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Does most of your satisfaction from deer hunting come from climbing the tree - a poll

Do you get most of your hunt satisfaction from the climbing portion of a hunt?

  • Yes

    Votes: 11 9.4%

  • No

    Votes: 106 90.6%
  • Total voters
    117
Climbing really sucks but I do it a lot. Having killed deer from ground blinds, elevated boxes, stalking on foot, sitting in a chair, and from an elevated position in climbers, ladders, lock-ons, and saddles, no one can tell me that climbing and hunting from a tree doesn't offer significant and powerful advantages in certain situations. It has kinda become the cool thing lately to say, "its not worth the risks....just switch to a crossbow and sit on the ground.... the indians didnt need to climb... ditching the saddle for good thread number 147." I think that is from the latest wave of hunting hipsters that saddle hunters used to be. The saddle is now too mainstream and it's time to embark on the next big secret thing, no gear AT ALL!!! In reality, each tool has its place and not having a full set of tools if you are able to use them all safely holds you back in my opinion.

There is a reason people started climbing trees when the technology was available because in many circumstances it is more deadly. Period. See farther, get out of their line of sight. Do you have to climb to have success? Of course not! But there is a lot more to it than just cultural norms or playing with your gadgets in the tree. Just because you don't need something to simply kill a deer, doesn't make it not useful in increasing success.
 
I answered no because the specificity of "more than 50%" was too much. Definitely some satisfaction of my hunting comes from the elevated position, and having the woods come to life while sitting silently waiting to maybe do something exhilarating.
 
BackSpasm said:
It has kinda become the cool thing lately to say, "its not worth the risks....just switch to a crossbow and sit on the ground.... the indians didnt need to climb... ditching the saddle for good thread number 147." I think that is from the latest wave of hunting hipsters that saddle hunters used to be. The saddle is now too mainstream and it's time to embark on the next big secret thing, no gear AT ALL!!!
Click to expand...

Haha this is so spot on
 
Depends on the climbing method.

I'm climbing 2TC this year because I didn't do any pre-season scouting and have no idea where I'll be hunting. As such , I wanted something small and lightweight which is the only thing I truly enjoy about it. It's a chore to climb but the pros v. cons still go to the pros.

On the other hand, I have alot of fun climbing SRT. It's by far my favorite way to climb and if I knew there would be SRT trees every place I was going to hunt, this would be the only way to climb. However, it is bulkier and at least in my area, far more trees are 2TC capable vs SRT.
 
Climbing, no. Hunting from elevated positions, solid yes. If given the opportunity I would prep dozens and dozens of trees and rotate through them like Mr. E. Even with all the benefits of mobile elevated hunting has to offer it can be a pain.
 
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I climb to hunt. I don't hunt to climb. The difference is subtle but there nonetheless.

I do hunt off the ground if the situation calls for it but I prefer hunting elevated for the following reasons (in no particular order)
-I typically can see further from an elevated position. This means climbing to the sweet spot between undercover and over story even if that's only a few feet up.
- I need a bit less cover to make required movements from an elevated position. Deer do look up, that said they also look at ground level. Its easier to get away with enough movement to draw from above than at eye level.
- My shooting lines are typically clearer from an elevated position. If there's sufficient cover on the ground to hide there's typically too much cover to shoot through. Getting above it provides for a cleaner arrow path.
- Hopefully my scent cone hits the ground further away when I'm elevated. I know . . .weak, but its my story and I'm sticking to it.
 
I’m glad this post come out. I hate climbing but I like hunting from elevation. I get high enough to get some cover and that’s about it.
 
BackSpasm said:
Climbing really sucks but I do it a lot. Having killed deer from ground blinds, elevated boxes, stalking on foot, sitting in a chair, and from an elevated position in climbers, ladders, lock-ons, and saddles, no one can tell me that climbing and hunting from a tree doesn't offer significant and powerful advantages in certain situations. It has kinda become the cool thing lately to say, "its not worth the risks....just switch to a crossbow and sit on the ground.... the indians didnt need to climb... ditching the saddle for good thread number 147." I think that is from the latest wave of hunting hipsters that saddle hunters used to be. The saddle is now too mainstream and it's time to embark on the next big secret thing, no gear AT ALL!!! In reality, each tool has its place and not having a full set of tools if you are able to use them all safely holds you back in my opinion.

There is a reason people started climbing trees when the technology was available because in many circumstances it is more deadly. Period. See farther, get out of their line of sight. Do you have to climb to have success? Of course not! But there is a lot more to it than just cultural norms or playing with your gadgets in the tree. Just because you don't need something to simply kill a deer, doesn't make it not useful in increasing success.
Click to expand...

I’ll gladly climb in a box blind or ladder stand vs hanging sticks at the ass crack of dawn in the dark. I’m not against hunting elevated entirely but I’m just lazy at times and don’t want to deal with it.
 
I voted no…anymore the trees I hunt dictate lower setups. Plus, I’m a traditional hunter so climbing is the least of my things to focus on.
 
kyler1945 said:
Simple question, don’t overthink it. Yes there will be more polls to add more context. Yes I have an agenda. Play along. It’s fun.

Ok - do you get more than half (+50.1%) of your satisfaction, enjoyment, rocks off, happiness, contentment, accomplishment, whatever you call it, from climbing a tree to deer hunt?

I’m not asking if you think it’s a good idea, or how you do it, or why you do it. It’s a simple question.

Do you get the majority of satisfaction from a hunt, from the climbing portion (saddles ropes sticks all that jazz)? Yes or no.
Click to expand...
Interesting pole. I would say I get about 20% of hunting satisfaction from actual climbing, mainly because it keeps me in shape. I hate exercising but it tricks me into getting it done. Practicing and actually doing it for real is good for me all around, mentally and physically. I’d say the rest of my satisfaction in hunting is just the preparation part…equipment, setup, stand prep. practice shooting etc.
And somewhere in the mix the satisfaction of killing a big honking buck.
 
Climbing is just a means to an end. It’s usually tougher to avoid spooking deer on the ground. Using a crossbow can probably mitigate that some but drawing back my bow on a deer is one of my favorite moments in all of hunting.
 
It’s a necessary “evil” if you will and I really don’t mind climbing but in all honesty, if I could snap my fingers and be up in my saddle and snap them again and be down…. hunting at height for me would be heaven. I absolutely love hanging in the saddle waiting for an ambush and get a lot more excitement from that part of the hunt. Of course the kill is the icing. And the ultimate 7 course with a nice Bordeaux afterward is all of the above and wrapping your hands around 6” bases.
 
I climb to put myself in a higher probability set up to kill a deer, in my mind at least- because I’m not good at it.
Own the Ghillies and seats. If I were grabbing one pack for a public spot, it’s going to be for a elevated set up, I haven’t mastered the I’m just going to sit / hang on the ground set up, unless I am carrying a seat or a gun.
 
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