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First Time in a Climber..Gulp

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First Time in a Climber..Gulp

Old 11-01-2010, 08:19 AM
  #1  
Nontypical Buck
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Default First Time in a Climber..Gulp

Although I've been hunting for years, it has always been on the ground.
Well, i finally bought a climber and used it this weekend.

Although i practiced using it right next to the ground over the past week, this was my first ascent.

First thing I learned was that you have to trust the actual mechanics of the stand. I mean everything is so loose except when you put your weight on it correctly. Just allowing myself to trust that was nerve-racking to say the least.

Here's a fun fact... I can scream like a little 5 year old girl when the upper part doesn't' actually grab the tree and slips down about 4 inches when you have your weight on it.

Here's another fun fact... My heart can beat at probably 250 BPM when the bottom piece actually falls away when climbing. It was tied to the top piece but pulling it back up was a difficult maneuver.

Once i got to my desired height (16') I had a strong desire to now fasten, bolt, secure the thing to the tree. But nooooooo, you have to just sit there and trust that it's all gonna hold.

I'm sure i'll get used to all this but it certainly was a new experience and quite frankly once i got up there, i wondered why i had never done this before. You can see soooo much more
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Old 11-01-2010, 08:33 AM
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I hunt 75% of the time from a climber and love it...
MOBILE, baby, Mobile!

It took me better part of a season to get above 14-15' and now I regularly try to get in the 20' range.
I too suffer from the shakey knees at heights, but for some reason this never bothers me...

Wait until your in a tree and 30-40MPH gusts whip you around like a rodeo clown - big fun Good luck!
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Old 11-01-2010, 09:19 AM
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Climber is the way to go! I love being able to pattern deer...climb a tree you like, and if you see some that will never get to within range, next time climb a tree closer to where they were. Gives you a lot more to work with. It is much easier to simply walk in the woods and climb up in a ladder stand, but I almost always prefer my climber unless I am running short on time. You will get used to it. Sounds as though you had more adversity on your first trip up the tree than I have had in years of hunting from a climber...you an unlucky kind of guy?
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Old 11-01-2010, 09:35 AM
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Climber is the way to go. I've been using one since I started hunting when I was about 15 or 16. I usually try to get up to about 25' if possible. I've had a couple of those minor slips where you tense up real quick. Hell I've had the bottom fall all the way down to the ground when I was about 20' up. I was hanging there on the top piece. I was borrowing a climber before I bought my own and they didn't have the 2 pieces tied together. That was a quick descent!!!
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Old 11-01-2010, 09:39 AM
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im guessing most of you that use your climber have pine trees? Where I am from there are no trees to use it. Which makes for some pretty big problems after purchasing them. My buddy and I got the bright idea that we would each buy one and use it on some ash trees where we hunt. We never really practiced with them but maybe a couple feet off the ground. We live in little blackjack oak country. Anyway we both head out towards the woods with our climbers on our backs, looked like a lone wolf commercial. We both decide where we were going to go up and they were about 100 yds apart on an old logging road. After about 30 min of making it about 5 feet up and then climbing back down, I decide that I don't know what I am doing and this thing is going on craigslist. I could not keep it level. Once I made it up about 5-6 ft it will be leaning so bad. Anyway I crawl down and decide I don't want to screw up my buddies hunt so I just creep back out to the logging road and sit behind a log jam. After about 10 min I hear something coming. I mean it is that sound you just know is a good one. When finally I start to see movement I realize its my buddy! He had done the same thing. I finally get his attention as he is staring up in the trees looking for me. He came and sat by me and we just were rolling. We finally came to the realization that ash trees just don't work. Bark is too hard and there is too much difference in circumference in the trees. But we did figure out they can be used in pine trees. But we still laugh about it to this day.
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Old 11-01-2010, 10:26 AM
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I don't have any pine trees. You just have to start out at an angle so when you get to the top the platform will level out. I use mine on pretty much anything that is straight and doesn't have limbs for about 25'.
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Old 11-01-2010, 11:51 AM
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Don't get me wrong. I believe that I am really going to enjoy the climber. I certainly can see the benefits.
It's just getting used to the idea that nothing is actually "secured to the tree" that is going to take a while.
That being said, I was wearing and will continue to wear a HSS full body harness from the moment my feet left the ground
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Old 11-01-2010, 12:01 PM
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It takes a lot of practice and you have to understand what you are doing when you are climbing and how to judge the taper of the tree. Once you get to where you will hunt from, use stabilizer straps to cinch down the top portion of your climber and you will feel much more secure.
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Old 11-01-2010, 04:17 PM
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In the beginning I would use screw in steps to put right under the cable on each side once I was situated. If the stand was to slip it would hit the screw in steps and stop and give me time to get everything back in place. This was all in therory of course.
I'm pretty comfortable in a stand now and trust them enough not to worry.
I always wear my safety harness and use quality stands.
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Last edited by eureka77; 11-01-2010 at 04:26 PM.
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Old 11-01-2010, 06:04 PM
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DannyD, you might be doing something wrong. In 15+ years of climbing, I've only had one of the units slip one time, when I was in a hurry descending (call of nature). Maybe you're putting your weight on it too quickly, before it bites the tree. Put your weight on it slowly, so if it isn't biting you're not slipping so abruptly.

My API came with a ratchet strap for the seat unit, to be snugged around the tree once you reach where you want to be. One more bit of security. I don't know if they come with them now, but you could probably rig one, just don't drill or cut the stand.

Gotta agree with all, love the climber.
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