How it started

[Cbigbear]

I was tagged in the influencer thread posted recently. It was a bit of a surprise and influencing was definitely not my intention yrs ago. My one stick posting and YouTube vids was 100% a result of nasayers. “Your going to kill ourself, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen” were the most common replies to one sticking.

I’ve told this story quit a bit, but it dawned on me I never put it in writing or gave credit where it’s due.

Mr. Womack @WHW got it all started. I was the typical southern mobile guy - had a couple climbers would pack them in and move them around a little depending on sign or activity. But, once I met Warren he turn me on to a true Mobile style and mobile equipment. I began packing in & out every hunt and mainly doing 1st time sits. I thought I was the mobile ninja with that redesigned Loc-on Limit and 3 32” LW sticks.

Then in that first season of hunting mobile a studly 2yr old buck (probably my best buck ever if it would have been 4+) It made me rethink my setup. I was on a super hot cow oak, three sticks with bottom aider high. The young buck came in over my right shoulder at 20 yds. I drew and hit the tether on my full body harness. It stopped my draw at 3/4 full and the buck passed my shooting lane as I let down. I quickly & without thought unclipped my tether and spun 180 on that massive Limit platform!!! I was able to draw & get a shot off on the other side of the tree as he exited the creek around 35 yards. It was a quartering away shot and I double lunged him. I heard him fall at about 50 yds. After that I sat legs shaking and recalling what just happened. It dawned on me, that was probably the riskiest time possible to untether. I was fully focused on a shot & had zero platform awareness. After recovery & on the drive home I pondered - I need to find something other than this full body.

It was probably weeks after the young buck kill and a lot of interweb searching when I came upon the rock climbing harness. I went to REI and ordered an Alpine BOD. It took alittle more research and a lot of trial and error, but I got the harness rigged out with a linemens belt and rope tether. After rigging I went behind the house and put in some practice. Didn’t take long before I had confidence this RCH was the way to go for sure - lighter, more compact, and safer.

Now for that third guy, wish I knew his name or at least his Archery Talk handle, but don’t recall either. I saw him post on climbing with a Guido’s Web and climbing sling. I immediately thought that’s it so I grabbed a sling and headed to a tree. It worked incredibly well so up I went with my rch and sling. A few climbs in and I decided to hang the stand. Thinking back on it I probably looked like a drunk tight rope walker. I decided to retire that climbing sling. Then it was born “one sticking” I grab one of those LW sticks & never looked back. It was my staple climbing method for 6 yrs. I guess since then, with the popularity of saddles, a few guys have re-designed it, but it’s basically the same technique today.

The first filmed climb & it was apparently way harder on a 8 yr old to film than it was for me to one stick & the young buck.

 

[DB4x4]

I was tagged in the influencer thread posted recently. It was a bit of a surprise and influencing was definitely not my intention yrs ago. My one stick posting and YouTube vids was 100% a result of nasayers. “Your going to kill ourself, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen” were the most common replies to one sticking.

I’ve told this story quit a bit, but it dawned on me I never put it in writing or gave credit where it’s due.

Mr. Womack @WHW got it all started. I was the typical southern mobile guy - had a couple climbers would pack them in and move them around a little depending on sign or activity. But, once I met Warren he turn me on to a true Mobile style and mobile equipment. I began packing in & out every hunt and mainly doing 1st time sits. I thought I was the mobile ninja with that redesigned Loc-on Limit and 3 32” LW sticks.

Then in that first season of hunting mobile a studly 2yr old buck (probably my best buck ever if it would have been 4+) It made me rethink my setup. I was on a super hot cow oak, three sticks with bottom aider high. The young buck came in over my right shoulder at 20 yds. I drew and hit the tether on my full body harness. It stopped my draw at 3/4 full and the buck passed my shooting lane as I let down. I quickly & without thought unclipped my tether and spun 180 on that massive Limit platform!!! I was able to draw & get a shot off on the other side of the tree as he exited the creek around 35 yards. It was a quartering away shot and I double lunged him. I heard him fall at about 50 yds. After that I sat legs shaking and recalling what just happened. It dawned on me, that was probably the riskiest time possible to untether. I was fully focused on a shot & had zero platform awareness. After recovery & on the drive home I pondered - I need to find something other than this full body.

It was probably weeks after the young buck kill and a lot of interweb searching when I came upon the rock climbing harness. I went to REI and ordered an Alpine BOD. It took alittle more research and a lot of trial and error, but I got the harness rigged out with a linemens belt and rope tether. After rigging I went behind the house and put in some practice. Didn’t take long before I had confidence this RCH was the way to go for sure - lighter, more compact, and safer.

Now for that third guy, wish I knew his name or at least his Archery Talk handle, but don’t recall either. I saw him post on climbing with a Guido’s Web and climbing sling. I immediately thought that’s it so I grabbed a sling and headed to a tree. It worked incredibly well so up I went with my rch and sling. A few climbs in and I decided to hang the stand. Thinking back on it I probably looked like a drunk tight rope walker. I decided to retire that climbing sling. Then it was born “one sticking” I grab one of those LW sticks & never looked back. It was my staple climbing method for 6 yrs. I guess since then, with the popularity of saddles, a few guys have re-designed it, but it’s basically the same technique today.

The first filmed climb & it was apparently way harder on a 8 yr old to film than it was for me to one stick & the young buck.

View attachment 77528

The 8 year old.... Did they go on to be the cameraman for the Blair Witch Project by chance?

 

[Cbigbear]

No, glad to say he is in college now majoring in something other than videography!!! The wife and I got a good laugh when I dug up that old video.

 

[Vtbow]

@WHW has been a huge influence on me as well. A humble, honest and all around good guy.

 

[TNSTAAFL]

I love this and the other thread. Little histories like this are fascinating to me. Almost 5 years since the "secret" and as the forum reaches a second decade (plus the pre forum years from the OG folks) there's actually quite a bit to reflect on.

My entry point was from finding DIYSportsman videos on sticks and hangon mods. That was also the time that viewing hunting/tree climbing content became a primary form of entertainment for me. I suppose it really coincided with increasingly using a smartphone as more than a talk/text/gps device. I never watched much YouTube on computers, nor found forums like Archery Talk or SH on them. It was all on my smartphone starting around 2016-17. I'm pretty sure I had the device before then, but I was slow to make use of much of its functionality. Anyway, I remember to this day one of DIYSportsman's videos (I think about 1-sticking) he mentioned "CBigbear" as a source of the idea. I had no idea what he was taking about. Then one day I saw you post on here and thought "Holy Sh!t...that's the guy!" Kinda felt like a celebrity sighting in a weird sort of way. Again, I suppose that speaks to how this has all played an entertainment role for me (and continues to do so). It's not just about hunting or killing deer, even if that is the genre.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

 

[Cbigbear]

The timeline as best as I can recall it.

2012 - birth of one sticking
2013/14 - DIY (Garrett) & I got together & he produced his first one sticking video
2016 - G2 (Greg) put the sit drag on everyone’s radar with his YouTube video
2018 - Tethrd starts main stream saddle hunting & some in that group realize the one sticking benefit
2020 - Carl introduces the first dedicated one stick & rappel at Saddlepalooza. He also let me know he re-designed one sticking!!!
Late 20 early 21 - as a result of Carl’s stick, Dan-O puts out the first production model dedicated stick
21-present - One sticking is now cool. We get hundreds of post a day on Facebook, have groups revolving around it, & have expert one sticking YouTube influencers. We also have numerous guys/companies producing a dedicated one stick and/or products geared toward one sticking.

 

[elk yinzer]

I was a lifelong mobile climber guy the way my old man taught me. I think in 2005 I started with a rock harness, after we did a climbing unit in high school gym class it hit me that was the way. I was comfortable with that and was even leapfrogging branches here and there with my RCH and summit. Did a lot of tree-facing/leaning with my RCH and knew of saddles way back when from Bowsite and/or leatherwall, but all the "industry influencer" guys using them were using rings of steps which I just couldn't get down with. How do you even piss? I guess the LW Assassin did exist but somehow it flew under my radar.

Your videos and Garrett's got me into being mobile with sticks and hangons around 2014 or 15, attaching the sticks to harness loops and going up in one trip was the catalyst that made that system work in my mind. Then within a season, I jumped into saddles when the Klemz platforms were coming about. Took me a few more years to get into one sticking, I practiced it but really couldn't make that make sense until I started rappelling.

I've dabbled with recording a few of the things I've tried over the years and frankly I just hate being on camera, so thanks to you everyday guys that do it.

 

[WHW]

I'll always be grateful to @Cbigbear. During a 2012 visit, at my home, he introduced me to a rock climbing harness. That introduction made a huge impact in regards to my safety while hunting from an elevated position. Since the '73 season I had always used a lineman's belt with a rope lanyard to hang a stand. I would climb with spurs to desired height then safety off with the lanyard before hanging my stand, then climb aboard. Once aboard I would remove the safety belt and hang it. For descending I would put the belt back on to leave the stand, then remove the lanyard to climb down. About 2005 I started using the lanyard to climb and descend. Becoming older and more concerned with safety I tried to use a full body harness, but hated it. It totally broke my routine and caused me to miss a couple of deer. So I went back to what was working, but wanted a better method. Then @Cbigbear visit produced what I had been needing. My next step up was finding this forum about the same time that a new saddle (Kestrel) was taking orders. Now even older I was more concerned than ever about my safety so I made the order and have never felt safer hunting elevated.

Thank You, Brian!

 

[Cbigbear]

I’m glad I could just give a little back as you (@WHW) have shared so much knowledge with me and really the entire hunting community. I refer all new hunters to your hunting handbook “my style of hunting article”.

 

[BTaylor]

I'll always be grateful to @Cbigbear. During a 2012 visit, at my home, he introduced me to a rock climbing harness. That introduction made a huge impact in regards to my safety while hunting from an elevated position. Since the '73 season I had always used a lineman's belt with a rope lanyard to hang a stand. I would climb with spurs to desired height then safety off with the lanyard before hanging my stand, then climb aboard. Once aboard I would remove the safety belt and hang it. For descending I would put the belt back on to leave the stand, then remove the lanyard to climb down. About 2005 I started using the lanyard to climb and descend. Becoming older and more concerned with safety I tried to use a full body harness, but hated it. It totally broke my routine and caused me to miss a couple of deer. So I went back to what was working, but wanted a better method. Then @Cbigbear visit produced what I had been needing. My next step up was finding this forum about the same time that a new saddle (Kestrel) was taking orders. Now even older I was more concerned than ever about my safety so I made the order and have never felt safer hunting elevated.

Thank You, Brian!

Have you been in a tree much this fall?

 

[WHW]

Have you been in a tree much this fall?

Not as much as usual. Besides being sick most of November, the ageing process (78) has become a real deal thing. I'm no longer hunting public property. But, I am fortunate to be able to hunt our small place and a friends 50 acres..... that's a 35 minute drive. I've become very picky about what I shoot. Don't need the meat like we did when raising a family. And, my fieldquartering method is torture on my back. Instead of a 10 minute project it now takes half an hour or so. This season I did shoot a pig. My Son was hunting with me and I knew the he would want it.

A few days ago, I was asked how many deer have I killed. My answer was "almost enough".

This tally is from my Journal:

Total Days Hunted * 23

Mornings Hunts * 12

Evening Hunts * 13

Total Hunts * 25

Hours on Stand * 59.5

I hope you're having a great season.

 

[BTaylor]

Not as much as usual. Besides being sick most of November, the ageing process (78) has become a real deal thing. I'm no longer hunting public property. But, I am fortunate to be able to hunt our small place and a friends 50 acres..... that's a 35 minute drive. I've become very picky about what I shoot. Don't need the meat like we did when raising a family. And, my fieldquartering method is torture on my back. Instead of a 10 minute project it now takes half an hour or so. This season I did shoot a pig. My Son was hunting with me and I knew the he would want it.

A few days ago, I was asked how many deer have I killed. My answer was "almost enough".

This tally is from my Journal:

Total Days Hunted * 23

Mornings Hunts * 12

Evening Hunts * 13

Total Hunts * 25

Hours on Stand * 59.5

I hope you're having a great season.

You're having a better season than me LOL. I "wasted" a lot of time early season season scouting because I was determined to find some mast worth hanging and pretty much didnt get in a tree in Oct or much in early Nov. Well there was basically no mast, some overcups but they didnt last long. That has meant hanging dewberry patches which as you know is not the best recipe for pinpointing a stand. They were on bull nettle earlier too but it is mostly wiped out. Going to go hunt some private this weekend and see if I can find a dumb one that doesnt know about my deflector shield.

 

[WHW]

You're having a better season than me LOL. I "wasted" a lot of time early season season scouting because I was determined to find some mast worth hanging and pretty much didnt get in a tree in Oct or much in early Nov. Well there was basically no mast, some overcups but they didnt last long. That has meant hanging dewberry patches which as you know is not the best recipe for pinpointing a stand. They were on bull nettle earlier too but it is mostly wiped out. Going to go hunt some private this weekend and see if I can find a dumb one that doesnt know about my deflector shield.

I understand... the only time that it seems easy is when everything comes together. One little detail goes wrong, and it's not going to happen. Hang in there and enjoy the process.

 

[BTaylor]

Couple of days ago my wife asked me if I had forgotten how to kill deer and went so far as to say I should go buy a crossbow so I could shoot further. Told her hell would freeze over before I bought a crossbow but I wasnt opposed to using that $2k for other gear since she was authorizing some hunting spending. That shut her up for the time being but it's getting personal around here .