My mobile bowhunting setup

[jbd6c6]

Public land, public stand? I think not!!! Most of the hunting I do is on Missouri public land so I like to bring everything in and out with me to avoid losing equipment to passersby while I'm not hunting.

I use a hang-on stand that's medium sized. It came with a safety harness and everything. It's just small enough to strap on my back to carry in and out of the woods without being too bulky to manage. I took the metal frame off an army surplus backpack and use the straps from the stand to secure it to my frame. The frame makes it easy to bear the weight of the stand and my other gear. Getting the stand up can be tricky if you don't have climber sticks or a ladderstand. Using a rope ladder is portable, light, and can be managed by just one person. I have a long rope that I throw over a branch at the height I want to hang the stand. It's kind of hard to get right on your first throw but keep at it. I tie one end of the rope to the rope ladder and hoist it up to the branch, tying the loose end of on another nearby tree. For trekking, I roll up the ladder and strap it to the stand on my back to keep my hands free to carry my bow.

Once my ladder is up, I climb it, secure my harness, and pull up my stand with a rope. Setting the stand up can be hard because you have to keep your balance while holding an awkward object. Once the stand is strapped down and I'm sitting in it I pull up the rest of my gear and also the rope ladder to leave as little evidence as possible in the deers line of sight.

I've used this setup a few times this season and it's worked pretty well. Looking forward to cooler weather though. Carrying all that through the woods can be tiring and make you sweat like crazy. From start to finish, setup takes me about 20 minutes. To take it down, I just do everything in reverse order.

No deer yet, but plenty of sightings and a couple close calls. Sooner or later I'll be looking for blood trails...

Hope this helps someone who is limited to public land like me!

 

[Jim]

I am limited to public land also. But I have a bigger problem.....fear of heights. :LOL2:

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

You can't use a climbing stand?

 

[jbd6c6]

I am limited to public land also. But I have a bigger problem.....fear of heights. :LOL2:

Conquer the fear, conquer the deer.

 

[jbd6c6]

You can't use a climbing stand?

I'd definitely use a climber if I could afford one. This is my first hunting season. Only took 21 years but I finally got out and tried to hunt some deer. Working with a small budget so I picked a quality stand that was minimum on the extra stuff. Got it for $60 thanks to some Dicks Sporting Goods points. At first I would just climb up and sit on a branch, but that got old pretty quickly.

 

[acabtp]

I'd definitely use a climber if I could afford one. This is my first hunting season.

Check craigslist! I can't imagine *not* having a climber. You can move around to a different side of the tree, go to whatever height you need, etc, it's great. I am on a budget and it is my first season too.

 

[dyeguy1212]

Good idea, but I'm too out of shape for that.. I get covered in sweat walking to my spot with just a back pack lol.


I bolt my ladder together so that if someone wants to steal it, they had better have a ratchet (or have a way to carry a 20 foot ladder out of the woods). Then I lock my stand in the up position. If someone wants to work for it, it's theirs. But that goes fro even the most elaborate thief-proof ideas.

 

[jbd6c6]

Here's a few pics of my stand and everything folded up and ready to go. The ladder is folded inside the stand to keep it out of the way. Stand is tied to my backpack frame. I'll try and get some more next time I go out this weekend. Just picked up a predator call from the local archery store. I've been hearing a lot of coyotes in my unsuccessful deer hunts and I'm getting a little restless. Hope it gets better with colder weather.

 

[wasilvers]

Jim - I'm afraid of heights too! Standing on a 2ft ladder makes me sweat. I bought a strap on stand, sat there for an hour before I could peel my hands off the tree to climb down. I gave it away. Then I bought a popup blind, whichworks great, but just ok for bowhunting.

3-5 years ago I found a climber at walmart for about $100 bucks. It was the BEST $100 I ever spent on hunting equipment. It has a hammock style seat which is turns out to be extremely comfortable. I can sit in it longer than any other chair combo I've used. For a guy who's afraid of heights like me, The climber fits around you when in the tree, so you are braced on all sides of your legs and sides. It takes me less and less time each year (3 minutes last year)to peel my hands off the sides and relax up there. But I see so many more deer with it. Last year I was able to pull my gun up at full speed 2x with deer at 30/40 yards and they never batted an eye.

I think it was this one, looks mostly like it... https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ameristep-Steel-Climbing-Tree-Stand/16224779

It fits me at 6'1" and 225lbs (before biggest loser) size 38-40 waist (add on a mininum of 3 layers of cloths for the 10-20 degree days).
It did not fit my hunting partner at 6' 290lbs and pretty barrel chested.

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

Goodluck this season hope you get at some

 

[lswoody]

Sounds like a pretty good public land set up. Where'd you find the rope lader????? Jim, I still hunt from stands and height doen't bother me but I've been hunting from ground blinds more and more the last few years with very good success. I really like to hunt pine thickets. If I can find an old pulpwood road, I like to make a ground blind out of fallen limbs and really like cedar limbs best for this. But seems the deer will move at all times of the deay in these thick areas, so you can hunt an early morning stand and around 11:00 or so I like to get down and go hunt one of my blinds in a pine thicket till 3:00 or so. You'd be surprised at the deer that you see during those times in those thickets. Good huntin, Scott Woody

 

[jbd6c6]

Iswoody, I got the rope ladder from Lowes for like $30. I was looking for a swing set rope ladder or something similar but they didn't have any. I settled for a heavier but stronger fire escape ladder. It stacks together for compact carrying and folds up inside my stand.

The past couple times I've used it have been difficult. Hard to find a good straight tree that has a thick branch to throw the rope for the ladder over. I've decided my next purchase will be a climbing stand.

Good idea hunting the stand early then switching to a ground blind. Keeps the slow days a little more exciting with at least a change of scenery. I'll give it a try next time.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Can't go wrong with a Summit Viper! It will last you a life time.

 

[acabtp]

Can't go wrong with a Summit Viper! It will last you a life time.

2nd, i really like mine

 

[baseball_guy_99]

I love my Viper too!!!