When do you attach your harness? Having to hang a stand each hunt means using a lifeline rope isn't practical since I'm only going up and down once. I've found with trees that have a lot of branches, attaching and removing my harness for each stick is a huge pain in the arse. Just curious if anyone has any other method other than attach harness and linesman rope, attach stick, detach harness, move up and repeat?
If it's a branchless tree, I'll use the linemans rope the whole time. Otherwise I'll just use it to hang the stand itself. The tree rope is the first thing I do when I step on the platform.
I have the same thoughts on attaching and detaching the rope when going around limbs. In my mind it's the same action as attaching my sticks, all the added movement is just as likely to make me fall just hanging my sticks.
I use the harness and lineman's rope after the first two sticks and I use it on each stick and the stand after that, even in trees with a lot of branches. It is kind of a difficulty but much less than a disabling injury. I may be overly cautious but I want to walk out of the woods each time I walk into the woods.
Good points all around. Obviously being unattached at some point is unavoidable. I always take extra caution when getting in and out - taking it slow and making sure i have a solid hand/foothold. I even mentally tell myself "ok, now you're unhooked" when I unhook for whatever reason. No place for complacency when it comes to this.
I use my lineman belt to put on my fourth stick and hang my stand. After I get my stand hung I attach the strap that connects to my harness which is about 6' long so I am attached when I get in and out of my stand. I have heard of guys using two lineman belts to get around the branches so that they are always attached.
