Another one-sticking safety thread (sigh)

[Islandshooter]

My favorite part of saddle hunting is the safety behind it. Like many others, I to never used a climbing harness with ladder stands or hang on stands. Its actually really nice climbing with a linemans belt.

I think more people will try one sticking because good videos do make it look easy and effective. I tried it last season and to me its not as easy or much quicker than any other climbing method that you are comfortable with.

I really think saddle hunting is the safest way to hunt as long as you are doing it properly and using gear that was built for it.

I’ve climbed with aiders for 4 years and I’ve never experienced a kick out. In fact, the only time I’ve had an issue with a stick was not having proper strap tension and when I stepped into my platform the bottom of the stick came out perpendicular to the tree trunk. And that was before I used aiders.

pretty much the same with me…four or five years following DIYSportsman before saddles. The only two kick outs i had were exactly as you stated but with daisy chains. Once i started using the modified truckers hitch, that solved that problem.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

You’re flipping that lineman from somewhere lower to somewhere higher. In those short moments you do in fact have slack in your system.

In those short seconds, you do in fact have an inch or two of slack. You also have control of the rope meaning if you fell you’d do so while pulling the rope toward the tree so it would still engage. That is why you flip it rather than lean in and reach around to advance your rope. If you lean in reach around to advance, you’ve put more slack in the system and have no control of the ropes action in a fall.

 

[CooterBrown]

In those short seconds, you do in fact have an inch or two of slack. You also have control of the rope meaning if you fell you’d do so while pulling the rope toward the tree so it would still engage. That is why you flip it rather than lean in and reach around to advance your rope. If you lean in reach around to advance, you’ve put more slack in the system and have no control of the ropes action in a fall.

That is exactly how I climb on my one stick. I put my tether as high as I can reach, put my stick as high as I can reach, hook my LB up and climb flipping the LB as I go up. When I get to the bottom step of my stick I'm leaning on my LB to move my tether up as high as I can than move to the top step and while leaning on LB move the tether up as high as I can than I set in my saddle reach down and get stick and move it up as high as I can. Than I pull my LB up as high as I can, test the stick and climb on the aider flipping as I go. So when I get of my stick( off the top step and set in my saddle) my tether is tight and when I get back on my aider attached to my stick it is tight( remember I raised it as high as I could before I set in my saddle). So when I'm not hanging from my tether I'm hooked to it with some slack but with a LB so all the way around I'm safer one-sticking than any one is multi-sticking unless they are doing it different than anyone I have ever seen(like use a tether as they go up)

 

[HuumanCreed]

That is exactly how I climb on my one stick. I put my tether as high as I can reach, put my stick as high as I can reach, hook my LB up and climb flipping the LB as I go up. When I get to the bottom step of my stick I'm leaning on my LB to move my tether up as high as I can than move to the top step and while leaning on LB move the tether up as high as I can than I set in my saddle reach down and get stick and move it up as high as I can. Than I pull my LB up as high as I can, test the stick and climb on the aider flipping as I go. So when I get of my stick( off the top step and set in my saddle) my tether is tight and when I get back on my aider attached to my stick it is tight( remember I raised it as high as I could before I set in my saddle). So when I'm not hanging from my tether I'm hooked to it with some slack but with a LB so all the way around I'm safer one-sticking than any one is multi-sticking unless they are doing it different than anyone I have ever seen(like use a tether as they go up)

I think this is based on the fact that there is no singular one sticking method. Some people place stick on the side while other place stick directly center. I only average around 4-5 feet a move, well actually less because I almost never use the top of my step. I set my tether as high as I can, but standing from my bottom step, I hook and lift the top step with my toes, disengages the strap, then move the stick up high. I climb the aider while shortening the tether as needed, I dont adjust my LB usually, just whip it up the tree as I go. By the time I'm standing on the bottom step again, my tether is usually waist height and I lengthen/slack/adjust it then while leaning against my LB.I do admit it does not feel like the most effective style, but it is what I'm comfortable with.

I tried placing stick as high as I can on the side like some people, but I did not feel comfortable because there was a lot of opportunities for tether slack. That while it was faster, the safety measurement would not engage soon enough if something happens.

 

[CooterBrown]

I

I think this is based on the fact that there is no singular one sticking method. Some people place stick on the side while other place stick directly center. I only average around 4-5 feet a move, well actually less because I almost never use the top of my step. I set my tether as high as I can, but standing from my bottom step, I hook and lift the top step with my toes, disengages the strap, then move the stick up high. I climb the aider while shortening the tether as needed, I dont adjust my LB usually, just whip it up the tree as I go. By the time I'm standing on the bottom step again, my tether is usually waist height and I lengthen/slack/adjust it then while leaning against my LB.I do admit it does not feel like the most effective style, but it is what I'm comfortable with.

I tried placing stick as high as I can on the side like some people, but I did not feel comfortable because there was a lot of opportunities for tether slack. That while it was faster, the safety measurement would not engage soon enough if something happens.

I'm like you I put mine inline not to the side. But I can put mine as high as I can reach and still not have it on the side.