Originally Posted by
chas0218
I used a climber once...put tree steps in and left it up there. Those things are too loud for my liking. I would still hunt before I used a climber. I have 7 hang ons and 3 ladder stands and that is all I need for the properties I hunt. If you do a good job scouting you won't need to move the stand.
For the price of a climbing stand I can put up 4 hang ons....
I agree re: using them on private property. On public land, a climber is a must. A hang is waiting to be stolen, if they're even legal to leave there (laws vary).
I have to say that I can’t imagine “sneaking” through the woods under cover of darkness with that stand on my back, and being able to “quietly” unpack and set it up. I feel like I climbed pretty quietly, but again, it was all set up from the night before. So, I kinda have mixed feelings about it. I really did like being up there and being able to see so far out. That is one heck of an advantage.
Two answers to this:
One is practice. As you gain experience, you'll be able to set up and climb more quietly. Just takes several climbs to figure everything out.
Second is the actual stand. Some stands are simply quieter than others. I used to use an Ol' Man. PITA to set up and climb quietly and was really heavy on long hikes in, but it felt like a Lazy Boy once I was set up. In contrast, my new stand is a Lone Wolf. Fricking silent and light. I can probably get up my tree as quietly as someone in a hang-on. Seriously, huge difference between this and the ol' Man. And being light, I could go 1.5 miles and barely notice the weight. The only downside is comfort. I couldn't use it on an all-day hunt without taking a break. But there are no perfect solutions when bow hunting IMO, just tradeoffs.