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Wow, need more practice with these Stepps

Tek

Tek

Active Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
119
Location
MA
Spent the better part of the day climbing multiple trees and shooting out of my Kestrel.

Probably spent the majority of the time trying to get the hang of these Stepps.

Had numerous Stepps kick out on me that sent me dangling.

I hope I get this knot down soon cause I can’t picture using these Stepps at my prime stand locations with the way I’m marking up these trees (and I used to worry about the marks I left w/ my LW Assault climber)...

I know everyone has been saying it’s tough to master but once you do they are gold.

I obviously got some work to do then.

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You will get them down. You gotta luv them though. Very strong and even if they kick or move they are still attached. The knot does take a little time to master for most,of us.


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Yeah, I watched Joe’s video over and over and I’m still trying to figure it out.

Thanks for the feedback!


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Tek said:
Yeah, I watched Joe’s video over and over and I’m still trying to figure it out.

Thanks for the feedback!


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The rope needs to go under the stand offs. As on the right side of your stepps.


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bigjoe said:
The rope needs to go under the stand offs. As on the right side of your stepps.


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Agreed. When I first got mine I had it over the top on the non knot side and it wouldnt get tight. Figured it out pretty quick and zero issues since. They are rock solid when done correctly.
 
Yeah, you need to run the rope under both of the upper standoffs. They won't cam over right if the rope is over one. I hold the top against the tree with the rope passing down the middle and then wrap around the tree before tying the knot. This makes sure the rope ends up under both standoffs.

I actually bent one when I was learning trying to cam it over with the rope running over the top.
 
boyne bowhunter said:
Yeah, you need to run the rope under both of the upper standoffs. They won't cam over right if the rope is over one. I hold the top against the tree with the rope passing down the middle and then wrap around the tree before tying the knot. This makes sure the rope ends up under both standoffs.

I actually bent one when I was learning trying to cam it over with the rope running over the top.
Click to expand...


@boyne bow hunter is one of the best with these. He invented/figured out how to tie these easier


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I 'bout spilt my coffee when I saw them ropes! I'd be lying if I said I'd never done that before though.

I think you'll find they stick a good bit tighter to the tree with the ropes under the stand-offs. ;)

I actually had mine out about an hour ago to climb a tree and do some pruning. They are solid when you get the hang of them.
 
I’m still becoming proficient with them too but have noticed a difference in performance after the ropes have been used a time or two and been stretched or broken in. Actually tied them onto different sized trees and left em for a day or two.


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AntlerAddict76 said:
I’m still becoming proficient with them too but have noticed a difference in performance after the ropes have been used a time or two and been stretched or broken in. Actually tied them onto different sized trees and left em for a day or two.


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Yup. That’s important to do


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Thanks for the help guys. Spent the afternoon climbing up the 2 trees I left my Stepps in overnight.

Every single Stepp was on incorrectly (like the pic above).

I know you guys talk about getting into saddle shape but how about climbing shape?

Between yesterday and today I got good upper and lower body workout. My legs are feeling it after leaning back into the linesman belt forever while I was trying to figure out these Stepps.

And my arms are killing me as I tried way too many times to muscle the stepps over when they were too tight.

I could never tie the knot right on the first try. I would realize it was too tight and then feed the rope back a 1/4 of inch or so and then it would cam over with that solid “thunk”.

I’m gonna try and climb a new tree every other night so I can perfect this before Bear opens on Sept 1st.



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I am in the same position as you! I did a DIY ring of steps from aluminum brackets. When everyone said practice with the setup I rolled my eyes and thought, “Ok, I’ll go spend 5 minutes making sure I am comfortable.” Welp, turns out the guys on here know what they are talking about.
Nothing difficult but just different than stand hunting. I shot 10 arrows and learned a ton. Crashed into the tree twice. Accidentally racked myself on the tree once! However, I would much rather those mistakes happen now than when it counts.
So I will now join the ranks of folks saying, “Practice your setup before hunting for real.”
 
The legacy video does demonstrate the knot well. I’m 285lbs and run my stepps tighter than legacy or Andrew does. I tie about chest high place my hands on top of the step with my thumbs running down the v. Wrap my fingers around the standoff. Would look like you were giving yourself a fist bump. Then lift with your fingers and push down with your thumbs rolling it into place. They don’t slide or rock. I also don’t have the rope drooping down in the back like that do. It just needs to be slightly below to almost even with the knot once it cams over. If it’s cammed over and the rope is a couple inches lower on the backside of the tree it isn’t tight enough for me to climb. For guys under 200 it may be easier and work well the way Andrew does it.
 
Also if you are having problems with the knot practice on the ground. No need in wearing yourself out trying to figure it out while hanging off the side of a tree. I’ve probably tied that knot 500 times and still have a brain fart every now and then and have to look at the bag. I still have tho occasional rope over the standoff also. Just put a little slack in the rope and pull it down and around the standoff. No need to retire the knot.
 
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