I'm thinking about adding a new stand. Thinking LW-"ish" hang on that employs the strap that you can leave in your tree.....and just take your stand in with you. If I do this, it'll be in spots I can't get a climber. What I'm thinking is......putting up some cheap tree steps and just leaving the strap in the tree. So.....how far will a thief go? If they're gonna sabotage, I don't think anything will stop them. But, if they're just after equipment, would this interest them, at all?
well hopefully one of the scums wont come across your stuff because if he does Im sure he will take it, because thats what he does.
Jeff, I think it is one of those things. You likely will be able to get away with it for many years. But all it takes is the right person to come along and it will be gone. No one knows when that "person" will come along. One thing I thought of is how much are we talking money wise if that strap gets stolen? Could you just buy another one? It's not like we are talking a lot of money I presume. And if it lowers your set-up time and noise every time you use that stand it sounds like it would be worth the small risk.
I'm guessing, strap; steps; everything.....I'm out $30 if it's stolen (and some time and inconvenience). The strap is useless to them (I may even get an off-brand setup, to ensure they wouldn't be interested in actually using it). My guess is......it would be a case of pure sabotage involved (if it were to be taken).
$30? Sounds like a no brainier to me. At least to try it. But, correct me if I'm wrong. If they (the potential thief) had LW stand themselves, couldn't they use that at a different stand site and have two quick set-up themselves by doing what you are doing?
Buy two setups and use them. If they steal the one... odds are they probably won't find the other one. At least your hunt wouldn't be a waste if both were setup with the same wind in mind. Or you could just carry the second setup to be prepared for someone stealing your first setup. Tim
Jeff - For stands that get left out, I think I've got a pretty good system that I've learned after having quite a few stolen. I buy $30-$40 stands from ****'s Sporting Goods (right now is a good time to get them there on clearance for cheap). Then I lock them in, you can also buy a pack that includes a half dozen cable locks that all use the same key for roughly $30, also from ****'s. Then I use screw in steps that stay there on the top half, and carry 1-2 LW or Muddy sticks in and out with me. Much easier and quieter than carrying a stand in/out. If they do actually steal one too, then they are going to work for it, and your only out $40ish. This is what has worked for me. Since I started doing this, I haven't lost another stand.
Matt, that's similar to what I do except 70% of the time I hunt I am there daylight til dark and the $40 stands and my arse don't get along. I Cable Lock my stands in with North Starr cable locks. These are serious Locks. I use deachable Cranford steps on the bottom 5 and take them out with me everytime. Top 7 to 9 steps are not detachable and I just leave them in. Dan
Matt: I'm one of the few, it seems, that actually hates the sticks. I've just never found a way to hang them, safely......without undue effort. It's probably me. But, I thank you for your input.
Have you seen this video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3clPFGAwB3s This is exactly how I use mine. I tie a rope from my belt to my bow and pack, then use the sticks with a shoulder sling across my right side. Then I climb with my climbing belt from a Loggy Transformer harness. When I I get to the top, I attach myself to the tree, and then pull my gear and bow up. I'm literally never unattached, and I'm able to literally climb a tree with a prehung stand in only 2-3 minutes this way assuming it's already pruned out.
Leave the bottom steps out, at least make them work for it. If someone is going to the trouble of putting in steps/sticks just to take a hangon strap, nothing will stop them. I don't even use locks on my stands, they won't stop a hacksaw,
I beg to disagree. I had a Masterlock Python on my Leaf River camera a couple of years ago. I lost the key. Every day, we would go with a hacksaw and saw till the blade broke or was dull as a butter knife. 4 blades later, we found the key. I still use the lock to this day, as we only got maybe 1/4 of the way through. I'm pretty sure by time we found the key, my right arm was about 2x the size of my left arm.
Matt: Will you post up a link to the locks you use? If they're good enough to make it hard to get the stands off the tree, I'll just go your route (and go ahead and leave the tree steps there). I'm only talking about 2-3 locations. And, with the cheaper stands, I could do that cheaper than one LW, anyways. Thanks, again.
Awesome story Matt. I would have just cut the stinkin' tree down. I use a combination of screw in steps and cheap strap on steps. I screw in 4 steps and then have a 20 ft set of strap on steps above that. The bottom 4 ft section rests on a screw in step and gets a real ratchet strap since it is about 8 feet in the air and not in contact with the ground. I remove the 4 screw in steps each time I get down. Setup is good for 28'.
Does anyone make a tree step that employs a lag bolt, in lieu of a screw-in step? At least they'd have to take their cordless drill into the woods with them.
Jeff you have the Cranford detachable that uses a bolt with special head, and Sky Hooks that use more of a Lag bolt. I'm not sure if they still make Sky Hooks or not. I didn't care for them but they were a Dream to carry! Dan
