Gear Hauling and Safety?

[The Dave]

Hey Fellas and Gals,
Totally new to saddle, never actually hunted from a tree stand. I get that climbing up the tree with you backpack on is a bad idea... is it a bad idea? I've always known that tree hunters use a tether to bring up their weapon. Do you bring up your backpack up on a tether? Same tether as your bow? How does that work? Keep your bow on your pack and haul both up? Can't seem to find info on this.

Thanks!

 

[Allegheny Tom]

My pack is very minimal. Its a Rancho Safari hip pack with shoulder straps. I always climb with it on but I never climb with my bow. I ALWAYS place my bow where I could not possibly fall on it in the unlikely event that I fell during my climb and set up.
I see nothing unsafe about climbing with my pack as I have it.

 

[The Dave]

Cool. I thought it would be fine to climb with a pack on when I imagined how I would saddle hunt. But the instructions that came with the Tethrd saddle said not to climb with a pack, and I saw that concept echoed in other tree hunting safety guidelines.

 

[Westdesign03]

I climb with my pack on. I try to carry the bare minimum amount of gear so it’s not big and heavy. I leave my bow on the ground attached with paracord. Once I’m up and set up I just pull the bow up. If for some reason I have to pull two things up, such as the bag or if I take my lock on in because of a really screwy tree, then I just have two paracords, one for the bow and one for the stand or bag. The paracords are always carabinered to my saddle or safety harness.


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[The Dave]

Ah, that's two who climb with packs. Seemed to me like that would be the efficient way to go. My whole intention is to get it light, lean, and fast. I've always hunted on the ground, but there are definitely some spots I hunt where being up in a tree would be the way to go. Pretty fired up to try this.

 

[robstewart]

I climb with a 30’ rope, either SRT or single stick. I’ve been leaving the bottom of my rope tied to my bag and hauling it up that way.

I figured out how to use my Ropeman as a progress capture pulley so that makes it an easy job!

My bow or shotgun gets pulled up on a piece of paracord that doubles as the line I use to pull my climbing line out after I rappel down.


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[Westdesign03]

Ah, that's two who climb with packs. Seemed to me like that would be the efficient way to go. My whole intention is to get it light, lean, and fast. I've always hunted on the ground, but there are definitely some spots I hunt where being up in a tree would be the way to go. Pretty fired up to try this.

You should definitely give it a try. Just the view alone is worth it to me. Being able to see out all around you makes the sit more enjoyable even if you don’t see any deer. Helps keep me awake too when it’s a slow sit.


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[yotehunter]

New to saddle hunting this year but my climbing method is going to be the same screw in pegs or climbing sticks on public and have always climbed with my pack on. Never climb with my bow or gun though always tether that up

 

[Exhumis]

I've climbed with my pack on for years, both with my bow or rifle secured to it without issue. I think a lot depends on which pack you use, how you're wearing it and how your load is secured. It may be my background and xp but it just feels natural to me. I've tried using a gear hauler and the line always gets tangled up and I end up fighting with it.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Whether someone climbs with their pack on or off, they should always make sure their cell phone will be within reach at all times. If you keep the phone in your pack, then you should wear the pack. If you climb or hang without wearing the pack, then the phone should be in your pocket.

In an accident situation, you don't want to be separated from the phone.
If you were to fall and the pack is hanging 20 feet up with the phone in it, you may not be able to climb up to get it. You may barely have the wits or strength to make a call for help, let alone climb back up to get the phone.

And if the pack is left tethered on the ground with the phone in it and you somehow get stuck in the tree, how will you make a call for help? Haul lines can and do get snagged on branches, get dropped, knots fail, etc. If, somehow you are unable to pull the pack up and unable to climb back down due to gear failure, or in-tree injury, your life could depend on you having the phone in your pocket, not 20 feet down in your pack.

 

[BTaylor]

Hitting the ground is a bad idea.

They used to always say never climb with a stand on your back or carrying a weapon. It is my opinion that "they's" opinions all go back to a time when none of us climbed with any safety gear of any kind. I started climbing trees on a baker stand and you had better keep both arms on the tree because there was definitely a possibility that the stand might not stay stuck on the tree at all times, esp while climbing. Moved on to a loc-on with 15 screw in steps. Would climb to the 15th step and throw a leg around the tree hooking my heel so I could be hands free to hang that chain on stand, no linemans belt no nothing. In those days not having anything on your back could be pretty important. With saddle hunting, you should be tethered to the tree from the time you leave the ground until the time you get back on the ground which makes carrying gear up significantly more safe in my opinion. That does not mean that you couldnt have a total system failure like the tether breaking, it just means you have removed most of the stupid from the equation which many of us are lucky to have survived. Use climb rated gear, inspect it frequently and get up a tree.

 

[The Dave]

See that? This is the kind of knowledge I don't have. Thank you all for your input. Planning on staying attached at all times. I did a little rock climbing back in the day, so I'm at least familiar with dangling from a rope. Looked into tree stand hunting at one point, just never seemed like a fit for me. That leaves me with a lack of common knowledge many have. Fired up to try saddle hunting.

 

[NikoTheBowHunter]

Depends on the season for me. Early season where my pack is minimal I climb with it on. Late season, I leave it on the ground and haul it up once I’m set up. Don’t like to climb with all my outter layers on as I end up over heating.

 

[MettBriler]

I climb with my pack on {Badlands Monster} but leave my weapon on the ground, my buddy also climbs with his pack on and attaches his bow to his pack.

 

[BackSpasm]

If I fall out of the tree via some catastrophic failure of my lineman's belt, then I have much bigger concerns than whether or not my pack is on my back, in fact, I probably prefer it is on there loaded with my jacket to protect me from whatever I may fall on.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

... my buddy also climbs with his pack on and attaches his bow to his pack.

I'm gonna disagree with that practice of climbing with the bow attached.
1st, If he were to ever fall he may well likely land on a quiver full of broad heads.
2nd, Unlike a climber stand, one of the things that saddle hunting lends itself to is being able to climb trees with branches and cover. Having to trim stuff on the way up reduces concealment and takes extra time to do so.
I try to choose trees with cover and I try to remove as little of it as possible. Sometimes, it's hard enough just squirming thru a few branches while climbing without a bow on the pack, let alone having more gear on my back. And then there is the chance of bumping sights (for you tech bow guys) or dislodging arrows from the quiver because they got tangled in branches while climbing.

Leave the bow on the ground and use a haul line to pull it up after you get set. It's safer and easier to climb...and easier on your bow, too.

 

[MattMan81]

Few things I have noticed. Last year I started carrying a small back pack in hunting from stands. Your back pack sticks another 12-20" out behind you depending on size and what's in it. If your hunting a tree where your back is close to limbs or another tree it means extra nosie getting in or a pulling force on you if it hangs up. So consider that tree your going up and what's behind you. If you have lots of room or some tight spots. If it's dark you might not be able to tell.
Consider how heavy it is to. If it's a lot, it could affect your balance and may cause a slip.
Either way practice this summer to get use to it.

 

[wdarby]

This is my first year with a saddle and I plan to climb with my pack (which is small) on. It's one of the benefits I see over a portable hang-on.
Last few years I used a Lone Wolf. I climbed with the stand on my back to go up in a single trip. I would attach a retractable cord to my bow and then another rope from my bow to my pack. After getting the stand set up in the tree I'd pull up the bow and secure it, then my pack. Worked well, but took more time than I wanted to get set up.
This year I'll just pull up my bow.

I wish I was a headlight on a north-bound train

 

[Arkansas Deer Wacker]

Cool. I thought it would be fine to climb with a pack on when I imagined how I would saddle hunt. But the instructions that came with the Tethrd saddle said not to climb with a pack, and I saw that concept echoed in other tree hunting safety guidelines.

Only issue I have seen is with winter clothes and your pack on you might misjudge the location of linemens loops, ect and have an accident. Other then that i have not hesitated to climb with one on where permissible. Happy Hunting.

 

[Islandshooter]

I do both, climb with it on or pull it up (sometimes with my bow and sometimes with a second pull line). Just depends on weather, cold gear, etc. This is the forum to ask ANY question about saddle hunting. These guys on here are (mainly) so good about safety, gear, ropes, rigging, and everything involved with what you're venturing in to. Practice all off season with whatever equipment you get. Get comfortable with it, then you can focus on hunting when the season hits. Good luck!