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Wild Edge Steps

Yodan

Yodan

Active Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2019
Messages
109
Location
Western New York
I'm new in saddle hunting. Hope to order my saddle by the way end of the week. I'm looking at using Wild Edge steps for my climbing system. I seldom go above 20 ft. How many steps would I need with a single loop aider? I'll probably use 3 of the steps for my platform at least for my first year. I didn't want to buy 10 but don't know if 8 would be enough including the 3 for the platform.
 
Single step aider usually equals about 2ft
Say 1.5 foot spacing between each step and aider

With that setup 6 steps equals 21 feet
Plus 3 for the platform
9 steps
 
Thanks Murph4028 and Live4Now for the info. I have a good idea of what to order and it will takes practice to fine tune it and lots of practice befor October.
 
Just starting out I would start out with climbing sticks. There is a bit of a learning curve with WE stepps. A lot of people try them out and go back to sticks as their primary climbing method. I personally did not like them and went back to climbing sticks.

That’s just my 2 cents...
 
I used Wild Edge Stepps this past year. I bought 8 and used 3 for the platform. I regularly got 18-22ft with using a whoopie sling aider. Check out WE website (https://www.wildedgeinc.com/store/p32/steppladder_aider.html#/) when you buy your steps, they sell the aider I am talking about. I have rope on hand and made my own. It works great.

I basically made the loop as large as I could, stepped in, then lifted my foot and tightened the loop to force me to take the largest step I possibly could. I can get 3-5 ft (depending on how many layers of clothing) between steps. 6 steps gets 18ft, one on each side of the top step for the platform. Sometimes, if I needed the extra height, I would only use 2 steps for the platform.

For a single step aider the whoopie sling is my preference.
 
I started with the same setup you are talking about. 8 Stepps with aider. I average 3.5 feet per step. I can get 4’ when I have to but it takes resetting every step but the first twice. To me it’s the best value in saddle hunting for a newcomer. The price of a set of 8 Stepps and aider gets you a lightweight compact solid climbing method and platform. It requires no diy. All you need is practice. Yes there is some fiddle factor but it’s easily manageable. It gets easier just like multistep aiders on climbing sticks do. And you will need multi step aiders with even the lightest sticks to beat the feet per pound ratio you will get from steps.
Here is what I’ve found to be the downside. You need to account for about five extra minutes on each end of your hunt. There is a potential for noise. There is with sticks also but for me you have three opportunities to be noisy with sticks and another with the platform. With Stepps you have 8 opportunities to make noise. You can be just as quiet with steps and it’s not hard but you have to maintain your concentration. I had a buck come into 15 yards feeding on acorns while I was installing my fourth step. It took me another 20 minutes but I got the next four steps installed and setup while the deer was still feeding. To me they only work well as a primary climbing system. You don’t practice with them enough to get proficient then put them up and forget about them. If you use sticks for a couple months and decide to leave them on the tree and use your Stepps in another location you will be frustrated. Now if you use them every weekend you could do it blindfolded. Setting them as a platform can be tough but it’s not that bad.
Overall it is a good system if you take the time and get proficient with it.
 
enkriss said:
Just starting out I would start out with climbing sticks. There is a bit of a learning curve with WE stepps. A lot of people try them out and go back to sticks as their primary climbing method. I personally did not like them and went back to climbing sticks.

That’s just my 2 cents...
Click to expand...
Thank you. I thought that carrying 4 sticks would be more work than a bag of steps. More food for thought.
Thanks again
 
EricS said:
I started with the same setup you are talking about. 8 Stepps with aider. I average 3.5 feet per step. I can get 4’ when I have to but it takes resetting every step but the first twice. To me it’s the best value in saddle hunting for a newcomer. The price of a set of 8 Stepps and aider gets you a lightweight compact solid climbing method and platform. It requires no diy. All you need is practice. Yes there is some fiddle factor but it’s easily manageable. It gets easier just like multistep aiders on climbing sticks do. And you will need multi step aiders with even the lightest sticks to beat the feet per pound ratio you will get from steps.
Here is what I’ve found to be the downside. You need to account for about five extra minutes on each end of your hunt. There is a potential for noise. There is with sticks also but for me you have three opportunities to be noisy with sticks and another with the platform. With Stepps you have 8 opportunities to make noise. You can be just as quiet with steps and it’s not hard but you have to maintain your concentration. I had a buck come into 15 yards feeding on acorns while I was installing my fourth step. It took me another 20 minutes but I got the next four steps installed and setup while the deer was still feeding. To me they only work well as a primary climbing system. You don’t practice with them enough to get proficient then put them up and forget about them. If you use sticks for a couple months and decide to leave them on the tree and use your Stepps in another location you will be frustrated. Now if you use them every weekend you could do it blindfolded. Setting them as a platform can be tough but it’s not that bad.
Overall it is a good system if you take the time and get proficient with it.
Click to expand...
I needed this, I just made the plunge and bought a set of 8 and an aider. Expensive but for the price and the weight they can’t be beat. It’s maybe 9 lbs with the aider and I can fit them in a back pack. All in all my hunting set up will weigh a whopping 15-16 lbs at the most. You can’t beat that with a stick. I can hunt any tree I want with the saddle, hunt public land much more effectively. I can’t wait to get all my stuff and practice this summer.
 
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