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Saw or Pruners??

Letemgrowitllshow

Letemgrowitllshow

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2018
Messages
1,311
Location
Saint Francis MN
What do you use? Looking to carry just one. Right now I have a saw, but wondering if maybe a set of pruners would better suit my needs?

Lets hear it!

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When I’m trying to be as minimalist as possible and only carrying one of the two, I carry my silky pocketboy saw. I can cut any size branch or sapling with it and can attach it to a cut limb or tree to use as a pole saw using 2 nite ize gear ties.

With pruners you can only cut stuff up to a certain diameter and can’t add reach like the pole saw trick.

To me, a saw is just more versatile.
 
I seem to favor the saw. That being said it seems like I'm always wishing I had the pruners. When your climbing through the branches of an adjacent tree to get to height it seems like i always want the pruner. When I get to height it seems the cutting needed to be done there is saw work. If i have to take only one........... the saw, it just more versatile. Is there an echo in here?
 
drew13 said:
When I’m trying to be as minimalist as possible and only carrying one of the two, I carry my silky pocketboy saw. I can cut any size branch or sapling with it and can attach it to a cut limb or tree to use as a pole saw using 2 nite ize gear ties.

With pruners you can only cut stuff up to a certain diameter and can’t add reach like the pole saw trick.

To me, a saw is just more versatile.
Click to expand...
I used to carry a hooyman, but didn't like the weight or quality. This sounds like a better option.

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I carry both but if I could only carry one it would be my pruners. I use the pruners 95% of the time anyway. I can cut up to about a 1" diameter limb with it. Also comes in handy while bushwaking.
 
I carry both but when I only carry one it’s a saw. Used the silky but it only cuts one way, went to a stihl folder, same as the old bear saw. Cuts both ways and is sharp.
 
If it had to be one, I would have to go with pruners. There are some spots I hunt, that I have to carry pruners in my hand to cut briars and honeysuckle and such out the way, to remain fairly silent on my entry. On public, I leave both saw and pruners at home to keep from being accused of any improprieties of the law.
 
I carry pruners just crap ones from Walmart I sharpened up some I like them I’m going to start carrying a saw again but I feel like it’s a rare occasion I find myself needing one. If post season scouting where I might clear a shooting lane or I’m going through brush I take a machete.


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Probably not the answer you wanted to hear, IMO, you really should carry both. Neither one can do double duty very well.
Pruners are essential for stealth. Try sawing your way through multi flora rose...can't do it.
And anything over an inch can't be cut with pruners. Kinda sucks when you aren't hunting pre sets and the only tree that works well has a branch that needs cut.
Gotta have both.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
Probably not the answer you wanted to hear, IMO, you really should carry both. Neither one can do double duty very well.
Pruners are essential for stealth. Try sawing your way through multi flora rose...can't do it.
And anything over an inch can't be cut with pruners. Kinda sucks when you aren't hunting pre sets and the only tree that works well has a branch that needs cut.
Gotta have both.
Click to expand...
But if, for some unlikely reason I could only carry only one, it would be pruners. But it shouldnt be an "either-or" situation.
If its a matter of space in the pack, I would leave something else behind. Grunt tube, rattle bag or piece of lunch.
I feel naked when I'm in the woods without 2 things...binoculars and pruners.
 
I'll be the contrarian and say that I've only used my saw 2 times on a tree this year. I havent carried clippers in years.

Our trees are fairly straight and self pruning in the riverbottoms. I also do a fair amount of gun hunting, so being on the "x" isnt as critical. Even with a bow though, I find I can get where I want to be most of the time without cutting.

Saw is hands down more versatile, which is why I carry it. If I need to trim small stuff quietly, I usually just break it or cut it with a knife.
 
I usually have both a hand pruner and a hand saw while hunting. But for prepping trees i absolutely prefer a pruner over a saw.
 
Sounds like a product opportunity to me! A saw and pruner in a single, lightweight unit! Wish I had an engineering background to design one. That said, for tree hunting I only carry a saw and when ground hunting only a pruner.

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I have an old wood handled saw that I've carried over 30 years.
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Nutterbuster said:
I'll be the contrarian and say that I've only used my saw 2 times on a tree this year. I havent carried clippers in years.

Our trees are fairly straight and self pruning in the riverbottoms. I also do a fair amount of gun hunting, so being on the "x" isnt as critical. Even with a bow though, I find I can get where I want to be most of the time without cutting.

Saw is hands down more versatile, which is why I carry it. If I need to trim small stuff quietly, I usually just break it or cut it with a knife.
Click to expand...
You must not have any multi flora rose where you hunt. No way I can sneak where I hunt without pruners.
 
Saw is more versatile.

It is techinally illegal to trim anything on public I hunt but I may or may not prune a branch once in awhile just to get set up in a tree. I never trim shooting lanes on the ground.

I can't imagine pruning multiflora rose or anything on my way in. Absurd. It would take 3 hours to get where I am going. Just wear brush pants and be smart about where I walk.
 
I haven't carried a saw or pruners...ever... on public land. Y'all make me feel like I'm missing out on the secret to life or something. Do folks hunting public land really clip their path to their set? Trim a pile of branches in a tree? Or is this conversation geared more towards private land folks?
 
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