Tbone1187

I just got a older climbing tree stand for 25 bucks figured that I would give it a try. What is your best advice for learning how to use a climber

Bbearfax

Strap your self to the tree at all times.

piketon_hunter#9

yea, put it on a tree before you actually go hunt with itand learn how to use it low to the ground. it will come easy to you when you see how it works.

wis_bow_huntr

Make sure you tie the top and bottom together or you could be bear hugging your way back to the bottom.

YooperMike

All very good advice so far. Best thing you can do is practice a bunch before you try to hunt out of it. Strap it to a tree at ground level, and just sit in it, see how you move around, practice moving your feet on the platform, turning around to face the tree, any movements you would make to hunt with it. Shoot from it. You don't want any surprises when you are 20' up. Oh, and wear a harness!

RackLuster

definitely, feel comfortable with it before you go hunting. absolutely critical!
always keep yourself strapped to the tree, no matter how confident you become.

Stick with it! it can be a little tricky at first and you may hate that stand the first 2 or 3 times you use it. You'll probably end up getting to the point where you feel safer climbing the tree w/ your climber then any other way.

WV Hunter

Make sure you practice setting it up in low light or the dark too. Wear a harness or don't get up there.

OHbowhntr

+1 here!!! I think you need to get it on a tree, low to the ground and practice going up 5-6ft and back down, until you get a comfortable feel for it. Check ALL of the welds, ensuring that they are solid, you don't want to be that guy stuck in a tree with a broken stand 15ft off the ground. What type of stand is it, is it a hands/arms climber or a sit/stand model. The sit/stand models are a little easier to use, but are a bit of a pain due to the bar being in the way sometimes for a bowhunter. But if you shoot from the standing position, and aren't shooting a ridiculously long bow, they're certainly workable. Oh, and after climbing up and down a tree several times, you'll likely find that you have abs that ache more than you realized!!!

bushanic

this is my first year using a climber to. practice as much as you can getting the foot rest at the right angle is the one to really learn U want it to be pointing up at a angle and I have also found tree size is a big thing to. I use a small tree it might have been 18 inches diameter and made it hard for me to sit in it ,the sides came in more didn't know this until I put it on a bigger tree and found I had more room to move. And WEAR A HARNESS. I also make sure I have my cell phone on me not in my pack on the ground. hope all this helps you out. Have fun this opens a whole new view on hunting for me.

RackLuster

oh one more, don't forget a rope to haul up your bow i did that once this year. it's not fun, i knocked the peep out of my string.