope as I go up the tree. When sitting the enf of the camo rope dangles down and the prusik can be slid up or done to get the desired amount of slack.
Thanks Wreddy, but my rope is a 7/16" static line that would work loose within the loop. Also, sometimes my trees seem to swell wider as higher limbs branch away and the entire loop will work itself down towards the narrower trunk. The strap portion of my tether is about the length of my arm and I take maybe eight inches from the rope around the tree. I always attach the line around the tree at face height and only allow enough slack to allow myself to reach the bottom platform, with my hands, by straining against the tether. Should I fall, I don't want my shoulders to be even with, or get below the bottom platform level.
That line in your photo doesn't look like it is hefty enough to support the weight of a falling person. What's it made of?
Wild Bill, That rope and set up are made exactly for a tree stand setup, plenty strong and works fantastic. Works great and is nice to be able to slide that knot up and down if you have to turn in your stand.
Wild Bill, the setup that vvreddy posted would hold you with no problem if you fell. This is the same type of setup that tree surgeons use when they are up in the tree working. A couple of my friends didn't want to buy what was available in the stores so they went to their Tree guy and asked if he could make them one and this is the exact design he made for them.
The set-up vvreddy has shown is the one that came with my HSS harness and I've been using for years.
Wild Bill,
I bought this setup but I dont remember the name. The rope is plenty strong, about thumb thick, and it's woven and kind of squishy, not hard like a braided nylon rope. Even when the noose lis loose it catches on the tiniest bark and won't slip down the tree
thats why I stopped using my summit and bought a treewalker.....summit slides on beech trees too much....
The rope that wreddy posted is the same as the two I got when I purchased my summits.Came with the stands.
I stand corrected. I got the safety line with the Summit Bushmaster I purchased years ago.
My caribiner is also on a prusik. I loosen the loop to raise it and then slide it tight again as I go up the tree, then loosen it to raise it again, and so on and so on. My point is, when at the top, my loop will slip loose, because it is a nylon line with a hard sheath.
I had a Summit line which was soft nylon and it also gripped the bark on a tree. However, it became hairy thru constant use on the bark and sliding of the prusik. Then the prusik began to jam on the hairs, and not slide easily, therefore, I switched to a sheath style line intended for hard use in climbing.
My estimation of the line in the photo was based on the surrounding dimensions of the wood flooring(3") and water bottle(2.5"dia). What is also of importance is the material the line is made of, which I still don't know. Nylon has good shock absorption and is resistant to UV degredation.
Wreddy,
There is a burn test you can do on rope to determine the material it is made of. White smoke is nylon and black smoke is polyester, no smoke is polypropylene or polyethylene.
http://www.tensiontech.com/tools_guides/burning_characteristics.html
I have used the exact same set up as vvreddy for a very long time. That is a Summit rope and they are extremely durable and strong. No pilling or fraying and plenty strong for you Bill. Simple and effective protection.
