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Treebolts revisited

buckshideout

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Nov 30, 2017
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I want to say thanks to everyone posting there great ideas on here. For years I have hunted out of a lw climber.although I did love and use that stand for years. I eventually got tired of the noise of it and the pia of totting it around. So I resorted to hunting on the ground with natural ground blinds. I did have good success on the ground but missed being in the tree...then I found the kestral and bolt setup...I feel like a new man now! Lol. I tried the sticks, wow there worse and noisier then the climber. I'm a nit pic of unwanted noise of unnatural sounds. This system is by far the most efficient setup I have ever used.
 
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PJC

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Dec 26, 2016
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I want to say thanks to everyone posting there great ideas on here. For years I have hunted out of a lw climber.although I did love and use that stand for years. I eventually got tired of the noise of it and the pia of totting it around. So I resorted to hunting on the ground with natural ground blinds. I did have good success on the ground but missed being in the tree...then I found the kestral and bolt setup...I feel like a new man now! Lol. I tried the sticks, wow there worse and noisier then the climber. I'm a nit pic of unwanted noise of unnatural sounds. This system is by far the most efficient setup I have ever used.

Awesome!


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redsquirrel

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18 degrees this morning and my bolt holes were frozen up so I had to redrill them. Not really what I wanted to do this morning
 

KartShot

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18 degrees this morning and my bolt holes were frozen up so I had to redrill them. Not really what I wanted to do this morning
Are you still using bolts to stand on as your platform? I have a drill and bolts on the way right now to try out.
 

redsquirrel

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Are you still using bolts to stand on as your platform? I have a drill and bolts on the way right now to try out.

Yes. I use them at this place where I can only set one tree at a time. Climb on bolts and stand on bolts.
 

PJC

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18 degrees this morning and my bolt holes were frozen up so I had to redrill them. Not really what I wanted to do this morning

How hard is it to drill out ice? You'd think it would be hard to get the bit to bite on the ice.


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redsquirrel

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How hard is it to drill out ice? You'd think it would be hard to get the bit to bite on the ice.


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It wasn't that hard. It was just a PITA to do for every hole. When I'm using bolts, I only pre drill trees with the electric drill. I despise using the hand drill. I keep the hand drill with my bolt set in case I ever need to clear out a hole. In this case I had to clear out all the holes lol.
 
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g2outdoors

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It wasn't that hard. It was just a PITA to do for every hole. When I'm using bolts, I only pre drill trees with the electric drill. I despise using the hand drill. I keep the hand drill with my bolt set in case I ever need to clear out a hole. In this case I had to clear out all the holes lol.
How much time did it take? 30 seconds per bolt?

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redsquirrel

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How much time did it take? 30 seconds per bolt?

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Probably a little longer. It was just a PITA. I realized I might have to do it when I was driving to the spot. I hoped I didn't but I did.
 

g2outdoors

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Probably a little longer. It was just a PITA. I realized I might have to do it when I was driving to the spot. I hoped I didn't but I did.
I'm getting the bolt system for Christmas. I plan to use them like you. I'll use an electric drill to preset in the off season. Hand Drill will only be a backup. Mobile sets will be with spurs or Muddy sticks.

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redsquirrel

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I'm getting the bolt system for Christmas. I plan to use them like you. I'll use an electric drill to preset in the off season. Hand Drill will only be a backup. Mobile sets will be with spurs or Muddy sticks.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.
It is a great system. Prior to yesterday my only downside was that (for me) I have to go to the tree once to preset before I hunt it. I use it for the management area where I can only have 1 tree set up at a time and have trees that I will hunt more than once. Now that I found out that it is a pain if the holes freeze, I will probably just use it for all those spots in early season. I can't hunt as much in the late season so it's not a big deal.
 

Swampfox

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Oct 31, 2016
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I've found the hand drill to be pretty easy. I got to where I prefer it over the drill as the amount of time per hole is pretty close and it's much quieter. I've hardly hunted the same tree more than once this year so I've drilled numerous trees and got a good routine down. I've used the hand drill so much I broke the worm screw on the end of the ezkut drill off in an elm tree last weekend.

I have found that bolts are by far the best platform for me. When using them as a platform I found it much more comfortable to drill two holes 3 inches apart for use as a single step. So 4 steps would equal 8 bolts. Well worth the extra time and effort if hunting more than a couple hours. I also like that I can strategically put a bolt in a tree where I can hang my bag, gun/bow, accessories, etc...


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PJC

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Dec 26, 2016
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I can just see the newest invention;
A battery powered heated bolt to thaw the ice out and to heat ones feet while standing on.

Jumper cables


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Babshaft

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Oct 30, 2017
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Wow you lads are incredible! This is an awesome thread and I'm definitely going to use this method for pre-setting trees in the spring. Is there any advantage to using the ez kut bit or will a 3/8" auger bit with a stop collar do the same job? Is it better to have a 27/64" auger bit?

Thanks!
 
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redsquirrel

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Wow you lads are incredible! This is an awesome thread and I'm definitely going to use this method for pre-setting trees in the spring. Is there any advantage to using the ez kut bit or will a 3/8" auger bit with a stop collar do the same job? Is it better to have a 27/64" auger bit?

Thanks!
If you preset in the spring, the holes may grow in. I have to re-drill my trees every season. With summer being to growing season I expect that is when they fill in the most. It is easier to re-drill a hole than drill a fresh hole though.