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Need advice on climbing methods

Socm78

Socm78

New Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2018
Messages
7
Hey everyone,

I’m looking to get into saddle hunting and plan on purchasing a Tethrd Mantis. Looking for advice and suggestions on climbing methods. I haven’t ruled out climbing sticks completely just yet. I’ve been looking into Wild Edge steps and Silent Approach. I’m leaning towards the Wild Edge steps with an aider and naider. I have not been able to find any naiders for sale or DIY videos. Really just want to see what everyone here prefers and why. I’m currently stationed at Fort Rucker AL and the trees here are generally straight with minimum branch interference to hunting height (20’). Thanks in advance!


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Hmmmmm, I’m sure you’ll get plenty of opinions. I’d skip the silent approach. Wild edge plus Knaider & swaider is a solid system. It does take a good amount of practice to get really proficient w/ that method. I like 3 sticks & movable aider got that height (lonewolf or beast) personal preference. I’m assuming that spurs would not fly on base (that would be first pick). Thanks for your service!! Let us know what you end up with....
 
I have used sticks, WE steps, spurs, hand climbers and would recommend the WE steps over any other method for flexibility. There is a guy making and selling knaider a swaiders on here.
 
If you have plenty of trees that are straight and limbless I'd use the lone wolf hand climber seat portion. It doubles as a climbing method and a platform. If you want you can still bring a ring of steps for your platform.

You can get one in the classifieds every now and then, or they can be ordered from lone wolfs website for $159. For that money you get a climbing method and platform. Hard to beat that!

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I really appreciate the info. I’m going to give the WE a try. Just PMed JCLINE84 about purchasing a knaider. Thanks again gents, super helpful!
 
All methods trade off between:
Damage to tree
Ease of Use
amount of practice needed to feel safe and efficient
Solidity or sketchiness
Time to hunting height (first climb, follow up climbs)
Time to get down/pack up
Weight/bulk/portability
Stealthiness

Your preference will likely hinge on if you can penetrate trees, how much bulk you can tolerate hauling around, and how simple/easy/quick you want getting up the tree (and back down) to be.

I really like bolts where I can use them, but there are places I can't (or don't want to) put holes in trees.
I love the idea of SRT and am working to refine it, at a minimum for presets but ideally dialing in enough to hunt mobile.

I dislike the bulk of sticks, although I haven't explored cut down options. Even WE stepps are bulky.
Cranford rope steps suck for teardown.

I personally favor methods that are quiet and efficient to climb, quick/easy to get down and pack up, and pack well enough to reasonably carry even on hunts I'm not anticipating using them (e.g. hunting preset stands), and my preferences are constantly evolving. The WE with various aiders seem good and I may play with them some over the offseason, depending on where I end up with my rope methods.
 
@Socm78 welcome to the community. One of the greatest off season pleasures, after scouting, is trying to figure out the perfect set up for you. We have beaten to death climbing methods here on this forum. And we will continue to beat it some more for the foreseeable future. Join in the fun, find some folks nearby that will let you try their system, then start spending your money :) Pete
 
Welcome from SE Michigan! Lots of info here and options galore. Check out the SaddleHunter map and see if someone is close by that could show you a few different setups.
 
I'm a cut stick guy, but carried a couple WE steps with the sticks this yr. Had a couple steps slip slightly or shift on hard tree's. I'm still evaluating them and bought some knaider/swaider off jcline. Haven't tried them yet. I'd feel totally comfortable heading out using them on my sticks as sticks are solid. Heading out with a hand full of WE...not a chance. I'd have to practice with them more.
 
Whatever you go with, practice what you'll actually be doing. I used helium sticks a couple times before season, then cut them down and rope-modded them and practiced a couple more times, and it's a lot different in the dark with a full hunt load while you have to pee. A few in-season trips and I have now re-vamped what I carry, how I carry it, and how I set up - to save weight, time, noise, etc.

The biggest take-aways I have from this season: shed weight, scout, practice, practice, scout.
 
I really appreciate the tips gents! I just ordered knaider a from @cline84 and plan on ordering WE 8 step kit.


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JBDaddy said:
Whatever you go with, practice what you'll actually be doing. I used helium sticks a couple times before season, then cut them down and rope-modded them and practiced a couple more times, and it's a lot different in the dark with a full hunt load while you have to pee. A few in-season trips and I have now re-vamped what I carry, how I carry it, and how I set up - to save weight, time, noise, etc.

The biggest take-aways I have from this season: shed weight, scout, practice, practice, scout.
Click to expand...
Practice how you play - I was late into the game this season and ended up doing a number of practice-hunts where I went to a second-choice location to hunt while ironing out gear kinks and figuring out how well my system hunted.
 
Socm78 said:
I really appreciate the info. I’m going to give the WE a try. Just PMed JCLINE84 about purchasing a knaider. Thanks again gents, super helpful!
Click to expand...
Practice, practice, and practice some more. It takes a bit to get the "feel" on the proper cam over for the WE step. I love them as it is climbing and platform all in one.

I used the aider and Swaider combo this past year. Worked really well for me.

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I plan on doing quite a bit of practice climbs after this season. This is my first season deer hunting and I got off to a late start to to my work schedule. Here in south Alabama the rut doesn’t kick off until late Jan and continues through for first week or so of Feb. Here on Fort Rucker I’ll be stuck with still hunting and ground blinds for the rest of this season. Definitely plan on doing a whole lot more scouting and climbing before next season.


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Rucker used to be great hunting.Even though it ain’t what it used to be there is plenty of dirt to hunt and some good ones left for sure.The biologist there is an old friend.
 
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