Is one sticking really worth

[JoyRyd]

Is one sticking worth it? Yes

 

[Plebe]

Odd, most of my contact with the tree is my feet and my hands. Maybe some right forearm? I’ll have to pay more attention next time I climb, but I’ve never noticed much tree contact.

Technique will impact how much, and gear choices imo. I'm not sure how you go about releasing and advancing your stick.

I think it's a bit tricky to stabilize toe into tree with rigid boots, and I don't do kneepads so even kneeing into the tree there's contact. A moderate straddle seems the most neutrally balanced to me.

 

[THE HUNTERS PUSH STIX GUY]

Is one sticking worth it? Yes

There's a reason it's so popular we all know why (weight) mobility. We also know why some don't. My hope is to reme

Technique will impact how much, and gear choices imo. I'm not sure how you go about releasing and advancing your stick.

I think it's a bit tricky to stabilize toe into tree with rigid boots, and I don't do kneepads so even kneeing into the tree there's contact. A moderate straddle seems the most neutrally balanced to me.

That's why I couldn't doit. I wasn't stable. Scott Adkins makes it look easy. But you I can do it now. lol

 

[Benzy2]

I tried it but not long enough to get comfortable. Found it too easy to pack 4 Cranford rope steps and an aider. Still use a stick with a small platform top as my platform but that’s more to use a ring of steps along with it. So if I had to, I’d have the stuff to one stick and the knowledge to do it (though not the experience to do it efficiently). If you put the time in to be efficient and enjoy it, sure it’s worth it. If you don’t see it as a significant weight difference, it seems to me that sticks/steps/aiders are a little more natural and take less learning.

 

[Loopwing]

Is one sticking worth it, YES!!!! BUT so is a ground blind, a ladder stand, 4 sticks, a climber, 2tc, a pre set, a set of bolts all in the same season. There is not one superior method. What works on one hunt may not work on the next hunt. We have to be able to change our methods throughout a season.
Last year I shot a deer from a saddle, ladder stand, hang on, ground blind and passed on a small buck with my climber. Also deer were taken with a crossbow, rifle, and shotgun. I couldn't make it out for black powder season
There is no reason to just have one climbing, hunting, or killing method

 

[phatkaw]

"Is one-sticking worth it "?

'For me' it's without a doubt the best way to get up a tree in THE spot I want to hunt.
I'd been either monkey climbing up trees or using a hand climber or screw-in steps for 35 years.
I never thought to use my spikes for hunting until a few years ago and that was huge for me. But one-sticking (once I got it down) is so easy and light and fast and quiet there's nuthin' else that fits my needs better.

 

[huntin_addict]

So, FOR ME, I feel that climbing with 1 stick vs. multiple sticks is a wash, I feel it's pretty much the same energy expenditure, efficiency, etc. I don't care if you are climbing a telephone pole or a tree with multiple branches, the climb is going to be similar.

Where one sticking TRULY shines is the descent (if you are rappelling that is.) I've made some pretty sketchy climbs with both methods, the difference is, the descent with multiple sticks, in the dark, when it's wet, and cold, and stuff has started to freeze up, and you are fiddling around with aiders coming down, you ratchet up the sketch factor immensely. Couple that with the fact that I hunt alone 95% of the time, or more, and I wanted a safer option. Enter one stick climbing and rappelling. Coming out of the tree in the dark, cold, wet, maybe ice or snow is a piece of cake. No more worrying that I might slip and jack myself up a mile or more in, alone and the only thing my wife has are GPS coordinates (and I love her to death but she is somewhat directionally and geographically challenged).

I am just as lethal with multiple sticks as I am one sticking, but the exit from the tree is the true litmus test as far as I'm concerned, and the one stick and rappel method can't be touched in that regard.

 

[Apex7]

Is one sticking worth it, YES!!!! BUT so is a ground blind, a ladder stand, 4 sticks, a climber, 2tc, a pre set, a set of bolts all in the same season. There is not one superior method. What works on one hunt may not work on the next hunt. We have to be able to change our methods throughout a season.
Last year I shot a deer from a saddle, ladder stand, hang on, ground blind and passed on a small buck with my climber. Also deer were taken with a crossbow, rifle, and shotgun. I couldn't make it out for black powder season
There is no reason to just have one climbing, hunting, or killing method

I'm just a bowhunter it's my choice. I hunted with a rifle when I was very young with family during buck season and have very fond memories. But even now during buck season I bowhunt. I just saddle hunt and that's my choice. I just been doing it for so long it's what I like and enjoy to do. Everyone has their favorite way to hunt mine is a saddle.

 

[Loopwing]

I'm just a bowhunter it's my choice. I hunted with a rifle when I was very young with family during buck season and have very fond memories. But even now during buck season I bowhunt. I just saddle hunt and that's my choice. I just been doing it for so long it's what I like and enjoy to do. Everyone has their favorite way to hunt mine is a saddle.

I wasn't saying anything was right or wrong, I was just saying use any and every method you want. Don't put unnecessary restraints on yourself. People tend to fall down a single rabbit hole and get tunnel vision. There is more than one way to skin a cat, or kill a deer.

 

[Jason79]

The only part I liked about one sticking was repelling down. Luckily I’m super strong so I can carry 4 sticks in.

lol

 

[Apex7]

I wasn't saying anything was right or wrong, I was just saying use any and every method you want. Don't put unnecessary restraints on yourself. People tend to fall down a single rabbit hole and get tunnel vision. There is more than one way to skin a cat, or kill a deer.

Yes I agree to each his own. I've been saddlehunting for so long it's just the way I like to hunt. No offense. All his good.

 

[dalton916]

Technique will impact how much, and gear choices imo. I'm not sure how you go about releasing and advancing your stick.

I think it's a bit tricky to stabilize toe into tree with rigid boots, and I don't do kneepads so even kneeing into the tree there's contact. A moderate straddle seems the most neutrally balanced to me.

It may well be as simple as footwear choice. I either have on crocs, which grip the tree like a squirrel, or a light flexible boot.

 

[DB4x4]

I been saddlehunting since the early 80s. When I started with an Anderson sling. I tried most steps ,sticks and climbing systems. But I was looking at one sticking because it's just another tool in my arsenal. I do rappel and just wanted to see what systems most guys use and prefer either a one stick like the Big B.O.B or a stick liked the Muddy Pro with aiders and a platform like a Mission.

For 95% of my hunts, I typically use a custom Frankenstick with the EWO UP platform on top. For me, it's all about overall simplicity. Climb with the stick portion, step up onto the platform, hunt. It packs up super simple and the weight is evenly balanced:



That said, I think a mini stick with a separate platform is a little more user friendly once in the tree. The stick setup next to platform gives you a better range of motion for shooting purposes, but it's one extra piece to pack up and carry. This is how I used to do it with the same style pack as shown above:



^ Mini hawk with two step aider in side pocket, pulled tight with lash strap. Platform lashed to front. It worked, but the weight was a little unbalanced while carrying.

I guess what it boils down to is how much space you need in the tree and how much weight you want to carry. I started saddle hunting on just the top of a stick, so the UP to feels like a ton of real estate to me, but might feel too small for other users.

 

[Plebe]

For 95% of my hunts, I typically use a custom Frankenstick with the EWO UP platform on top. For me, it's all about overall simplicity. Climb with the stick portion, step up onto the platform, hunt. It packs up super simple and the weight is evenly balanced:

View attachment 68142

That said, I think a mini stick with a separate platform is a little more user friendly once in the tree. The stick setup next to platform gives you a better range of motion for shooting purposes, but it's one extra piece to pack up and carry. This is how I used to do it with the same style pack as shown above:

View attachment 68143

^ Mini hawk with two step aider in side pocket, pulled tight with lash strap. Platform lashed to front. It worked, but the weight was a little unbalanced while carrying.

I guess what it boils down to is how much space you need in the tree and how much weight you want to carry. I started saddle hunting on just the top of a stick, so the UP to feels like a ton of real estate to me, but might feel too small for other users.

About weight, while topping a one stick with a scout is very minimal, a stick and a platform like Latitude is advertising can probably get very close in weight to or even weigh less than some common one stick builds. They're saying 2.7lbs for their bigger Rebel platform. The X-wing, 2.5. An UP platform is by itself advertised as 2lbs.

In addition to what you've said, I think some prefer to climb on a one stick with a the extra foot support of a stick mounted platform. Others, makes no difference, or maybe even find a lighter "regular" one stick easier to move. So, just another point of preference.

 

[DB4x4]

About weight, while topping a one stick with a scout is very minimal, a stick and a platform like Latitude is advertising can probably get very close in weight to or even weigh less than some common one stick builds. They're saying 2.7lbs for their bigger Rebel platform. The X-wing, 2.5. An UP platform is by itself advertised as 2lbs.

In addition to what you've said, I think some prefer to climb on a one stick with a the extra foot support of a stick mounted platform. Others, makes no difference, or maybe even find a lighter "regular" one stick easier to move. So, just another point of preference.

In addition to total weight, I've personally discovered that how you mount your stick or platform on your pack can significantly affect how heavy "it feels."

If you look at the first photo in my post above (#53), most of the weight is contained in the platform top. When carried upside down like that, I've found that a lot of the weight sort of rests against my back, instead of pulling on the backpack straps.

However, in the second photo, a lot of the weight (part of stick and a lot of the platform weight) was carried a little too high, which resulted in it pulling away from the pack, making it "feel" heavier than it really should have.

This is just another reason why I like the single stick with the platform top. It nests on there very neat and compact, making it a breeze to carry. Plus, the area between the platform and the other standoff creates a neat little space to lash my outside layer/coat.

 

[dalton916]

About weight, while topping a one stick with a scout is very minimal, a stick and a platform like Latitude is advertising can probably get very close in weight to or even weigh less than some common one stick builds. They're saying 2.7lbs for their bigger Rebel platform. The X-wing, 2.5. An UP platform is by itself advertised as 2lbs.

In addition to what you've said, I think some prefer to climb on a one stick with a the extra foot support of a stick mounted platform. Others, makes no difference, or maybe even find a lighter "regular" one stick easier to move. So, just another point of preference.

Yep. My stick alone is right at 2lbs without the platform (using the original EWO standoffs without the weight reduction milling), but in defense of the EWO UP’s weight you have to take into consideration the fact that it does include the weight of one stand-off.

I don’t care about the weight and have to laugh at the “I’m a big boy I can carry 4 sticks” comments. I put my stick with integrated LW seat platform in the pouch of my Turkey vest along with a fourth arrow shoulder mount, camera arm and Canon G30 in a case. Couldn’t do that with 4 sticks.

 

[LtMoe66]

So, FOR ME, I feel that climbing with 1 stick vs. multiple sticks is a wash, I feel it's pretty much the same energy expenditure, efficiency, etc. I don't care if you are climbing a telephone pole or a tree with multiple branches, the climb is going to be similar.

Where one sticking TRULY shines is the descent (if you are rappelling that is.) I've made some pretty sketchy climbs with both methods, the difference is, the descent with multiple sticks, in the dark, when it's wet, and cold, and stuff has started to freeze up, and you are fiddling around with aiders coming down, you ratchet up the sketch factor immensely. Couple that with the fact that I hunt alone 95% of the time, or more, and I wanted a safer option. Enter one stick climbing and rappelling. Coming out of the tree in the dark, cold, wet, maybe ice or snow is a piece of cake. No more worrying that I might slip and jack myself up a mile or more in, alone and the only thing my wife has are GPS coordinates (and I love her to death but she is somewhat directionally and geographically challenged).

I am just as lethal with multiple sticks as I am one sticking, but the exit from the tree is the true litmus test as far as I'm concerned, and the one stick and rappel method can't be touched in that regard.

This is why I use multiple sticks and still repel down and remove them as I go down.

 

[Benzy2]

This is why I use multiple sticks and still repel down and remove them as I go down.

Doesn’t have the cool factor of going straight from hunting height to the ground but it’s how I’m doing it too.

 

[LtMoe66]

Doesn’t have the cool factor of going straight from hunting height to the ground but it’s how I’m doing it too.

I think there is less fiddle factor and I’m quiet when doing it! May add a 1 lb. Or so but totally worth it. Especially the safety factor. Good luck!

 

[2Sloe]

I one sticked last year and would 100% be my go to if I had to limit myself to only one method. As others mentioned, you are better of to use them all based on the situation so you have more advantages than disadvantages. This year, I’m going to throw in some SRT preset loops on the few trees that I expect to climb more than once over the season and use a LWHC seat for a platform. Who knows, may even hang that Viper on a tree and leave it. I really don’t see myself doing sticks. I bought a set last year in case I ran into a situation that they would be better. They are still in the box, never even put them together, mainly due to the perceived fiddler factor. In the end if you can only afford one method and you need max flexibility with better height selection, one sticking is a great choice IMO.