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MarlinSlayer

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Collierville
Well I've been a lurker for a while and finally decided to participate. I am a self-taught hunter starting my second season. I'll post the story of a turkey my son and I got solo based on the knowledge gleaned on here and youtube. (Finally managed to find the darn crop!)

I grew up in Hawaii and never hunted except for an occasional duck hunt in a neighbors blind (twice in ten years). Last year I said "the heck with it", borrowed a friends climber and just went out and started hunting public land. (All my hunting friends who promised to take me kinda never came through except one really good guy).

So I learned a lot last year with borrowed equipment...(this year I bought A Summit Viper). The harness I used last year was a HSS vest which was nice and I thought I might want to get something like that...maybe the one with the reversible blaze orange....so I wouldnt need to don one more item of clothing. But now I am thinking that I might want to be able to trade out outer layers in the stand as I heat up or cool down. I'm saving the harness that came with the stand for when one of my kids joins me in a ladder on the land I leased.

For a climber ---do you use a vest style or a minimal harness style. Do you wear it under an outer-layer and how does that work? Do you have any recommendations? Last year (Freshman year) I was gun only and got a late start. Right now I'm a gun/muzzy guy (haven't shot the Muzzy yet). Next year I will graduate and attempt to be a super elite archer ;-)

I plan on getting a tree strap with a descent line and hook on with a prussic knot. Even though I know I ought to be able to recover to the stand with a climber, I am still paranoid that since I hunt alone I might need to save myself. Though I won't be climbing the same trees all the time (remember public land) I am justifying the descent line as a dual purpose haul line for my pack.....and I'll use a regular haul-line for my gun.

I am short, and surmise that if I was to fall out of the tree, when the breakaway stitching does it s thing, and I am hanging in the harness, the length of the tether may be such that while hanging there, I couldn't reach the prussic to work it down. I'm thinking about carrying some 550 cord to use as a foot prussic to be able to tie on lower on the descent cord to step into to either work my way up to the harnesss prussic, or just cut the tether over my head and slither down. Provided I keep my keys in my vest, I'll drive home and figure out how to get my stand back later.

So...this is my plan, but I am a neophyte and want some feedback...and some recommendations.....also, bear in mind, that while I've always been in super shape, I'm not at my best.....working on losing some weight before season...and just turned 48 and am aware of my mortality.

Thanks for all the info. See longbeards shortly for the story of my first Turkey with my eldest son this spring
 
Congrats on jumping in and getting to know about hunting!! I wish you the best of luck and hope you kill a monster.

I bought a HSS Ultra Lite last year. Its lighter and not as bulky as the "vest style" harnesses and i really like it. I can wear it in or on the outside of my clothes. I know some people like the ves t style and there good for the pockets and all. But there also very hot in the early bow season
 
I've hunted 25yrs and never wore a safety harness until I promised my old man I would after years of nagging. So I bought the HSS and I hate it. Really I don't care for any of them but I need to get used to it because if I don't my son would adopt the same hunting style as he sees me doing. My only advice find the LIGHTEST one and get it. I walk a lot and the extra weight of that thing ticks me off. I think Gorilla makes a really good one that's light.
 
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I use the HSS with a Summit rope. Been the best combination that works for me. Makes it easy to keep your rope on the tree while you are going up, hunting, and climbing down.
 
I use the harness and rope that came with my summit stand. I walk in with just base layer of clothes on. Put on heavy clothes once i get to tree. Hook stand on tree, then put my safety harness on and up I go. I did not use safety system for years. I thought straps and stuff was to much trouble. But after getting use to it , it is simple. my safety harness is all tangle up straped to my stand. I can now unstrap it , put it on in the dark no problem. Jus takes practice.
 
gator-n-buck said:
I use the HSS with a Summit rope. Been the best combination that works for me. Makes it easy to keep your rope on the tree while you are going up, hunting, and climbing down.
Click to expand...

I googled summit rope. I didn't realize this was being marketed. I made the same setup with some caving rope and cord. Simply tied a double figure of 8 knot on the end and a prusik with the cord.

This has been the quietest and lightest way for me to safely climb.
 
x2 - bought the HSS ultralight, had the HSS vest & did not like it, tree rope with prussic - quiet & fast to adjust when ascending/descending the tree

rem270 said:
I bought a HSS Ultra Lite last year. Its lighter and not as bulky as the "vest style" harnesses and i really like it. I can wear it in or on the outside of my clothes. I know some people like the ves t style and there good for the pockets and all. But there also very hot in the early bow season
Click to expand...
 
gator-n-buck said:
I use the HSS with a Summit rope. Been the best combination that works for me. Makes it easy to keep your rope on the tree while you are going up, hunting, and climbing down.
Click to expand...

x2

If I were buying one this year, I would be buying the HSS Hybrid. It has the pockets that I like, but an open upper that would be cooler. The Summit rope/prussic make it really easy to use with a climber or fixed stands.
 
I have the HSS reversible. Like others have said it is a bit bulky, but it comes in handy during firearms season, when it is cold and I can use it as my blaze orange vest.
 
Taking Hunter Education with my daughter has ALMOST convinced me to buy both of us harnesses. Almost... They're just so darn much trouble in a shooting-rail surrounded 2-person ladder, and they certainly wouldn't save either of us from falling when falling is most likely (climbing and decending the ladder).
 
I have a Spiderwire Livewire connected to my tree strap and the other to my harness carbiner.In the case you fall,it lets you slowly to the ground.Would not climb a tree without it!
 
I like my HSS vest. I always put it on at the truck under my outermost layer. This means no fumbling with it in the dark and no noisy buckles banging on stands,steps, cams, etc.
 
Aloha! Welcome to the site and to hunting! I've been fortunate to be able to hunt Hawaii a few times. It was awesome - especially the turkey hunting on the Big Island! If you go back I highly recommend it.

I started with a HSS vest about 5 years ago. I did not like the vest for a number of reasons, so I switched to the lighter and less bulky Muddy harness. I liked it a lot. After additional research, I've since switched to a Black Diamond Bod rock climbing harness. It's the best option I've used so far. If I fall I will not be dangling from a tether behind my head like I would with a typical treestand harness such as a HSS or Muddy. I will instead be dangling from a tether in front of my waist, and I will simply pull myself back onto my stand if I'm using my climber or back onto my stand or tree steps if I'm using a hangon.

Like Wrangler95 mentioned, there are tree descent systems that you can buy that will lower you to the ground in the event of a fall. DownSafe makes one for about $80. Here is a video of it in action.

DownSafe Descender System

Honestly, I was surprised to learn that BSK doesn't wear a harness.
 
I just bought a Gorilla harness. I got it because it was basically straps instead of a vest or coat incorporated set up. It's easy to use and not restrictive but it's not the only system like that on the market. I don't like the flat straps that attach to the tree and will probably go with a rope type system like Summit.
 

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