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Wild edge vs Climbing Sticks

DannyAttacksTheMountain said:
Maybe. But for now I’ll stick with what I’m comfortable with


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Totally understand Dan, I'm going to be putting a video together in the very near future. I believe it will help you. Stay comfortable with your current approach but dont sell your WE steps...you'll get the hang of using them for sure. Thanks for reaching out...keep the Faith
May The Magic of The Whitetail Forever Enrich Your Life
 
Silvio said:
Totally understand Dan, I'm going to be putting a video together in the very near future. I believe it will help you. Stay comfortable with your current approach but dont sell your WE steps...you'll get the hang of using them for sure. Thanks for reaching out...keep the Faith
May The Magic of The Whitetail Forever Enrich Your Life
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Thanks man. Already traded them for some spurs and now I’m selling those to offset the cost of more gear lol.


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As a heavier guy, I feel, and that is purely a personal opinion, the steps can handle my weight better than sticks. Looking at those steps pivoting on a single bolt on a stick do not give me a sense of "holding up to the force" safety. The WE step is what it is, no moving part, only my skill level of tying the knot based on how much I practice. My alternative climbing method is the LW seat.
 
I exclusively use 2 WE stepps for hanging trail cameras and Lone Wolf sticks for hunting. And I gotta be honest, walking through the thick stuff with no sticks on my back has been very nice. I put the WE Stepps away being frustrated with getting the camming down consistently. But after I pulled the stick out of my butt (not a lone wolf stick, but a figurative stick), and practiced tying and camming for two days in a row, I finally see how awesome the stepps are. They key for me has been consistent practice. It is more of an art than a science. For the record I've always hated when people say that. MY dad used to say that. But here it is true.
 
philsanchez76 said:
I exclusively use 2 WE stepps for hanging trail cameras and Lone Wolf sticks for hunting. And I gotta be honest, walking through the thick stuff with no sticks on my back has been very nice. I put the WE Stepps away being frustrated with getting the camming down consistently. But after I pulled the stick out of my butt (not a lone wolf stick, but a figurative stick), and practiced tying and camming for two days in a row, I finally see how awesome the stepps are. They key for me has been consistent practice. It is more of an art than a science. For the record I've always hated when people say that. MY dad used to say that. But here it is true.
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It's getting past the learning curve, once that happens everything falls into place. For me the WE steps are quiter walking in, less weight, and compact. It's just a personal choice...for those hunters hunting private ground you have the luxury of hanging setups well before season...but your still at a disadvantage from a stealth point of view. You cant hide your stand. Deer get use to seeing it empty most of the time, but recognize when your in it. With a saddle you have the ultimate method of simply hiding behind the tree your in....anyway Good Luck
May The Magic of The Whitetail Forever Enrich Your Life
 
I started with the Steps back when Jim had first come out with them and have had some since. At the beginning I too laid them aside and didn't take the time to really understand the camming action. Lately I've settled on 12 steps and can comfortably climb 20'+ and have only encountered a couple of times I couldn't get the step tight (ran into a big knot). If you have patience and practice a lot they still are a good option. I used the 1 stick method for many years also.
 
I bought WE stepps as a first time saddle hunter last year. I watched a ton of videos and read alot on here. I practiced the knot but never practiced up to hunting height. I was able to successfully and easily climb and hunt my very first time up a tree with these and felt safe the entire time. Main points I learned...

*start slow and be safe!
*practice the knot and learn it well. (Its simple)
*pre-stretch ropes. It helps but isnt completely necessary, they will stretch with time
*watch videos

I've never used nice sticks and honestly dont think I will anytime soon.

Another word of advice..ORDER NOW, hunting season is quickly approaching and orders will start to flood in. It's already about a 10 week wait.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I got my wild edge steps in the mail on Friday, just sold them today. Imo they’re loud, take forever to set up right, don’t bite the tree well, and on top of that to me don’t feel safe. Will be returning to the ol reliable lone wolf sticks for this season. Guess I should’ve listened to the saying “if it’s not broke don’t fix it”
 
NikoTheBowHunter said:
Has this been posted? I have my WE steps on backorder so trying to learn as much as possible during the down time til they arrive.
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I'm wondering the same thing, it's always good to watch and learn. I'm a first time WE user, I've been practicing and found that the knot wasn't difficult, but I had issues when I did not bring the rope around the tree even prior to the knot and caming. Once I figured it out, (it's the lifting of the step prior to caming that helps raise the stays above the rope), I started doing much better and even had the steps installed well enough I was using the WE aider. However, testing on a different tree, an older Maple - the first step was solid the second I couldn't cam. It took me a while to figure it out - but where I was trying to install the step the tree wasn't even, (had a small indentation right where the stays were trying to set). I beginning to approach it like a shot sequence, Trying to go through a small checklist prior to installing - I'm discovering, if I rush things fall apart.
 
looks like the single stick to me takes a lot of time and not near as easy as the WE stepps using the cain method
 
After using both, I’m sold on the single stick method. I no longer have to deal with trying to get steps to cam over the first try. I can just toss the rope around the tree, pull it snug and clip it into the cam cleat on my climbing stick. Also with sticks, it’s far less damaging to the tree from what I can tell. With WE stepps tear up the bark of trees the way they do, honesty wouldn’t be surprised if at some point DNR says no to them on public land. Anyways, I ended up selling my pack of 5 stepps for a DanO custom stick and couldn’t be more pleased.
 
Yep, me too. I started with WE steps and really wanted to like them. But getting good tight cam-overs causes deep bark penetration and really tears up the trunks of the soft Aspen trees I climb. Plus the fiddle factor of all the ropes and knots and getting each step perfectly set. Went to sticks, but carrying multiples is heavy and awkward. Inspired by boyne bowhunter's videos, I tried one-sticking and rappelling, and loved it. To me it is easier, faster, lighter, less complicated, safer, and way friendlier on the tree.

Of course, climbing method preferences are very personal, and what works best for some doesn't work best for all. You have to experiment to find your own niche. The equipment is easy to sell and change up, making experimentation affordable.

My stick is a cut-down Hawk Helium with rope, a Harken cam cleat, and 1-step webbing aider hanging off the bottom step.
 
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