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Prepping trees

Pfraze

Pfraze

New Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2016
Messages
25
Ive owned a trophyline tree saddle for years, but haven't used it much till this year. I use it with a xop hand climber and climb up a tree like a climbing treestand.

My question is for guys prepping or presetting trees. Are you leaving steps in trees, and if so, what kind do you use? I've had one buddy have a screw in amerstep tree step come out of a tree and he fell, and I know of another guy that had one break on him.

I like the xop, but for an area that I hunt frequently, I'd like the ease of slipping in and climbing up and settling in quickly and quietly. Especially for after work evening hunting. I might add, I really don't want to leave a ladder stick up advertising where I hunt. Tree steps are harder to see.
 
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why not use a climbing stick/XOP platform combo? I know there are some people and myself included that use climbing sticks+aiders for the bottom half of their tree and have tree steps or screw ins going up the rest of the length of the tree to climbing height. Then just pop on your platform and you're ready to go
 
I have the Treehopper hand drill and the power drill bit and a set of DIY bolts from Home Depot.

Prepping a tree takes about the same amount of time as screw steps. If you use a power drill it is faster. But then the tree is ready to go all season.

You just pop the bolts in on the way up and take them out on the way down. The holes are not obvious
 
I like your climber setup for straight trees with no limbs. HOWEVER, a lot of saddle hunters like to hunt crooked trees with plenty of limbs to hide our position. There's nothing wrong with your setup if it's works. If it ain't broke...

But to answer your question I use a lot of different systems to preset trees. On private land I'll use stick ladders from walmart ($50 for 20'), Steel climbing sticks from Sportsman's Guide (about the same price) and Screw-in steps.

On public pressured land, if I can use screw-ins, that's my first choice. My favorite preset is to use them with my LW stick with Aider at the bottom. This gets me to 7' high right off the bat. 18"-24" above the LW stick is my first screw in. That does 3 things for me.

1. It reduces the number of screw ins I have to use per tree by at least 4.
2. It keeps other hunters from using my screw ins (unless of course they happen to haul along their own LW stick and aider)
3. Starting the screw-ins at 8' high hides my setup from other hunters and keeps deer from smelling the screw ins while I'm gone.

It takes me all of 30 seconds to attach the bottom LW stick when I'm ready to hunt the setup.
 
Thanks for the ideas. Keep them coming. What kind of bolts are you getting from Home Depot? Also, what platforms, if any, are you using?
 
I use grade 8 bolts, 6" long. Dip them in black plasti-dip except 2 inches that go in tree. I also use sticks, ladders, steps, climb paws, too. Depends on situation. Look up Warren Womack on YouTube for bolt info. In his 70's, still climbing and hunting on public.
 
Pfraze said:
Thanks for the ideas. Keep them coming. What kind of bolts are you getting from Home Depot? Also, what platforms, if any, are you using?
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I built an XOP platform like a lot of the guys on here, then I add 2 screw steps on each side (for now until i get used to platform, only have had 2 sits with it). Prior to that i used 4-5 screw-ins around tree at hunting height above 3 hawk helium sticks
 
Scoutman said:
I use grade 8 bolts, 6" long. Dip them in black plasti-dip except 2 inches that go in tree. I also use sticks, ladders, steps, climb paws, too. Depends on situation. Look up Warren Womack on YouTube for bolt info. In his 70's, still climbing and hunting on public.
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Are you taking bolts in and out or do you just set your tree with them and leave them?
 
Pfraze said:
My question is for guys prepping or presetting trees. Are you leaving steps in trees, and if so, what kind do you use? I've had one buddy have a screw in amerstep tree step come out of a tree and he fell, and I know of another guy that had one break on him.
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I hunt both pre-set tree and on the fly hunts depending where I am at. My favorite method is pre-set trees with screw in steps, I have at least 40 set up throughout my state. I have never had one break on me. IMO anyone who has one of these break on them has put them in the tree incorrectly. I have seen so many trees set up with them incorrectly, I almost want to start carrying notes around the woods when I'm scouting to warn people. A screw in step needs to have the L at the bottom portion where you stand touching the tree. If that L is not touching the tree, the step is going to bend under stress when it is stepped on. Eventually (and especially when it gets really cold), that step will break. The best way to put these steps in is using a tree step tool. I use the ultimate tree step tool: http://www.treesteptool.com/

I also don't know how a step came out of the tree. Maybe it was a dead tree, or the step was put back into a previously used hole, but in either case those are things to avoid.

Anyways, just some information from my experience using screw in steps. If you can afford them, the cranford ez screw in's are the easiest to use, but they are way more pricey.
 
If leaving them, I take out the first 5 on way down, leave them near tree covered up. you can also just take them all down and hide by tree, only takes seconds to place them as you climb. I've drilled trees in March and could still get bolts in through the season.
 
Scoutman said:
If leaving them, I take out the first 5 on way down, leave them near tree covered up. you can also just take them all down and hide by tree, only takes seconds to place them as you climb. I've drilled trees in March and could still get bolts in through the season.
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Got it. Just asking cause I was considering drilling and leaving them in permanently instead of screw in steps. Have so many trees, trying to save a little cash.
 
Red,
Drilling would work good for you, just pre-drill trees. Carry bolts and platform with you. Put them in and hunt, take them to another tree the next day.
 
You use cordless drill with 3/8 bit, drill 2" in tree, you can set up a tree in less than 5 minutes. During season you use a hand drill from ez cut products to be quiet.
 
Scoutman said:
Red,
Drilling would work good for you, just pre-drill trees. Carry bolts and platform with you. Put them in and hunt, take them to another tree the next day.
Click to expand...
I just got out of a tree that I left the bolts in from last year, They appear to be part of the tree now, and thats fine on this one. I agree with redsquirrel that the cost of grade 8 bolts can be alarming.
 
I dont use bolts or screw ins. When I prep trees I usually will prep all mine in February or march. I use sticks so I basically climb up trim what branches are necessary my wife will come along and trim shooting lanes as i instruct which to cut or trim. I prefer trees that are dual trunk split which provides a nice comfy back rest while waiting. I may buy some screw ins in the future. I have missed the sales on these towards the end of the season but i am on the look out at least for my private land setups. I still have two hang ons which i am selling after this year and just making the full commitment to saddle hunting. I may keep the ladder sticks for presets as well.
 
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