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Best of the "entry level" sticks?

hard to beat the price of hawks... especially if ur just gearingvup this year... spending $130 for 3 sticks instead of $130 per stick is a huge deal when ur already buying $500 worth of saddle, ropes, carabiners etc
 
I would either wait for the trophyline, novix double steps or go with no hole beast sticks. Beast would be my top pick but depends on how much you want to spend. You will end up with better sticks eventually just skip to the end save some time and money going through ten different sticks.
 
I’ve owned OG LW, api (Cut to 18” steps) and now 24” beast sticks...for value standpoint the OG LW and beast are fairly close even though big price difference single steps at a short spacing is not that big of deal but...my api’s stay in a tree in my yard and honestly cannot suggest them the standoffs do not bite well in hard woods
 
Hawks for the win. Mostly light. 3 full with a single aider and 12-15 feet. Was using a single amsteel and tube step from EWO one the bottom 2 sticks. With the pred at the same height as my tops stick I was around 14’. If I wanted to step up...15+. I tried a movable aider. Didn’t like that. Plus you can always cut them down, you know. To save a few ounces.


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Spence71 said:
Hawks for the win. Mostly light. 3 full with a single aider and 12-15 feet. Was using a single amsteel and tube step from EWO one the bottom 2 sticks. With the pred at the same height as my tops stick I was around 14’. If I wanted to step up...15+. I tried a movable aider. Didn’t like that. Plus you can always cut them down, you know. To save a few ounces.


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Big plus with shorter sticks is that you can pack them easier and they don't hang up on brush nearly as much. A small decrease in length makes them significantly easier to walk with. It's like the full size just passed the brush grabbing length threshold or something.

EDIT: The threshold for me is sticks must be short enough to pack vertically, close to back, with the tops even with or barely above my shoulders, and the bottoms not banging into my legs when I walk. I'm 6 foot and couldn't do it with the full length. But I chopped just 5 inches and it made a big difference. The length for each person is probably a little different.
 
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I see what you did there. Hahahaha


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Am I missing something? The no hole beast sticks are still $75 compared to $95 for the holed ones. That's only an extra $20 compares to $100-120 total for Hawks. I'm a fan of 'budget for beginner' or DIYing things from high end parts if you have the time. But IMHO if you buy something that is 80% of your dream item, you will never be fully happy with it and will regret not spending just a little more for complete fulfillment. If your dream car is a 69 Mustang, dont buy a 68 just because its a few thousand dollars cheaper. Get a Honda Civic that is dependable and will last for as long as you want it. Save up for the perfect car in the mean time.

I suggest get Hawk Minis. If you really don't care about packability and weight, get $70 Hawk Range Traction or Amazon has the Muddy Stagger Steps for $50.

But don't go into the trap of saving a few dollars when in the long run you should of spend a little more for extra features.
 
HuumanCreed said:
Am I missing something? The no hole beast sticks are still $75 compared to $95 for the holed ones. That's only an extra $20 compares to $100-120 total for Hawks. I'm a fan of 'budget for beginner' or DIYing things from high end parts if you have the time. But IMHO if you buy something that is 80% of your dream item, you will never be fully happy with it and will regret not spending just a little more for complete fulfillment. If your dream car is a 69 Mustang, dont buy a 68 just because its a few thousand dollars cheaper. Get a Honda Civic that is dependable and will last for as long as you want it. Save up for the perfect car in the mean time.

I suggest get Hawk Minis. If you really don't care about packability and weight, get $70 Hawk Range Traction or Amazon has the Muddy Stagger Steps for $50.

But don't go into the trap of saving a few dollars when in the long run you should of spend a little more for extra features.
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I ended up with the Hawk Minis for the time being. They're $120 for 4. To get the equivalent # of Beast sticks it would have been $300. For as little as I'll likely use them, I'm ok with that.

And I feel you on the Mustang comment. My dream car is a '67 Fastback. I bought a '64.5 coupe a few years ago and never was happy with it. I felt like I was throwing money away on something that would never be the '67. Perfect analogy!
 
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Here are my thoughts on Hawk. Being new into tree stands, sticks and saddles I looked at and bought a set of hawks. They work and are a very budget friendly option. However, Hawk as a company is horrible. The quality control is almost nonexistent and customer service is worse. If I’m going to be hanging in a tree 15-20’ up, I’ll pay a little extra to stay up there and have the confidence. Again, Hawk and muddy are good choices and will most likely serve you well. Good luck and let us know what sticks you move on too.
 
Also beat part about hawks.... there will always be a newb that needs a budget friendly (read that as in “the wife won’t find out or mind”) and you can help someone else out.

I just sold my modded hawks. Got someone else up a tree and I climbed for 2 years on $20 sticks after what I paid minus what I sold.

Speaking of... best entry level one stick? Anyone want a single muddy? $50.

I’ve also got a set of modded hawks and my new EWO. Thus is the progression. Hahahaha


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ssramage said:
For my purposes, I'm not sure it makes sense to go for the premium sticks right now. I'm just getting started and most of my hunting will be on private land. I'll do a few public hunts, but they'll be so few that extreme weight reduction isn't all that important.

I'd like a setup that's easy to use and will get me in the 15-18' range without a lot of gymnastics.

I was thinking 3 or 4 full size Hawks but wanted to ask the masses for advice first. Also, if anyone has any used sticks, feel free to shoot me a pm. Thanks!
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Entry level, the hawk helium’s or muddy are hard to beat for the price. Of course those Novix sticks aren’t much more expensive and I consider them premium. I’ve seen the hawk 20” for $129 brand new. The Novix mini’s are like $159 for a 4 pack
 
The Novix mini's have my attention with the double steps. I have the 24" beast sticks with holes and they are awesome but I def. wouldn't mind something a little shorter in the 20" range for packability and a little less weight.
 
HuumanCreed said:
Anyone have a picture of these upcoming Novix double steps? Or is this a mod that is popular?
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I think they posted a video about them awhile back but novix is making a double step that should come out relatively soon. Same 15” step space and $220 for a 4 pack I think


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ssramage said:
I ended up with the Hawk Minis for the time being. They're $120 for 4. To get the equivalent # of Beast sticks it would have been $300. For as little as I'll likely use them, I'm ok with that.

And I feel you on the Mustang comment. My dream car is a '67 Fastback. I bought a '64.5 coupe a few years ago and never was happy with it. I felt like I was throwing money away on something that would never be the '67. Perfect analogy!
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Changed my mind.

Hawks are delivering today and will be getting sent back for a refund. Ended up grabbing the Shikars from the classifieds that were listed.
 
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