Cutting Down My LW Sticks!

[gcr0003]

Perfect timing for this post. I have 3 used stock lone wolfs, and I caught them in every briar bush in NJ, just too long, and a few spots I wanted to be a little higher. Stock spacing seems inefficient, I'm 6'1". Debating if I should sell the sticks as is and buy 4 hawk heliums, but I want to customize to a 19" spacing, this seems to me the best compromise for packing and ease to hit 20'. I'm only willing to do aider on first step. Thinking double step on bottom of first step for aider, and on top step for all others. Should I pick up the hardware from doublesteps and go for it, or sell and buy? Also, why paint vs stealth strips? Thanks @gcr0003 for sharing.

Double steps are just unnecessary profile to me, but if you think you’d like them then go for it. I think buying the tubing and cutting down the remaining sticks is a simple project so I recommend going that route. If you have never free handed drilling holes or have never drilled metal then you might want to practice on the excess pieces you cut off. I have cheap drill bits so I have to use a good amount of cutting oil. It will make your like easier.

I need to buy some stealth strips or camoform I just never have. I painted the one tube that I bought for the 4th stock so it wasn’t left as that shiny aluminum.

Also preference, but I feel like the hawks (even the short ones) are bulky and cheap. Plenty of folks use them and are happy with them but I’m a fan of the classic lone wolf stick.

Let us know what you end up doing either way!

 

[BackSpasm]

Double steps are just unnecessary profile to me, but if you think you’d like them then go for it. I think buying the tubing and cutting down the remaining sticks is a simple project so I recommend going that route. If you have never free handed drilling holes or have never drilled metal then you might want to practice on the excess pieces you cut off. I have cheap drill bits so I have to use a good amount of cutting oil. It will make your like easier.

I need to buy some stealth strips or camoform I just never have. I painted the one tube that I bought for the 4th stock so it wasn’t left as that shiny aluminum.

Also preference, but I feel like the hawks (even the short ones) are bulky and cheap. Plenty of folks use them and are happy with them but I’m a fan of the classic lone wolf stick.

Let us know what you end up doing either way!

I use self etching primer as a base layer which has an acid in it that etches the aluminum. You can get it at Home Depot or Walmart. That has worked great on my lone wolfs. I will strongly disagree on the double steps though, after two seasons of stock singles, I switched to DanO doubles and have never looked back. I always had to reach up or down to flip the singles, or got stuck on one foot with a burning calf putting up my platform etc

 

[gcr0003]

I use self etching primer as a base layer which has an acid in it that etches the aluminum. You can get it at Home Depot or Walmart. That has worked great on my lone wolfs. I will strongly disagree on the double steps though, after two seasons of stock singles, I switched to DanO doubles and have never looked back. I always had to reach up or down to flip the singles, or got stuck on one foot with a burning calf putting up my platform etc

Thanks for the primer suggestion. Yea the double step is preference I’m not anti doublestep just don’t use em. Gotta get those calf raises in man haha

 

[gcr0003]

Thanks for the primer suggestion. Yea the double step is preference I’m not anti doublestep just don’t use em. Gotta get those calf raises in man haha

I do want to get 1 double step for the bottom of my mini scout stick though. I currently attach my aider to the scout but I’d like to have it a little lower on a doublestep and out of the way.

 

[swampsnyper]

Curious. Still able to stack? Wrap while fully assembled, or disassembled? How many rolls? How long does it hold up?

I don't remember. maybe a roll per 2 sticks. They still side stack wrapped. To be able for the steps and the v-bars to swivel over the camoform, be sure to have a nylon washer as a spacer between them and the stick. This will give enough room for them to rotate over the camoform. Ace Hardware had some black washers that were a little thicker than the white ones. They worked better for spacing.

 

[davecarp]

Perfect timing for this post. I have 3 used stock lone wolfs, and I caught them in every briar bush in NJ, just too long, and a few spots I wanted to be a little higher. Stock spacing seems inefficient, I'm 6'1". Debating if I should sell the sticks as is and buy 4 hawk heliums, but I want to customize to a 19" spacing, this seems to me the best compromise for packing and ease to hit 20'. I'm only willing to do aider on first step. Thinking double step on bottom of first step for aider, and on top step for all others. Should I pick up the hardware from doublesteps and go for it, or sell and buy? Also, why paint vs stealth strips? Thanks @gcr0003 for sharing.

I would cut 2 of your sticks in half and build smaller packable sticks w aiders. Then sell the third one to me

 

[crdavid61]

Perfect timing for this post. I have 3 used stock lone wolfs, and I caught them in every briar bush in NJ, just too long, and a few spots I wanted to be a little higher. Stock spacing seems inefficient, I'm 6'1". Debating if I should sell the sticks as is and buy 4 hawk heliums, but I want to customize to a 19" spacing, this seems to me the best compromise for packing and ease to hit 20'. I'm only willing to do aider on first step. Thinking double step on bottom of first step for aider, and on top step for all others. Should I pick up the hardware from doublesteps and go for it, or sell and buy? Also, why paint vs stealth strips? Thanks @gcr0003 for sharing.

I cut all my lw sticks to 22 inch spacing, double stepped everything, and stealth stripped everything. Also made amsteel daisy chains and sold the original straps. These changes were a game changer for me.

Also I am 6' 1" and should probably cut the sticks to 20". At 59, I am not as agile as i was in my 20's when all I used were 7 screw in steps to get 16 - 17 feet up all the time with the original loc on stands.

 

[gcr0003]

I cut all my lw sticks to 22 inch spacing, double stepped everything, and stealth stripped everything. Also made amsteel daisy chains and sold the original straps. These changes were a game changer for me.

Also I am 6' 1" and should probably cut the sticks to 20". At 59, I am not as agile as i was in my 20's when all I used were 7 screw in steps to get 16 - 17 feet up all the time with the original loc on stands.

I made these 16” step to step and I’m kinda wishing I woulda made them 20”

 

[crdavid61]

I made these 16” step to step and I’m kinda wishing I woulda made them 20”

It will still work though. Oh, I also made amsteel aiders for all 4 sticks but didn't like fishing for the amsteel in the dark with my foot. I bought one 18" cable aider and put that on my bottom stick. It's easy to find and does not move when your foot hits it. Probably going to get 3 more before next year.

 

[swampsnyper]

It will still work though. Oh, I also made amsteel aiders for all 4 sticks but didn't like fishing for the amsteel in the dark with my foot. I bought one 18" cable aider and put that on my bottom stick. It's easy to find and does not move when your foot hits it. Probably going to get 3 more before next year.

I have mixed feelings about cable aiders. It’s the best aiders I’ve used. I had them on all 4 sticks but wasn’t crazy about them higher up so just left one on the Bottom stick. They really look unnatural on a tree. Open loops going up the tree really stand out. The sticks alone blend in pretty well. It all depends on the deer you are hunting. I camoformed all my cable aiders but it still didn’t look natural. I just don’t like aiders or standing in them long enough to slide my linemans belt up. I like to step in it then go straight to the stick step and that causes hang ups with my linemans belt because I didn’t slide it up every step up. Still looking into one stepping but not sure it will help me on the way up because I’m short and don’t like aiders. So I’ll be setting the stick more than most.

 

[crdavid61]

I have mixed feelings about cable aiders. It’s the best aiders I’ve used. I had them on all 4 sticks but wasn’t crazy about them higher up so just left one on the Bottom stick. They really look unnatural on a tree. Open loops going up the tree really stand out. The sticks alone blend in pretty well. It all depends on the deer you are hunting. I camoformed all my cable aiders but it still didn’t look natural. I just don’t like aiders or standing in them long enough to slide my linemans belt up. I like to step in it then go straight to the stick step and that causes hang ups with my linemans belt because I didn’t slide it up every step up. Still looking into one stepping but not sure it will help me on the way up because I’m short and don’t like aiders. So I’ll be setting the stick more than most.

I kinda of agree about the cable aiders, but I want a little more height capability. Figure it will take some getting used to. I had the "cleats" in my boots get stuck in the skinny cable a time or two and that's no fun.

 

[TommyDee]

One sticking is tempting, but I want a nice solid base of 4 sticks to get up and down on, I’ve got that routine down, just the stock lone wolfs are noisy and get caught in the brush. once I get good at that, then I’ll consider 1 stick plus rappel. Only putting an aider on the bottom stick. This works well for me now. The 16” vs 20 is kind of tempting....I only lose a foot at most, but I’m fine using 2-3 step aider on that first stick.

Getting up and down the tree can really be it’s own rabbit hole.


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