I have a bone to pick with some of you...

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

@Red Beard s thread about transitioning to the weak side with a traditional bow mad me curious about a suggestion someone made about using a ROS and simply pushing yourself around the tree and not fooling with going over your bridge etc. What tricks do you have for moving around the tree (toward weak or strong side) when your are set up at the low side of a leaning tree with a ROS? Is there anyway to do this without making quick movement to transition your foot to the next step or are you limited by length of you leg for you ability to push off and or hold you around the tree. This question might not be clear so ask questions and I will try to clarify what I am referring to.

On a leaning tree especially, you may want to position your girth hitch to the high side and make sure your steps are a little closer together to shorten your stride length. I’ve heard of some guys even keeping their linesman rope on and tightening it up so that as they walk the tree, without “gravity” being able to take its course.

 

[gcr0003]

I’m not red beard but… I do not like doing the turn on the front side, bow under the bridge either. This is why I love ROS. I also keep 2 slotted squirrel steps when I do use a platform. It allows me to slowly walk the back of the tree as opposed to swinging around the front side or trying to push off knee to the tree and shoot around.
Best advice I can give you about using ROS for weak side shots, is to slowly lengthen your tether so you have space to walk the steps around. Or you can do what my son does,instead of letting our extra tether, he actually grabs his girth hitch and swings it off to the side of the tree so that he can walk the tree easily without it pulling back against him. He’s pretty stealthy when he does it and it lets him move very slowly around. For me though just lengthening the distance between my prusik and the tether girth hitch usually allows me plenty of room to get around the back for a weak side shot

Just to clarify. I am asking about moving around the tree in either direction when you are at the bottom side of a leaning tree and using a ROS.

 

[NATHAN]

I like my Cranford scaffold a lot. Not sure if they're available anymore.

 

[gcr0003]

On a leaning tree especially, you may want to position your girth hitch to the high side and make sure your steps are a little closer together to shorten your stride length. I’ve heard of some guys even keeping their linesman rope on and tightening it up so that as they walk the tree, “gravity” doesn’t take its course.

Yea I find my self reaching with say my right leg and pulling the step with my foot while I transition my left foot one step over to the right and try and push to the right and vice versa trying to go the other way. It seems the closer the step is to directly under you the hard it is. Also once all you weight is on one foot such as it would be on my left foot on the example I gave it seems like your basically maxed out without doing something funky. It also depends on the extent in which the tree is leaning but in my short experience I have found that it doesn't take much to make it difficult to get around to the top side.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

Just to clarify. I am asking about moving around the tree in either direction when you are at the bottom side of a leaning tree and using a ROS.

As in for climbing purposes or while hunting at height? I may be confused here because I saw where you inquired months ago about using them to climb but your question today seemed to be more toward moving around the tree for shots. I don’t use steps to climb so if your question involves climbing, I need to gracefully bow out and apologize for responding

 

[gcr0003]

As in for climbing purposes or while hunting at height? I may be confused here because I saw where you inquired months ago about using them to climb but your question today seemed to be more toward moving around the tree for shots. I don’t use steps to climb so if your question involves climbing, I need to gracefully bow out and apologize for responding

I never mentioned anything about climbing with steps in this thread. ROS (Ring of Steps) in itself refers to using climbing steps as a ring platform around the tree haha. Read post #204 and see if you can understand what I am describing. I am referring to transitioning around the tree for shots. I am referring to specifically the transitioning around the tree for shots when you are on the down side of a leaning tree.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

Yea I find my self reaching with say my right leg and pulling the step with my foot while I transition my left foot one step over to the right and try and push to the right and vice versa trying to go the other way. It seems the closer the step is to directly under you the hard it is. Also once all you weight is on one foot such as it would be on my left foot on the example I gave it seems like your basically maxed out with doing something funky. It also depends on the extent in which the tree is leaning but in my short experience I have found that it doesn't take much to make it difficult to get around to the top side.

I am a large stride guy by nature due to my height but for me, the closer the steps are, the smaller my movements need to be to get around. This is especially important in trees that lean. If the lean is too severe you lose the ability to go 360. Alternatives would be to position your girth hitch to the high side close to the strong side and walk the tree backwards toward the weak side instead of toward around the tree. Perhaps try attaching your linesman rope on a leaning tree and attempt to walk it with the linesman rope still attached so that you don’t get the falling sensation on the low side. I know guys that swear by it. I’ve never personally tried it though. From my experience on spikes though, I could see it working.

 

[ImThere]

I never mentioned anything about climbing with steps in this thread. ROS (Ring of Steps) in itself refers to using climbing steps as a ring platform around the tree haha. Read post #204 and see if you can understand what I am describing. I am referring to transitioning around the tree for shots. I am referring to specifically the transitioning around the tree for shots when you are on the down side of a leaning tree.

Don’t climb trees that lean! Rookie!


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[WVtreeguy]

I agree with your assessment about the comfort of the ROS. I choose to hunt from a platform due to the ease of positioning myself for most shots but mostly for weakside shots. On the platform I'll stand up and turn around with my back to the tree for weakside shots (which is one reason I don't wear bags on my saddle).

Same here

 

[swampsnyper]

@Red Beard s thread about transitioning to the weak side with a traditional bow mad me curious about a suggestion someone made about using a ROS and simply pushing yourself around the tree and not fooling with going over your bridge etc. What tricks do you have for moving around the tree (toward weak or strong side) when your are set up at the low side of a leaning tree with a ROS? Is there anyway to do this without making quick movement to transition your foot to the next step or are you limited by length of you leg for you ability to push off and or hold you around the tree. This question might not be clear so ask questions and I will try to clarify what I am referring to.

I go over my bridge. That’s the less movement I can make to get on target the quickest. Plus I’m at full tether and got room to lean away from the tree for limb clearance, which I’m already in that position. You start wrapping around the tree and your tether shortening can be a problem. Maybe less of a problem if you don’t cant your bow.

 

[Blacksmith]

I also set mine in a (3 sets of two for a wider step area.) Wrap them w/vet wrap to avoid that wind chime effect. Sooo much easier to carry in a shoulder bag than dragging a tv tower strapped to your pack... but it's good we dont all like the same thing or we couldn,t buy it.

 

[Old squirrel]

I use an extra tether at waist height girth hitched on other side of tree with friction hitch and tender for positioning, can only go one way but that is usually enough. Leave loose till I need it. Doubles as a backup.

 

[_Dario]

Here’s a great video on using a redirect for leaning trees:

This thread pushed me to try a ring of steps so I was able to get the hawk monkey bars ring of steps on sale and I am surprised at how great a ROS is as well. I still have to play around with them a lot but paired with the ewo sewn on cam strap I just might not be packing a platform this year.


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[HuumanCreed]

I want to try ring of steps, I'm mostly a sitter so I feel like I'm going to be hugging the tree a lot. But I dislike wearing knee pads (use a seat cushion with my platform setup), but then they would not help due to the tree being between my legs anyway. For the sitters, how do you cushion yourself from the tree?

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

I want to try ring of steps, I'm mostly a sitter so I feel like I'm going to be hugging the tree a lot. But I dislike wearing knee pads (use a seat cushion with my platform setup), but then they would not help due to the tree being between my legs anyway. For the sitters, how do you cushion yourself from the tree?

I love ROS for short hunts. I have used them for all day sits but it’s not ideal. I use the knee pads from 511 tactical. They are straight instead of contoured up front so they keep pressure applied evenly across your knees instead of rolling like contoured pads tend to do. That way if I switch my set up from the front to the back of the tree (morning/evening or wind direction change) all I am doing is sliding my tether around and moving my bow. Literally everything else stays still.

 

[Islandshooter]

Don’t climb trees that lean! Rookie!


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Yeah, not everyone has those perfect trees in their huntin ground!!!! i gotta laugh every time i see a video of the easy climb in the perfect tree!!

 

[HuumanCreed]

I love ROS for short hunts. I have used them for all day sits but it’s not ideal. I use the knee pads from 511 tactical. They are straight instead of contoured up front so they keep pressure applied evenly across your knees instead of rolling like contoured pads tend to do. That way if I switch my set up from the front to the back of the tree (morning/evening or wind direction change) all I am doing is sliding my tether around and moving my bow. Literally everything else stays still.

Can you explain some of the issue that start to bother you once you sit beyond the short hunts? Which area start to feel uncomfortable? I never plan to hunt extremely leaning tree, like I see some of John Eberhart's skyscraper tree that he climb in which he sitting on them like they are horses. I just cant see that being comfortable long terms.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

Can you explain some of the issue that start to bother you once you sit beyond the short hunts? Which area start to feel uncomfortable?

Mostly your feet and knees unless you wear steel shank boots.. You can also feel a little cramping in your calves and upper legs just from sitting too long. It’s nice to be able to stand straight up and stretch out on a platform. Once you’ve had a few sits over 4 hours you’ll see. It’s just harder to make adjustments (bridge length, slide your prusiks up or down on bridge loops ect) when you’re that tight to the tree. Again I can sit in almost anything for two or 3 hours and steps wouldn’t bother me a bit, but those longer sits are where the platform really shines as far as comfort.
PS being on this high side of a leaner actually places you more up right so to me it’s slightly more comfortable on a ROS, however getting around the low side is more challenging

 

[HuumanCreed]

Mostly your feet and knees unless you wear steel shank boots.. You can also feel a little cramping in your calves and upper legs just from sitting too long. It’s nice to be able to stand straight up and stretch out on a platform. Once you’ve had a few sits over 4 hours you’ll see. It’s just harder to make adjustments (bridge length, slide your prusiks up or down on bridge loops ect) when you’re that tight to the tree. Again I can sit in almost anything for two or 3 hours and steps wouldn’t bother me a bit, but those longer sits are where the platform really shines as far as comfort.
PS being on this high side of a leaner actually places you more up right so to me it’s slightly more comfortable on a ROS, however getting around the low side is more challenging

Thank you. I have not try a small platform like a OOAL Scout, Do you think something that small would satisfy your need to 'straighten up and stretch' once a while? I understand a lot of people run a combo of 1stick/Scout and ROS.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

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Thank you. I have not try a small platform like a OOAL Scout, Do you think something that small would satisfy your need to 'straighten up and stretch' once a while? I understand a lot of people run a combo of 1stick/Scout and ROS.

If I’m not mistaken the scout is angled which might not meet those needs. Perhaps the perch or podium? I have a ridge runner. It’s amazingly spacious. Place a couple of slotted squirrel steps on the back side and you have the best of both worlds lol