One Sticking, my journey and issues

[muzzyman88]

Sorry if this is the wrong channel to put this in. I thought I'd share some things that I've been working on and what I'm having issues with in hopes that either someone has suggestions or to spur conversation.

My one stick setup is a Cruzr XC saddle with a EWO 15" Ultimate One stick. The stick has a 3 step Ultimaider and pack and play pouch, Repel rope is Canyon Ci-V with a madrock safeguard.

I've been playing with climbing and repelling for a bit now and honestly, its a bit of a struggle for me. I don't consider myself overweight and am somewhat athletic, but I'm certainly not a monkey in a tree. I first started by using my repel rope and climbing, hanging, moving stick, and repeating. I was having a lot of issues with getting going from the hanging position below the stick. I quickly realized that my issue might be the aider lengths and step positioning. So, I adjusted the aider lengths so that when hanging and getting ready to climb, I didn't have to reach very high up with my foot to find the first step. I also removed a step from the aider to use just two steps.
This was better, but now I was too short on the aider. So I messed around with step distances to ensure I wasn't going too long, etc. This is when I thought maybe I was trying to get too much distance per move and began setting my stick a bit lower. Bingo. I was tryinging to get max height per move and was just over extending everything.. my stick setup, my body, etc.

My next challenge. Climbing Up. I come from 25 plus years of using a lone wolf climber, so climbing up aiders and sticks is a very new concept to me. Once I'm up around 12-15ft, I just didn't feel comfortable going up this thing. So, I opted to use my linemans belt on the climb up, pausing when I needed to move my tether up. This added a great amount of stability and quite frankly, ease of mind as I know i'm connected twice to the tree. It allowed me to use both hands to deal with the tether and feel stable doing so.

But, there was an issue for me. Good linemans belt technique. I was climging up my stick like a ladder and fighting with my linemans belt and the stick, the whole way. I found a very good video on Youtube that shows good technique and I followed it to a T. What I was doing wrong is putting myself too tight to the tree. Everyone always stresses about taking as much slack out of your systems as possible, but its never really shown in detail what this means. What this also means is I had to get used to getting away from the tree more and leaning back, letting my saddle and linemans belt do the work. So now, I give myself enough room so my knees aren't banging the tree or stick... advance the linemans belt up as high as I can and use leverage of my toe in the tree and butt in the sadle to easily go up the tree, all while keeping constant pressure on the linemans belt. Stop, move linemans again, and repeat. I do this all with just enough slack to climb.

This also solved another really big issue for me. When I reached my bottom step of the UOS, I was hammering my shins on the UP platform. Well, this is because when I got there, I was too tight to the tree and my legs had no where to go.

One up there and hanging at height to hunt, its a piece of cake. The rappel down is easy. Again, I did have to get used to leaning back. My treestand mind wants to always be vertical. Just use your brake hand and slowly and steadily go down the tree, removing your stick as you go. Its really easy once you get the hang of the safeguard and how much pressure it takes to break it free enough to start the decent. I can't stress enough how important it is to try all of this at low heights. I probably messed with the safeguard at 8ft or less for several days before going any higher. Understand the gear, how it works and how to use it properly.

One really small tip I figured out that helped with one thing. When I got to the tree and made my way to the top of the stick from the ground, I connected my rappel rope and hooked in. I was throwing it over my shoulders to get up on the stick. I was also having the annoyance of the rope getting tangled up in my stick and feet as I climbed. I use the end of my rappel rope as my bow pull up rope as well. I had a couple saddle hooks from innovating the outdoors handy and I just clip my rope into it as I climbed to the top of the stick from the ground. I then put my rope around the tree, secure it and test to make sure all is good. Then, I clip the long end of my rope back into the hook on my saddle, which is located around my 5 o clock on my right side. This keeps the rope which is dangling to the ground out of the way of the stick and feet.

Sorry for the long post fellas. I'm getting there. I hope maybe something here helped someone. If any one stickers have anything to chime in, please do!

 

[phatkaw]

One-sticking doesn't come quick to everyone.
You gotta figure out what works for you and that takes time and practice...

When I first tried I struggled and was disappointed in myself so I abandoned the whole idea.
Then I seen a couple of @boyne bowhunter 's videos and knew if an FOG can do it I can do it.

Now I love it and it's an absolute piece of cake.

 

[wyetterp]

Great post. When I first started I faced all the same obstacles & thoughts. You did a great job explaining the experience & solutions.

Awesome you worked through it & didn't just give up, which I think a lot do. It really does get easier when you get more proficient at it.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

I use a single step aider which means my knee is pretty much to my chest when I make the transition from hanging back onto the stick. One of my major "aha moments" came when I discovered I was trying to pull myself up with my arms as much as using my legs from that position. I had both hands on the top step of the stick, leaning back and trying to pull up rather than step up. Lots of work doing that way.

I found that if I placed my right hand on the upper step and wrapped my left hand behind the tree (left foot in the aider) so I was more or less hugging the tree and using those hands more for balance and maintaining my body position near the tree I was in a more vertical position and the move up was simply a step up with the leg. It is much like climbing a ladder, your legs do all the work and your hands/arms are just providing balance and security. This was much easier for me and made all the difference in one-sticking for me.

Picture from the timed climb video making the transition from hanging to standing. This is just before I stand up in the aider.

 

[woodsdog2]

@boyne bowhunter's videos were the ones that convinced me to move forward with one sticking as well. Gave me tons of confidence in the method and the process. Keep at it brother!!!

 

[2Sloe]

I find the three step aider with 15” spacing to be key. You might not get much height out of that third step on successive moves, but it is right there and easy to get your foot into it, which gets the aider off the tree and makes it easy to hit steps 2 & 1. Stepping down a little bit into that third step is actually easier than having to step up into a second step. Trusting your equipment is #1, that way you aren’t fighting gravity the whole climb. Only time you should really be expending energy is when you are climbing your aider. Everyone has to find what works for them and the learning curve isn’t the same for everyone….but everyone can get there eventually if they just stick with it. Good luck!

 

[muzzyman88]

I was having some issues with climbing and once getting onto the bottom of my stick, I was smashing my shins into the UP platform. I also didn't like the sensation of being there and not having anything to grab a hold of, all while dealing with my tether. It just felt unsafe to me.

I found this video, which for me, really made all the difference in the world in terms of climbing, security and feeling safe the entire way. Once I started doing it this way, I calmed down and was able to climb with much more confidence. Sure, it takes me a bit longer as I have to hook up my linemans, adjust, tend the linemans and the tether on the way up, then unhook linemans and repeat... but the extra time I take climbing will get faster and the time I save coming down the tree is worth it to me.

 

[muzzyman88]

I just got back from doing some climbing this afternoon. Its funny how spending a day in the woods climbing trees is really fun to me.

Wow, my system is really starting to come together now. Big thing... slow is fast and slow is quiet.

Aside from using my linemans rope on the way up, one big thing I have learned that made my whole life easier and way more controlled while making my transitions was this. When I get to the top of my stick after leaving the ground and putting my tether up as high as I can reach it, I then adjust the madrock to get low in a seated position. It almost feels like I'm squatting, but not quite. This allows me to grab the stick much easier without having to bend so much as well as gives me plenty of extra rope above the safeguard to place the stick. This also makes pushing off from the tree way easier. Before, I was fighting the system because I didn't have enough rope to work with above the safeguard and it make it hard to get the stick in there, and also pushing off the tree.

The more I climb now, the better I'm getting and its much less work. I'll be ready to roll by October.