• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Time for a Change

GeoFish

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
May 5, 2021
Messages
2,358
Location
Kentucky
Just one guy’s opinion, every time I hunt White Tails, they amaze me with there sense of smell and there hearing.

Before I got into saddle hunting, and since most of my hunts were a good distance from home, I would take two weeks in November to hunt. I would take 5 Lone Wolf Alpha tree stands and try and set up at least 4 for different wind directions. I used four Lone Wolf full length climbing sticks and four rope on Deer Me Tree Steps. When the stand was set, I left the stand and the climbing sticks on the tree and just removed the steps. When I wanted to hunt that location, I just had to carry four tree steps and I could enter the stand with a minimal of noise. Problem was with all this gear and my safety harness I was carrying over 25 Lbs.

Now that I am into saddle hunting, I am stetting up, hunting and relocating. I have been using three or four mini sticks with double Swaiders. When you set any climbing stick it is going to make a scraping sound. The colder it is the louder the sound. I tried to convince myself that this sounds like a buck rubbing his horns on a tree. When you do this 3 or 4 times in 10 minutes, it sounds more like a guy in a climbing tree stand. I hunt public land in Kentucky and any buck that has made it through 3 deer hunting seasons, know what that sound is.

So, I am going to use Treehopper tree steps with double Swaiders, I can get just as high as I can with one mini stick and aiders. This is a much quieter system using the Amsteel rope mod, truckers hitch and buckle. In addition, two of these steps weight less than 13 OZ. My cut down Lone Wolf sticks using the standard single step weighs 26 OZ. I am only taking 15" steps and I can get to 15 feet with 6 steps, total weigh of 6 steps is 2.4 Lbs. + 7 OZ for the aiders.

In an effort to be as quiet as possible I have to ditch my pack with zippers. I looked everywhere and the only day pack I could find that was made out of quiet material and did not have zippers was the Sitka Fanatic. That’s on order.

Last season I did not see a lot of deer early, that tells me I was making to much noise, its time for a change.
 
Can you post a pic of your steps with swaiders on a tree? I'm interested in seeing them set up.
 
I hunt with a stand and sticks and regularly see deer stand up. I make a lot more noise trying to use an aider. That's just me. Whatever works for you works.
 
Can you post a pic of your steps with swaiders on a tree? I'm interested in seeing them set up.

Attached is a drawing of a tree, don't laugh too loud.
Step one is set at 4 times my preferred step spacing. Step 2 is set at 3 times step spacing. The width between steps is about my body width.20210727_124413-1.jpg
The aiders are set at 2 times my spacing.
I am taking 15" steps so I can get to 5 feet with two steps.
Last year I climbed with this method and used sticks. You can also use rope on steps, screw in steps or bolts.
The toggle balls go around my legs below my knees to keep the aiders close to my body. The long bungee cord goes around my neck to keep the aiders close to my body.
 

Attachments

  • 20210603_150044-1.jpg
    20210603_150044-1.jpg
    302.7 KB · Views: 30
I like how you're noticing what your sound and wind to your success in the woods!
Keep trying to creep in on them... ;)


I live right next to public land. The deer get chased around a lot over there during gun season. So they're pretty sketchy.
I'm constantly out in the woods one-sticking and I get deer walking right up to or past me WHILE I'm climbing... I was baffled at the beginning but I've accepted that the sound of me climbing does not scare them, they seem attracted to it.
 
I like how you're noticing what your sound and wind to your success in the woods!
Keep trying to creep in on them... ;)


I live right next to public land. The deer get chased around a lot over there during gun season. So they're pretty sketchy.
I'm constantly out in the woods one-sticking and I get deer walking right up to or past me WHILE I'm climbing... I was baffled at the beginning but I've accepted that the sound of me climbing does not scare them, they seem attracted to it.
Can I hunt with you, I am good at making noise, LOL,:)
 
Can I hunt with you, I am good at making noise, LOL,:)
You mentioned not seeing deer early. I assume you meant early season. If that is the case have you been trying to set up on them in the mornings on food sources? If so, your entrance more than your climbing may be the issue.
 
You mentioned not seeing deer early. I assume you meant early season. If that is the case have you been trying to set up on them in the mornings on food sources? If so, your entrance more than your climbing may be the issue.
Sorry, I mean early in the morning, when I first get on stand.
I am hunting very large tracks of public land with no crop fields for miles. The few crop fields available are hunted hard by the pilgrim's. They will drive there trucks and park next to the field, walk 150 yards, use a climber or get in a ladder stand and wonder why there are no deer. The deer leave these fields when the trucks arrive.
I primary hunt close to bedding areas. I try and sneak in early and I am sure any mature buck in the area is already in the thick stuff by pink light. When I hunted pre-hung stands I had good luck. Now I think I am making too much noise.
Or am I just a bad hunter? Naaa.
 
Back
Top