This big maple defeated me, stopped the climb at 4’. started with my rappel/top tether canyon IV, then tried my oplux backup tether, but just couldn’t get it done. It’s the largest tree i would climb with sticks, i can just touch my hands hugging the tree, leaning slightly toward me, with a big bulge at 11 ft. Couldn’t safely push the tether up without snaking my hands under the tether. i have the leg loop, so i could have pulled that out of the pack, and slapped it on , or maybe even used a linesman….but that‘s pretty complex, too much Fiddling at the base of the tree.
So the answer for why don’t y’all 2tc, as others have said, is a matter of the trees where you hunt. Anything big, and with any bulges is no go, at least for me and my system. Any tree basketball or smaller 2 limbs or less to pass is a no-brainer 2 TC, and with a relatively quiet, simple system. We’ve got an early season start, and I have family stuff next 3 weeks, so scouting, cams, and most practice is in the bag. It will be 2 TC early season, since i can (almost) always find a smaller tree where i hunt with good cover. Regarding SRT, i set a few presets, but too many crotchless trees where i hunt. I’m thinking about packing a false crotch, and leaving in trees that have eventful hunts where i know I’ll be back, since SRT is by far safest and easiest for me. (And i force it to be quiet with a very slow setup).
Rut will depend on weather. (I pack the platform for longer sits, so might was well strap the 3 sticks.
After rut, cold weather, bare trees, I’ll go back to my 3 hawks with movable diamondback 5 step etrier, with rappel. It’s a system i got pretty good with last year, and is quiet.
Next season, i’ll see where we evolve this, and decide to upgrade my 2TC to get up most any tree, or i might invest In a quality 1 stick, and go that route. Since there are quite a few crotchless trees about this size in my deer woods, We definitely need to innovate some easier, 1-hand tether movements to make this viable for a wider range of trees. Any tips you guys have that are simple. (Maybe tether handles?) are welcome. Also, i added some webbing to the ropes to help protect them, i don’t think they make movement any better or worse.
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