I just got this setup, and put it in a tree last night for the first time. How does everyone go about doing this, quickly and quietly. How long should it take me to setup and get hunting with this setup?
Quickly and quietly will not happen lol. You will get better but with sticks and hang-ons always expect to make some noise and it takes a while. That is why you set up quite a bit in advance and prune the branches as needed.
If you use a linesman's belt, you will be surprised how quiet it can be ... but I agree with pre-pruning trees that you will be hunting ... if needed... it makes the set up in the dark so much quieter and easier
Thanks guys for the input. I'm confident that if i work on it enough, I'll get it figured out. Just afraid it'll never be as simple as my climber!
You're right in the fact that it will never be as simple as your climber. However, the versatility you'll have in which trees you can hunt with a LW hang-on and sticks far outweighs the little bit of extra work you may need to do when hanging and hunting. Coming from someone who has hung and hunted multiple sets each fall, some in the dark, I can tell you that it's not as big of a deal as you may think. Making a little bit of noise is par for the course and IMO doesn't really affect your hunting once you get set up. Granted it's not as quiet as sneaking in and getting set up in a pre-hung stand, but a little bit of extra noise isn't a major issue. I've hung sets in trees where I felt like I was banging buckles together, chopping down 5" diamater branches that go crashing to the ground and making all sorts of racket, sweating my butt off, etc and still had deer within shooting range by the end of the night. So my point here is to not worry about every little noise you make. Concentrate more on picking the right tree and getting set up as quickly as you safely can. If you plan to hang and hunt make sure you leave yourself at least 30 minutes of extra time so you're not rushing and doing something stupid. Another thing to keep in mind is to not overdo it when it comes to the hang/hunt mentality. Just because you can do it doesn't mean you have to do it. 10 out of 10 times I would rather hunt a pre-hung stand when given the choice. I only hang/hunt when I'm moving in on fresh sign I didn't know was there earlier, or simply want to check out a new spot at the last minute. Over the course of a season I'd say I hang and then hunt that stand right away about 2 or 3 times. Generally speaking once I've hung the stand and hunted it, the stand will stay there for the remainder of the season or until I need to move it elsewhere. Often times people get this notion in their head that being mobile is the only way they're going to get on good deer, when in reality it's just a small part of the big picture that makes up your success. With that said - good luck and be safe!
Thanks a lot Justin, great points. I agree on the noise while setting up. Where we differ, is that I don't have the luxury of having tons of prehung sets. I have my climber, which before this year, I used 100% of the time, and I have the LW sticks nd Alpha. Just got to do the best with what you have, I guess!
Keeping the noise down is good, but the only time you have to be really concerned about it is when you are setting up right outside a bedding area where you within ear-shot.
I own a Lone Wolf Assault with sticks and a Lone Wolf hand climber. I also have an Alpha hang on but almost always use the Assault with sticks or hand climber. I probably have 30 different prepped trees on public land but only hunt with two stands that I put up and take down each time. It pays to be mobile with Lone Wolf.
I'd suggest getting some camo cloth tape and taping up your sticks to reduce noise and help them blend in better. I don't care as much about the deer seeing them as I do other "hunters." If I do leave my stand overnight, I usually take off the first two sticks anyway.
ok now how comfortable are the LW's?can you stay all day in them?alot of hang ons i see have a very small seat.i cant see sitting on a tiny seat for 6 hours?
