Ohboy

I have the summit viper ss and love it. I do occasionally get in a ladderstand from time to time but not with a bow, only a gun. I love ladderstands when im in a rush to get in and out the woods and when i know the area is a good spot for shooting a gun long range(for the rut especially). But, I love my climber for mobility, especially on new land or different times of the hunting season. I use my climber 90% of the hunting season! well worth the $250. Now a blind(up to $100) is worth the money also, very mobile and can hide well in the woods. Also great for taking a partner with you.

Mojotex

I have used a climber type tree stand since the days of the "Baker" ... that that goes back a few decades now ! Compared to the climbers currently on the market, that Baker was a Widow-Maker ! The advantages of a climber are obvious .... with portability being the chief. The draw backs are the additional pack-in/out weight, a some what limited range of tree diameter, and almost impractical to use on trees with lots of limbes below 15" or so. The danger is the fall risk. Be sure to buy and use a quality fall restraint system. All climbers will come with a system, but some of these are rather cumbersome and tricky to strap on ... and all are "one size fits most". The climbers that I am most familiar with are Summit and Ol' Man brands. These manufacturers have been at it a good while and offer high quality, strong, quiet t use, sturdy products. I have friends that use API brand climbers and like them a lot.

As for a ground blind .... I use a "pop-up" type ground blind that I set up, then brush in. I have two smaller ones and a larger one. THe large one is a Double Buill brand. It is excellent, but large heavy and expensive..

Nomercy448

Sucks to buy both, but owning different items to suit any hunting situation is incredibly handy.

In my area, the usefullness of climbers is incredibly limited as we don't have many mast producing trees. My personal favorite is hang-on's, but it's nice having a ladder stand sometimes too. I have two climbers that I rarely use. I hunt all private, so I never carry my climbers in and out. I leave them suspended a foot or so off of the ground at the base of my tree, then simply use it as an elevator when I get there each morning. In the rare instances that I've hunted public ground, I'd use blinds or climbers.

Hunting by myself, a simple chair blind or ground blind (umbrella or fence) is pretty functional, and they're great for public ground for portability and ease of set-up. I used to use burlap in this way with garden stakes, takes way too long.

For more than one person, or for protection against the weather, pop-up and hub-type blinds are fantastic, but they're big, and will take a little time for game to get used to. Unless I have a good spot to brush them in, I like to set them up before season and let them sit. I prefer the hub-type.

If I had to have ONE, I'd say a blind is more versatile than any treestand. There's ALWAYS ground to set a blind on, but there's not always a tree that's climber friendly (or tree-stand friendly at all).

OhioNovice

I appreciate the input guys. Im thinking Im going to look into a climber. Right now I have about a 1/4 mile hike to my ladder stand, but if I get a climber I can hike another 1/2 mile or so and get into the really dense woods where (I dont think) many people go because it is so far. Plus the only public land I can hunt on is a State Forest so its 99% trees.


May pick up the climber and then put a blind on the Christmas list...

early in

I have the LW sit and climb and wouldn't use anything else. After you get over the sticker shock you'll be glad you invested in one. It's light weight, super quiet, very secure, and easy to use. It's not the most comfortable stand though.

bucksnslabs

I think if you can get in a climber early and be quiet you have a much better chance at sucess with a mature buck, to me the only productive way to use a ground blind is to set it up way early and brush it out giving the deer time to get used to it, chances are if you go set up your ground blind today at 2:00 then hunt the rest of the day if your in a spot the deer uses all the time he will notice something is not right and look your blind over as soon as he spots it(usually he wins the staring contest and saves his owen butt! I think a climber is much more effiecient as far as killing especially old deer

ButchA

I had a Summit Viper X4 (2004 model) that I used for years. It was an awesome climber, very lightweight, but yet rugged. I used it for both bowhunting and rifle hunting. But sadly, I fell into some hard times and sold it along with my bow.

I've tried ground/blind hunting and never had any success. Deer are extremely wary and have that weird "sixth sense". They KNOW when something ain't right. You absolutely have to be scent free and you and your blind have to be almost invisible.

Anyway, a climber is the only way to go especially on public land and state forests. Never ever ever leave anything on public land - it'll be gone come next morning - guaranteed.

UPHunter08

I'd have to agree with you on every point, including the one on comfort. If you think the sit and climb isn't comfortable, try the hand climber. I figure I'm not out there to be in total comfort, though, so the other advantages of my Lone Wolf outweigh the comfort issue for 3-hour hunts (light weight, quiet, secure). It's so quiet that I've had guys set up near me (50 yards once), and I've gotten down out of my tree with my Lone Wolf, and he never knew I was there!

rogerstv

This is what I was going to say.

So, X2 from me.