First Time in a Climber..Gulp
#21
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 135

IF you do use just a rope make sure you tie it on before you head up. I know a couple times in my early days I was so worried about having to climb I would tie the rope to the bow but not to the stand. Nothing like getting you stand 25' up a tree and looking down for the rope and its still on the ground.--DUH!!
#22

This might be a dumb question but how many of you have to trim branches on the way up. The trees on our property are big bur oaks and maples and the stand cannot reach around them. And the other smaller tree's have branches every 5-10 feet and grow in every direction.
#24
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 430

I found a stray bracket that I wired and duct taped to my stand. I tied the haul line (para cord) to it, and a dog clip to the other end of the line. I wind the line around the bracket and it stays with the stand. To keep from getting tangled when hauling up, I pull up with my left hand and strip the cord away and over the stand with my right. After unclipping the bow, I let the clip slide down to the ground so it's straight, then wind it around the bracket. Works pretty good for me.
#25
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: moore oklahoma USA,right now in Korea
Posts: 335

i love climbers with the bar in the front feel real safe.now once i get to my height i tie the top to the bottom around the front bar of the top to the front of the bottom not real tight just tight enough when you stand up the rope is tight to force the top peice to stay put..bungees work good to but dont tie so tight that if you lift your feet it makes the bottom fall...plus i tie the two stand peices together toward the back of the two on one side
#26

I got the Gorilla greyback climber, cheap, works. I normally target tulip poplar trees, they are all over in NC and grow like telephone poles. The more you get used to it, youll noticed yourself climbing higher and higher, Ive had to climb back down. I now hunt from 18' seems like a sweet spot. Also a tip I like to do, is get your harness belt around the tree good and high, so when your sitting its got light tension on your body, its nice for close shots you can kind of lean out with your bow and clear the upper portion of your stand. I also like to sit with the bottom half lower, so Im almost standing and hardly have to "stand up" from a fully sitting position, works well on cutting down on noise. Also marked my pull up rope, so I can tell how high I am off the ground. Good luck, dont leave the ground without being strapped to the tree.
#27

I also like to sit with the bottom half lower, so Im almost standing and hardly have to "stand up" from a fully sitting position, works well on cutting down on noise. Also marked my pull up rope, so I can tell how high I am off the ground. Good luck, dont leave the ground without being strapped to the tree.
I have a question, though...how do you mark your pull up rope? Seems to me that you would always have the same portion of the rope close to you. At least, that is the way it is for me. How does this work?
#28

Ah, ya big babies! Do I hafta come over there and bring you up to the 80' mark? Nothing quite sunrise from the top of a monster eucalyptus tree in Phoenix!
Then again, I'm using ropes, a saddle, and a harness...with spikes!
Wielding a large chainsaw....
HAHAHAHAHA!
Just teasing!
Good for you getting up in that climber...
You'll learn to trust your gear eventually...
Make sure you flip the cable up a little when you raise the upper part. Helps get a good bite so the setup doesn't move.
Then again, I'm using ropes, a saddle, and a harness...with spikes!
Wielding a large chainsaw....
HAHAHAHAHA!
Just teasing!
Good for you getting up in that climber...
You'll learn to trust your gear eventually...
Make sure you flip the cable up a little when you raise the upper part. Helps get a good bite so the setup doesn't move.

#29


Last edited by louie6014; 11-04-2010 at 12:03 PM.
#30

i actually feel a lot safer when i am hunting from my climber than when i am hunting hang ons. My summit climber is so stable and grabs the tree so well that it doesnt move at all once i get it in place. i love it! With practice you will get much better and most likely will use it all the time!