I usually use climbing stands, but this being my first year with trad I realized I can't shoot my longbow or any recurce out of my climber cause it has a rail. I am thinking of buying a relativly cheap climber that is open in the front but still has rails on the sides.
Does anyone have any experience with this type of stand? Can you still get a shot off with that rail there? I'm guessing that the only shot you could make is a shot directly in front of you, or slightly right or left depending on which hand is your dominant. And are they harder to climb with since you don't have that rail to sit on?

Thanks
Zack

I killed a deer out of my gorilla greyback climber last year...it has the enclosed frame/rail...also hunt out of a buckshot stand with the rail...haven't had any issues shooting a bow out of it...

David

Shot longbows and recurves many times from a climber with a rail.

all the deer i have killed with a bow have been with a climber. The first one i used didnt have a rail on the front. Ya just have to pay attention-especially if you are use to sitting on the rail.

My Summit had a sit n climb feature where you could lower the rail but I found that it took to long to go up the tree with the sit part so I was using it like a hand climber. Anyway, I found I could just put the bow out over the rail and be fine. I sold the Summit though and now have a Lone Wolf hand climber.

I too do not like shooting stickbows out of treestands with a front rail.  I have an Ole' Man Grand Vision that is probably the best climber out of the stands I have owned and I cannot use it with my longbow.  If I was to return to tree stand hunting, I would use a stand without a front rail.
Dan

I have a summit bushmaster. No rail in the front but it does have ones on the sides. As long as you pay attention to your limbs while shooting to the side you will be fine. I plan to buy their newer model, the openshot, because it dosen't have rails on the sides.

Loggy Bayou climber, no rails.