I want to start hunting from a treestand but I an afraid of height. What should I do? 2013 Hoyt Charger 5 pin IQ mini NAP Apache Fuse 10" carbon blade
I would try using a climber. Make sure you are all harnessed in and attached to the tree the entire time. This way you can control how high you go and as you feel from comfortable and confident you can go a little higher. The most important thing is safety first! Hope this helps.
Start low.. Put you tree stand just a foot or two off the ground, get in it and stay there for a while. When you get comfortable, climb up another foot and do the same thing. First thing you'll know, you'll be up at the height you want to hunt. Make sure you wear a harness, even at the lowest height so you get used to it as well. Fear of height is normal, we evolved that way. But you can be desensitized to it with some practice...
Listen man, Im afraid of heights too. I hate them. I started hunting ladder stands at only 12 ft with shooting rails at first. This helped me get comfortable. Then got used to sitting at 16-18 feet in them. My big issue was sitting in a hang on. I would climb up, and freeze to a bear hug on the tree hahahaha. The only thing that helped me was investing in my hunter safety system harness with life lines. Just knowing your hooked into the tree that well will help give you confidence. Then just climb up and sit for a few hours and practice going from ladder to stand and vise versa. I now can sit above 20 feet, standing or sitting and am comfortable shooting up there
I'll second using a ladder stand. It's rare for someone to LIKE heights and I always feel vulnerable sitting in a hang on. With the ladder in front of you, a ladder stand, to the mind just feels safer. As others have said, practice and experience in a stand will make you more comfortable also. Safety first! Wear that harness!
Like mentioned above, I have always felt safer in a ladder stand. Just seeing that ladder in front of me eases my mind instead of a hang on or climber where there is nothing but your platform.
Great advice guys!! I hunted out of a climber for years due to a fear of heights. I overcame that this past winter by learning to use the proper safety equipment, lifelines and a line mans belt and started slow, until I fully trusted my equipment, now I'm good to go! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm not trying to be a jerk, but honestly for me what works. Is to nut up and just do it. I've never had issues with heights, but for example I hate to fly. When I fly I lose 5 gallons of fluids from sweating so much from nerves. But in anything in life, just say f it! I can do this, it won't kill me. And jump in. Believe me its all in your head. Get to that tree and look up and say I'm sitting in that tree and killing a deer. Climb up and don't look back just go like your on a mission to save your life. Once your up there focus on your task and not the heights. Each and every time you do this it will be easier.
I've been a ironworker since I was 16 now 30 and I was very sacred of heights when I started. But it was really good money so I didn't want to stop so I just work myself up to do it and before I knew it I was walking across 3" beams 40’ up with no problem. If you want it bad enough you'll get up there
I get a little uneasy at times too, especially at the beginning of the season. I spent a large portion of this summer on shaky extension ladders and scaffolding at work. On opening day this season, I felt like I could have climbed to the moon with no fear, my climber felt solid as a rock and I felt totally at ease. I guess my quirky way to get over the hurdle this season was to spend a lot of time on tall ladders
Sounds wierd but if you have a local gym that has rock climbing go start there. One its a good workout. But it teaches you to trust your equipment. It helped me a lot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've been a ironworker since I was 16 now 30 and I was very sacred of heights when I started. But it was really good money so I didn't want to stop so I just work myself up to do it and before I knew it I was walking across 3" beams 40’ up with no problem. If you want it bad enough you'll get up there
irrational fears are just that ... we all have them and no one can truly understand them ... but the only one that can overcome them is ourselves ... heights bother everyone .... make sure u have good safety equipment and feel secure whether in a climber or ladderstand ... I hate heights and jumped out of c130s,c141's and blackhawks and remember being stuck in the door as the c141 circled the drop zone w/ 2 jumpmasters holding onto my equipment ... I forced my self to look straight down and it wasn't bad .... but believe me in a 17 foot deerstand I only feel comfortable w/ all the safety lines and vests ..... just look straight ahead while climbing and take it slow
Go out, buy yourself a climbing belt, an hang a few hang ons at 25'. You'll force yourself to be hands free and literally just hanging off the tree by the belt web you are hanging the stands. After a few hours of hanging from 25' with no hanging onto the tree, you'll be good! That's what got me over my nerves.
Something that hasn't been mentioned that I think goes a long way to overcoming this fear. Get yourself a good harness before you do any climbing what so ever. Then, go in the backyard all suited up climb up a tree a few feet, three or four, nothing crazy. Then setup the harness as if your hunting. Get used to wearing the harness. The next thing is to simlulate a fall out of the tree by stepping off the platform. Remember, you're only a couple feet off the ground so you're not going to fall. Hang in the harness and see how it reacts and how it feels. I think this does two things. One, it makes you realize that the harness is not going to give way and you'll be just fine if something were to happen. Secondly, it gives you an idea of what its like to fall and how to react and get back in the stand or to the ground. I have done this several times from a few feet off the ground and its a reassuring feeling knowing that I simply can not fall to the ground as the harness has my butt.
