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Top of line sticks or go mid range?

Johbran said:
I’m new to saddle hunting and I’m wondering about sticks. I won’t be walking miles so weight isn’t a huge issue, mainly quality and how well the sticks bite tree. Do I go Tethrd One Sticks, beast sticks or would skeletors be my choice?
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As I’ve gotten older I’ve adopted more of the buy once cry once mentality. With that being said, gear wise I do like trying stuff, so I buy and sell a lot, but I do lean towards the nicer/higher end stuff a lot of the time.

There was a pretty good deal on the classifieds earlier iirc. I think it was 4 no holes beat minis for $270?

Good luck and welcome to the addiction
 
I really have grown to love my modified shikars. I've got essentially the shikar FXD that allows me to rotate them for travel still. They originally came to me as rotating ones, and the bolts were shot from over tightening and wrenching on the locking nut. I replaced the bolts with grade 8 bolts from the hardware store and filed grooves into my standoffs with a flat chainsaw file. My top stick has replacement triangular knobs, which allows me to crank them tighter than the factory knobs. They fold super flat, and fit great inside of my jx3, but are way more sturdy than the regular rotating Shikars.

Pics Incoming
 
I've never flown first class on any jet, thus couch is good enough for me...

That said OOAL, Eastern WO, Beasties are all made in America with desirable features. I personally have sunk enough bargain money on sticks to get a set of the aforementioned premiums. Fyi, you could always sale the good ones and get reasonable returns, but the cheapos don't really hold value in a similar way..

Good luck,

Skeletors user here
 
Had OOAL FXDs. No complaints at all and they pack up very nicely. But I stuck with one-sticking last season. But with my knee injury a Pacseat arrives tomorrow.
 
Other than Beast, One's, and Skeletors, what other sticks have standoffs with a bevel on the contact point with the tree? I think that feature should be standard on all sticks.
 
OP, if you are only going to have one set of sticks, then I would recommend getting one of the higher quality sticks, Several have been mentioned here and there are some really good choices these days. As mentioned, beast sticks, OOAL, EWO, Novix / Trophyline minis, are all good sticks.

If budget is a concern, a set of skeletors (right out of the box) or Novix/Trophyline minis are solid mid tier price points. Both are excellent sticks, but weigh a little more. But it sounds like a weight doesn't concern you, so these would fit your requirements.

If your goal is to really streamline, reduce weight and improve the packability, the higher end sticks help in those areas. All the high end sticks have their own unique features that may appeal to you. Some sticks bite trees better than others, some pack better, some are lighter, etc. This is where personal preference on the high end sticks comes in. A lot of good comments on various sticks above to help you think about whats most important to you.

I may be crazy, but I tend to have several sets of sticks, so I have many of the ones mentioned. I use some for pre-sets on a few different private tracts during the hunting season. I have acquired them over time by picking up a set here and there, watching sales, etc. And I always have several nephews looking for hand outs!

My thoughts on the following sticks:
- Beast sticks - Bought these when they first came out. Great stick. Still one of my favorites, but was my most expensive set. Still my go to mobile set. You may want to replace cam buckles to reduce weight.
- Hawk Minis - Good 4 piece budget stick. Great option if trying to reduce costs. My only complaint is the standoffs and weight. You may want to replace cam buckles to reduce weight.
- Trophyline / Novix Minis - Great mini sticks. You get four, and will likely need aiders. Really like them and just a tad heavier than the highest priced sticks. You may want to replace cam buckles to reduce weight.
- Skeletors - Great 4 stick set that comes with nice features right out of the box, such as Amsteel (or knock-off Amsteel) and very nice tie off button and good standoffs. Probably the best mid price stick out there.
- Tethrd One Stick - Gen 3 - Don't have these yet, but will tomorrow.
- OOAL - Smallest profile, light weight and very well built. Hard to go wrong with OOAL products. I only have one Shikar Mini I was experimenting with for one sticking. I could easily want a full set of Shikars.
- EWO - Excellent stick, can be custom built. It is my go to One Stick.
- Lone Wolf - Another top of the line stick that is hard to beat. I only have the older three step model, but I have had them A LONG TIME.
- API sticks - Good quality stick, low cost budget stick. I have the three step sticks and man they feel heavy once you get accustomed to the lighter sticks.
- Muddy - Got a few sets of the steel version, not a bad budget stick.

I may be me getting older, but I sure do appreciate some of the lighter high end sticks. Even when placing on private property and the walk isn't far. The lighter sticks also make going up the tree a better experience.
 
I have owned all the top of the line and to me the best stick out there is the Hawk helium. 20" stick. You can buy 5 sets of them for one set of sticks. They are a bitt heavier but I can leave them in a tree on my out of state hunts and if some jerk wad steals them I am out less than 100 bucks. I do have a set of LWCG that I keep if I am way in and pulling my set everytime but it's hard to go wrong with the Hawks!! I have 6 sets out right now in Kansas and Nebraska and some have been out since early Sept. Spend the money on a good saddle and some form of platform you like. Shawn
 
I have Lone Wolfs that I changed the top step to a double step from EWO, wire aider on each stick and ditched the straps for Amsteel rope for attachment. I also have the 3 step Hawk Heliums that I ditched the straps and changed to Amsteel for attachment along with one step am steel aider on each stick. I bought the Skeletor sticks this year and don't see any reason to buy anything higher end. They are fairly light at 2 lbs per stick, using a moveable aider I can take 4 sticks and get any where from 15 ft. up to 20 plus ft. easily. I place my first stick at 7 ft. with the moveable aider (4 step aider) then either move it as I climb or just place the next sticks at regular spacing. Not a Tethered fan boy as some say but I do love these sticks. Oh yeah when using the moveable aider I rappell down so I don't have to climb down the aider. That adds another fun factor to the hunt.
 
Hunter260 said:
In my opinion there’s only 2 options. Beast sticks, or hawk heliums. Ones budget and one isn’t. The beasts are 100000% worth the money too. Buy 2 sticks for a little more than the price of a 4 set of hawks and ask for the other 2 for Christmas. Hunting 2 sticks high is a very viable setup too
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I have the hawks and have been very happy with them. I think they’re a great intro set. I sacrificed a few pounds for a couple hundred bucks imo but they bite well, connect easily to carry in and out, and I like the way they attach to the tree itself.
 
Johbran said:
I’m new to saddle hunting and I’m wondering about sticks. I won’t be walking miles so weight isn’t a huge issue, mainly quality and how well the sticks bite tree. Do I go Tethrd One Sticks, beast sticks or would skeletors be my choice?
Click to expand...
When you say high end stick only 3 sticks I think of are the Out on a limb sticks, the lonewolf doubles and of course my personal favorites:
doublesteps.com

EWO Ultralight Climbing Stick

*Apologies as our website defaults to a starting from $89 price for an unfinished stick. The starting cost is around $115 per stick. Backorder time:3-4 weeks for ultralight anodized steps. Due to p…
doublesteps.com doublesteps.com
 
HuskerInIowa said:
I have the hawks and have been very happy with them. I think they’re a great intro set. I sacrificed a few pounds for a couple hundred bucks imo but they bite well, connect easily to carry in and out, and I like the way they attach to the tree itself.
Click to expand...
I started with hawks, liked them well enough. I thought “how could those more expensive sticks be much better?” Since I got the beasts I can’t hardly stand to climb the hawk. I think they really are that much better
 
Old Man Hunter said:
I have Lone Wolfs that I changed the top step to a double step from EWO, wire aider on each stick and ditched the straps for Amsteel rope for attachment. I also have the 3 step Hawk Heliums that I ditched the straps and changed to Amsteel for attachment along with one step am steel aider on each stick. I bought the Skeletor sticks this year and don't see any reason to buy anything higher end. They are fairly light at 2 lbs per stick, using a moveable aider I can take 4 sticks and get any where from 15 ft. up to 20 plus ft. easily. I place my first stick at 7 ft. with the moveable aider (4 step aider) then either move it as I climb or just place the next sticks at regular spacing. Not a Tethered fan boy as some say but I do love these sticks. Oh yeah when using the moveable aider I rappell down so I don't have to climb down the aider. That adds another fun factor to the hunt.
Click to expand...
I had switched to Amsteel, and it was fine, but went to the LWCG webbing no buckles. It’s superior for sticks than Amsteel. It doesn’t roll slip or pop as I’ve had happen with Amsteel. Take one of the LWCG straps off the buckle and try it. I couldn’t change fast enough
 
I have a set of LWCG steps, and they are the safest I’ve encountered. Super grippy, plenty wide, nice stand offs, it would take a lot to get me to change. Sounds like they’re pricey comparatively but safety is my #1
 
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