All good points about the stick and stand being more versatile but every you tube video I see looks to be a pain in the A## to put up especially if your not used to doing it. I have a stand and sticks on my private land but for public I'm thinking the climber would be easier but that's just me not being used to packing and setting up sticks after every hunt.
the stick quiver on my LW Assault made it a heck of a lot easier for me with carrying everything in and keeping it compact. Once you get down a system it is pretty darn quite and quick. I can get in trees in about the same time with both my hand climber and my Assault/Sticks. Check some videos out on YouTube on how people do it. I have d-loop material tied to my sticks and clip them to my harness and leave the stand on my back. As I climb up I unclip the sticks as I go and set them up and then just take stand off my back and set that up. This way I only go up the tree once making it quick and efficient. It works for me, but everyone has a preference on how they like to do it.
You definitely need to practice a few times in the summer to get some kind of system down. I still practice once or twice before the season just to shake the rust off. There's also going to be trees that are going to require some sweat and swearing. But if it's the best tree, it's the tree you need to be in. Like hardwoods said, watch some youtube videos. Some of those guys get creative with their set ups.
I figure I would need to practice to get a setup feeling comfortable. Looks like I would be best served by the flexibility of a hang-on. From videos I've seen, set up can be very fast. Thanks for the tips fellers! Hardwoods - where you at in NY? I'm in Ulster County.
Joe - Think about the trees in the areas you hunt. If they are all straight with little to no branches, I would start with a climber. It's an easy, safe way to get going quickly. If most of the trees you will be hunting are not conducive to a climber, start with a hang-on. I started with hang-ons, then climbers. I use both each year. Locking my hang-ons and mainly using the climber for moving around. I find both needed. However, enjoy my climber for setting up much better than my hang-on. I also tend to walk up to 1.5 miles into the woods and carry lots of gear. I dislike the up and down, and straps that can clank with a hang-on and steps. I do not have the system down yet to make my hang-on experince as wonderful as my climber. If I was young and could only buy one...and had straight trees...I would pick the climber first.
I would never hunt a spot that I haven't scouted out previously. I use 2 screw-in hangers (one for quiver, one or day bag) at hunting height on every tree I hunt from, and leave them, this way I know exactly where I need to get, height wise, and direction wise, in the dark. As far as the platform being tilted goes, it's almost a must to be able to adjust it at hunting height, and this takes some practice. I've gotten good at that over the years, and that gives you confidence. I love my LW sit and climb.
I like the ease of bringing in screw in pegs, but I find that they make way to much noise and I get too sweaty if I have to put them in each day (hunt public land and don't like to advertise my spot). So I switched to LW sticks and use a peg or two on the bottom to get me the extra few feet I need
this spot disallows screw in steps or anything drilled into trees. it is a nature preserve that allows hunting.
Most public lands have rules against screw in step, and even cutting branches. I'm a hang-on and sticks guy. There just aren't enough tree's in my area that would allow for the use of a climber.
If I get access to this property, I'm going to buy a HangOn and Sticks. The aerial scouting I did via a few maps and a parcel viewer yesterday showed some promising patches for food and water sources. Skywalker - where are you in MO? I grew up in Independence. Strangely, I didn't get into hunting until I moved to NY...go figure. Leave a great state for the the sport and move to an area of one that kinda blows for it. One day I'll make a hunt in MO and see if I can snag a MO giant.
