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Brand new saddle hunter looking for the best climbing system.

H

herringtonty

New Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2019
Messages
5
I plan to order a Tethrd Mantis saddle but am trying to decide on a climbing system. Looking for the most cost effective and weight conscious run n gun set up to get my platform at 20ft. I will have presets with spikes but I want to get a run n gun set up as well. I am currently thinking a WE 5 step pack with an aider and Perch Platform. Problem is i'm just a little hesitant because of some of the troubles people have with the WE steps being tight and whatnot. Any ideas, thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
I have WE, bolts, spurs and cutdown lonewolfs. All are good and serve a purpose. I used spurs 98% of the time last year but will be drilling a lot of trees this year before season and using bolts. That being said I'll probably use WE steps for my run and gun just because I can climb any tree and spikes are a no go on pines around here. I still need to practice some with the stepps. I think its all what you make it. Some guys hate spurs, I love em
 
To me as far as cost effective and weight/ bulk go 8 WE Stepps with aider is about as cost effective as it gets for run and gun. They aren’t that hard to setup. If they do get a little loose they don’t just fall out of the tree. If you use them for a platform you will want them rock solid.
 
I have cut down API sticks as well as WE Stepps. I prefer the WE for deeper public hunts and the sticks for closer hunts. I think most on here will agree that it took them trying several methods to hammer down what they prefer. That being said, I feel like WE stepps are a good starting point.
 
Stump06 said:
I have WE, bolts, spurs and cutdown lonewolfs. All are good and serve a purpose. I used spurs 98% of the time last year but will be drilling a lot of trees this year before season and using bolts. That being said I'll probably use WE steps for my run and gun just because I can climb any tree and spikes are a no go on pines around here. I still need to practice some with the stepps. I think its all what you make it. Some guys hate spurs, I love em
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What do you use for bolts? Iv bought enough 10" 3/8 galvanized spikes to do 2 sets so far. Plan to drill 3" deep then pound em in another 1/2". Are bolts a better option?
 
EricS said:
To me as far as cost effective and weight/ bulk go 8 WE Stepps with aider is about as cost effective as it gets for run and gun. They aren’t that hard to setup. If they do get a little loose they don’t just fall out of the tree. If you use them for a platform you will want them rock solid.
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Why would you go with 8 rather than 5? I figure with a 20ft platform height if I can space the 5 out 4 feet and use an aider to make a 24" step distance then 5 should be plenty correct? Is it nice to have extras?
 
KYHunter said:
I have cut down API sticks as well as WE Stepps. I prefer the WE for deeper public hunts and the sticks for closer hunts. I think most on here will agree that it took them trying several methods to hammer down what they prefer. That being said, I feel like WE stepps are a good starting point.
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I get that it's gonna take time to get a really good system hammered out I just really don't have the funds to buy multiple styles of steps and platforms. It's too bad there is not much of a used market yet. Also nobody I know hunts with a saddle so finding these products to try out is extremely difficult.
 
I have tried almost all methods. Screw in steps, Spurs, sticks, hand climber, we Stepps. I think each has its place and you never know unless you try them all unfortunately. Sticks are the most fool proof but bulky so I one stick. Hand climber is great but need a perfect tree. Spurs are the fastest but can be sketchy. Wasn’t a huge fan of stepps.
 
herringtonty said:
I get that it's gonna take time to get a really good system hammered out I just really don't have the funds to buy multiple styles of steps and platforms. It's too bad there is not much of a used market yet. Also nobody I know hunts with a saddle so finding these products to try out is extremely difficult.
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Hard to go wrong with a set of sticks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Fooling with 3 methods over the last few months (hand climber, sticks, cranford strap-on steps). I think most folks tinker for a while and settle on what fits them best, centering on the variables: weight, cost, convenience. It all amounts to practicality.

A word of encouragement: whatever you buy and try, you will likely be able to sell. IMHO, if there is a loss it will be small (usually just shipping) and worth it to give whatever method a solid try.

A word of caution: If you are careful not to hurry in purchasing, to work on your methods, and to keep your expecationtions honest and real, you will have no regrets.

If I still could hunt private land, it would be 100% bolts and drill (as I used to do), hands down: fast, cheap, easy, light. But I've relocated and am limited to public now.
 
When I'm on private its pre set screw in steps.

I've tried WE steps, sticks, cut down sticks, one stick, cranford strap on steps, and lone wolf hand climber.

For public I'm going with a lone wolf hand climber because most spots I can find a climbable tree, and I can use the hand climber as a seat to get off the ground if the situation works better to hunt on the ground.

As far as a system to climb trees with a limb/crotch, I am yet to perfect a system that is public land legal, but alot of times if I cant climb with the LWHC I sit on the ground. To me its more fun to be on the ground anyway. I like to see the deer's eyelashes when they blink before I shoot them ;)
 
herringtonty said:
Why would you go with 8 rather than 5? I figure with a 20ft platform height if I can space the 5 out 4 feet and use an aider to make a 24" step distance then 5 should be plenty correct? Is it nice to have extras?
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I would go at least 6 if you’re going to go with a separate platform. 8 if you will use the wild edge Stepps as a platform. It really depends on your height and the type of aider. The way I use an aider it’s tough to get 4ft per step. I can do it but it is more work than carrying one more step. In order to have an easily moveable aider it attaches to the step above the one your climbing to. To get 4 ft per step you have to be able to tie your second step on at 8 ft. The height you can tie one on is the limiting factor.
 
I use 8 stepps. I haven't messed around with aiders yet because having an extra step at chest hieght while hunting is great to hang stuff from (calls, binos, range finder...etc) it's also an extra hand hold while getting on/off the platform. 8 makes things easy and 20ft is easily achievable.

WE stepps usually last about 1 hour in the classifieds section. You could always order extra and just sell them if you prefer less.
 
WE Steps and knaider/swaider, of course! Seriously though, pick one and get very comfortable with it. They all work and have their pluses and minuses. The key is to get proficient enough where you are safe in all conditions. Make a decision based on what you find is the most important to you. For me it was very compact for public land. I can use my way blindfolded in the dark while its raining. Pete
 
herringtonty said:
I get that it's gonna take time to get a really good system hammered out I just really don't have the funds to buy multiple styles of steps and platforms. It's too bad there is not much of a used market yet. Also nobody I know hunts with a saddle so finding these products to try out is extremely difficult.
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I feel ya on the lack of funds! Check out Primal Steps. Those are actually what I have with amsteel as the rope, but I (an de I think many others) just group them as WE Stepps. They are a bit cheaper than WE but are basically the same.

Also, not sure how long you’ve been on the site, but check out the classifieds regularly. Guys post sticks, WE Stepps and other methods on there decently frequently.

Another thought is to see if any member on here lives near you and would let you come try out some methods?
 
herringtonty said:
I plan to order a Tethrd Mantis saddle but am trying to decide on a climbing system. Looking for the most cost effective and weight conscious run n gun set up to get my platform at 20ft. I will have presets with spikes but I want to get a run n gun set up as well. I am currently thinking a WE 5 step pack with an aider and Perch Platform. Problem is i'm just a little hesitant because of some of the troubles people have with the WE steps being tight and whatnot. Any ideas, thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Where are you from? Most saddle hunters wouldn't mind letting you try out what they got.
 
I would go with a Kestrel or Kite and a single stick with an aider.
 
I really hate to say this but I have every climbing system known to saddle hunters and here are my opinions on each of them. Keep in mind that everyone is different in their own particular setups and these are just my opinions on the gear I own.

24" hawk sticks:

Sticks are pretty straight forward. Folding steps are nice to have but not a must have for me. I hated carrying multiple sticks because the 4am fiddle factor at the base of the tree untangling straps and clanking sticks wasn't for me.

24" DIY Stick:

Used for 1 stick climbing. I like this method. Most don't take the time to get good at it but once you do it's a simple and semi fast way up a tree and can be done by almost anyone if the right technique is applied. But you will probably sweat some using this method.

Spurs:

Hated them. Wanted to like them and practiced a lot. Never got to where I completely trusted them not to slip and in my opinion stepping onto and off of a platform was awkward. Taking them off and putting them on in the tree was weird for me too. I couldn't get them to pack very well around my small pack and in all fairness I'm not a huge fan of using linesman belts so that just added to the issues.

Treehopper bolts:

Never used the hand drill. I cheated with a battery drill for pre sets. Bolts do work well and are able to be stowed anywhere. Treehopper bolts are steel and get heavy in a single pouch pretty quick if you need more than a 10 pack. Neat way to climb but if your not packing that treehopper drill and drilling on the fly then you risk your pre drilled holes shrinking/closing up and your stuck on the ground when you show up. Dropping them sucks too.

Carbon bolts:

Awesome, lightweight, easy to get in and out of the tree holes. Cons are they are expensive and no one really knows what it takes to break them. There's an extensive post we all did about them a while back. They are somewhat of a red flag item so if your considering them do your research and evaluate weather or not they are safe enough for you to use. When I do a bolt set up I use them on my bottom 6.

Wild edge steps:

I have limited experience with them but messed around with a friend's set and really like them a lot. I have some coming and they will be my back up climbing system this coming season. When set up correctly they are rock solid, light weight, and relatively small for packing. Wild edge also has their own specific accessories to go with them like the vertical lineman's belt and adjustable aider. Knaiders and aiders work great with them as well

SRT:

This is my current primary climbing system. If you buy the right equipment your whole set up can weigh around 2 lbs and climbing is easy. There are threads on here about SRT and @JCLINE84 posted a great video demonstrating how to do it. When used as a pre set I can be 25+ feet up in around 5 minutes if I try and when your done hunting you just rappel down.

Lot of info but if I can keep someone from spending as much as I have over the years trying to figure things out then great. Hope this at least helped you out a little.
 
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