I agree for morning hunts. I find it’s no issue to set a loop in a new location and climb for an afternoon hunt.
I have been using a MRS (ddrt) a majority of the time for the past 3 seasons before that it was sticks or sectional ladders. I know one sticking/rappelling and SRT have been all the rage lately. But both are very expensive and one sticking was way more work the 2 times I experimented with it. SRT is great but then you’re buying more expensive climbing gear because gri gri’s or madrock’s aren’t cheap, add in hand ascenders, foot loops and some of the other extras and you now weigh more than 70’ of 11mm rope with a lot of extra stuff to carry. Then you still have either throw a throw ball over a crotch or use some type of extension stick or pvc to get it up to height. All to avoid tying a friction hitch and to make it a little easier to advance. And it is only a little easier than DRT. I hear people say you can only hunt certain trees with DRT but that isn’t true either because you can always buy a $30 climbing rated pulley from SMC and use 6ft of rope, a prusik and create a false crotch just like girth hitching for SRT. At the end of the day my wife who spends her days at a computer screen in an office, and my 9 y/o son can both climb DRT with no issues so I see it as a cheap way ($88 or less for 75’ of rope that’ll get you up to 35’ with no problem and only weigh 4.2lbs.) to and easy way to get up most any tree quick and effectively. Behind using climbing spikes, DRT is my preferred method. PS here is a couple pointers for those starting out: if you experience trouble with the throw ball and throw line, get a cheap chalk bag from any climbing site, a 14oz throw ball and a cheap daisy slingshot from Walmart. You can tie the throw line on the bag and shoot it from the little slingshot just like you would a rock... With only an hour or so of practice with the slingshot, you’ll be able to hit nearly any branch you aim for and the chalk bag is fleece lined so it’ll keep the throw line nicely rolled and not all twisted up on branches and vines.
Definitely need to make sure the limbs are big enough and alive. I don’t think it takes up much more space if anymore, than the equipment carried for one sticking/rappelling. My hunting jacket takes up more space in a backpack than 75’ of Samson predator does...
I totally agree. It's just way more convenient to already be setup by I'm not scared to move at lunch by no means if need be.
You would need to make sure the tree is safe even if you were using sticks. Or at least I do. As for taking up space, if I'm using my sticks I strap them to the sides of my pack. If I'm DRT'ing it, I just strap the rope coil to the side instead. Or on the bottom of the pack like a bedroll.
i think they mean the branch specifically. Its easier to tell looking at the whole tree if its dead or not than a random branch. might overlook the limb you picked isnt healthy.
