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Really confused about something with SRT

U

uncleT

New Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Messages
2
Location
SE Michigan
Hey guys, I tried searching for this and really couldn't find anything, which leads me to think I may be missing something completely obvious.

Looking into SRT for starters. Where I hunt for now I would be able to do presets. I'm buying gear here and there as I work up to figuring out which way(s) I will eventually get up the tree for saddle hunting. So I bought a throw ball and some Sterling HTP rope to start. Question is....how do I possibly isolate the branch I am looking to get the rope into? My test tree was a white pine with lots of branches (my backyard). I got the throw ball over an ideal branch, but then realized that if I pull the climbing rope up through a girth hitch, it will emcompass every branch below it which would not be climbable past the girth hitch. In this spot, it seems pretty impossible to get the throw ball to come back and NOT go around any other branches as there are some directly below it.

It seems that would limit me to trees with no limbs below the one I need to climb up to (at least on that side of the tree). If that's the case, then I see this as only giving me a slight advantage over my climber in terms of which trees I can use this on.

What am I missing? All videos I found show people throwing into the first branch above them.

Attached is a picture to try to depict what I am explaining.
 

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Short answer is it's a PITA. But once over the limb you want, you have to then throw again and get it just under the branch you are wanting while getting it back down the exact path the upside of the rope is going thus removing all other limbs from being inside the girth. If you have a lot of limbs, this can be almost impossible. If only a few its more doable.
 
uncleT said:
Hey guys, I tried searching for this and really couldn't find anything, which leads me to think I may be missing something completely obvious.

Looking into SRT for starters. Where I hunt for now I would be able to do presets. I'm buying gear here and there as I work up to figuring out which way(s) I will eventually get up the tree for saddle hunting. So I bought a throw ball and some Sterling HTP rope to start. Question is....how do I possibly isolate the branch I am looking to get the rope into? My test tree was a white pine with lots of branches (my backyard). I got the throw ball over an ideal branch, but then realized that if I pull the climbing rope up through a girth hitch, it will emcompass every branch below it which would not be climbable past the girth hitch. In this spot, it seems pretty impossible to get the throw ball to come back and NOT go around any other branches as there are some directly below it.

It seems that would limit me to trees with no limbs below the one I need to climb up to (at least on that side of the tree). If that's the case, then I see this as only giving me a slight advantage over my climber in terms of which trees I can use this on.

What am I missing? All videos I found show people throwing into the first branch above them.

Attached is a picture to try to depict what I am explaining.
Click to expand...
With SRT you don’t have to isolate the branch, instead when the line comes down, bring the end around the tree, toss the throwball over the closest branch to your opposite side, feed the end through your eye (like a super long tether) tie paracord to the eye and cinch it all the way up so that the rope is wrapping the tree instead of the branch.
Or if the branch is strong enough to safely hold your weight, you could just basal anchor the rope (tie the end off at the base of the tree). I don’t like doing that on pine trees but I have done that on some gnarly oaks. Basal anchors double the load at the crotch though so if it’s possible to tie a canopy anchor, that would be my choice. Also basal anchors require more rope since you are going over and coming all the way back down to tie off
 
uncleT said:
Hey guys, I tried searching for this and really couldn't find anything, which leads me to think I may be missing something completely obvious.

Looking into SRT for starters. Where I hunt for now I would be able to do presets. I'm buying gear here and there as I work up to figuring out which way(s) I will eventually get up the tree for saddle hunting. So I bought a throw ball and some Sterling HTP rope to start. Question is....how do I possibly isolate the branch I am looking to get the rope into? My test tree was a white pine with lots of branches (my backyard). I got the throw ball over an ideal branch, but then realized that if I pull the climbing rope up through a girth hitch, it will emcompass every branch below it which would not be climbable past the girth hitch. In this spot, it seems pretty impossible to get the throw ball to come back and NOT go around any other branches as there are some directly below it.

It seems that would limit me to trees with no limbs below the one I need to climb up to (at least on that side of the tree). If that's the case, then I see this as only giving me a slight advantage over my climber in terms of which trees I can use this on.

What am I missing? All videos I found show people throwing into the first branch above them.

Attached is a picture to try to depict what I am explaining.
Click to expand...

Based on your drawing. you are standing too close to the bottom of the tree. Once you got the rope around the branch you want, take both ends and walk away from the tree so you have a better angle to avoid the lower branches.
 
Ok, so first off, evergreen trees with many branches are surely the hardest trees to srt in and I highly suggest simply climbing them first another way then setting a preset. Secondly, if you do want to use a throwball it's all about technique. When you throw the throwball, you have to pull it back up to just below the branch you've reached then make it swing by pulling it up and down a little then rapidly let it go when it has swung towards you and will be past the next lower branch. You may have to do this multiple times depending on how many branches it will encapsulate on an ordinary drop.
Again I highly suggest simply climbing the branches by hand with 2 linesman belts for branch passing if you are doing a preset and don't care about noise or time.
 
I specifically love hunting out of conifers with whorled branching. Using the technique described by @Samcirrus above enables you to get to hunting height with minimal gear.

Using the throwball is an art form. Start off in wide open areas with as little to get tangled in as possible. Aim for isolate branches with no obstacles. Keep it as simple as possible in the beginning.
 
ok, well this is definitely helpful for a few options and ideas. I am interested in trying one sticking or 2TC (first time I have heard of that). Like anyone, I want the "best" method but i know that's like asking what your favorite ice cream flavor is. For now, the gear I bought doubles for other purposes so it's not a total loss if I go another way. I've already used my throw ball to tarp off a shed build ;)

Thank you all!
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
With SRT you don’t have to isolate the branch, instead when the line comes down, bring the end around the tree, toss the throwball over the closest branch to your opposite side, feed the end through your eye (like a super long tether) tie paracord to the eye and cinch it all the way up so that the rope is wrapping the tree instead of the branch.
Or if the branch is strong enough to safely hold your weight, you could just basal anchor the rope (tie the end off at the base of the tree). I don’t like doing that on pine trees but I have done that on some gnarly oaks. Basal anchors double the load at the crotch though so if it’s possible to tie a canopy anchor, that would be my choice. Also basal anchors require more rope since you are going over and coming all the way back down to tie off
Click to expand...
If you're intent on SRT, I second this info.

I rarely have limbs I would trust with my weight, so my canopy hitches are always around the trunk of the tree and not a single branch. In that instance, the branch merely holds the rope at that height, but the tree takes all the weight.

In my experience I either have an easy tree that I can get my throwball into, or a mess that makes me frustrated. I'm also incorporating 2TC since I already carry what's needed for that, so if I don't have tree that would be easy for SRT, I can still 2TC up it and leave a preset when I'm done if I want to return. Presets are where SRT really shines, and with huge trees.
 
If you don't mind carrying additional equipment when making presets, an additional throw line and bag setup may benefit you. Technical term is "double-bagging" I believe. You can do some tricky stuff with the combination of the two.

Throw your first line and access your throwbag at ground level, attach your second throw bag to the first (quality throwbags usually have a specific loop for this), retrieve your initial line to the wanted isolation point and induce swing etc. via your second added line, then continue the process until your setup is back at ground level, remove the redirect throwline and bag, tie your climbing line/loop to the initial throwline and set it at height. Practice is key. If it's a good hardwood tree, and the anchor is large enough to make me comfortable, I do prefer a basal tie (a basal tie does stress your anchor 2x the load, so be careful).
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
Another option would be use climbing sticks or 2TC climb up, place your presets around the preferred crotches of the tree, then rappel down, leaving the preset up so you can just pull the rope up, tie in and climb when it’s time to hunt.
Click to expand...
This is probably the best way. I don't use SRT for my first climb of a tree, but for second and subsequent climbs.
 
NMSbowhunter said:
(156) Throwline 101: Basic Technique | Arborist Essentials - Climbing and Rigging - YouTube

Check out this guy's videos. He is an arborist and I learned a lot of tips and tricks from his videos when I was starting out with rope climbing. I have since moved on to 2TC since it works a lot better for me and the trees I have access to. The throwball is an art form and takes a lot of practice.
Click to expand...
I keep meaning to drop a throwball in the pouch with my Dynaglide dog leash. Just in case I need to hook a branch or advance my line while in the tree. With 1-sticking and 2TC I have better ways to get up the trunk than throwing a canopy tie, but an ounce or two won't make that much difference in my setup.
 
uncleT said:
Hey guys, I tried searching for this and really couldn't find anything, which leads me to think I may be missing something completely obvious.

Looking into SRT for starters. Where I hunt for now I would be able to do presets. I'm buying gear here and there as I work up to figuring out which way(s) I will eventually get up the tree for saddle hunting. So I bought a throw ball and some Sterling HTP rope to start. Question is....how do I possibly isolate the branch I am looking to get the rope into? My test tree was a white pine with lots of branches (my backyard). I got the throw ball over an ideal branch, but then realized that if I pull the climbing rope up through a girth hitch, it will emcompass every branch below it which would not be climbable past the girth hitch. In this spot, it seems pretty impossible to get the throw ball to come back and NOT go around any other branches as there are some directly below it.

It seems that would limit me to trees with no limbs below the one I need to climb up to (at least on that side of the tree). If that's the case, then I see this as only giving me a slight advantage over my climber in terms of which trees I can use this on.

What am I missing? All videos I found show people throwing into the first branch above them.

Attached is a picture to try to depict what I am explaining.
Click to expand...
Here's how to manage that scenario:
1. Make sure your throwball is easily removed from the end of the line. There's many methods, but we need to be able to get it off one side and onto the other side easily.
2. Make sure you are not using mile of throw line. 50-60 ft is a good length.
3. When the ball gets down to you, remove it and put it on the other end of the line. Draw it all the way up to the crotch and let it down. If there is a branch that wants to be between your lines, we can usually dance the ball and get it to come down where we want it.
4. If ya can't get the branch from between the ropes, you will need to use a basal anchor instead of a canopy anchor. And of course you need enough rope to do so.

These are all things I learned 10years ago and why i like my JRB DSRT so much. If there is a branch between my climbing lines, i can climb to the branch, then bypass it without ever disconnecting from my rope.

Unfortunately, my Basic Throwball video doesn't address this scenario but if ya look at how I clip the ball to the rope, you'll understand why it's easy for me to switch the ball to either side.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
I have found success avoiding all those branches by using the doubled stationary rope technique.

I send the throwball up and over a limb or through a tree crotch. Then as it comes down I work hard to slip it around the branches I want to avoid. I do this by flipping and manipulating the ball so it falls just right. I make my own throw balls that are heavy ~16 oz and that seems to help. Sometimes I get it up and over and let the ball come down, only to draw it all the way back up to the crotch and jostle it just right as it’s coming back down.

Then once I’m satisfied that I avoided all I could with the throw ball I climb up the stationary ropes. I’m Attached with a friction hitch on each side. Then I do bypass moves as necessary as I go up.

Once you do the bypass it’s done and your Paracord preset will always by on the correct side and no more bypasses will be necessary.

there is a couple of different ways I bypass. One way is I get up as high as I can next to the obstruction when climbing. Then I use my redundant bridge to attach to my tree tether. Often on the tree trunk or sometimes on the obstruction itself. All depends on the tree and how it is laid out. I put weight on that. Then I just slip my friction hip from one side up and over the obstruction, then pull it down on the correct side. Bypass complete.
 
With a little practice a branch can be isolated by briefly stopping the throw ball just after it goes over the targeted branch. Throw with one hand while the line runs through the other, glove is recommended. When the ball passes the branch, the gloved hand squeezes the line briefly, the ball will reverse direction when the line hits the branch, and come back at you.
 
Brocky said:
With a little practice a branch can be isolated by briefly stopping the throw ball just after it goes over the targeted branch. Throw with one hand while the line runs through the other, glove is recommended. When the ball passes the branch, the gloved hand squeezes the line briefly, the ball will reverse direction when the line hits the branch, and come back at you.
Click to expand...
@Brocky does that usually work well for you when it’s multiple branches coming off the tree at different angles/locations like his drawing? I also find conifers with thinner/weaker branches to be less than ideal to climb.
For me personally I can usually swing drop a branch or two directly under the one I want to isolate (like you and JRB have described), but after the line is redirected by the additional branch or two, I usually find it very hard to get it to continue to “weave the course”. I find myself allowing the ball to come down, pulling some slack and then throwing the ball over one or two opposite side branches so that it ends up back in front with my preferred crotch/tree section isolated. It takes longer to do and is a real pain in thicker areas. Just wondering if you do this as well on more complex trees or if my throwball game needs to improve to make the weave the branches method work
 
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