New to climbers

[Big Tasty]

Newbie here. Last year was my first real hunting season, outside of hunting when I was younger. I have a few ladder stands that I'm currently using at my lease, however I'm starting to realize how much more mobility I'd have with a climber. Just wondering if you guys have any advice for a beginner. As you can imagine, it's pretty intimidating for a first timer, with no one to show me how to properly use it. I've watched lots of videos on youtube, but they seem to intimidate me even more. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[deerhunter10]

first I would suggest getting a summit or an api. they are good solid stands that grip the tree good. another thing especially for a first time user I still do this and highly recommend anyone doing this, is to get a good safety harness like hss and connect from at the bottom before you get started and never un hook til your down. number two make sure you tie the top and bottom together. third is practice setting it up and climbing in your yard, to get use to it and feel confident in it. then I would atleast the first few times is set it up where you want to in the day light as you get to it. just make sure your confident and comfortable before you use it.

 

[Super8]

Picking the right tree is also critical.
Making sure it is healthy, making sure no dead trees are nearby that can blow down while you are hunting.
Slick bark trees also are not a good choice if your climber does not bite into them.
Also if the tree tapers off too quickly you will not have a good grip if you climb too high.
Practice 3-4 feet off the ground until you feel safe and wear a harness.

 

[Vermin93]

No climber grips a tree better than a Treewalker. If you live anywhere near Knoxville, then call the guys at Treewalker and go see them in Seymour, TN. They will show you the stands, let you try them on their demo tree and give you a lot of pointers. I went and saw them and bought mine right there after I tried one. It's an awesome climber and I am fearless in mine regardless of what kind of tree I want to climb.

 

[David]

Tried to use one once I was nervous wreck. Will stick to my ladder and tripod stands and if I want to go elsewhere ill sit on the ground

 

[catman529]

just wear a harness, and connect the top to the bottom of the stand with several feet of rope. That way you wont knock the bottom out from under you accidentally. Climbing is real simple, took me 2 or 3 climbs to get used to. Some stands grip better than others, but I wouldn't worry about that unless I was on a slippery tree. I have hunted out of a hackberry and the stand wanted to slip on me more than once. But, that's the seat that slips if you shift your weight. Where your weight is, should not slip. If you climb an oak, walnut, or other thick barked tree, it should bite good and you won't go anywhere. Last year was my first year using a climber so I am no veteran. But I will say there really is nothing to it... just remember safety (harness) attached all the way up and down, and keep the two parts of the climber tied together with rope. I hunted from 10 to 50 feet out of my old climber last year, and now I have another one that will be more comfortable. Eventually will get a Summit for ultimate comfort and light weight.

 

[spur necklace 3]

If you use a climber like an Ol' Man, which are very good, safe stands, never, never, NEVER, attempt to adjust either the top or bottom off the ground to conform to the diameter of the tree. Most trees will get smaller the higher you go, to compensate for this you need to put both top and bottom at a slight angle at the bottom so they'll be level when you get to where you want to be. But at some point, you will not get the angle right at the bottom of the tree. You'll be tempted to take the pin out and adjust up in the tree. DO NOT DO THIS. If you were to accidentally drop the pin, you're in trouble. Climb down, adjust the angle, go back up, no matter how many minutes it will cost you. Some climbers allow you to adjust your angle in the tree, so you wouldn't have to worry about this.

Also, if you have one that can't adjust in the tree, here's a tip to save time on the angles mentioned above. If you climb a tree, and at some point in time you may climb it again, keep track of exactly what position you want the stand to be in. You could do it on your phone. I take a piece of paper, fold it in half 3 or 4 times until it will fit in a sandwich bag, then put it in a sandwich bag with a pen. When I climb a tree for the first time, I can figure out exactly what hole I need the pin in for both the top and bottom portions of the stand. For example, if I climb a tree opening day, I can figure out that I need to put the pin in the 2nd hole on the top part, and the 4th hole on the bottom part to have it perfectly level in the tree. I write that down on my piece of paper with a name for the tree, so that the next time I hunt it there's no guesswork when it comes to putting the stand on the tree at the bottom. It's saved me alot of time over the years.

If you bowhunt, I prefer the bow holders that fit directly on to the stand. I have had a few of the holders that screw into the tree break off, even had one break the first time I used it. And some places don't allow you to use screw in tree steps.

 

[Rubberduck270]

YouTube taught me how to use them. Practice a lot in day light before you try to do it in the dark . ALWAYS wear your harness and let someone know where you're going to be climbing at before you head to the woods.

 

[spur necklace 3]

If you climb a tree, and you have a good idea of which direction most of the deer will come from, position the stand to face the opposite direction. You can get away with more movement because you'll have the tree between you and the deer, and can brace a firearm against the tree to help keep it steady when taking a shot.

Early season, don't go crazy and get too high above the canopy, you won't have any shooting lanes if you do, and there's really no need to.

 

[UTGrad]

Practice with it at home to get comfortable with it.

Also learn how to nest it together and un nest it quietly.

 

[stik]

Tried to use one once I was nervous wreck. Will stick to my ladder and tripod stands and if I want to go elsewhere ill sit on the ground

I know of more people injured in ladders than climbers. I feel much safer/secure in my summit than any ladder I have ever been in.

NEVER,EVER climb without a fall restraint from the time you leave the ground until you are back on the ground. as others said, plenty of preseason practice.

 

[Mag]

If you're close I'd be happy to go with you to practice. I have an extra Gorilla climber you could use to get more comfortable.

 

[TNRazorback]

Don't try to carry anything while you're climbing. Here's my system. Paracord hoist rope clipped to climber on one end and to my backpack on the ground on the other. I typically setup with the top of the climber at 25 ft up, so that's how long my hoist rope is. If you want to be higher or lower, you can tie knots 5 ft apart to help gauge height. Retrieval reel attached to my bag and to my bow/firearm (unloaded). Once my bag is up, attach it to stand with carabiner I have on my bag, then pull up the weapon. Adjust slack and leave it on so no danger of dropping it. Have another carabiner attached to the climber shoulder straps, clip my backpack so that it hangs off the back of the climber when I'm carrying it in.

 

[LanceS4803]

All great tips above. I did get the accessory bags that attach to my climber.

I got a Summit last year on a Wed night.
Watched the youtube videos and then practiced with it on Thu.
Put it up on Fri morning and 30 minutes later had my deer on the ground.
Needless to say, I'm hooked. Not to try out a lock-on!

 

[Big Tasty]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. This certainly helps out a lot!

Mag- PM Sent.

 

[GreyGoose]

practice and wear a harness.i from personnal experience will say that just when you thank you have go it down then slap yourself and face reality.untill you have slipped,dropped,fallen,dropped again and puckered up then you have not even begun to have a climber experience.be careful and realize that you and gravity are the same

 

[Boone 58]

Go Summit, Sd I believe, 16#s..........you will never regret it! Light weight if worth the extra investment!!!

 

[plinker22]

I will second the TreeWalker Stand suggestion. Grips the tree like a vice and very quiet.

Like Mag, if you are in the East TN area, I will be more than happy to show you the how to. Visual learning is easiest for me, as it is with most.

 

[Scioto]

first I would suggest getting a summit or an api. they are good solid stands that grip the tree good. another thing especially for a first time user I still do this and highly recommend anyone doing this, is to get a good safety harness like hss and connect from at the bottom before you get started and never un hook til your down. number two make sure you tie the top and bottom together. third is practice setting it up and climbing in your yard, to get use to it and feel confident in it. then I would atleast the first few times is set it up where you want to in the day light as you get to it. just make sure your confident and comfortable before you use it.

^^^ This ^^^

 

[Scioto]

Tried to use one once I was nervous wreck. Will stick to my ladder and tripod stands and if I want to go elsewhere ill sit on the ground

I know of more people injured in ladders than climbers. I feel much safer/secure in my summit than any ladder I have ever been in.

NEVER,EVER climb without a fall restraint from the time you leave the ground until you are back on the ground. as others said, plenty of preseason practice.

^^^ This too ^^^

I like a ladder stand but have always felt most secure in my Summit climber.

 

[wlf89]

just picked up a used summit and love it cant wait to try it out this season

 

[volsgo1]

TreeWalker bites the tree like a pit bull

 

[Winchester]

I didn't read all the replies, but definitely, tie the top and bottom sections together in case you lose the bottom while climbing. Also wear a Harness at all times!

 

[RUGER]

I am going to say this again, no matter what, no matter how far you walked from your truck before you remembered it, no matter what, wear a safety harness.

Now that everyone has covered some GREAT tips and how to's, I will take it a step farther as for beginners tips.

Once you get to climbing and venture out more I figure you will climb the same tree on more than one occasion.

When you get to your hunting height (let the canopy and terrain dictate it, not the pressure from tv that says you must be 30' up to kill a deer) stick you a bright eyes or something like that in the tree.

Believe it or not it is pretty easy to kind of "corkscrew" around the tree as you go up and in total darkness you can get all set up and ready to go only to realize you are not on the same side of the tree you wanted to be on.

Seriously.

 

[-DRM-]

I am not allowed to give advice on this because I'll climb some TINY trees (I love swaying back and forth 3' when 30' in the air!), never wear a harness, and generally break every other safety rule of using a climber.

Wait - there it is: Don't do any of the things I do!

 

[TNRazorback]

I have a Summit Viper SD and highly recommend it. If you're doing much walking to get to your spots and there's good chance of harvesting game, get you a game cart. No need in chancing a cardiac event over deer sausage.

 

[Orion6]

Summits are indeed great. When they first went to the cable setup years ago I did not like the looks of it, but they hold the tree well and are super comfortable.

You'd be hard pressed to find a better climber.

From my experience, like others have said, 15-20 feet is plenty depending on where you are. WEAR THE HARNESS EVERY TIME. If your harness that you get from the manufacturer of the stand is too cheap, go buy a Muddy or Hunter's Safety System harness. It's a small investment that might save your life.

 

[Poleaxe]

I've got 2 summit goliaths and 2 summit vipers and I feel safe enough to take a nap in them sometimes. Doesn't matter if you've hunted out of one for 20yrs there won't be a season pass when u don't make a mistake on the platform adjustment. It's always better to have it slopping down a bit than slopping upward. I have to climb down and readjust probably 5-6 times a year. Give yourself the extra time to get in the woods in case it does happen. Stay away from the bear trees. Always find one with some cover on it. A climbing stand hunters best friend is a pair of ratchet pruners in case u have to trim out some limbs in order to get into the cover. White Oaks and Maples are good soft trees. Pinoaks don't have enough to bite into. Pine trees are to noisy. And always remember. NEVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES AND I MEAN EVEN IF THERES ONLY ONE TREE TO CLIMB. NEVER CLIMB A SCALEY BARK HICKORY. Like some mentioned. Buy the side saddle bags. Load Em up with what u need then take about half of it out. All u need in Em is pruners, license, knife, rope, flashlight, and drink. Hope this helps.

 

[stik]

Buy the side saddle bags. Load Em up with what u need then take about half of it out. All u need in Em is pruners, license, knife, rope, flashlight, and drink. Hope this helps.

I would add a camera.

 

[plinker22]

If you use a climber like an Ol' Man, which are very good, safe stands, never, never, NEVER, attempt to adjust either the top or bottom off the ground to conform to the diameter of the tree. Most trees will get smaller the higher you go, to compensate for this you need to put both top and bottom at a slight angle at the bottom so they'll be level when you get to where you want to be. But at some point, you will not get the angle right at the bottom of the tree. You'll be tempted to take the pin out and adjust up in the tree. DO NOT DO THIS. If you were to accidentally drop the pin, you're in trouble. Climb down, adjust the angle, go back up, no matter how many minutes it will cost you. Some climbers allow you to adjust your angle in the tree, so you wouldn't have to worry about this.

Very good point. Dropped my pin one morning before daylight... it made for a very TENSE couple of hours. :crazy:

Also, if you have one that can't adjust in the tree, here's a tip to save time on the angles mentioned above. If you climb a tree, and at some point in time you may climb it again, keep track of exactly what position you want the stand to be in. You could do it on your phone. I take a piece of paper, fold it in half 3 or 4 times until it will fit in a sandwich bag, then put it in a sandwich bag with a pen. When I climb a tree for the first time, I can figure out exactly what hole I need the pin in for both the top and bottom portions of the stand. For example, if I climb a tree opening day, I can figure out that I need to put the pin in the 2nd hole on the top part, and the 4th hole on the bottom part to have it perfectly level in the tree. I write that down on my piece of paper with a name for the tree, so that the next time I hunt it there's no guesswork when it comes to putting the stand on the tree at the bottom. It's saved me alot of time over the years.

I do this exact thing. I have favorite trees from Tn and Oh programed in my phone for my climber. Here is a portion of that list...