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adjusting to tappering tree with a climber....

J

jason

Guest
Well I've had my climber for a couple of years now, but haven't really used it much because I don't care for them. But since I spent the money on it, I'm not letting it hang in the garage any more. I plan to use it alot more this year during gun season.
But to make the most of my use of the stand, I was just wondering how do you compensate for the tappering of the tree. When you start out at the trunk of the tree it could be 25 inches around, and 10 to 15 feet up it can be 15 to 20 inches, then my climber startes to angle down! What should I do??
Thanks and good hunting
Jason
 
First of all wear you safety harness. Next, I would suggest having the platform angled more than you think it should be at the bottom of the tree and once you reach the elevation you feel comfortable, make adjustments from there if your treestand will cooperate . My experience with climbers are that it is easier to adjust them if they are angled up than if they are angled down. And what ever you do... do not let go of the cable when making the adjustments.
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No seriously I think experience with the climbers makes a big difference when it comes to judging the angle you need to start out at. Good luck.
 
agree with dirtball, will add once in awhile even then you still need to adjust midway up the tree. Just be careful when doing it. I would recommend trying your pings to your stand or your cable to your stand when you need to adjust. Just in case..
 
I've dropped a pin trying to adjust in mid-climb-not a good thing! It takes practice, but like the above posts say- angle more than you think at the bottom. And wear your harness on the way up (and down), it's easier than you think.
 
take a half an hour and find a tree in your yard or somewhere near by and practice putting it on and climbing up! i tend to put my climber at a 30-35 degree angle on the tree at the base, i have found that this is usually the anlgle that seems to level out on any tree at about 20-25 feet. good luck
 
Thanks for the advice guys! I have practiced with it a few times trying to be quiet with it and trying to be very speedy setting it up. But I've had little luck!! And believe me, I've thought about selling it too!!!
Jason
 
I figured that Limb Chicken would post a promo for the Lone Wolf hang on but Avidhunter beat him to it. Avidhunter is right, but I think once you get the hang of it you will be satisfied. I have a Summit Viper Xls and when I have everything set perfect I could sit there all day. It is that comfortable.
 
This is an area that I teach as a Iowa Hunters Safety Instructor. The points that have been discussed are very important and valid. When using a climbing stand, you must always compensate for trees narrowing as you get to the top. I have started with an angle of nearly 20-30 degrees when climbing some trees. If you find that your stand is starting to angle down on your climb up the tree, that is the time to stop, climb back down and readjust with more angle, then climb back up. This process takes less time than one would think and will prevent an accident from happening. Always wear a safety harness, preferably a full body harness and not one just around your waist, during all phases of being in a tree stand.

Joe
 
i have a summit viper and i would'nt trade it for anything you have to put it on the right angle just keep practicing you will end up loving it
 
I bought my first climber this year. I have hunted with it three times now and shot my first deer out of it this evening. I am sold!!

I did learn a valuable lesson last night with it. Like Joe said, look at the tree you want to climb. Start out at the base with a nice 20 - 30* angle then head up. I got up about 7 -8 feet and the platform was already angling down in the front. I sat there for 2 1/2 hours and could not get comfortable. Tonight I made sure I had a good angle on it and sat there for 2 hours in great comfort with the results every hunter wants!

Great versital way to hunt, and I am planning on useing it way more than I use a fixed stand from now on.

JMHO
 
i'll come in and beat on this horse as well...

getting used to a climber takes practice. once you realize how your stand works you'll be able to walk up to a tree and know exactly how to set your stand at the bottom to come out with a flat platform at the top. i'm using an API Superstar and have been exclusively for the past 3 seasons. adding a lone wolf hang on this year has made me incredibly versatile. if i am going to an area i know i can use my API i'm in business. if i'm scouting a new area i take the LW because it can go up ANY tree for the most part.

i suggest practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more. if you don't mind me asking, what kind of stand do you own??
 
Summit Viper X4, API Grnad Slam Extreme, and purchasing a Summit Goliath X4 simply because I am a bigger hunter.
 
The problem with any climber is that you need to either find the perfect tree, or make sure you prep yer tree way in advance... otherwise you might have to do a lot of pruning just to get up the tree -or worse, you might settle for an inferior tree to setup in. Why bother with a climber when you can simply strap on a couple Lone Wolf climbing sticks in a flash, and then quickly strap on yer stand...
I can just about guarantee that anyone who purchases the climbing sticks and hang-on stand, will wonder how they ever hunted without them
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Avid, while you do have a point, you must realize that climbers accomplish a couple of things. One, you don;t have to worry about it being stolen, and two, you can most always read just when the wind shifts directions.

Permanent and climbers both serve their own purpose respectfully. I am considering buying a couple permanent stands for two hunters so that I cna take my kids hunting. I do not want them in a climber just yet, but they will be sometime in the near future, after practicing on some tree in our yard first.

There is no "perect tree", but finding one that works is not hard. I would guess that those hunters that settle on an inferior tree shouldn't be using a climber in the first place. It simply is not worth the risk involved. Pruning a tree while climbing is not a hard task and takes very little time with a climber, with the proper tools.

I would encourage my fellow hunters to try all variations of tree stand hunting, including climbers, sticks, and ladder stands. I myself do not care for climbing sticks because of my size. By the time you get your climbing sticks put up safely, then climb them, and put up your stand, I guarantee you that I can already be where I want to be with my climber and bow in hand. I don't want to fight ahanging a tree stand when I am 25 feet in the air. Besides, you are putting stress on your harness by bearing your body weight on it whiel you are hanging your stand.

These are just my opinions.

Joe
 
I'm not sure what the weight rating is on the climbing sticks?

However, with the hang-on stand, you don't have to worry about theft - since you take it down when you are done hunting for the day.

Not sure why you couldn't "read when the wind shifts directions" while sitting in your hang-on stand?

You would be surprised how quickly you can strap on the climbing sticks and hang the stand - and you never have to worry about doing a lot of pruning, or having to find a perfectly straight tree without any low perpendicular branches... the sticks and hang-on combo is much more versatile and should be quicker than any climber once you get the "hang" of it
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i can't blame a guy for wanting to stick with a climber OR stick with the sticks and hang on. it's a matter of what a person likes best and is most comfortable with. a bigger guy would definately like the climbers as you have a frame around your whole body at all times for the most part. makes a brother feel A LOT safer when climbing and hunting. sticks make me feel like i'm hanging out in the breeze and one little slip you're chunks on the ground. safety wise i like my climber best, versataility wise i like my lone wolf set ups. i use both regularly and can't really decide which i like best over the other. it depends on my attitude or the area i'm hunting that day. if i know the area has good trees in goes the climber, if i'm going somewhat blind into an area i take the wolf. each stand set up has it's pros and cons and each person sees those pros and cons differently.
 
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