7.62NATO

This will be my third full season of hunting whitetail, but I have always hunted from the ground. I bought a Summit Viper SD and will be using it approximately about half the time (I love to still-hunt). I have practiced going up a tree a few times and have had no problems at all. Once you’re up there, space seems a bit tight. Can any of you discuss what kinds of problems with accessing gear, or getting cold (or too hot) -- or whatever else you can think of – that you have encountered while on the stand and your solution to those problems?

Two things I already know…always wear your safety harness and don’t forget to attach your haul lines before climbing.

ADVWannabee

Make sure you use the harness on the way up and down the tree too. In addition to the haul lines, make sure you tie the bottom half of the climber to the top half. Nothing like sitting 20' up a tree and have your stand section fall to the ground. Fortunately this has not happened to me.

Other than climbing up and down safely, they are about like any other treestand. Dress warm, don't move much and wait.

UPHunter08

I bow hunt almost exclusively from trees stands, most of which are climbing stands (also use a ladder stand on one site). I've found that a fanny pack is a must. I keep my calls, light, phone, etc in there. To keep it out of your way when shooting, just twist it around on your waist so that it's on your off-hand side.

As for keeping cool, I'll take my outer jacket or shirt off on the way to the stand location so that I don't overheat. Once I reach my stand location, I'll set up the stand, tie my haul line on my bow, etc, and only then will I put on all of my clothing. If you're proficient at climbing and don't rush, you can usually make the climb without getting too overheated. Keep your headgear off while you climb, both to help keep cool as well as for safety (easier to see without a mask). Once in the tree, I'll wait about 5 minutes to cool off before donning mask and hat, etc and hauling up my bow.

You'll find a routine that works best for you...after a lot of trial and error, I've settled upon something that works well for me and is pretty fast, efficient, and quiet. You'll figure it out after you do it a few times.

bigge_al

I agree with everything said one other thing I use is 2 bungee cord to wrap from one side of the stand to the other on my side. Keeps the stand from slipping when I move around to turn around.

doetrain

I know what your saying about space,it is very limited. First get a Bow holder that connects to the lower portion of your climber,this gets the bow out of your way but you can grab it very quickly. Second,if you use a range finder,binos,grunt call etc. get a screw in gear hook that holds 4 or 5 items out of your way. I always take plenty of hand warmers and put heat pads on my lower back for the really cold days.My pack will hold my heavy jacket and an extra jersey or thermal top and heavy gloves a waist muff is better which I put on after I get to my site and climb up. If you sweat real bad wear as little as possible while humping and climbing with your stand,it's tough to stay warm if your soaked with sweat. I try to keep the tree between me and the wind if possible,the bigger the tree the better on windy days. Think through every item because your pack and climber will get heavy quick. I take a pee bottle for those I gotta go moments,small gatoraide bottles work great having a large opening. I use plastic coated bungie cords to cut down on the noise of unpacking my stuff at the tree and I leave them on the ground under leaves. I am able to take my climber to my tree the night before on my private land hunts and cable it to the tree already hooked up and ready to climb in the morning,this is a great help if you can do it. I hope some of this helps you get better prepared,have a great hunt in your new stand.

RenaissanceBiker

I'll second what UPHunter08 said about overheating. You don't want to sweat even a little before you settle in and have to sit still. It will make you colder later on.

As for storage, I use a camo fanny pack for carrying what little extra gear I need. I have pulled out my rain pancho and draped it over the entire climber to make a tent during a shower. I love being out there ready to shoot when the rain stops. I take the fanny pack off and clip it to the right side of the seat section when going up and down. Sometimes I leave it there while I'm sitting too. On Sunday I shot this bad boy from my Summit Viper.

Bible_Man

A lot of useful info has been dished out. I would like to reiterate that you need to tie the top and bottom pieces together. Also, practice putting on your outerwear on you stand...attach your stand to a tree, get in and try it out. You can do it just as effectively after climbing as you can with it attached at the bottom of the tree. If you can get your heavy clothes on once in the stand, I recommend it. This is what began doing last year, and it has helped me stay warm since I am able to keep from sweating on the way in. I keep whatever calls/equipment I am confident I will use on my person in pockets/vest/whatever and screw in a holder to hang my pack on. That way, if I do end up needing additional equipment, it is there for me. When bowhunting, climbers are the way to go, in my opinion. You can pattern the deer and move accordingly throughout the season.

UPHunter08

One other piece of advice if you're hunting public land and want to keep your stand location secret from most hunters. Learn to climb so that you do as little damage to the bark as possible. No need to leave sign for the next guy to know where to put his tree stand. I see a lot of trees on public land that may as well be painted bright orange, reading 'Hunt Me' because someone scraped up the bark so much. Pine trees are especially hard to climb without leaving marks.

A good hunter will probably still find your location just by reading the same deer sign that you did, but no reason to make it any easier for them by leaving a scarred tree in the middle of the hot area.

7.62NATO

Thanks for all the advice, guys. Packing my heavy outer clothing in is something I have done ever since I froze my butt off the first weekend I ever hunted due to the excessive sweat from climbing a mountain. Once I get to my stand spot, I’ll wait to cool off before putting on my heavy clothes but I don’t think waiting until I’m in the tree to dress is necessary. I have heard of some climbers requiring a workout to use, but the Viper SD I have takes almost no effort at all. I had also planned to get it set up the night before, and that’s what I’m going to do tonight (opening day for ML is tomorrow!!).

I just bought a few of those screw in tree hooks, so those should come in really handily. I already have a fanny pack and that’s what I was planning to use for my calls, etc. Seems like I will do OK. I’m just really nervous about screwing something up once I’m up there since I’m not used to it…i.e. clanking a rail, or having to take my coat off because it warmed up and causing too much movement, etc. But I’m sure it will be fine.

UpHunter - I am hoping that my stand site is so far in the woods that no-one will even care to come anywhere near it. I looked for signs of previously climbed trees, and saw nothing. This hollow seems so perfect to me and I am stoked about hunting it. Lake to the south bordered by hardwoods dropping major acorns, creek borders on each side of the hollow, and a bike trail to the north which provides another border. And lots of droppings when I found this place two weeks ago.

*twodogs*

Bring two screw in ladder steps, in the event you fall out of the stand, the ladder steps help you get back in pretty quick. I keep them in my outer pants pockets while climbing and while in stand.

Another tip, if you are on private land, clear the area around you stand of leaves and twigs, this way when you set up in the dark, you don't have to worry about snapping twigs or crunching leaves.

My bow holder which is mounted to the top portion of the climber holds all my clothing while I climb, the only pull rope I use is for my bow. At the top, I screw in the utility hooks and hang my gear off the tree (quiver, rattle horns, clothing, day pack). Don't forget to fasten the strap that comes with all Summits to the top portion of the climber and make it tight, this way when you get up from sitting, if you bump that platform it will not fall.