NorthernMN

It isn' t even the falling that bothers me. It is hitting the ground going really fast that I don' t like. I used to only be willing to climb up as high as I was willing to fall. About ten feet. But now I use my safty harness every time and climb weel over 20 feet without a problem. I am still carefull but I trust myself and my safty equipment. If I didn' t, I would stay a lot closer to the ground.

xibowhunter

yep ,thats why i went out and got a summit viper , i have an ol man an when i got up in the tree with it i was scared to death , it felt like it was going to fall any second , the sumit isn' t like that it' s nice and solid so i' m not as scared when i get up in the tree because it has a solid hold , but it still takes some getting used to when i first get up in the tree![] and don' t forget to always wear a saftey harness

NorthernHunter

I don' t like heights too much either, but I find myself getting more confident and secure with going higher and higher each trip out. Usually the first part of the season I get to maybe 12 feet up or so, just to make sure everything is working. As the season progresses, I get up higher. By shotgun season in late November, I' m usually up so high that I reach the end of my pull string (to bring up the shotgun or bow).

ma_hunter

I will add my $.02, I used to roof and thought that the tree stand would be a piece of cake. I tried it out in the backyard and it was a little nerve racking but keeping with it, just like roofing, you get used to it. The other thing I would recommend it to use the safety harness and at a low height go ahead and hang from it, helps to build the confidence, much like leaning out the first time you rappel. Just want to get the trust level up for the equipment. Hang in there!

uh - I mean good luck.

rockytop

[>:]When I fall out of a tree, I like that feeling you get after you hit the ground and your starting to get air back in your lungs and then you realize your legs and arms move, that' s such a warm fuzzy feeling.
Seriously, I' m scared of heights but I climb with my summit. I wear my safety belt and I don' t go higher than I have to. I try to find a tree to climb that has smaller trees around it and then I can go up 12 or 15 ft and hide above the canopy of the small trees. If you fall, you can also ride the small trees down and I' ve done that in the days before saftey harnessess. I also check the ground around the trees I' m going to climb for tree stumps and rocks that might injure me if everything went wrong and I fell.
I' m trying to get my wife to use a climber, she ain' t scared of nothing much but that climbing seems to get on her nerves a little. Probably because I' ve told her alot of stories about me and other people falling out of trees.

Krotalus

Thanks for the replies everyone, it makes me feel better to know that i am not alone.

By the way I bought a summit viper xls and i have been spending some time in my brother-in-laws ladder stand.

Good luck to everyone!!

mez

That would be me, have always been afraid of heights. I won' t put a stand more than 15 feet. I always feel like I' m going to fall out of the thing. The climb up doesn' t bother me at all, it' s when I get up there that I don' t like it.

BOWFANATIC

Like everyone else , heights dont bother me , the fear of falling does! I must say , from my experiences alone and others I know who are afraid of falling , we' re the ones who dont usually fall! The ones who normally fall have no fear which leads to stupidity! The ones with fear are extra cautious!

Rickmur

Heights don' t bother me, it' s the walk in the dark that scares me

Lady Bow Hunter

I was terrified of tree stands at first,, after 10 years or so,, I have gotten use to them,, I purchased a " hunters safety vest system" and am more comfortable now.
maybe too comfortable,, I actually dozed off for first time in ladder sand, eyes closed mabye a nano second, ahhhhhhhhhhh, weird feeling. Tree stands do take a while getting comfortable with if you are leery of them. Thank god I have never fallen out,