Got a climber
Massachusetts
Reluctant to unload much money because unsure if it'll work out for me, so I got an inexpensive "sportsmans guide" climber. Rigged it up tonight but the rain is keeping me inside. Looking forward to trying it out though. Took me about 15 seconds to realize that hooking it up and climbing silently and in the dark is going to take some practice. I was even wondering about taking it in the day before and hooking it on the tree, so that all I have to do in the morning is climb. Maybe even leave it on the tree for several days. Anybody ever do that?
Love my climbers, I look for good sign and setup on it. Leave the stand for days sometimes weeks, if I need to move 40, 50 yards sometimes more, I make the move. Pretty quick and quiet too. Need the right tree also.
First thing is to make it as quiet as you can, then practice climbing. It's takes some time to get the right form but even when you're good at it there's always the chance that you're going to make it crash, bang, rattle going up. Don't stop and settle in quick.
I have multiple climbers and that's why I can leave them. With one I can see why it could be a lot of work moving from spot to spot.
I only leave it on private land or I hunt the eve on public land and leave it if I hunt the next day. Years ago I left a nice Loggy Bayou and it was gone when I returned a week later.
I have left mine very few times and always locked it to the tree and piled branches around it. If you practice with it you will be very good with it in short time. You will learn to set it quietly and even climb quietly. Climbing slowly helps with noise and sweat.
Something tells me "slowly" is going to be my only option...
climber is the way to go jeb. just be carefull and use the tethers to connect them. they can be solid and they can be sketchy depending on tree. be extremely carefull, you should get a feel for the tree. my 2 cents brother.
All good advice, I'll add pay attention to the type of tree. Stay away from shaggy bark hickory and very smooth, rock hard barked trunks. Everything else between is good to go.
Good advice, thanks all. Hoping to try it out tonight. So if I'm never heard from again on this web site, you'll know why...
Climbers are great. love mine. (Summit Bushmaster) I've never left it, just to much risk with bone heads...
My primary stand is an API Grand Slam 2500 that I've owned for more years than I can remember... somewhere between 15 - 20 years. I've literally climbed over a hundred different trees using it in MA, NY, & PA. I consider it second only to my bow in terms of my most important hunting equipment.
A few suggestions.
- ALWAYS wear a safety harness and stay tethered to the tree 100% of the time from when you get in the stand until you get out of it. Remember... it ain't the fall that'll kill you... it's the sudden stop at the end!
- Tether the top and bottom sections together with just enough rope to allow you to move the upper section for climbing. That way, if the bottom section slips (which has happened to me a few times on trees with hard and slick bark) it will only drop a short distance and you'll be able to pull it up with the tether. Just so you'll know, this can happen whenever you take your weight off the lower section. If you're 20 feet up an oak tree and your bottom section slips and isn't tethered properly, you'd better have a radio or cell phone with you to call someone to help you down!
- NEVER let either stand section fall below being level. Virtually all trees have a larger diameter at the bottom. So, you'll need to initially set the stand sections up at an up angle, so while climbing and having the tree truck become narrower, the stand sections will level off. And, when the stand becomes level, that's it! DO NOT go any higher, as that will result in the stand sections having a down angle, which is dangerous.
Carry an extra tree step with you while climbing. That way, if your stand fails and you fall, you won't have to just hang in your harness there like a pinata. You can screw the tree step in at knee level and stand on it. Then, you can lower the strap on the tree your harness is attached to, gently step off of the tree step to be hanging lower. Unscrew the tree step, then screw it back in the tree lower than before, stand on it again, move the strap on the tree down again, etc. That way you can safely get yourself down after a stand failure.
- There's more, but those are the biggies in my book.
Practice ,Practice and Practice. I bought a Summit SD after learning on an older API. The API was heavy and noisy. My SD is much lighter and quieter. I have no problems climbing in the dark now and I have gotten much quieter using the SD. I lock it to the tree I`m using and leave a 30 foot hunters safety line on the tree also. Going up I just go slowly and carefully . It only takes me a few minutes . Practice ,Practice , Practice.
Great tips, thank you. I tried it out tonight. I went one step, and got about 18 inches off the ground. Guess you have to start somewhere. Just experimenting with the foot part (without me on it), clearly you need to start at a severe angle otherwise it goes "beyond level" just maybe 5 feet up the tree. And I used the most telephone-pole-like tree I could find. Oh well. At least there's a fair amount of time to practice.
Keep practicing. The angle cant be to severe as it would then bind the lower platform on the tree and it is very hard to pull it up. It also leads to drastic increase in noise. Once you practice though you will get a feel for the angle you will need looking at the taper of the tree. I have several climbers but the one I always use is my Equalizer as it has a leveling platform that I can re level both sections as I climb the tree. Great stand.
Getting a climber was a total game changer for me last year and I was a bumbling idiot when I first used, but got the hang of it pretty quickly. I hope your climber from sportsmen's guide is better than the steps I bought from them a few years back.
Got up about three feet last night. That's progress, right?
My biggest problem with the climber at first was thinking I was up 25' when I was really only about 15'. Also, I have an easier time climbing up than down. I feel like that may be common though. GL Jeb, just keep practicing, you have all summer.
Jeb, make damn sure you have a rope tied to both top and bottom of stand and not too far apart. It's not a matter of if the bottom will drop down but when. Happened twice to me.
Yup Spike that's one of several things I found out the hard way yesterday. Fortunately I was just a few feet off the ground. Last night was a tree-stand comedy show, I could have sold tickets.
Approaching 4 feet tonight, air's getting a little thin at this altitude.
Keep it up Jen you'll be a pro in no time!!!!
When I first started using a climber and got high up in the tree it felt very shakey and unnatural that the stand could stay attached to the tree and hold my weight. I almost expected it to just fall apart and dump me to the ground. The good news is that after a couple of 8 hour sits it feels very stable and comfortable, like you could jump up and down on the platform without a problem. A little more practice and time in the tree will take care of all of your issues.
I've been looking for a climber and this thread pushed me over the edge. A quick google search found the Viper SD with free shipping for $252
I plan on getting my reps in the back yard from this stand next week.
That's a good stand, primal. Lightweight, easy to put on the tree, quiet, and rock solid stable.
I really like the fact that Jeb and you are committed to practicing using the stand before you hunt out of it. Make sure you always wear a safety harness every time you leave the ground.
You've got to get yourself some hunting boots too, ha ha. Good job Jeb, keep at it. You'll get the hang of it in no time.
The climber was definitely a game changer for me. I'm not a big fan of heights but I actually feel more comfortable in it as opposed to a hang on. That gem about keeping a screw in with you is a great idea! I was thinking of trying to rig a skirt out of blind material to conceal any movement while I'm on stand,just not sure how effective it would be.
Yes that screw-in step idea is a great one, going to be my "escape-plan-A." Thanks to Jimbo for that. It also made me think that a good solution for preventing the seat part from falling down when I stand up (removing the tension that binds it to the tree) would be to just put in a small screw (such as a small bow hook) around the back of the tree immediately below the seat-part cable.
Don't overthink things Jeb, when you tighten the connecting straps that will lock both the top and bottom solid to the trunk. It's usually after you loosen the straps getting reading to climb down that things sometimes get dicey.
Alright tonight I decided I'd start timing myself--bad idea. Five feet up the tree and soaked in sweat, looked at my watch and 20 minutes had gone by. Being a chubby middle-aged guy probably doesn't help. Hope it's not this hot in October. Anyway, learn a little bit each time, and wife finds it pretty amusing.
Jeb, I would like to show you a trick or two for climbing but we are far apart. Would meet you halfway if we could figure out a spot. One thing that I always had a hard time with is the strap or boot stirrups, I don't use them. I put my feet under the bar that comes down the side of the bottom platform and control the angle to lift then flatten and dig the stand into the tree. It works for me and I'm not concentrating on keeping my feet in the strap or stirrup, the stirrup takes away room to move your feet freely. At 6'4'' I move up 5 feet in two moves easy, can climb 24' in just a couple minutes. Maybe check out youtube, might be some info on climbing stands on there. Good luck and my offer stands.
Muzzy,I was doing the same thing after trying to keep my heels in the bungie,the feet in the straps, I said to heck with this nonsense! Haha. It definitely works better. Will told me about those plastic stirrups they sell for climbers, so I picked up a pair. They look like they'll work great, can't wait to try them. I'm not a small guy myself, I just climb at a slow steady pace in my base layer,otherwise I'd have to wring out my clothes after I got set up. It also helps that I only make it to about 18-19 feet or so,any higher and the gitters set in, I'm a little height tentative. It's a lot of fun though,and great to be mobile. Go at your pace Jeb,and be safe .
Tonight was not a night to practice with the climber but you did learn one thing to keep in mind. Heat and sweat. When I pack my climber in, no matter how cold I wear only most under layer in for the walk. Everything else, mid layers and coat get lashed to the climber. Same when I climb. Just the under layer. Pull the other stuff up and dress up there.
X2 Proline. The time when I hate a climber is when I take a wrong turn and I'm walking around for an extra 20 minutes trying to find the tree. Talk about sweating!
Eastie, the strap or bungie drove me crazy. I bought a stand with the plastic stirrups but found they took up a lot of room on the platform and limited my foot placement. Never know which way a deer is coming and I want no obstruction on the platform when I need to turn and place my feet to get comfortable for a shot. Maybe I didn't have them in the right spot but I like a wide open platform to dance on.
Spike, I got tired of spooking deer in the dark going to my stand. Can't tell you how many times I could here the deer take off when I was heading to my stand in the dark. Years ago I started slowly heading to my stand just at first light, always looking ahead for any movement or anything out of the norm. I've shot quite a few deer going to my stand, bow and gun. I got sick of jumping them and started hunting them. Seamed like once I jumped them I wouldn't see anything for the rest of my hunt. Sometimes you only have a short time in the morning to hunt before work and I would rather see them, maybe get to stalk them, maybe even get a shot on one. At least I wouldn't feel like I blew it and lose any confidence in my ability to hunt deer.
LOL... it's funny how many of us do the same things. I also removed the foot straps on my API. I hook the toes of my boots in the angle opening on each side of the stand toward the back and climb that way. It has never slipped on me... and that's after many hundreds of climbs. I also wear only the base layer and lash the rest of my clothes to the stand. The next to the last thing I do when getting fully set up is put my coat on. The last thing is putting the release on my wrist.
Speaking of putting on releases......anyone else here willing to admit to sitting up in your climber for an hour or so before remembering to put on their release? Luckily a deer didn't walk in then, would have been a Chinese fire drill.
My release goes on when I get in my truck, drive with it on, drink coffee with it on, climb with it on.
Most times my climbers are already in place, locked to the tree. Only had the cables stolen once, I still hunt to my stand and the release is always ready to go.
Starting a thread on "Admissions by a bowhunter"
I doubt there are many guys who haven't forgotten the release. I had to start attaching it to my bow! Lol. Now I go through the mental checklist, if a deer walked out right now,am I ready to go? Also those scent free wipes are a must have with the climber,no matter how slow I climb, I'm bound to sweat some.
Muzzy thanks for the nice offer, I may get in touch if I hit a barrier. At this point I'm making decent progress. Plus my wife and the neighbors seem to be enjoying the show. But actually I can't tell if they're rooting for me or if it's like the way some people watch NASCAR racing hoping to see a crash.
Jeb, sounds like your daily climbing practice has become pretty popular. You should sell tickets, or maybe even turn it into a reality TV show... I can see it now, "Elevating Jebediah". Just in case your climbing wasn't riveting enough for the masses you could have segments where your kids throw rocks at you while you climb or secretly plot to sabotage your stand...
They found it funny for awhile Bruce. Now they just think there's something wrong with me in the head. Progress has been slow but steady. Abandoned the foot straps, now just hook feet under foot platform support bars as mentioned a couple times on this thread. Much better, and I also think safer. Got a couple good tips from YouTube videos as suggested also. Learned that there's no shortage of jackasses on YouTube, so you have to make your own judgements about credibility of various videos. Anyway, still trying to do it a little bit each day. By October hope to be scurrying up trees like a monkey. Or a sloth.
It sounds like you're making good progress, Jeb. As for climbing speed, I'd go with the "sloth" pace. For me, I take it nice and slow, and still find myself at 25 feet in about six or seven minutes. Raise the safety strap, raise the top section, raise the bottom section... then repeat, repeat, repeat until at 25 feet.
Agree. Nice and slow and you will find you are quieter and will sweat less!
I can imagine that all of Bowsiteland is breathlessly awaiting the next installment, so here it is. Broke the ten foot barrier tonight. Feeling a little proud of myself. Tried to get wife to come out and see, but I think the novelty has worn off. Losing those foot straps was a game-changer, many thanks for that suggestion.
Love those shoes and Cheenos .......
Jeb,
I used to climb trees for work so I'm pretty comfortable with my new stand. If it helps at all, I am more than impressed with the stability of this climber. More time in the seat, more comfortable you will be. Take a nap up there next time you climb! Enjoy!
I agree, it feels pretty solid when it's seated properly. Proline that is suburban camo. Whole different set of concealment parameters...
Ha! No. Really haven't been going much above 10 feet, primarily working out my routine. Each episode I learn some lessons, so I think it's going OK. Have been looking around lately and noticing that only a small fraction of trees are actually climbable, at least for me, for various reasons. Anyway, still learning, and not dead yet.
