I have a Summit Viper climbing stand that I've had for years. It's great for gun hunting, but I'm starting to consider changing stands. Biggest issue is the stand has a wrap around rail that makes it nearly impossible to shoot from a sitting position, so I have to stand up to take a shot. However, it's not very comfortable standing up for an entire hunt. I'm in an area that has a lot of bush honeysuckle and can't see the deer till they're 40 yards away, at best. I'm also near a highway and it gets quite loud sometimes so it's tough to hear the deer before seeing them. I have very little time to stand up and also draw the bow, so I've tried standing for long periods, but it's just not comfortable. Do you guys sit or stand? What kind of tree stands are you using? Any suggestions for me on a different climbing stand, or simply making better use of this one?
When I go hunting in the morning I sit till it starts to get light out then I will stand for a little while then sit down unless there are deer around, I will stay standing. I like to shoot standing because that is how I practice. IN the afternoon, I usually sit when I get into the stand and stay sitting for a while till deer start to move then I will stand. i will also stand every once in awhile to stretch out.
I have the same stand. I stand for the first hour or so in early morning and don't have any trouble doing that. I'll sit on the bar for short breaks in between. My stand is often in an area that I need to keep watch all they way around so facing the tree or away from the tree doesn't matter. When hunting an area that I expect deer to come from a bedding or feeding area, I set the stand so I can stand or sit facing the right direction. I have had a few deer show up quickly and me not be able to get up to make a shot. Hasn't happened very often though. I also hunt from hang on stands a lot but some areas call for the climber. I've killed most of my deer from the climber and my two biggest too. Hope this helps.
I have a climber very similar to the viper. I just sit the whole time until i see one I want to shoot. Never had any problems. Ive had them pop out at 10-20 yards. I dont know I guess im just lucky.
I try to stand always...only seated shot I'll take is a quick one...it's a lot harder to properly keep top half still and bend at the waist sitted down, and not bending at the waist is the number one reason shots from elevated spots miss-hit.
I do both but I'm in a Muddy Hunter Pro hang-on stand. The seat can flip up quickly and silently when I need to stand, so there is plenty of room to move around. The seat is pretty comfortable too, so I can sit for awhile and then stand for awhile to keep from getting too antsy or cold.
I have the Ol'Man multivision climber. It has a front bar that u can switch around to either pose as a gun rest when up or turned down and its a fest rest lounge style. Of course I keep it down because 1 it's extremely comfortable to sit back with ur feet up like that and 2 its out of the way for bowhunting if a seated shot is required. So i usually sit very comfortably till I see a deer then stand or like I said its a great stand for a seated bow shot. Hope that helps ya. I found my stand from a shop on eBay for $190 shipped to my door. And its the Ol'Man Multivision Grande Pro aluminum. Very light, very quiet, very sturdy, and deceptively comfortable. I also stand for periods of time aswell to stretch out.
I have a summit 180 max sd, and I noticed the same issue the first time I used the stand. I try to stand as much as possible. Even got in the habit of standing in my hang on stands. I did shoot a doe sitting a few weeks ago, but that was only because it had to be a quick shot. I'm just more comfortable shooting while standing.
This is a suggestion. Not sure it will work but it may be worth checking out. I bought a steal one from ****s. It has a removable shooting rail. The top is extremely light and the seat is comfy and the most adjustable I have seen to date. You could do as I do and put the seat on the top rails instead of the bottom. it sits more like a lock on. just way more comfy. The stand only cost $100. The top looks like it would stack with the summits bottom. It may be worth taking the bottom of yours to ****s and trying.
I have a summit razor where the front bar flips down. It's ok, but there are several things I don't like about summits.
I also have a viper,I sit till i hear or see something, I have missed some out on some deer because of the rail but i rather have the rail around me it makes me feel a little safer.
I have a Viper as well. I used to sit a lot, until I either heard or saw deer, but most of which i hunt is thicker, so I try to stand up as much as possible so that's one less step I have to plan when taking a shot. What I do with my Viper is once I reach my platform height I want (the part you stand on), I drop the top half (seat) close to the bottom platform so that the seat is barely off the floor of bottom half. That drops the "gun rail" down out of the way so I have a lot more room to shoot. I sit occasionally for a few minutes at a time just enough to give my legs a rest. That's why I'm not too worried about how comfortable the seat portion is. This works for me anyhow. I have also sat on that rail at times just to rest a minute too, but I really don't like doing it because you are away from the tree like that, and can easily be silhouetted.
I also do a version of this but its comfortable enough to sit but i do have to pull myself up with my arms to stand up, I make sure the top part is pretty close to my bottom half so i can make the close shots without the rail getting in the way.
I am in the same situation Cap, what I have started doing is setting the top part higher a bit so that way it is a LOT easier to stand up, I can't shoot sitting down in that stand my bow is just too big to do that, but That has been helping me out, I usually sit for 15-30 minutes, then stand for an hour, and alternate like that
