i always use a climber bow hunting. never have owned a lock on.. i like them beacuse their easy to use, and you canrepostionit while you are in the tree incase the wind changes

Ok guys, do most of you guys setup your climber in the dark? Do you scare many deer that way? I just purchased a climber and have some leeriness about being quiet in the dark.

Huh? Moving your stand around the tree won't change the direction of the wind.

Maybe you meant to say you can change trees easier if the wind changes?

It does take some practice to do it quietly, especially unpacking and attaching to the tree. It had been a while since I used mine and yesterday morning I was still able to get up in the tree quietly. Now judging how high I was up in the dark was another story. I could have sworn I was 20 ft up - until it got light.

I've never killed a deer anywhere BUT from a climber. No problems.

I have to recant a little......on treestands. My new LW is absolutely the most silent thing to set up (and it's getting better....as I still slip up and "tick" the metals together every once in a while) that I've been subjected to. If a man will take his time with this stand......it's absoutely silent to set up in the dark. It's taken a few times to work out a "system".....but I think I have it down, now.

I can hunt anywhere I want to, here (LOTS of straight trees)....and I never have to worry about being patterned. I can move on a whim.....and do.....even if it's only 50yds.

wallhanger....If you'll note how long your haul line is.....you'll know how high you are....based on how much line you have left over when you get to your desired height.

All I do is make sure I lower the top part of the stand so that it is close to the bottom, that way when I stand up & draw the rail is not in the way.

GMATT - I used to do that, always noticed the little tug of the weight of the bow at the end. Now I use one of those reels that I just measured the other day - 25 ft of line. Gotta start countin' the # of "steps" I take.

I hunt on private land so I usually take my climber to where I am going to hunt a day or two before and get it set up and leave it around the base of the tree.

I love my climber you can hunt with the wind, take most of you scent out with you when you leave and move around on a buck to get a shot. You can get high in a tree and I don't have that much trouble finding trees to get into here in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri have used about every kind of stand out there in the last 45 years of hunting. I still putting a some other stands out but, alway end up killing my bucks out of my APi climber. I have had bucks and does come in just as I get my stand in are even before I can get all the way up the tree. I think thatlooking for the buck that rubbing the tree. I shot anice last year andI was calling my wife 10 min after I got the stand into the tree. I just got the stand up in the tree and pulled my bow up ,sat down and look up and seenthebuck coming down the trail. He turnedbroad side at 30 yards double lung him and seen him go down. I have taken about 20 to25 deer out of my api climber. I do have others climber stands but, love my API climber.I have hadto putcouple new chins put on it over the years and than it's as good as new again.

i use my summit viper pretty much exclusively....havent found any other way i rather have it....