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How does one hunt in honey locust tree?

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Newhunter1

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I was able to get with a 79 acre lease. The guy I'm hunting with literally has all the perfect stand locations with a tree stand....However many other positions that have a ton of deer sign are surrounded with honey locust trees. How on earth does one climb a tree that has so many 3-5" thorns?

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Str or drt off a strong limb so you can be a ways off the trunk going up and down? Do honey locusts have strong limbs? Dont have them here.

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ThereWillBeSpuds said:
Str or drt off a strong limb so you can be a ways off the trunk going up and down? Do honey locusts have strong limbs? Dont have them here.

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I don't know if the limbs are strong...i'd assume so, but you know what happens when one "assumes." I'll head out there in a couple of weeks and set several SRT/DRT locations.
 
Newhunter1 said:
I don't know if the limbs are strong...i'd assume so, but you know what happens when one "assumes." I'll head out there in a couple of weeks and set several SRT/DRT locations.
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Of course if you are going presets on private land you could also just prune the spikes on the areas you would put your sticks, right?

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I've never even thought of attempting to climb them...I hate even walking by them! However, that being said, the private land I have access to is in the same boat as you, and there's a ton of sign around them. I was able to get my largest ever buck last year sitting at the base of one, as I was checking my camera.

The trees here aren't the biggest, so I wouldn't sit in them here, as it'd be more hassle than it's worth. Best thing I could think of is to pre-clean a route up the tree pre-season, and get as many stickies out of the way as possible. I'd make sure you clear as much out as possible, especially at height...you don't wanna rotate around or draw back and end up a pin cushion.
 
We use a small one handed sharp sickle to cut those off. I have only hung ladder stands in those trees myself so I have never scraped a whole tree. The thorns will puncture a boot sole. Ivy vs. Honey locust, I would set up in locust trees because I hate poison ivy more. Deer love locust pods though.

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Carry a short machette. They work well. Sit on top of a step ladder close to the tree.
 
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We dont have them where I live in Pa but we just did several presets in those in Iowa.
I notice some trees are crazy loaded with thorns and some are only moderately thorned. Is that a male/female trait?
Some trees were so loaded with thorns, we don't even consider them but others are not that bad. We stripped the thorns off with a pole saw from the ground. But there always seems to be a couple we miss so be really careful climbing. Those thorns hurt! Not sure if there is some sort of sap or something on them but they seem more painful than just the jab.
The one property is so freeking good but they logged it and the only remaining trees are locust so its either those or don't hunt.
This is definitely a case for doing presets. I can't imagine doing run and gun in a locust forest.
I used a cordless drill and bolts and it worked great. Another buddy is afraid of bolts so he used screw in steps...those trees are really hard. Steps do not screw in easily but bolts are a breeze.
One other thing, I've been told that those thorns will grow back, so this is not a one time chore. I would preset as late in the summer as you can and be prepared to trim a few new ones after the growing season.
 
I don't attempt thorn trees, trees with huge poison ivy/oak vines, or trees covered in ants. I would hunt from the ground in my leafy suit, face painted, using my stool and bamboo stakes/camo cloth with brush around it.
 
In my experience deer don't like all Honeylocust trees. Not sure if it is the ripeness of the pods or what, but I've hunted trees that were the go to tree and trees that never have deer on them. The trees that are hit hard definately have to be at the right time. If you can smell the tree before to see it you better hunt it. I don't climb them, but would if it was the only tree around. I also like to be 20 to 30 yards away from the tree so I am not right on top of the deer coming to it. As far as the poison ivy, cut it with a saw and let it die. It will then pull off the tree once it is dead, but it can still give you a bad rash if you touch it. Even the dust falling can get in your eyes.
 
Ive been hunting for 20+ years and didnt know deer love these trees. We were raised to cut them down if you ever see them so I guess thats why you dont see a lot of them around here. Kind of like snakes I guess, most people kill all snakes they see but dont know that most are good to have around.

Thanks for teaching me something new today guys!!
 
raisins said:
I don't attempt thorn trees, trees with huge poison ivy/oak vines, or trees covered in ants. I would hunt from the ground in my leafy suit, face painted, using my stool and bamboo stakes/camo cloth with brush around it.
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You wouldn’t have many trees to climb where I’m at if that was the case. I get tore up with poison something it seems like at least once a season no matter how careful I think I’m being.
 
Newhunter1 said:
Yup...I am. I think when I go out in two weeks I'll prep trees right next to those honey locust trees...the only issue is that the poison ivy is crazy on this property.
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If you make sure that you really wash within a few hours of touching poison ivy you will not get it. When I watch I mean make sure you use a wash cloth and soap everything especially between fingers elbows etc. Since I started this I stopped having any issues with poison ivy.
 
devildog said:
If you make sure that you really wash within a few hours of touching poison ivy you will not get it. When I watch I mean make sure you use a wash cloth and soap everything especially between fingers elbows etc. Since I started this I stopped having any issues with poison ivy.
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Wash with Dawn dish detergent. And if you do still develop a rash, keep washing with Dawn a few times per day. I also use Dawn as an ointment on a rash. Rub it on and don't rinse it off. Itch goes away almost immediately and the rash is gone in a couple days.
I was weed walking a couple weeks ago and I know I had poison ivy all over the trimmer head, which I had to handle (with gloves). At the same time, I had a deer fly that kept trying to bite my right tricep, and I kept swatting at him. I had a rash breaking out the very next morning. Dawn fixed it in a couple days.
 
Urushiol oil is like dried pancake syrup. You have to scrubb with soap and a rag on the area you think you might have been exposed. I always wear long sleeves and sometimes gloves when I'm cleaning a tree that I have previously cut the vines on. I then grab with the glove hand and just walk away from the tree. I have to clean just about every tree out where I hunt.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
Wash with Dawn dish detergent. And if you do still develop a rash, keep washing with Dawn a few times per day. I also use Dawn as an ointment on a rash. Rub it on and don't rinse it off. Itch goes away almost immediately and the rash is gone in a couple days.
I was weed walking a couple weeks ago and I know I had poison ivy all over the trimmer head, which I had to handle (with gloves). At the same time, I had a deer fly that kept trying to bite my right tricep, and I kept swatting at him. I had a rash breaking out the very next morning. Dawn fixed it in a couple days.
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Yep, wash everything twice thoroughly with Dawn (I use blue because it's lucky) and you won't get it. I saw a test comparing it to the specialty poison ivy wash. Also, use a wash cloth and rub (no quickie shower with your hands).
 
Yazoo Hntr said:
...I have to clean just about every tree out where I hunt.
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So what you are saying is that you are trespassing on my property? Haha.
It's like that here, and also like where I hunt in Ohio. PI is everywhere, and some of the vines are 4 or 5 inches in diameter, with all of those "cuddly" little hairs that it uses to attach itself to the tree.
And dollars to donuts, the one single tree that might work in a spot with heavy deer sign most likely has a vine growing up it.

Hey, since we have morphed the thread and are talking about the evil vine, here are 2 stories...
As a kid, my buddy needed to blow-off school one day because he did not complete a book report. He decided that rubbing poison ivy all over his belly would get his parents to allow him to stay home. I watched in horror as he took bare handfuls of PI and rubbed it vigorously into his stomach. The next morning, he expected to get out of bed with a rash...but no rash developed. At that point, he had to work feverishly on the bus, and in homeroom to produce a lame a$$ book report...good enough. A day later, he broke out in a horrible rash. A 14 year old boy ain't known to be the smartest primate. I was 14 once, so I know.
My other buddy and I got into a dispute on identifying the stuff and he set out to prove me wrong. He also rubbed the crap on himself...on his forearms. A few days later he had it. He still swore that it wasn't really poison ivy...musta been something else. Haha.
I'm glad I'm not 14 anymore.
 
I'd have to take a pass on climbing that tree. I have over 200,000 acres of public land in my county. I'm positive I could find a tree to climb with deer under it that didn't have 4" long murder-thorns on it.

Poison ivy, on the other hand, is a fact of life down here. I have never been able to make it through a season without a rash.
 
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