For the folks that use the treesaddle, do you prefer to set up your trees with screw in steps (legal in CT) or use climbing sticks. I'm on the fence. Last year I used LW Sticks, but found they don't get me high enough by themselves so I had to screw in steps too. Just curious how you set up your trees?
I use sticks. I also carry them on notched foam blocks on a Dwight Schuh pack frame- very slick and quiet. Also had a friend design a "T" type platform device to place in the top stick that gives a small platform.
Dan in KS
Stick are the ticket with the tree saddle.
I use sticks with some stands and EZ Cut hand drill and step bolts with others.
KSdan, do you have any pics of that platform devise you can share with us? Been thinking on this myself and could use ideas.
Depending on what kind of climbing sticks you use, you can buy 4 foot extensions.
I use the woodpecker drill and 3/8" grade 8 bolts. Once you drill the tree, you can use the same holes all season. Makes for fast ups and downs. Easier to carry too, if drillin' is legal in your woods.
those steps are scary i dont know anyone who has used them but id be afraid to fall and catch one
Its funny cause the grass always seems greener! In MI screw in steps are illegal and the lease I have the land owner doesnt allow them either. Anyhow I use my treesaddle less and less cause of the pain on setting up 4 lone wolf sticks and a ratchet strap of 5 ameristep steps as a base every time in and out. So I thought the best use of the saddle would be John Eberhart style with pre done screw in steps and bases around my spots and only screwing in a few steps at the bottom each time. Looks like everyone else feels otherwise though!
I use rapid rails to get up in the tree. I make my base with 3 screw-in steps and the top of the last rail. If the tree is one I'm going to go back to another hunt, I'll leave the screw-in steps in the tree. Makes it real easy and quick to get set-up on my return hunt. I do remove the steps at the end of the season.
Some places I have trees set up with screw in steps. Other places I use 4 Lone Wolf Sticks. It is definitely easier and quicker to hunt the areas I have the trees set-up with steps.
Check out Climb Paws. They are easy and quiet to put up. These strap-on steps weigh about 5 lbs for 10. I have carried them around my neck and shoulder and also in a pack. They take a few minutes longer to set up than LW sticks but they're perfect for carrying.
I'm with huntin sparty they seem like it takes longer than my climber to get up a tree. I believe the best way to use a Tree Saddle is to have steps or sticks set up in a tree already so you can run in a climb up . Just my opinion, but they are nice.
I set up my trees in advance for the Saddle. If and when I'm using it, I want to be as quick and quiet as possible.
I use the ezy-cut hand drill and bolts with my Guidos web
If it is a stand that I know I will hunt a lot in the year. I will use screw in steps (private only in arkansas) Every where elese I use Lone wolf sticks and the EXsystem and at the top use 6 ameristep strap on steps that I put on one ratchet step.
Thanks
Boswell
I modified one of my lonewolf steps. I attached an aluminum "C" shaped channel bar across the top. It is big enough for my feet to stand on and adds very little weight. I can't walk all the way around the tree, but I still can get shots in most directions. My pack hangs on the side that I can't move around to anyway. With this setup, when I get to the top of the steps all I have to do is tie on. I dont' have to mess with my platform--it's already on my top step. I never walked around the tree anyway.
I just purchased an Eberlestock X2 pack and it works perfectly to carry my leather saddle and lonewolf steps.
One more thing that I found that helps me. I take a couple of flat brass bars to use to hang my pack and bow. I bend them to the correct shape and slide them under the strap that holds the saddle. This way you don't have to screw anything into the tree or bring another strap.
I use strap-steps going up the tree and a ring of 4 for my feet to work around the tree.
I have a home made woodpecker style hand drill and the 3/8" bolts. I use the game tracker strap on steps at the top. I put three steps on a single strap for a platform. I had the lone wolf steps and didn't care for them. Some folks love them, but they are not for me.
I bought a " woodpecker" type drill last month to replace all my various tree sticks for this year. Not 100% sold on the 3/8 bolt system. I drilled a hole in an elm and my 250 # took the step from 2 o'clock to 5 oclock when I added weight. Basically I'll have to lose about 50# which I need to do or only hunt out of hard woods
joebuck, you need to drill/climb only hardwoods, like oak and hickory. :)
Or buy a longer bolt and bit...
What about go up to a 1/2" system and have a machine shop make me a 1/2" auger.? Will tree recover from a 1/2" hole?
You need to "drill" deeper!
joebuck,
I am a little confused ? Did your bolts bend that much or did the softer elm tree allow the bolts to sag as the wood compressed under you ?
Agreed about hunting hardwoods only, we do not climb populars or pines here in TN. We use GRADE 8 bolts that are 3/8" X 8" and have no problems and I am 220lbs. I drill my holes in hardwoods at about 2 o'clock as well. Not sure if a 1/2" system would benefit you or not ?
I drill four holes at the top for foot platform. tried the 4 steps on a ratchet strap, what a pain to get tight enough that it does not shift on you and did I mention the noise and weight of the system ? I carry 16 or 18 bolts depending on where I am. I also try my best to hunt a spot the first time on a evening hunt if I can. That way I can take my time and also know exactly how high to get the first time. Next trip in just slip in your bolts and sneak up the tree. JMHO
Almost forgot joebuck.... If I remember right I had heard that Jerry Simmons, who invented the Woodpecker, had a small tree in his yard that he had drilled hundreds of holes in to prove it would not harm a tree ???
the bolts just cut through the elm tree. I may get a washer and have it tack weld at end of bolt to give my boot more protection from slipping off......I use screw in and/or TreeStepps for my platform. It's that old rope step from the guy in Maine. I made mine a 2 point base instead of 1 points. It's an awesome base........
Steve O with your engineering mind, the longer the bolt ,the more leverage and more it would cut through the tree like soft woods? So going to a 10" would only be worse? Ihope to be 220 by oct 1. Definitely something to set a goal for
Joey--have your engineering mind think of a teeter-totter ;) .
I said to get a longer bolt AND drill bit.
I used tree steps for a LONG time, ever since I started hunting.... Until SSWV stepped on one and it pulled out of the tree, gravity took over and he caught the inside of his arm on the next step down.... The brachial artery could be seen as the blood pulsed through it.
I no longer use steps.
Beartrack. Was this the screw in kind ? Or the kind you drill a hole and insert a bolt? I use only Cranford (EZY Steps)
joebuck, I too tried some screw in steps for my foot platform the first few hunts out of my Guidos Web. What I found was that the step would turn on me when I pushed against it sometimes. Think about it, when you push with your right foot you are actually turning the step left and hence out of the tree, loosening it in the process. Now if I had taken a little more time and screwed it in deeper that might not be the case ? Bolts are just easier for me and always solid. JMHO
They were the screw in kind. He used a small drill bit to start the holes and screw em in.
I actually have retired 3 folding Cranfords because they bent.
No cam. What's best dip for my bolts.......plastic or truck liner? You add sand don' u?..I got 2 small saddlebags that clip on each side of guide seat..I am ready to rock with this system
Heh bud,
I used Plastidip that I bought at Great Northern Tool. Not sure if they have stores in MS, but you can bu online too I am sure. It is in a tall can that looks almost like a tube of grease and even has a pull top like a a tube of grease. I thinned it with Xylene and added sand. Dipped my bolts three coats to keep them quiet and give me traction. I am sure bedliner stuff would work too. If I remember right I priced it at Advance Auto and even a quart can was pretty pricey.
Here are a few videos that I did on the tree saddle. I am a trophyline pro staff member I did these for another fourm for but thought you guys might like to take a look.
Tree Saddle Ratchet Strap Platform (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaXNqAQ0FkE)
Tree Saddle Tree Seat Platform (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbvOwmuOpBE)
Tree Saddle Shooting a Longbow Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HO3SH8FfLI)
Tree Saddle Shooting a Longbow Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLzUcHZxG5c)
Look around there are a few more good videos on there as well,
Thanks
Boswell
Thats good stuff Boswell. Thanks for sharing. I have been hunting out of a Guido Web for 4 years now and hunt without my shoulder straps and manuever just like you do around the tree....it's kind of fun swinging around isn't !
RACHET Strap!!......have not thought of that for the 6 step platform..i'm 250 with gear and could not ever get that strap tight but rachet makes sense...will try
QuoteOriginally posted by baretraks:
I used tree steps for a LONG time, ever since I started hunting.... Until SSWV stepped on one and it pulled out of the tree, gravity took over and he caught the inside of his arm on the next step down.... The brachial artery could be seen as the blood pulsed through it.
I no longer use steps.
This is why when climbing one always need to have 3 points of contact. When I used to rock climb, that was essential... 3 points at all times. Plus the saddle has a climbing harness...
I strung up 7 amersteps on a rachet strap and was pleased with the results. However the steps did creak a little bit against the bark. I jumped up and down to set them also. My rachet looks heavy duty and my strap is twice as thick as one on the ameristep. Will do some more testing. Obviuosly this system is only as good or safe as the rachet used...
Do you guys wash your saddle and spray it down before you hunt? How do you treat it for scent?
Throw it in a big tupperware box with some scent waffers then leave it in there all the time, comes out smelling like dirt.
joebuck I want to hunt close to you when you start cranking on that ratchet strap in the morning ! No leaves on, about 20 degrees and dead quiet morning..... best spot will be somewhere other than where you are, haha !!! All I need is to know where the thickest cover is close to your tree ?
Boswell, with all due respect the reason I ditched the ratchet strap was the NOISE, weight, shifting steps, time to set up. With the Woodpecker and bolts you can hold all you need to climb a tree in one hand. If it is a repeat hunt just slip your bolts in and away you go in total silence. Only downfall to this system is if you are hunting where you cannot use screw in steps or drill a tree. JMHO
Great responses here gents... well I found 4 of the climbing sticks on the big auction site for $160. I know that will get me up the tree high enough. Using the ratcheting base, that seems like a very mobile option... that said, its a pain to set those things up as you climb though... plus I'd have to have a base set up and some guys are commenting about noise... seems that I should pick my trees and `use screw in ameristeps... gonna cost about the same as the LW sticks in the longrun cause I'll need quite a few to set up all the trees I will hunt this season plus a practice tree in my yard. So, I guess I am still torn between the 2... I tend to scout when hunting a lot, so mobility may be the deciding factor here... that and final cost.
Boswell, thanks for the idea on the saddle. It is out on my deck airing out right now and will get a bit of a leaf-rub-down in a few weeks.
NoCams.....i'll have to be stealth for sure...actually i'll leave it up in the tree....i scatter several platforms across the woods and take down steps sometimes although i'm growing fond of steel ladder sticks..just connect and forget about it...
Mr pehgiun...if you have not bought Ameristeps yet.........buy the EZ Steps from Cranford manufacturing..the self tapping screw is the bomb....trust me on this
A stealth ratchet strap, hmmmm....... I have not seen one of those yet ??? Yep, me too on the ladder sticks joebuck.... Only problem with those where we live is they tend to walk off when you least expect it. You are also advertising your spot if you are not on private ground. That is one of the other real reasons I use the Woodpecker and bolts. Never have to make a donation to the crack head thieves that seem to roam the woods these days looking for a easy $$$.
Best case scenario is private land and a BIG ole 25" X 34" Big Game or Gorilla hang on that is nice and comfy ! Hang it Sept 1 and take it down in Jan. Oh well, guess we can still dream.... ? JMHO
Your right NoCams on that...i'm lucky that i hunt private land.....it's funny the weird looks i get from fellow club hunters from my trail camera standing under my tree peering up at my platform steps......most how ever do not see em. i got my 3/8 bolts dipped yesterday with Bedliner and they are drying now....hope the woodpecker works for me..i'm 250# with all hunting gear on.....we'll see....i have to wait till late september i guess to drill becasue of sap here in MS
Excellent videos Boswell! I picked up a few new tricks to try.
Nocams,
I haven't had any problems with noise at all. When I need to set up quiet I will pull it tight and then put my finger infront of the locking part (part with spring that causes the clicking noise) and this will make the ratchet strap almost silent. As for them moving after you tighten them Im a 140lbs and never hand any problems with it when i was hunting. But like you on private ground in arkansas I have pre set stand sights with the old folding style steps (larger are easier on the feet). With a 5 gallon bucket full I can have up to 10 or 12 pre hung stand sights.
The key to getting the height right on a pre hung stand is to put a trail tack to small tac in the tree where the top of your ladder stick contacts the tree before you step on it. This way you put every stick in the same spot each time.
Thanks
Boswell
Boswell, i noticed you use the Gorilla seat as a base. Your 140 and i'm 240..how rock solid is it? I have toyed around for years with a base idea.....How you tried other TreeSeats for a base? is Gorilla the sturdiest? thanks
well, there is the answer joebuck..... We is just too fat bud, haha !!! I gotta get after it before season gets here and ditch about 15lbs ! Seen a bumper sticker on a huge 4 X 4 truck a few years ago that almost describes me now.... The sticker read..... " Jack 'em up high, fat girls can't climb ! "
That Boswell can climb around like a spider monkey, I look like a silver back !
Lone wolf makes a platform but at $240 it's stiff. Plus you have to buy the harness too which I do not want.
I wish I could weld. I have the perfect platform in my head
Joebuck,
The tree seat isn't the most sturdy thing in the world if you are leaning aganist it, If your just standing with your feet on it it is fine. But if you are pushing on the side of it will wiggle just a little bit.
Thanks
Boswell
TTT for Joel
I searched for ezy-cut hand drill but could not locate this item. Is this just your name for a Simmons Woodpecker or is this some other item?
Thanks,
James
QuoteOriginally posted by RLA:
I use the ezy-cut hand drill and bolts with my Guidos web
No Cams is right, Boswell is from the South and he might not get as many single digit, calm mornings like us Yankees get. Nevertheless, i've watched all of this dudes youtubes on the TS. He's a huge with learning to use this product. I just bought Climb Paws and they actually make steps for the top called Top Paws (imagine that) for use of tree saddles. I must say, i'm getting itchy about a Guido's Web. That looks like an awesome product.
Redneck,
Your are right, If I see a day where there temp is in the single digit, I can tell you my butt is gonna be in the warm bed. Teens is about as low as I can go, Im 6 feet 140 soaking wet so I get cold fast. Thanks for the complements on the videos, I did them for another form and trophyline took notice and made me a prostaff member. Ill do all I can to help you guys and answer any questons.
Thanks
Boswell
Use the tree saddle, leather the most comfortable. Rapid rails, or Lone Wolf climbing sticks. Also use their Assassin platform for the a base to put my feet on. Knee pads are a must. Can really swing around.