+1, I was the one to get my younger brother out of the woods as he wanted to hunt in the rain. When, I asked where is bow was at and his reply was, "F' the bow lets GO!" 26 years later, he's still upset at our Mom for making him wash up and change before we took him to the ER! MOBU
I agree. Even with lifeline or climbing belt you can still slip and fall a foot and catch below your jaw or your gut on a step or something and do serious damage. I almost ripped my nu?$ open by falling a couple feet when a screw in step gave way cause unknown to me the tree was rotted. I was young and dumb and should have inspected the tree better.
I hunt in the rain so hanging the stands in the rain to me isn't that much different. Just be extra careful and use the buddy system (and no screw in steps).
Hanging stands in a light rain, provided you're being safe and using a lineman's belt, isn't an issue for me. I've done it plenty of times without issue. The key is knowing your limits and making sure you're using your equipment properly. I typically don't wear gloves when it's raining so I can have a better feel for what I'm doing. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't feel confident in their ability to do this safely.
On a serious note though, I too love hanging stands in the rain for the scent benefits. However, I take me time even more so than if dry, so it does take longer but to me is worth it. I always try to do it with a buddy, but if not you can bet I got a lineman's belt, satchel as to never be holding anything while moving/climbing and I've text someone my exact location with scheduled check in times.
I wouldn't be able to see a foot in front of my face with those things on. The guy's as blind as a bat! I may just get a set of my own for this year. They seem to work for him...
I too like to hang my stands in the rain. Its usually cooler, quiet, and less scent. But like Justin said above, just know your limits and take your time. I also never where gloves while hanging stands, it gives a better feel while setting steps and stand. I have had many times had deer walk up and mill around while I am about half way up the tree hanging a new set. With every thing wet and spongy, you really can do it with zero noise!
Good points and I don't disagree I just know that time is the resource I have the least of so if I plan a day to hang stands and get the green light from my boss (wife) I'm hanging stands rain or shine. Always with two people and always harnessed up and our system is streamlined. As the stand hanger everything is prepped on the ground and I am not lifting anything a simple pulley system lets the guy on the ground do all the lifting work and I simply ratchet strap the stand in place and attach the lifeline (which is new to me as far as hunting). I've never used lifelines while hunting but have used them almost daily for my job for several years. So we are using them now because they just make sense, far more likely to have an issue climbing up and down or in and out of the stand than just sitting in one. Edit: The more I thought about this the more I realized that I was being stubborn. As the stand hanger I could easily put the sticks up then immediately attach the lifeline. That way the rest of the work could be done using the lifeline also rather than just a lineman's belt. I'll still hang stands in the rain if necessary but no sense in not adding an extra safety measure that's fairly simple to accomplish. My only concern is leaving the lifeline in the elements for months if we hang stands early but that could be remedied by just pulling it and rehanging it just before season I guess. How weather resistant are those things anyway?
