climbing tree stand

fudster · Post by **fudster** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:06 pm

thinking of buying one for this season. any suggestions . a friend told me they are great.what about setup at 4-5 am i would think the deer would get spooked am i wrong??thanx in advance

DropTine · Post by **DropTine** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:22 pm

I dont like them too much, theyre good for evening hunts but it can tricky in the morning. If you do decide to grab one, go for the Lone Wolfs, i've got one, dont use it that much so we just have it as a normal hang on stand.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:47 pm

I have a Summit, but rarely use it. A ladder stand or hang-on with climbing sticks works better for me. If I were hunting puplic land, or a place where theft was a worry, the climber would be my choice.
A good ground blind is also a great option in some cases.

BigTiny · Post by **BigTiny** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:27 pm

Since I'm trying to reduce my load this year I'm going to try using tree climbers and only half of the climbing stand. It should be similar to using a hang-on stand, just faster.

pdislow · Post by **pdislow** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 2:30 am

i have a summit viper and i like it

Normous · Post by **Normous** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 5:23 am

Summit Bullet, light,well made,folds flat and has a front bar which makes a great rest for a crossbow or gun shooter.
Norm

R.J. · Post by **R.J.** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:08 pm

Man I love my climber ! .... I love the way I am able to wander / scout and set up where I find fresh sign .... not where the deer were yesterday , but where the deer were hours before ...

Here is some info from my personal experience = ( believe 50% of what you hear and 100% of what you experience for yourself ! )

I have Summit Viper now ... but when I first got into climbers ... I used a cheap Warren and Sweat Master Climber ( blade style ) ....

Here is a link to a thread from last year where the flexablity of the climber , allowd me to relocate on a deer saw the previous evening and fill my WM80 doe tag ...

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/phpBB2 ... ht=climber

Back in 2002 ... I was invited to hunt on a property I had never been on ... with the late Mikey V. and his friend Rick E. .... They moved to set up in their location and I scouted the property ( face into the wind ) and found a beauty funnel area between two bush lots ...

Found a beauty tree that looked good for an ambush and went up in my climber ...

To make a long story short ... I had a nice 10 point come by me ( see picture in heavy cover ) .... and took him in a 35 yard opening soon after this frame was taken ...

Here is a picture of my gear at the base of that tree ...

My arrow ....

Followed the blood trail to the buck and took a picture with my gear packed on the climber ....

Straight trees are best to climb , but when you get use to the climber you can navigate around some pretty knarly trees !

Not every bush has great straight maples etc .... but here is a shot of Mikey V. climbing a rough bark tree in heavy cover ... the accuracy of the Excalibur crossbow set up allows you to snipe through some minimal openings from an elevated position ... which makes the climber and crossbow a leathal combo !

The climber allowed me the ability to pack in and set up in a tree where I took these two bucks back in 2004 .... it was the last few days of the season ... we were hunting in a group to fill out the last of our tags ...

Hike in a carve a tree in some of the croaked out stands of pine that deer like to travel ...

Some people don't like back packing the climber , but I have never had a problem .... I love to hike aways in and set up on a whim ...

You can squeeze into some nasty heavy cover which gives you a good background .... ( a wicked wall of cedars behind me provides a beauty cover scent as well )

Here is a picture of Chris H. .... hiking way back to an area a few years back ... He still hunts with the same climber and took his first 10 point last fall ....

Anyway .... I really enjoy being " mobile " and the climber " fits the bill " .... has worked out great for me many times in the past = my $0.02

Good luck to all that venture out after whitetails this fall !

fudster · Post by **fudster** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 2:57 pm

thanx rj i'm sold off i go to bass pro at the end of the month. great pics too. i see you are in cambridge. remind me to buy you a coffee if i ever meet you. safe hunting this fall. thanx again!!

Camper · Post by **Camper** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:11 pm

I have a summit cobra and I love it!
Setting up in the dark can be tricky if you don't practice using it.

I wouldn't think twice about getting one, they are so versitile and get you up high in a pinch!
Camper

DropTine · Post by **DropTine** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:59 pm

Nice pics RJ!

JackJack · Post by **JackJack** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:03 pm

If you hunt on public property than I would go with a Summit (specifically the Viper)...it's quite, easy to get on the tree and easy to pack-up. Very light and way more comfortable than the LoneWolf climbers.

If you're hunting on private property then I would put up a 20' ladder or fixed tree stand.

Good luck!

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:58 am

I use a Treewalker. It's probably the best i've ever used. You can check them out here: http://www.treewalkertreestands.com/