Rappelling after hunt

[mbucks27]

Hey guys have a question for guys that are rappelling down after hunt. I tried the safeguard but it wasn't very smooth so i just went and bought the black diamond atc and sterling hollowblock for an auto block. I saw the video Jcline made showing how he does it but the reason i liked the safeguard idea was because i could use is as my bridge tether instead of using a ropeman and also use it for rappelling. Question is how are you setting up your rope for when you are actually hunting. do you just take the atc off? and then put it on when you are getting ready to come down or are you leaving it on the rope? any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[g2outdoors]

When I rappelled I used a second 40' rope. I would hook it up at the end of the hunt with a Rock Exotica Micro 8 descender with an auto block. I'd hook that up to my bridge. it worked very well. The rope management was the annoying part. Getting it out of the tree afterwards and keeping it clean/dry was a major issue for me. It was also noisy to remove it. Twice it got stuck at the top of the tree and I had to spur up and get it undone. Granted, I'm by no means an expert at rope operations. But my experience was 60% negative 40% positive. When it all worked seamlessly...it was awesome.

 

[mbucks27]

When I rappelled I used a second 40' rope. I would hook it up at the end of the hunt with a Rock Exotica Micro 8 descender with an auto block. I'd hook that up to my bridge. it worked very well. The rope management was the annoying part. Getting it out of the tree afterwards and keeping it clean/dry was a major issue for me. It was also noisy to remove it. Twice it got stuck at the top of the tree and I had to spur up and get it undone. Granted, I'm by no means an expert at rope operations. But my experience was 60% negative 40% positive. When it all worked seamlessly...it was awesome.

thanks for the input. I definitely don't want to use a second rope. I have 32 ft of predator rope that i would like to use with one stick method and to rappel with. really dont want to have to carry two sets of rope into the woods. it will be just too messy i feel like.

 

[JBDaddy]

I looked into this a week or 2 ago, and most commonly recommended was a 2nd bridge.

Use the 32ft predator as your climbing/tether/rappel rope. Use a ropeman while going up, and while tethered in.

When ready to come down, get out the 2nd (shorter) bridge that has your rappel device on it, connect in BELOW your ropeman, then transfer your load from the longer bridge (ropeman) to the shorter bridge (I was looking at the Mini 8 by rock exotica for $25 or so + autoblock), disconnect the ropeman & stow it, rappel down, then retrieve your rope.

@boyne bowhunter and others had a good suggestion about retrieving the rope by attaching a mini carabiner & paracord around /behind the tether knot so it'll come down easier.

I gave up on the thought for now because the idea of carrying a 2nd bridge and changing rope connections up a tree doesn't sound terribly light-weight, safe or fun to me. I couldn't find a rappel device that locked in for use in "tether mode" but could also double as a rappel/ropeman device too.

 

[Jgetch]

I srt now so rappelling down is the norm these days. My srt rope is 35’ long. Once I’m to hunting height I attach my tether, switch off to that for the hunt, and coil my srt rope above me so it is out of the way. I experimented at first with using the same rope as srt and tether but there were two main issues with that. The first being excess rope management after getting to hunting height. No matter where i put it on me or on the tree it felt in the way. The second was that when setting the srt rope from the ground it inevitably was never in the right spot for how I wanted to set up on the tree. Your experience may be different but that 32’ rope may be a real pain when at hunting height and also when one sticking up the tree.
Side note: when I one sticked going down was pretty easy compared to going up. I got away from it because I was always a sweaty mess once I got to hunting height. If you want to one stick I would recommend not worrying about carrying an extra rope or a 32’ rope and just bring a tether along. If your willing to do all that work to get up a tree for that light of a system then why add weight to the whole set up if you don’t have to. Just my opinion though and as most of us that changes about monthly.

 

[JBDaddy]

Right after I say I didn't find a device...

Might be worth a try.

 

[mbucks27]

Thanks for the advice. I have also thought about using a prusik above and below the atc and just leaving it on the tether connected like this until i'm ready to rappel down. Then i would switch to the prusik below when i was ready to repel to use as an autoblock. hope this makes sense lol.

 

[JBDaddy]

Can't think of a reason that wouldn't work. Hmm. I may have to try that. Sure is cheaper than that Grivel A&D.

Just thinking it through... If your brake hand stays on the lower prussik, your upper hand could slide the upper one down as you go, or you could figure out disconnecting it. I'd be unwilling to open the carabiner my ATC is on when it's under load.

Stopping to remove your ROS/Platorm/Sticks would require both hands, so your autoblock might need a backup or enough practice to be confident you won't go sliding down while hands-off... but it could work.

 

[Bourdeau]

It is really critical to consider the setup of your rope, and platform, and all supporting stuff like tree tether, bow holder, pack holder, removal rope etc. In the beginning SRT seemed so overwhelming that I made a map on paper of a birds eye view of the tree, and like anything a list of what is needed the whole process. I actually have learned after climbing the tree twice to retrieve my SRT rope that for me(airhead) personally it's better to hook (@JCLINE84 / @boyne bowhunter - said "small carabiner") to the repel rope before I even pull it up into the tree, this way I already have a paracord hanging down to attach my bow and pack to and won't forget to set it when done hunting, plus it keeps it from getting tangled while I'm climbing up.
I'm a lefty so my strongest shooting is from 2-6 o'clock. If possible I set my SRT rig at 7 o'clock( if righthanded then I suggest 5 o'clock) I'm hoping the deer movement will be opposite that at 2 o'clock moving toward 4 o'clock(right handed 10-8). When I reach platform height I set it to my right at 6 o'clock( no different for right handed except it's on your left at 6). I then climb to my tether height and set my tether in line with my platform 6 o'clock. Transferring here to my longer saddle bridge hooked to my ropeman/ tree tether. Slowly releasing my safeguard that is attached to a 40 cm runner(shorter bridge) connected to my lineman loops (girth hitched on one side carabiner on the other). Once transfered to the tether I remove my safeguard/biner stow it and let the srt rope hang down along the tree. I just leave the 40 cm runner(shorter bridge) attached to my lineman loops, less fishing around after hunting. When done hunting I transfer back to my SRT rope using my Safeguard on my shorter bridge and I have a second runner 30 cm long that I use for my safety hitch( back up )while repelling down. I use a Sterling 6.8 mm HollowBlock2 tied to the brake strand side of my safeguard in a Klemheist knot. I girth hitch the 30cm runner to my linemans loop and use a carabiner to attach it to my hollow block. This setup allows me to safely take my hands off both the safegauard and the hollow block to remove my platform on the way down. It takes some getting use to squeezing the hollow block as you use the release lever on the safeguard but it is a really safe repel.

 

[mbucks27]

It is really critical to consider the setup of your rope, and platform, and all supporting stuff like tree tether, bow holder, pack holder, removal rope etc. In the beginning SRT seemed so overwhelming that I made a map on paper of a birds eye view of the tree, and like anything a list of what is needed the whole process. I actually have learned after climbing the tree twice to retrieve my SRT rope that for me(airhead) personally it's better to hook (@JCLINE84 / @boyne bowhunter - said "small carabiner") to the repel rope before I even pull it up into the tree, this way I already have a paracord hanging down to attach my bow and pack to and won't forget to set it when done hunting, plus it keeps it from getting tangled while I'm climbing up.
I'm a lefty so my strongest shooting is from 2-6 o'clock. If possible I set my SRT rig at 7 o'clock( if righthanded then I suggest 5 o'clock) I'm hoping the deer movement will be opposite that at 2 o'clock moving toward 4 o'clock(right handed 10-8). When I reach platform height I set it to my right at 6 o'clock( no different for right handed except it's on your left at 6). I then climb to my tether height and set my tether in line with my platform 6 o'clock. Transferring here to my longer saddle bridge hooked to my ropeman/ tree tether. Slowly releasing my safeguard that is attached to a 40 cm runner(shorter bridge) connected to my lineman loops girth hitched on one side carabiner on the other. Once transfered to the tether I remove my safeguard/biner stow it and let the srt rope hang down along the tree. I just leave the 40 cm runner(shorter bridge) attached to my lineman loops, less fishing around after hunting. When done hunting I transfer back to my SRT rope using my Safeguard on my shorter bridge and I have a second runner 30 cm long that I use for my safety hitch( back up )while repelling down. I use a Sterling 6.8 mm HollowBlock2 tied to the brake strand side of my safeguard in a Klemheist knot. I girth hitch the 30cm runner to my linemans loop and use a carabiner to attach it to my hollow block. This setup allows me to safely take my hands off both the safegauard and the hollow block to remove my platform on the way down. It takes some getting use to squeezing the hollow block as you use the release lever on the safeguard but it is a really safe repel.

Thanks for the explanation. I have a safeguard and have only tried it at ground level from a few ft up but it just seems jumpy to me. its weird i had it on my predator tether as a test and it worked good. I ordered 32 ft of the same rope and tried it last night and it just wasnt as smooth for some reason. will have to do a little more testing (a few ft off the ground) i guess.

 

[Bourdeau]

Yeah please practice.....I find it easy practice to just be hooked to the SRT rope even while standing on the ground at the base of the tree and walk backwards while releasing the lever, it helps you get used to the force needed to release both the hollow block squeezing and braking the brake end of the rope. I need more time to do a video it's hard to write it out. But as you load more weight on the rope for repelling it seems like it's jerky and all or nothing that is what led me to a back up I didn't like the feeling at all.

 

[cedar paul]

Whatever rappell device you use don't forget to use your other hand as a brake on the tail of the rope.

 

[Wirrex]

When I rappelled I used a second 40' rope. I would hook it up at the end of the hunt with a Rock Exotica Micro 8 descender with an auto block. I'd hook that up to my bridge. it worked very well. The rope management was the annoying part. Getting it out of the tree afterwards and keeping it clean/dry was a major issue for me. It was also noisy to remove it. Twice it got stuck at the top of the tree and I had to spur up and get it undone. Granted, I'm by no means an expert at rope operations. But my experience was 60% negative 40% positive. When it all worked seamlessly...it was awesome.

I used the same 40’ rope for everything when I rappelled. I came to the same conclusions as you. It’s just not worth the terrible packability and risk of it getting stuck for a non preset hunt in my opinion.

 

[Gumbymedic]

I gave up on the thought for now because the idea of carrying a 2nd bridge and changing rope connections up a tree doesn't sound terribly light-weight, safe or fun to me. I couldn't find a rappel device that locked in for use in "tether mode" but could also double as a rappel/ropeman device too

Isn't that what a Safeguard does? That's exactly how I intend to use it. I will probably add an Auto-block below the Safeguard for extra security but I would be using the Safeguard as a tether/ropeman/rappel device. I am very new to rappelling so correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

I rappelled using my Safeguard after 100% of my hunts last year. It's true that the Safeguard is not as smooth on rappel as the Grigri2 I had used previously. However, over the short distances I rappel from the tree I think the additional safety associated with the Safeguard's design is a worthwhile compromise. I did find that if I use my right hand squeezing the tag end of the rope as my primary descent rate control rather than trying to feather the safeguard lever I have a smoother rappel. This is something to get a feel of at low height but I just pull the lever over as hard as I can with my left hand and control the descent with my grip on the rope using my right hand.

I always carry both my 40' of rappel line and a separate 7' tether with a Ropeman on it. If the weather is good I just climb/hang on the rappel line and Safeguard backed up with a slip knot. If the weather is wet I will climb/hang using the shorter tether and Ropeman, leaving my rappel rope in my pack to keep it dry until I am ready to get down. When its time to get down I pull out the rappel rope, girth hitch it to the tree, attach my Safeguard, hook up and transfer my weight to the rappel line. This keeps the rappel line relatively dry. Lesson learned the hard way as I had to rappel a couple of times on frozen rope last year.

I also carry an ATC and prussic in my pack just in case I drop my Safeguard or find myself in need of a free hand while rappelling.

 

[deleted_user01]

thanks for the input. I definitely don't want to use a second rope. I have 32 ft of predator rope that i would like to use with one stick method and to rappel with. really dont want to have to carry two sets of rope into the woods. it will be just too messy i feel like.

You'll most likely need to manage 2 ropes , 1 you rappel with and the small diameter like zing it or something similiar to retrieve it.

 

[mattsteg]

I did find that if I use my right hand squeezing the tag end of the rope as my primary descent rate control rather than trying to feather the safeguard lever I have a smoother rappel.

i noticed this immediately. If you brake with your brake hand the safeguard is plenty smooth.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

You'll most likely need to manage 2 ropes , 1 you rappel with and the small diameter like zing it or something similiar to retrieve it.

My gear pull up rope (paracord) serves double duty as my retrieval rope. I have a small keychain carabiner on it that I hook to the rappel line just adjacent to the girth hitch to pull the hitch loose.

 

[Newhunter1]

I am using and have used several methods:

Single stick method and SRT:
Gear: petzl rig, left hand ascender with foot loop. Pully Carabiner hooked to the top of the hand ascender.

For SRT: I use a 45 ish foot rope that once i get my throw rope over the branch and pull my climbing rope, i then hook up the end of the throw rope to the loop of the girth hitch. Send the rope up and when i want the rope to come down just pull on the through rope. Run my tail end of the climbing rope through the pully carabiner and climb using that method. The throw rope is put on the backside of the tree to stay out of my way while ascending. Once at hunting height, i bring my climbing rope up and secure it with my pack and things just below me. When ready to leave, I send my rope down, and then rappal down. Pull on my throw rope and everything comes down. BTW...My climbing rope is also my tether.

Single stick method:
One single stick and one 45 foot climbing rope. Use the rope as i would with a shorter tether and climb the tree. At hunting height I set my platform and hang my pack, coil my rope with my pack and hunt. When done, i just use my climbing/tether rope and rappal down...stop at my platform and stick and send to the ground with my pack and my bow. Do the same with the rope to get it down as my SRT method. no need for two ropes unles you are climbing multiple branch trees.

 

[mbucks27]

Thanks for all the replies! I played around tonight and I think I will go with the atc and auto block. It's much smoother to me than the safeguard. I also figured out how to tie off the atc so I can actually use that like a ropeman at hunting height and don't need anything else. Boynes videos got me interested. I will be using my one muddy stick as well to climb.