NJ/PAbwhunter

This evening I had an interesting experience, that I hope never happens again. I went out at 2:00 for an afternoon hunt while this cold front is moving in, hopeful to get a chance to find some deer on the move.
When I get set up and begin to climb the tree, I realize that these big ultra insulated rubber boots do not fit under my stirrups to climb the tree.
No problem... loosen the wing nut... adjust the stirrups... up the tree I go.
Hunt until dark... no deer... 5 red foxes and some squirrells is about all I see. Now it is dark... go to climb down... and the angle that I have to put my feet at to lower the platform is extreme with these heavy boots on...
moving the stirups, put my feet closer to the tree... and the angle just feels weird.... then the calf cramp comes... WOW! with cold muscles... and a strange angle.... the cramps are for real... every time I try to lower the platform... cramp! So I sit down on the rail of my summit viper and lower the platform with my hands... no big deal.... slower climb down... but ok. 1 or 2 reps... then it happened...
Oh Crap.... the platform slips from my hand ... but the embilical rope will save the day right?... Wrong!.... the little metal cripm that holds the rope to the platform lets loose... and it goes crashing down into the dark and is now at the bottom of the tree. (luckly it did not hit my bow).
So now there I sit... with only the top of my climber.... 15 feet off the ground.
So after a few minutes of thinking uh-- this sucks--
I got my screw-in bow hanger out of my pocket.... tied it to my drag rope and tied that to my nylon strap that came with the summit climber... and now begin fishing.... trying to snag the platform of my climber to pull it back up.... second swing.... hooked it... pulling it up... it falls... 2 more swings... some more laughing at myself and this situation.... and I got it... pull it up... climb on down...
What a crazy end to an afternoon winter bow hunt. I always hunt with my safety harness on and strapped to the tree... I always tie the embilical rope from one part of the climber to the other.... but you can be sure now, thatI will not rely on the way it used to be fastened.
Anyway, hope this will help some of my friends on here who will now think to check that rope before your next hunt.
DW

PreacherTony

NJ .... you are a true bowhunter!! You worry about your bow more than your life!!! We are a strange breed .....

Rickmur

Glad you could laugh at it and that it turned out ok, hope you wern't hunting alone were you?

Ky Boy

wow scary situation. my climber always scares me! i much perfer a ladder stand but you cant always use a ladder.

Raxxmaster

I find at times we get so comfortable at our surroundings from repeatition that we sometimes forget. I'm glad your safe and can laugh too, be careful.

drstalker

When I used to use my summit bushmaster more,I noticed that same thing about the rope connecting the two sections.I retied them, and adjust them each time I hunt.I'm not crazy about climbers but they are a usefull tool I guess.I have dropped my quiverfrom my climber a time or two and had to fish it up.Glad to see that your okay.

sniper65

man you got lucky
where at in nj do u hunt?

early in

Glad you didn't get hurt. That was using your head fishing up the bottom of your stand.

RIStrutStopper

Wow, good story. Sounds like something that would happen to me.Good jobon using your head and getting down safely.I tie the rope to both top and bottom of my climber and test the knot by pulling to make sure it would hold.

Illinoisbow

You must be quite the fisherman around there
Glad to hear your ok