So is anyone else afraid of heights but still forces themselves into a tree stand?
 

I am really afraid of heights, but i went ahead and bought a tree stand to try and force myself to work my way through the fear.

I have been practicing climbing at my inlaws with ok results. I can make it about 10-12 feet up but it takes me awhile to settle in. On the positive side i did shoot a 3 arrow 1.5 inch group at 20 yards on Sunday. No bad considering my knees were quaking and my heart was racing, buck fever will never compare to that :)

my goal for this year is the 15 foot range, then try to work my way up to 20 feet by next year.

RE: So is anyone else afraid of heights but still forces themselves into a tree stand?
 

I didn' t like heights when I first started using tree stands either,after time it bothered me less and less.

RE: So is anyone else afraid of heights but still forces themselves into a tree stand?
 

I hated it when I started 4 years ago. But I very quickly got used to it. The longer you say in the stand, the more you get used to it.

RE: So is anyone else afraid of heights but still forces themselves into a tree stand?
 

One reason I like my ground blind,to each his own!!:)

RE: So is anyone else afraid of heights but still forces themselves into a tree stand?
 

What type of stand did you start with? I know when I started hunting, I used an old lock on type stand. I didn' t feel secure in it. I tried a few climbers and again I didn' t feel secure.
Ladder stands I have found are pretty stable. Their not mobile at all, so if you have one you won' t move it very often.
If you own or lease land, ladder stands are the way to go. But if you hunt public or multiple properties which you don' t own, climbers and lock-ons are the way to go.
Either way, it just takes time to get over the fear. Hang in there though and wear your harness!;)

RE: So is anyone else afraid of heights but still forces themselves into a tree stand?
 

when i was younger i didnt care, but now that im older and wiser i tend to find myself no higher than i need to be. one thing' s for sure, wear your safety gear

RE: So is anyone else afraid of heights but still forces themselves into a tree stand?
 

I' m afraid of heights. Yet I have a strange fascination with roller coasters. ;) I have a hard time adjusting and in some cases I cannot adjust. Such as tall buildings, cliffs, etc. It took me a few weeks to get used to a tree stand. I started out by finding a spot such as a creek bottom where I could setup my stand on a nearby hillside. The natural elevation would be 10=15ft and then I' d put my treestand about 5ft off the ground. :D This worked well for me. As I felt more comfortable I would go a little higher. I now am comfortable up to about 25ft. Though on windy days the swaying of the trees still makes me a bit nervous but doesn' t discourage me.

The biggest thing that helped me was getting a solid treestand with a large platform. My API has a 20x29" platform and is rock solid. It also came with a nice full body harness which helps me feel more secure.

Good luck. As your comfort level goes up you' ll find yourself going higher. :)

RE: So is anyone else afraid of heights but still forces themselves into a tree stand?
 

Yep add me to the list. I used to be scared to death of heights. I simply made myself climb into my stand. However over time I have gotten over it. I still don' t love heights but with the proper saftey gear I feel at ease in my stands. The biggest thing that helped me was simply to keep hunting as much as possible. I spend almost 6 weeks straight in a tree stand each season so after a while it doesn' t seem to bother you.

RE: So is anyone else afraid of heights but still forces themselves into a tree stand?
 

Cant say i was ever really scared of heights...but when i first started climbing, I would get a bit uncomfortable around the 20' range. However, since I am in east Texas and the opportunity is plentiful, I am usually found about 30-40' up if I just want to watch...To hunt, i' ll scoot down so that the shot isnt a vertical one. But being up there 40' with the wind blowing is pretty interesting...I always wear a safety harness, cause it feels a bit like being drunk when you start swaying....

RE: So is anyone else afraid of heights but still forces themselves into a tree stand?
 

I know how you feel. Get good safety equipment. If you know you are safe, the less fearful you will be.

Personally I not afraid of heights. I just don' t like that sudden stop at the bottom. :D