Advantage or not

[buckshooter]

I have hunted out of hang-on gorilla treestands all my life and have only killed one buck.  I have never had the element of surprise because they are hang-ons and also only have a couple of them.  I found at a garage sale a gorilla climber which was few years old for 20 dollars and I decided to buy it.  I have heard of guys swearing by these things, but why?  What are advantages to a climber?  Are their disadvantages to a climber?  If you have any technique to how you do yours or what opinion you can offer would be greatly appreciated.   

please reply

buckshooter

[jdtuck]

I am a big guy so I have only used climbers as screw in steps and me do not get along. LOL
The only problem I have found is you CAN be somewhat limited as to location. Size of the tree, type of climber and tree type, branches. I had a loggy bayou and it operates from a grip type system, meaning it did not bite into a tree. I now have a summit and has a tooth type system where it actually "bites into the tree bark". The biggest thing I found between the two has been I must be careful as to what tree type to use RE: my summit does not like a hickory tree where the loggy could care less. I have actually been in a tree when a storm hit and finally I got motion sickness due to the whipping around of the tree. But during the storm ice formed on the tree trunk itself, the loggy gripped and came down no problem. I went out last year with the summit after a cold spell and it would not climb because the tree was frozen too hard.
The only reason I went to the summit was the seat. I have a couple of bulging disc in my lower back and it sits better for my back. IF you use your climber make certain if it is in two pieces tie them together and once in the tree I actually ratchet mine to the tree. AS always Use a GOOD saftey system while climbing and while hunting, and pratice with it. This is not something you want to figure out 30 minutes before daylight in the woods.
Also I found if I hook my belt pack to the climber I keep track of thing better than if I just carry it, and it goes up th tree with you.
God bless & have fun

[john keyes]

climbers are a huge advantage believe me.  they have a few compromises that you must learn to live with.  like for one: unless it is a tree lounge DO NOT NOD OFF or you will go in head first.  I'm a hopeless insomniac but believe you me when I hear the pine branches whisper from the wind and the distant crow a cawin and the woodpecker tap tap its lights out.  especially when you got up at 3 or 4 AND ITS COLDER THAN DOG DOO DOO   .

so wear a harness (full body). I have an old summit that had the ol seat belt strap around the midsection. that would have been fun had I fallen out.

also no matter what tree you are in, once you are up there and have trimmed branches as you climbed, you will SEE A MUCH BETTER TREE THAT YOU SHOULD BE IN.

but yes they are the highest opportunity enhancers out there. just be careful.

[buckshooter]

It's funny you mention that.  This past Sunday I went and bought a used tree lounge for 200 dollars.  It was four years old, and has all the necessary things to go hunting.  I watched the instructional videos on how to use it.  Is their any tricks to a tree lounge that I should know about?  Any gadget you would get for it?       

[john keyes]

  Is their any tricks to a tree lounge that I should know about?  Any gadget you would get for it?       

two very important things:

-make sure the footclimber is attached somehow to the upper part.  it will fall and you do not want to get stuck w/o it

-if the "cinch strap" did not come with it, then get one or use a bungee cord.  this secures the leverage angle of the upper part ie you want the part behind the tree always pointing up at about 45 deg. 

this may not be easy to explain but I undid my seat part  on the top and wrapped it once around the bottom and then reattached it to take some of the slack out of it.  I wanted to not have my a$$ pushed down so low into the seat.

its a damn good stand but all those videos of the old people just very casually transporting the stand and climbing and hunting are kind of misleading.  the stand is very heavy, very clunky, very awkward and makes a lot of noise.  you'll see.  I also made a plywood deal with some 2x4 blocks so I could securely strap it down on my four wheeler and it wouldn't rattle.
another downside is they are so expensive you really get kinda paranoid about leaving it in the woods attached to a tree but it is so heavy etc that you hate taking it off every night (and putting it back on every morning...)

but I'm not selling mine, I killed the biggest deer ever (rack, body weight)
I used a summit sabre for years that is a good stand but no power napping in that little stand

[hunt-m-up]

Climbers are definitely at a disadvantage where I hunt. A lot of oaks, ash, maples, other hardwoods and they won't climb at least 75% of the trees around here. You'll never have that problem with hang-ons and screw in steps or lightweight climbing sticks. I use screw in steps on private ground and sticks on public ground. I just leave the stands hang and only have to carry the climbing sticks in. I'll assure you I can climb up and be in the stand at least as fast, probably faster than a climber. Private ground stands are hung and left, on public ground you get them out as soon as allowed and by the rut they will not even pay attention to them.

[john keyes]

Climbers are definitely at a disadvantage where I hunt. A lot of oaks, ash, maples, other hardwoods and they won't climb at least 75% of the trees around here. You'll never have that problem with hang-ons and screw in steps or lightweight climbing sticks. I use screw in steps on private ground and sticks on public ground. I just leave the stands hang and only have to carry the climbing sticks in. I'll assure you I can climb up and be in the stand at least as fast, probably faster than a climber. Private ground stands are hung and left, on public ground you get them out as soon as allowed and by the rut they will not even pay attention to them.

I agree that you definitely need nice straight trees for a climber.
but screw in steps.....no thanks

[hunt-m-up]

You're right on the screw-ins, difficult to put in on a lot of trees, I prefer climbing sticks where possible.

[john keyes]

yep if there are no nice straight trees around you are SOL with a climber

I would not have the least bit of apprehension with some climbing sticks strapped to a tree, not one worry whatsoever, I would feel VERY safe and comfortable with a lot of piece of mind.

but those screw in's give me the heebie jeebies. I would be tensed up the whole time just ready for one to give way and me get the crap scraped out of me and beat up until i grabbed a hold of something

[hunt-m-up]

I've fallen once while climbing down during muzzleloader season. About 12 feet down, screw-in step wasn't the problem, but the dead branch I tried to hold onto was. I've tried to slowly weed out my screw-in steps and replace with sticks/ladders,but some trees are just hard to climb any other way.

[Ron 1]

+1 on the safety strap that hooks top to bottem
i was 25ft up in my tree and heard what sounded like a few deer so i turned to see what was comming
and heard a spine chilling sound below me as the bottem part worked its way to the bottem of the tree.
i had my gun/coffee/ possibles bag with me and 2-3 more hours of hunting left and an uncontrolable erge to get down or at least get the rest of the stand back. i now have two ropes as saftys. by the way the climers dont work well with just  1 peice.
                                                 rw

[Retsof]

+1 to what john keyes mentioned about the tree lounge. I had on years ago to which I added the gun holders, bow hunting adapter and the camo cushion to cover the sling seat. All of these were to me useful additions. I did not bow hunt but I used the bow hunting adapter to periodically stand, which really helped, when I had a nature call. The camo cushion covering the sling seat will keep your back warm.

However, with everything I added to the tree lounge, it was heavy and awkard to carry, not to mention I dreaded setting it up and taking it down. I could never do so with making noise (alot of noise). I ended up leaving it on a tree for the time I was hunting. I then realized with the price of decent ladder stands, I could put several up a year so that now, I have multiple options on where I can hunt. I can see the advantage of a climber, especially for those who hunt public land. For me, I'm sticking with ladder stands. To each his own.