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EZ Kut Drill

My personal opinion, bolts are a LOT easier. Especially when pre setting and using a cordless drill. I have the first three bolts in the tree in way less than a minute.
Setting screw steps and getting them properly seated always kicks my butt. One tree and I'm done. Today I set six trees with bolts. My hand saw broke so I had to quit.


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Agreed bolts are so much easier. Even the hand drill

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PJC said:
I use a belt that is designed for holding rifle rounds. (there's a name for it but I can't spell it) I sling it over my shoulder like a mail bag. Holds about 26 bolts.


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A bandolier?

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IkemanTX said:
The dip is for several things.
It reduces metal on metal noise drastically, reduces shine that a deer might see, increases traction for your foot, and if placed correctly it can easily let you know if the step is inserted fully.

I drilled a full depth hole with the bit, then insert each bolt in and run a permanent marker all the way around. The dip (or shrink tube) goes just up to the line. That way, if I see any bare metal, I know the bolt isn’t inserted fully and may not be safe to step on.


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thank you for the response!

This reminds me of the trapping cert class I took earlier this year where they went thru the process of boiling new traps and dipping in wax etc
I plan on doing presets so should be long enough for the deer to get used to it I would think/hope
 
Catskills said:
thank you for the response!

This reminds me of the trapping cert class I took earlier this year where they went thru the process of boiling new traps and dipping in wax etc
I plan on doing presets so should be long enough for the deer to get used to it I would think/hope
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I don't think bolts sticking out of trees will be alarming to deer, but it's always good to get as many trees preset as possible to make your hunt easier and quieter. Even trees you think you might sit in, maybe, maybe not. Easy to set up and have that option without sweating it. It bolt holes are the easy part. Cutting limbs and shooting lanes is what I find makes all the disturbance.


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I leave the holes empty and insert the bolts day of hunt.


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IkemanTX said:
I leave the holes empty and insert the bolts day of hunt.


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I know that's how a lot of guys do it. I just leave them in. I buy a bag of bolts off Amazon and prep trees. I may take the bottom one out that I can reach from the ground, but the rest stay in the tree until seasons end.


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Drilled my first tree with the hand drill today. I’m going have to silence the hand drill if I ever decide to run and gun with it. It was quicker than expected and wouldn’t have worked up such a sweat if it wasn’t 95 today. I don’t see myself removing the bolts from the tree unless I hunt it a few times and decide to move on. It was difficult to get the bolts in the holes in the daylight even though I knew exactly where it was. In hindsight it may be easier inserting the bolts at eye level @huck72412 vs knee level so I may try that.
 
EricS said:
Drilled my first tree with the hand drill today. I’m going have to silence the hand drill if I ever decide to run and gun with it. It was quicker than expected and wouldn’t have worked up such a sweat if it wasn’t 95 today. I don’t see myself removing the bolts from the tree unless I hunt it a few times and decide to move on. It was difficult to get the bolts in the holes in the daylight even though I knew exactly where it was. In hindsight it may be easier inserting the bolts at eye level @huck72412 vs knee level so I may try that.
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Eye level is ALWAYS better. That's been my belief ever since I started using spurs. May as well adopt that method with the bolts.
 
PJC said:
I know that's how a lot of guys do it. I just leave them in. I buy a bag of bolts off Amazon and prep trees. I may take the bottom one out that I can reach from the ground, but the rest stay in the tree until seasons end.


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Be careful. You may never get them out.

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I drilled a tree in my "backyard" today. 12 minutes EXACTLY to do 12 bolts from the time I pulled the hand drill out and punched the button to the time I put the last bolt in the tree. 24ft. It usually takes me another 3-5 minutes to set my ring of steps, tether in, and hang my bow and bag.

Just wanted to throw that out there for anybody on the fence.
 
That ain’t too bad Any body gets faster the more they do something.For me the extra few minutes would be worth it to not have too carry sticks.Even if you don’t consider the weight a big deal the difference in packability is huge.Also for me being able to get out of an area quickly and quietly is important.When my feet hit the ground with my steps I pick my bow up and get going.Do all my packing on the way down.Gonna try the drill and bolts shortly.
 
Buckhole75 said:
That ain’t too bad Any body gets faster the more they do something.For me the extra few minutes would be worth it to not have too carry sticks.Even if you don’t consider the weight a big deal the difference in packability is huge.Also for me being able to get out of an area quickly and quietly is important.When my feet hit the ground with my steps I pick my bow up and get going.Do all my packing on the way down.Gonna try the drill and bolts shortly.
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You can't beat bolts for a sneaky exit. You can't beat a pre-drilled tree for a sneaky entry. And the only thing better weight and packability wise than an ez-kut and grade 8 bolts is an ez-kut and titanium bolts.

Which I'm seriously thinking about.
 
Catskills said:
I'm going to use a cordless drill to preset. What size drill bit is needed for these. Want to make sure I am on the right track https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AZVYUW2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Z-0CBbW5B30XF
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Ex cut makes a bit for a cordless drill. I would get it. The kreg jig bit works ok. You have to use a drill stop on it and you need to have it adjusted properly. A regular 3/8 bit would probably do ok if you then used a hammer to drive them in and didn’t care about getting them out. My bit goes to the ez kut.
 
EricS said:
Ex cut makes a bit for a cordless drill. I would get it. The kreg jig bit works ok. You have to use a drill stop on it and you need to have it adjusted properly. A regular 3/8 bit would probably do ok if you then used a hammer to drive them in and didn’t care about getting them out. My bit goes to the ez kut.
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thank you!! happy I asked
 
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