shed33

I broke 4 vertebrea in 98 and have a plate in my back along with fused t-7 thru t-11. I have had great luck with a back support brace (like the ones folks wear for work. These are cheap and have really helped me out while on stand and then afterward while taking care of a harvest) and I do have a Tree Lounge as well as many other stands. The thing that has worked best for me with my Tree Lounge is to set it up like a FIXED stand and leave it. That way I can climb up and down my "rapid rails" (any ladder system or step system will work) to and from it and not have to make all the noise the lounge makes while climbing into a tree.

I also have many other stands that I use for morning and evening hunts, with the back brace on I can stand to sit for 4-5 hours comfortably. I have sit all day in these fixed stands as well, but I prefer the Tree lounge for my all day sits...so I put that stand in an area I KNOW I am gonna want to sit all day.. especially during the rut. Its also really helpful for me to be in the best shape I can be in ...with my back..when I put on a few extra pounds, I notice it in my back immediately...

Good Luck,
Shed

rookelkhunter

Thanks Shed. I have never seen a tree lounge in person and have always heard pretty good things about them, but always from gun hunters. I have always steered clear because they looked difficult to get in/out of? And Shed, you'd be the guy to ask given your history.

If I may ask, what happened? Car accident? I was thrown out the back window and was luckily (yes, and I mean it) caught in mid air by a barbed wire fence after a pretty decent toss. Doc's said that fence probably saved my life. I am currently battling our insurance company to pay for a stimulator.....not fun. It's funny that I really only got one good sized cut down my leg by one barb, yet every time I try to cross a fence I manage to end up bleeding and tear at two items of clothing!!!

davidmil

20-25 feet up is all I need. Comfort can come when I get home. If you get too comfy you start falling asleep. [&:] Really, some light exercises done properly and some isometrics in the tree will keep you fresh. You don't need to beable to do 200 situps or lift 5,000 pounds. Just some light workouts and some frisky walks followed by some light stretches and you're good to go.

rookelkhunter

David, no offense, but it it quite obvious you don't have the slightest indication what real or chronic back pain is. Folks with serious back pain do have the option, nor the desire of "beable to do 200 situps or lift 5,000 pounds." Most everyone with chronic back pain is involved in a daily stretching/cardio routine that affords them enough relief to do some daily activities with a lesser amount of discomfort. I am not looking for a stand to sleep in, I am trying to gather ideas that might enable me to sit on stand for more than two hours without having to leave biting my lip in the hopes of avoiding shedding 'tears of pain'. I am looking for something that would allow me to sit in one position for more than 2 minutes before having to shift my weight in an attempt to get comfortable...obviously this equates to movement and seeing fewer animals.

I could be completely incorrect. And if that is the case, I will get off the table in a few weeks and simply tell the surgeon I am opting to climb a tree instead, and explain how the medical field as a whole is missing the boat on this newfound 'Miller's hieght relief pain program'.

Just a little side bar. I would put some serious coin on a bet to meaure your 20-25 feet. I have met quite a few guys who make that claim, please don't misunderstand me, they honestly believe they are up that high, but in reality they are at 13-15 ft.. Twenty-five feet is not only high, in my estimation, too high. At that height it would be awfully difficult to get the angle on deer, unless you were planning on a ninja drop from the tree in the hopes of breaking his back with your fall! No offense David, as some people just have a tough time estimating heights.

thundermug

Rook, you might be extremely surprised at how high people get in a tree. 20-25 feet is not unusual especially down here in Florida, and the S.E. in general. I find myself at least 20 feet up when I hunt because at those heights you CAN move and NOT get busted. As for measuring? No not with a ruler but rather with my pull rope that I use to bring my bow and backpack up with. It's 30 feet long and by the time I tie everything on it and tie it around my stand, and then climb the tree until the rope has no slack left in it and I feel the weight of my stuff, I know I'm that high.

rookelkhunter

WHAT?!?!?! Are you serious? I stand corrected. I hope I didn't come off like a know-it-all, as I was only speaking from years and years on stand in Iowa/SD when we rarely would get above 15 feet or so.

Why and how are you that high? How do you get angles? I rememember introducing a buddy to bowhunting a ton of years ago, and he went out later to build a stand without me. The following week we went out to hunt this same area where I had a stand placed as well. We went our separate ways and mid-morning I took off to where he said he built it. I walked in the area and scanned every tree around, but nobody to be seen. I normally don't call out people's names, but at this point I thought it may be necessary...I called out and heard a faint, "Chaaaaad, up here" from above. I looked up, and this guy had built this stand about 40 feet up in this tree, and then throw on his height of 6"9" and that is flat out scary!!! And to add to my terror, he only used about three steps to get up/down, and was jumping from branch to branch....unreal. I was like, "what the....". He honestly didn't know any better, as I must not have been specific enough about height.....ya think!!! He was a little embarrassed, but I was just glad he wasn't hurt in the process.

shed33

Rookelk,

No problem, I broke my back in a football accident. I hear ya on the insurance and chronic pain. I use to quietly wonder about the guys that said they had bad backs and couldnt do much.....then it happened to me...what an eye opener... I realized once you damage your back, your center of strength and motion if really affected. On the other hand some folks really milk it too. So there are both sides. For me I work out religiously and hike a ton to stay in good shape. As for hunting, I don't let it hinder me in anyway, I just have to prepare a little different than someone that has a good back.

Best of luck.. with your condition and hunting..

Shed

thundermug

There are several reasons we will go that high...
1: deer DO look up down here.
2: pine trees are straight and don't have branches until you are there.
3: cover; other trees that are not pines that grow near and the branches with leaves will overlap and help conceal you.

As for as the angle of shooting? Well, one hunts the same area and knows where the deer travel, and you pick out a few landmarks that are equidistant from your stand. These are the only areas you shoot a deer and you clear any twigs and branches from your shooting lanes. All you have to do is sight in on one target before hunting season, and when you practice at home you shoot 2 arrows...where they hit is where you want all arrows to hit from now on. But remember your aiming spot is different. This way when you are in the tree and you aim for the kill zone, you hit the kill zone. Sounds strange, but it works.

davidmil

Rookie.... I have a stretched out 20 foot haul line attached to my stand. I seldom stop until the bow is off the ground. If the bow gets 5 feet off the ground I say I'm 25 feet up. I doubt the rope is 20 anymore... probably 21. No, I don't have back problems, but in the past 3 years I've had leg surgury, heart surgury and am in need of some brian repair. My feet are a mess and they say the only cure is more surgury. It ain't happening until I can't walk. They're uncomfortable and a pain, but I get buy.

As far as how high people go. I tell this tongue in cheek but it's pretty accurate. The first time I took Len as a guest to my woods I walked him in, pointed to a tree, pointed out where the deer would come from and left. I said see you at dark. It was only a short walk to the truck but he insisted I come and get him. I get down when my pins are hard to see. I gathered my gear, walked to the truck, dumped my climber and bow and walked in to pick him up. It was now what I call "Dark Thirty". When I get about 75 yards from the stand I turned on a small light so I wouldn't get shot. I walked to the tree and looked up, .... NO LEN. I shined the light around the ground looking for a stand, arrow, blood anything. Nothing!!! I called out "LEN". I heard a faint answer but couldn't see him. I looked around.... NOTHING. It was then that I spotted what I though was the landing lights from a 747 making an approach to BWI Airport passing over Lens tree. It was LEN's flashlight.[:-][:-] I know how high I had been in that tree the one time I sat in it. He was easily twice as high.... probably 40 feet. People do go high.