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Down side of 1 stick climbing

DOMMA

DOMMA

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2019
Messages
280
I'm about to pull the trigger on the Ultimate One-Stick from Eastern Outdoors. Before I do, I wanted to ask if there is a down side of one-stick climbing and if there are folks who tried it and went back to sticks. I'm looking for reasons other than cost. Any feedback will be appreciated.
 
Definitely some downsides but I’m considering it for sure. I think the pros outweigh the cons for the most part.
Some downsides for me are time/effort required (practice helps) to get up a tree, noise, fiddle factor, etc..
 
Don't climb flaky trees. Lots of limbs sucks. Can get you pretty hot and sweety if your over dressed to climb. Can be dangerous if you put a lot of slack in your ropes. Trees not fairly strait up and down suck. Or lots of knots. Sticks are better for those. Other than that. Unlimited height adjustability. Make sure your rappel rope is long enough
 
I’m still in my first year of saddle hunting. I went straight to one sticking and I can fly up a tree pretty quickly. In my opinion the only downside are the size of the platform I feel like if I had a predator, I could probably stand up, turn around, and take a pee. I either use a water bottle or just rappel down then srt up with a hand climber and foot loop.
 
The only issue I had with it might be unique if you are planning to only hunt from the stick and not a separate platform.

There was two times this year where I climbed a new tree in the dark and once the sun was up I decided I wanted to be a few feet lower due to shooting lanes. It was a little bit of a pain to set my stick from above. In hindsight I should have just repelled a little further and set it normally. This is in contrast to if I was hunting with sticks, I would just climb down one while leaving it on the tree and throw my platform on tree wherever I wanted it. It it definitely something I can overcome with practice and experience. I 100% plan to one stick again next year.

I kept my sticks and if I ever plan to hunt on a real leaner of a tree I would probably just take my sticks.
 
Takes practice. But once your proficient with it it will be your go to climbing method. But if you are the type of person to try something once suck at it and says screw this. Don’t even bother.

Its like riding a bike remember the first time you took those training wheels off? Me neither… but that’s what it’s like…
 
Downsides..... Learning, it is not something you will get the first 10-12 times. Then all of the sudden something clicks. (That is why practicing in the backyard pays off). Also, don't be afraid to try or change something in your set up. I don't think anyone on here has the exact set up someone else does. I am one of the ones that carries my stick and a mission platform. I tried a bunch of the mini platforms. They are good for an hour sit. Being able to walk around the woods, find sign, and be at hunting height (varies 8-40 feet) and hunting in 10-30 minutes is a huge PRO.

With all that being said, if I have the ability to drill bolts and set my mission platform, that is my go to method.
 
If the walk is short, I will take along my predator to use with the UP 90 out to shoot around the tree.
 
For me, I tend to use sticks instead of my one stick if the trees are all leaning, gnarly, or wonky in some way. I hunt along some creeks and rivers where all of the trees have vines or ivy and shag bark. Sh*t gets in your eyes and moving the tether up is a nightmare. Sticks just go easier then
 
phatkaw said:
Worst thing I can think of is getting bark and stuff in my eyes. :astonished:
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hahaha ^^^^^ this. I almost started wearing a pair of safety glasses.

Only other thing I can think of is climbing right after a rain, using the aider was a little difficult. Normally you jam the toe of your boot into the tree and then push your body up. When the bark is wet, my boot kept wanting to slip out and had a few scary gaffs. But you are always tied in, so nothing life threatening. Just a little brown in your undies is all.
 
IMHO, Only downside is the learning curve. A lineman’s belt and 3 sticks is an easier climb on any tree. The fiddle factor at the base of the tree is really where it shines for me. No more fiddling.
When I carried 3 sticks, they were on my pack and I carried my bow. At the base, I had to take off pack, unhook sticks and attach one to tree, get other two ready. Attach pull up cord to bow(and pray the cord didn’t touch a greenbrier). Then begin to climb. With 1 stick, it’s all I carry as my bow is on my pack. At base of tree, I hang stick and start climbing……no fiddling at the base of tree.
 
phatkaw said:
A ROS with the U.P. works better I think.

Actually I prefer the flat Scout and a ROS...
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Yep I perfer the scout/stick combo with ROS vs the UP with ROS. To me not as bulky and I’m finding I don’t really use the full platform of the UP like I do the scout. I lean a lot and the scout is perfect for moving around more fluidly with ROS and I only use 3 ROS and I think it’s perfect specially when I use 1 to 3ft diameter trees and you must completely trust your TETHER!! Always inspect rope after each hunt get in the habit I been using the same tether for 3 years and good for least another couple years and if anything is wrong with it I will replace its cheap enough
 
MattMan81 said:
Don't climb flaky trees. Lots of limbs sucks. Can get you pretty hot and sweety if your over dressed to climb. Can be dangerous if you put a lot of slack in your ropes. Trees not fairly strait up and down suck. Or lots of knots. Sticks are better for those. Other than that. Unlimited height adjustability. Make sure your rappel rope is long enough
Click to expand...
I couldn't have summarized this better!!! In the end, it is still one of the best systems going from a weight and mobility standpoint. I always think, wow I can't believe how this hunt would be going if I was using my climber. Like any system, practice your system until its second nature.
 
I love one-sticking, and the scout platform at EWO is worth its weight in gold as a top step/platform, for me anyway.

Just focus on what you’re doing and make each movement precise. When you make a move up, there will be substantial slack in your tether until you adjust it back up to height. These are the riskiest moments of the climb. Every time you plant that stick, it’s got to be solid AF. Leaning trees can truly be a PITA, and I pretty much avoid them now. Use a lineman’s belt to minimize the risk climbing up. I assume you plan to rappel down, but if not, I strongly suggest it. Idk how you would even climb down with one stick, tbh.


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