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Doc

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Doc Experienced

Doc

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Are there some tree varieties that you would just simply recommend that no one use a climbing treestand on. Obviously, because of the limb structure, pine trees wouldn't be practical, but I am thinking more from a safety standpoint.

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Lawdwaz Grand Master

Lawdwaz

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Shagbark hickory is the worst as the cable gets caught in the bark and then you are SOL.

I've climbed some pines. I don't know if they were the red or whites??

No branches until you get WAY up. Noisy climbing but doable.

Then there's the DEAD ones.............STAY OUT!!

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Elmo Rookie

Elmo

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American Beach are the worst, the teeth on the climber just don't seem to be able to grip the bark at all. Tried climbing one once, went up a few feet and decided it wasn't a good idea.

+1. Take 3 steps up, slide down 2. Take another 3 steps up, slide down 2. Took forever to get 20 feet up.

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Doc Experienced

Doc

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It has been a lot of decades since I have used any treestands, and the last climber I ever used was the old Baker climbers (a real death-trap). My recollection was that the worst tree for that stand was the shagbark hickory because the blade of the climber wouldn't penetrate that super-hard bark. But I recall there were other concerns such as trees with soft, smooth, thin bark with a rather moist layer under it where the stand would tend to try to rotate or shift suddenly around the tree. Beech and pine immediately come to mind. I remember that after only a short period of time with that Baker, we were designing and building semi-portable welded up stands that were chained and securely clamped to the tree. I'm sure that today's climbers are much better than that old Baker, but I kind of figured that a lot of the same trees that were a problem back then are probably still problems today.

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WNYBuckHunter Experienced

WNYBuckHunter

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The Summit Viper I use has a serrated area that contacts the tree on the stand side and a cable that goes around the tree. I think that makes for a much more solid hold than the blade style ones. You dont need to penetrate the bark much to get a nice, secure hold. The smooth bark trees are fine if you are careful, and they are dry, but get a little moisture on there or try to climb too quickly, and you might be going for a ride.

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Doc Experienced

Doc

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The Summit Viper I use has a serrated area that contacts the tree on the stand side and a cable that goes around the tree. I think that makes for a much more solid hold than the blade style ones. You dont need to penetrate the bark much to get a nice, secure hold. The smooth bark trees are fine if you are careful, and they are dry, but get a little moisture on there or try to climb too quickly, and you might be going for a ride.

I remember that the old Baker was such a hazard that I modified mine with a home-made chain and tensioning mechanism so that once I got where I was going, I would clamp that sucker to the tree with the chain. That made it a piece of the tree. However, a hunting buddy of mine took a rather fast trip down on his from about 10' up. the stand decided to grab the tree when it was about a foot off the ground. You know the saying, "It's not the fall that gets you, it's the sudden stop"? Well, he found out exactly what that means ..... lol. It's a wonder that he didn't mess up his back or legs.

Yeah, I could see where a serrated blade would be a definite improvement. The big hazard is probably more from a sudden unexpected shift than actually coming down, and that most likely occurs when the stand decides to suddenly do a little rotational shift. The serrations probably help to keep that from happening.

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hunter49 Newbie

hunter49

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I use an older API climber that uses a chain like a bicycle chain & it is solid when climbing & once in place. I feel the chain conforms to the tree really well. It also has a serrated blade against the tree. You can replace the pins on the stand & use small locks through the chain links to lock it around a tree so you don't have to carry it in every time. I beleive Bass Pro took them over & still make them but they seem a bit heavier now. Mine only wts. 21 #. I also have a Summit which is as good. I think some climbers are bad on cherry trees also.

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NFA-ADK Rookie

NFA-ADK

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Love my tree climber stand but do not use it that much. If the tree is large and alive my climber will hold on does not matter what kind of tree. I stay away from anything with noticable dead branches or damage to it's core or possible disease or insect infestation. Otherwise I test it about 1 ft off the ground if it holds with my 170lbs jumping on it, it's usually good. I swing from the top part to test it while I am about 6inches off the ground. If both top and bottom of the climber hold on the ground you should be ok...

PS: Always wear your safety strap so if you fall you will still be able to get back into your stand!!! Keep it above you as taught as possible with out restricting your movement. Put it above your bow/gun hook so if you fall you are not below your stand, this extra safety should make it possible for you to get back into your stand if you fall. Make sure you are capable of doing one pull up, migh sound funny but if you can not, you will not be able to pull yourself back into the stand... And if you can't do one pull up, think twice about using a stand. JMO

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wooly Newbie

wooly

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My climber hates poplars. Had it slip twice on me this past fall on 2 different trees. Fortunately the top grabbed when the bottom fell. I have faith in harnesses but I don't think they do to much to soften the blow between a pretty face like mine and the tree trunk,lol.

Yeah, I stayed away from poplars the rest of the season.

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Doc Experienced

Doc

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My climber hates poplars. Had it slip twice on me this past fall on 2 different trees. Fortunately the top grabbed when the bottom fell. I have faith in harnesses but I don't think they do to much to soften the blow between a pretty face like mine and the tree trunk,lol.

Yeah, I stayed away from poplars the rest of the season.

Poplars ........ That's one that I had forgotten about when mentioning trees with thin soft bark and a layer underneath that is very moist.

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Robinson446 Newbie

Robinson446

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Used my dads climber that you strap your feet into the bottom, and start climbing. Well i got up there and my feet slipped out and down went the bottom half as i was stuck 20 ft in the air with no foot rest. I finished the hunt that morning and waited for my dad to come help me down. lol

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Elmo Rookie

Elmo

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Used my dads climber that you strap your feet into the bottom, and start climbing. Well i got up there and my feet slipped out and down went the bottom half as i was stuck 20 ft in the air with no foot rest. I finished the hunt that morning and waited for my dad to come help me down. lol

You should read the instructions. Climbers come with a string that you use to tie the bottom half with the top half so that if the bottom half slips and falls, it will only fall a couple of feet. Any ol' string would work too. Should not be more than 5 to 6 feet long.

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WNYBuckHunter Experienced

WNYBuckHunter

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I have a strap that connects the 2 sections of my stand to each other. On the bottom section, its just a long, green nylon strap, 1" wide. On the top section, theres a short strap (same material) with a clip on it. When I put my climber on the tree, I run the strap from the bottom section through the clip on the top section and leave it about 3 feet long. This will catch the bottom section if it falls. Once I get up to where I want to be, and have the stand in place, I reach under the seat and cinch the strap up. It actually makes the stand feel more solid, and makes it so the bottom section cannot fall, even a little. When Im ready to get down, I loosen the strap again to about 3 feet long. When I am packing my stand sections together, I wrap the strap around the bottom of the 2 sections to help hold them together nice and tight.

Also, those stands with a strap that hold your feet in suck. Good luck getting your feet back into the strap without your hands. Summit has their Rapid Climb Stirrups that work great and are way better than the plain foot straps.

http://www.basspro.com/Summit-Rapid-Climb-Stirrups/product/55046/115066?hvarAID=shopping_googlebase&om_mmc=shopping_googlebase

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phade Mentor

phade

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You should read the instructions. Climbers come with a string that you use to tie the bottom half with the top half so that if the bottom half slips and falls, it will only fall a couple of feet. Any ol' string would work too. Should not be more than 5 to 6 feet long.

Should be shorter than that even....probably up to 4 feet max.

I've experienced the 2 ft dropsies before...talk about a heart-pumping, pants-filling experience.

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Lawdwaz Grand Master

Lawdwaz

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I have purposely let my bottom section fall from a sitting position. Grab a friend and have him stand by to help if needed. Climb up about 7-8 feet and make the bottom section fall to the end of the safety line and then take the time to get it back into position by using that safety line. Could prepare you for a real mistake in the woods and it really shows you how far up the creek youd be if the two sections were not tied together.

I didn't need my buddy to assist but is was good to know he was close by incase of a FUBAR deal.

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