What's your setup?

Guys I'd like to hear what is your preferred setup for public land?

Here's what I'm currently using but I'm always looking for lighter & better equipment.
Loc-on limit stand
3 LW sticks but currently playing around with using multiple slings as ladders
Alpine Bod rock climbing harness
Medium Alice Pack to hold extra clothing,misc gear, & also pack out my kills

My total weight with sticks is about 20-25lbs. If my idea with the slings works out I should be under 15lbs.

I'll soon be doing an indepth video, on my all new setup for 2012 & beyond. The videos below are what I'm talking about, to give you an idea. Thanks for the topic post, it's a great one!





Link if you're interested in this type of hunting setup.
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1626624

Dave, that post on AT was where I got the idea to climb with slings.
I'm using a hang on stand so I had to develop my own version of the sling method. I'm using multiple 3 step webbing ladders just I you would use climbing sticks. Haven't had much time to practice lately but I think by next yr this will be my new climbing system.

I have looked at the G. Web & it looks comfortable. Do you have any problems selecting trees with the web?

1- "Great minds think alike!" I'm going to make the Web & sling work, & I'm not looking back!
2- I'm buying my Web next month, so I have not actually used it yet.
3- Please expand upon you sling climbing experience. Also can you provide a link to the slink you are using.

You don't have to watch the whole vid, but watch the first 3 scenes. I'll haul & hike in with the best of them. That was a muddy, quite taxing 1.68 mile hike to my tree!After that day, I decided there has to be a better way. The Web & sling, I believe, are that better way for me.

I have seen your video before. You need to get you a pack mule instead of that game cart. I like the effort, sometimes you just got to do whatever it takes.

Here are my concerns about the G web
- tree selection. Looks to me like this setup is better on small diameter trees.
- weight. Think I saw it is 8lbs which is the same weight as my Limit hang-on.
-cost
-facing the tree. I just never like hunting this way.

Please keep me posted when you get the G web. I would like a good comparison between it & a light weight hang on stand.

My sling climbing method consist of 3 to 4 3 step homemade aiders (basically the rock climbing term for a sling ladder). I got climbing spec 1" webbing from REI to build my aiders. I'm trying to decide on an attachment method currently. The choices are multiple slings in various lengths to accommodate tree size and/or tree taper or multiple rope tree straps with pruskic knots. I attach the slings & climb up the same as you would with LW sticks.

Problem with current aiders
-My current setup is hard to get your boots in the loops when climbing down (no problems going up). I think using 2" webbing & wrapping the entire loop in para cord will help this problem. Also I'm going to try tying into a tree strap with my rock climbing harness instead of using a linemen's belt. This will allow me to sit down on the harness & use my hands if necessary to help get my boots in the loops.

I saw where a guy was wrapping the 2 inch webbing with duct tape, to make it easier to get his feet in. I think any issues with the GW, will be more tolerable than playing the human pack mule.

i use a my modified summit on 99 hunts out of 100, my alpha and 4 sticks on the other 1 hunt. I web sounds good but dont really know how to self film with one though. I pack for lightness, I have an arm and a camera for every hunt, plus stand, and everything else, probably 30 plus pounds.

upbowhunter wrote:i use a my modified summit on 99 hunts out of 100, my alpha and 4 sticks on the other 1 hunt. I web sounds good but dont really know how to self film with one though. I pack for lightness, I have an arm and a camera for every hunt, plus stand, and everything else, probably 30 plus pounds.

For filming while in the GW, I'll be using this.
http://gopro.com/cameras/hd-hero2-outdoor-edition/

For conventional filming from a saddle stand, check this out.




I personally am not going that route. Too much foolling around. GOPRO is hands free.

We use go pros for second angles but you wont get good footage of your kill without zoom. I dont know how he would run his manual focus, while slung out like that I would like to actually see his films of him shooting a deer like that.

upbowhunter wrote:We use go pros for second angles but you wont get good footage of your kill without zoom. I dont know how he would run his manual focus, while slung out like that I would like to actually see his films of him shooting a deer like that.

I thought about that zoom issue with the gopro. I'm getting this new editing software, & it has zooming capabilities. I'll have the gopro on 170 fov, & hopefully the software can bring it in more, while preserving clarity.

http://video-editing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/powerdirector-review.html

I take in a LW Sit & Climb or a LW Assault w/6 LW sticks.
Lately though, all I've been taking in is a Primos stool with a leafy wear suit and one of those plastic roll-up drag sleds (For those few times I get lucky and have to drag something out . . . Which is not as often as I'd like).

I use a Summit Viper climber, and also hunt off the ground it just depends on the situation. Large Alice pack for hunting on the ground and Large Mad Dog backpack for tree stand use.

Dave the editing cant improve what is shot with the camera, the go pro will only shoot well to about 15'. It will look just like your video you shot from your hat, where the deer is really far out looking. To shoot good video you must have manual focus, and zoom. Thats why handy cams suck for videoing hunts no manual focus, if a leaf comes between you and the deer it goes to the leaf in auto, makeing the deer seem far away and out of focus. Go pros are awesome, for in the stand looking at the hunter, but you wont get go footage of the kill. Its all in how well you want it to look later when you show freinds, I have an editor so my stuff wont go anywhere if it aint gonna make a good hunt for film. Being a self filmer on our crew it only makes it harder to get my stuff looked at. Through in the fact I hunt public the age class deer that are trouphies to me dont get the same attention that the guy hunting private in the midwest get.

for my setup i have a treesaddle along with tree gafs as my climbing help and cranford steps as my platform. Pending upon how cold it is, if it is a cold morning with my saddle gafs 6 steps backpack with tupperware container of food grunt tube rattle bag 3 bottles of water extra shirt rain jacket and bibs drag rope knife and extra pair of wool socks it weighs in around 23lb. My summit i carried last year weighed that alone then added another 20+lbs for what you see other than saddle gafs and steps so last year i was packin merely 45lb. a mile or more deep. I was the pack mule on our trips. He saddle utelized my style of huntin and it helped with the load.

Dave Mullins wrote:I saw where a guy was wrapping the 2 inch webbing with duct tape, to make it easier to get his feet in. I think any issues with the GW, will be more tolerable than playing the human pack mule.

I added 10" lenghts of 11mm rope inside the tubular webbing then tied in my loops. This really stiffen up the loop & made them a lot easier to get a boot in. I still need to work out an attachment method but it's starting to come together. With some practice & developing a routine I think this climbing method will work.

Hey, I absolutely think it's worth it. I'd much rather expend a bit more effort climbing a tree with a strap, than carrying in all that stuff. Hang in there, it'll come.

I use a Summit climber when going in stealth mode hunting over oak ridges, scrape lines, edge areas. My fixed stand consists of API Magnum stands.
My bow set ups are:
57# Jefferys Take-Down Recurve, 2117 xx78's, Magnus broadheads.
65# BowTech Destroyer 350, 2116 xx 78's Muzzy 4-blade 125 gr.

My setup is either one of my many Gorilla Silverback Magnums with a 5 rail set of Rapid Rails or a Muddy Hunter with a 5 rail set of Rapid Rails.

I hunt out of a Loc-On Windwalker with 4 Muddy climbing sticks! Its a compact set-up that is light weight and I can get up a tree fairly quickly and quietly!

So far I've been strictly a spot and stalk person but, this year, I'm looking to using my Gorilla tree stand. It is the lightweight one that only weighs like 11pds.

gorilla stand and 4 gorilla sticks, I also have a loggy climber and a pop-up for Turkey/hogs that I'll be using this coming April.

As for Archery
1> Jerry Hill Stalker Deluxe 69" 50#@28" - 30"BOP ash shafts topped w/160grn Snuffers and 4 X 4"/5" fletching and selfnocks
2> PSE Kingfisher recurve set-up for both fishing and land hunting. 31"BOP CX 2117 4x 4"/5" fletching topped w/285Grn Snuffer/adaptor.

Early season I hunt out of a loggy. Then once the leaves start to fall and I have to go higher for more cover I take my summit viper.