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RE: To all you guys that use climbing stands:

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What do you do if the tree has branches in your way? What do you do if the tree is crooked?

Find one that doesn't or cut the limbs if you can legally do so and/or have permission(private only) .

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It seems like the only way a climber makes sense is for "telephone pole" type trees. That's fine, but what do you use for cover?

If the trunk is wide enough it can provide silhouette break up , as can the background clutter . BTW , ever wonder why 15' is considered the minimum height by most hunters ? It's because a deer's vision extends in a truncated cone whose maximum diameter is only about 12' tall unless they look up , if you don't move or otherwise draw attention to yourself they won't see you anyway .

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I don't know about your area, but around here those telephone pole trees are very few and far between. And if you do find such a tree, odds are it's not where the deer are going to be.

If you can't alter those trees to suit a climber then a climber is not for that situation and a lock on and climbing gear is what you need . If there are no deer there anyway then you're wasting your time hunting that spot .

RE: To all you guys that use climbing stands:

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ORIGINAL: gzg38b

I don't think cutting all the branches on the way upthe tree is a good option for me.For starters, talk about working up a sweat. On public land, it's illegal to hack up a tree like that. And on private land, it's disrespectful to the landowner. It's one thing to trim a branch or two for a shooting lane. But to take out every branch from the base of a tree up to 15 or 20 feet just so you can climb it seems unreasonable to me.

I'm not knocking climbers, I'm just looking for somebody to alleviate my concerns about them so I can justify buying one.

What about cover? You can't have any cover below you because you cut it all down on the way up, right?

I usually do not find a problem locating a good tree. Sure there re times when the other tree is perfect, but you have to decide if this tree is good enough. Regarding cover, I try to find a tree that is surrounded by other trees. I get high enough to have a nice "roof" cover and have scrup trees to my right, let, and rear.

An ideal situation is to have several fixed locations set up and a climber to move around. I never seem to find myself in ideal situations, so I use the cliber, a blind, or just still hunt.

RE: To all you guys that use climbing stands:

An alternative suggestion (via Tom Miranda) is to buy a climber AND a set of climbing sticks. If the tree is suitable for use with the climber, go for it. If it is not, attach the climbing sticks, climb to the desired height, pull up the climbing stand, and attach it as though it was a hang-on stand.

This is somewhat less convenient than using a true hang-on stand, but it allows you to make maximum use of your climber.