Cougar Mag

Using sticks or steps, who here carries a hangon strapped to their back, hangs it, and then when taking it down is able to carry it back down on their back? Just curious, thinking of selling my new climber, buying a Lone Wolf Assault with LW sticks with the thought of carrying it on my back going up, and carrying it on my back as I go down. Quick and quiet as long as its safe.

YooperMike

Hanging lock ons is about the most unsafe we as hunters can do. Are you just tired of the climber? I'm not the bravest guy in the world when it comes to climbing on sticks and stuff, so for me, hanging them once a year is enough!

Rob/PA Bowyer

I disagree as long as your using your climbing aids..ie safety vest/belts etc....

rybohunter

I've done it a couple times. I intend on doing it more. I think the more you do it the easier it gets. I've often thought about completely bagging the climber, using my LW stix & light weight hang on and just be able to go in any tree, instead of straight branchless ones.

SteveO KanevO

I do and it sucks........bad. But I like hunting out of them because you dont have to have a perfecto tree and you can hang in some awesome cover. So there are advantages and disadvantages.

brucelanthier

Besides the tree saddle I also have a LW assault that I use with climbing sticks. I climb up and down with it on my back. You just need to make sure you use the rope as a flipline so that you are "connected" to the tree when hanging the sticks or the stand.

Edit: I don't use a climbing stand. I find the tree saddle and the LW assault give me all I need in the tree stand dept.

Cougar Mag

Not at all, I love it in fact. But some of the areas I hunt have changed and some different areas I now hunt do not always allow for good trees in using my climber. To hunt the edges of fields, sometimes its hard to find a suitable tree for a climber and hunting a fencerow.....well, forget a climber. I've also noticed that while using a climber I find myself getting deeper within the woods in most cases. In early season I prefer to be nearer the edges where trails enter. Besides, over the years I've taken my best bucks along woods edges, not inside the woods.

Cougar Mag

My thoughts exactly rybohunter!

brucelanthier

I wrote this in another thread:

I haven't used any other climbing sticks but the LW's are very easy to use and, after using them as much as I have so far, I can be very quick about getting up the tree with them. I use 3 and put the bottom one on kind of high so I have to pull myself up onto it. I use the locking strap that holds the 3 pack together to attach another one to me belt and carry the another up in one hand. I climb to the top of the first stick and attach the second one as high as I can and still climb onto it and then attach the 3rd when I get to the top of the 2nd one. When I get to the top of the 3rd one I either screw in my steps (private land now) or I will attach my homemade platform (on public) or I will hang my LW assault. After I am situated in my saddle I pull up my bow. Done. I can be up about 20+ feet in about 15 minutes.

pm69442

I use a climber, a Tree Saddle, and a LW Assault with climbing sticks. But then again I'm getting older--56--heavier, and also am recovering from an extended, bed ridden illness that really saps your strength and your MUSCLE TONE.
I've always explored alternative systems to hunting public lands for their ease of use, portability, safety---especially since you can't always just leave the system up on public land for extended periods of time or by the time they're installed, you don't have the strength to hunt!
I personally believe that lock ons are the safest--ONCE INSTALLED. But the variability of the Tree Saddle in all situations is the best system on the market. You just have to get used to using it and PRACTICE with it for all the different types of shots that might incur when in use.
SAFETY should always be the number one key in the use of any system where you don't have 2 solid feet on the ground!