After kicking it around since @DanO sent me the first prototype back in november of last year, I finally pulled the trigger and bought 8 of them. Bear in mind this happened about 3 days after I bought the LWCG minis to try. Even though I think that those are definitely the best stock sticks available (despite the fact that they are super expensive and not exactly as-promised) they still suck to pack and carry, especially since I am so accustomed to a small roll of bolts and a treehopper drill.
For those who havent done the math on 8 steps with straps and OCB buckles, they weigh roughly 4.5lbs, and fit in a 5 step wild edge step bag with room to spare. They fit inside every single backpack and fanny pack I own, and can be unpacked and slung over a shoulder (ready to climb) in less than a minute. They do not clank, slide around on the tree, or require the use of aiders. They can be completely silenced with inexpensive vet tape.
They're basically perfect.
I spent an awesome weekend with @denots and @kyler1945, and had a chance to video me and denots climbing the same tree. To get to 16ft, it took both of us 4.5 minutes. I unpacked, set, and climbed 8 steps in the time it took him to hang 2 sticks with 5 step aiders. It took him a total of 6.5 minutes to set all three sticks, and I am confident that I could have set another 4 steps in the same amount of time. Also, that climb was my very first ascent up a tree using the squirrel steps, while denots has climbed with his setup before. I think we could probably both better our time.
For my style of hunting (light, mobile, compact, simple, and safety conscious), I do not think there is a better public-legal method. Given the ease of strapping steps vs drilling, I can even see myself using these in places where bolts are legal, especially if I suspect I'll be climbing very young trees or pines.
I know a lot of you have heard my complaints regarding other public-legal methods, but I want to take a quick second to summarize my experiences with the substitute products I've tried.
The first thing I tried was Lone Wolf full-length sticks. Any full length stick is an absolute dog to pack without a treestand to strap them to. They got hung up dreadfully in palmetto flats and yaupon thickets, didn't fit well in my kayak, and were prone to swinging around and clanking. They were also the heaviest method I have ever tried.
I moved on the wild edge steps, which were definitely lighter and more compact. However, despite practicing nearly daily with them for several months, I found that they were just "fiddly" to set on a lot of trees.
Also, they didn't make sense weight-wise without some kind of aider. I am disinclined to use single step aiders, and vehemently opposed to using multistep aiders, especially with the wild edge steps. I have seen and heard about too many kick offs to trust those 20ft up and 2 miles back off a backwater slough.
And while Wild Edge advertises the steps as public-legal, I found that they frequently caused some ugly looking damage to some trees. If I am in a place where I think an encounter with an overly zealous DCNR employee is likely, I do not want to have sap oozing out of a tree! If I'm going through the hassle of carrying a public-legal method instead of bolts, I want 0 bark penetration.
I briefly experimented with bullman steps at saddlepalooza. I never hunted with them, but I found then thoroughly "meh," and didn't care for their slick feel and small step area. The curved strap slot also seemed weird and not conducive to getting them tight to a tree. They slid down a good bit when weight was applied.
Cranfords have probably proved the most satisfactory, but they are CHONKY little things weight-wise, the rope system can be fiddly, and they are hard to get tight on a tree. They are inexpensive though, and definitely usable.
I don't say all of this to bash the other alternatives. I'm just saying that they all had some shortcomings that made them frustrating for me to use. The first time I climbed with bolts, it felt natural and very safe, and they have never once inconvenienced me when it came time to load up and pound thickets. The couple of climbs and excursions I have made with squirrel steps have felt the same way.
I am much, MUCH happier with them than I have been with the cranfords and LWCG sticks I have been playing with. The only down side I can think of is price. They str not cheap.
However, compared to beast sticks, customized diy sticks, lwcg sticks, and other high-end climbing methods, they've not unreasonable. I wish I had just bought 15 of them to use as a platform and climbing method when I first started, and skipped all the other nonsense. I did talk to @DanO, and I believe he is offering a discount for folks buying 8 or more to help offset that high price.
I know that's a wall of text, but I havent been this pumped about a product since I got my first kestrel in the mail. WAY more excited about these than the LWCG sticks. Super pumped, and I think my enthusiasm rubbed off on the ever-skeptical @kyler1945 as well.
I'll be doing a video on them at some point this week. The video will include the "race" I had with Denots if the footage is usable (havent seen it yet.)
Update: here's the first video of me climbing and descending with 8 steps. I start flat footed with the steps inside my Badlands Silent Reaper, and climb down and pack everything back up.
For those who havent done the math on 8 steps with straps and OCB buckles, they weigh roughly 4.5lbs, and fit in a 5 step wild edge step bag with room to spare. They fit inside every single backpack and fanny pack I own, and can be unpacked and slung over a shoulder (ready to climb) in less than a minute. They do not clank, slide around on the tree, or require the use of aiders. They can be completely silenced with inexpensive vet tape.
They're basically perfect.
I spent an awesome weekend with @denots and @kyler1945, and had a chance to video me and denots climbing the same tree. To get to 16ft, it took both of us 4.5 minutes. I unpacked, set, and climbed 8 steps in the time it took him to hang 2 sticks with 5 step aiders. It took him a total of 6.5 minutes to set all three sticks, and I am confident that I could have set another 4 steps in the same amount of time. Also, that climb was my very first ascent up a tree using the squirrel steps, while denots has climbed with his setup before. I think we could probably both better our time.
For my style of hunting (light, mobile, compact, simple, and safety conscious), I do not think there is a better public-legal method. Given the ease of strapping steps vs drilling, I can even see myself using these in places where bolts are legal, especially if I suspect I'll be climbing very young trees or pines.
I know a lot of you have heard my complaints regarding other public-legal methods, but I want to take a quick second to summarize my experiences with the substitute products I've tried.
The first thing I tried was Lone Wolf full-length sticks. Any full length stick is an absolute dog to pack without a treestand to strap them to. They got hung up dreadfully in palmetto flats and yaupon thickets, didn't fit well in my kayak, and were prone to swinging around and clanking. They were also the heaviest method I have ever tried.
I moved on the wild edge steps, which were definitely lighter and more compact. However, despite practicing nearly daily with them for several months, I found that they were just "fiddly" to set on a lot of trees.
Also, they didn't make sense weight-wise without some kind of aider. I am disinclined to use single step aiders, and vehemently opposed to using multistep aiders, especially with the wild edge steps. I have seen and heard about too many kick offs to trust those 20ft up and 2 miles back off a backwater slough.
And while Wild Edge advertises the steps as public-legal, I found that they frequently caused some ugly looking damage to some trees. If I am in a place where I think an encounter with an overly zealous DCNR employee is likely, I do not want to have sap oozing out of a tree! If I'm going through the hassle of carrying a public-legal method instead of bolts, I want 0 bark penetration.
I briefly experimented with bullman steps at saddlepalooza. I never hunted with them, but I found then thoroughly "meh," and didn't care for their slick feel and small step area. The curved strap slot also seemed weird and not conducive to getting them tight to a tree. They slid down a good bit when weight was applied.
Cranfords have probably proved the most satisfactory, but they are CHONKY little things weight-wise, the rope system can be fiddly, and they are hard to get tight on a tree. They are inexpensive though, and definitely usable.
I don't say all of this to bash the other alternatives. I'm just saying that they all had some shortcomings that made them frustrating for me to use. The first time I climbed with bolts, it felt natural and very safe, and they have never once inconvenienced me when it came time to load up and pound thickets. The couple of climbs and excursions I have made with squirrel steps have felt the same way.
I am much, MUCH happier with them than I have been with the cranfords and LWCG sticks I have been playing with. The only down side I can think of is price. They str not cheap.
However, compared to beast sticks, customized diy sticks, lwcg sticks, and other high-end climbing methods, they've not unreasonable. I wish I had just bought 15 of them to use as a platform and climbing method when I first started, and skipped all the other nonsense. I did talk to @DanO, and I believe he is offering a discount for folks buying 8 or more to help offset that high price.
I know that's a wall of text, but I havent been this pumped about a product since I got my first kestrel in the mail. WAY more excited about these than the LWCG sticks. Super pumped, and I think my enthusiasm rubbed off on the ever-skeptical @kyler1945 as well.
I'll be doing a video on them at some point this week. The video will include the "race" I had with Denots if the footage is usable (havent seen it yet.)
Update: here's the first video of me climbing and descending with 8 steps. I start flat footed with the steps inside my Badlands Silent Reaper, and climb down and pack everything back up.
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