turkeykirk
Senior Member
Back when I first started deer hunting in the early 70's, most people who hunted from trees usually just climbed them and sat on a limb (very uncomfortable !!) or hauled a ton of lumber to the woods and built their stand before the season (way more comfortable, but not very mobile). When the Baker climbing stand came on the market, I just knew I would be in deer hunting heaven if I had one. So I went out and got me one of the oversize models. Little did I know that I would be in deer hunting h-ll when I started using it! The stand was well built and fit the need for a portable stand. But it caused a lot of choice words in the deer woods which probably didn't help my deer hunting any.
First thing I notice when using it was where to set the bracket on the stand where it would be level when I climbed to the height in the tree I was hunting out of. I learned real fast that a tree is a hard thing to judge the diameter of when you are 20 feet below on the ground. Take my word for it, there is nothing fun about spending time in a tree stand constantly sliding forward. If the stand leaned back too much you had to worry about it sliding down the tree.
Secondly, you had to either stand up or sit down on the platform.When standing you had to worry about about falling out since this was in the days before safety harnesses. If you chose to sit down (which I did, except in bow season), your legs would eventually get numb from sitting on the platform with them dangling in the air unsupported. Finally half way fixed the leg numbness by putting some foot straps for my feet to rest on.
Third, you had to make sure your feet were hooked securely in the climbing straps so the stand wouldn't slide off your feet and down the tree, leaving you hanging like a squirrel on the tree with your stand 20 feet down on the ground! I walked up on a buddy of mine one day hanging in a tree with his stand on the ground below him. Got a good laugh out of it though he didn't think it was too funny!
Fourth, I didn't have the hand climber (too cheap even then to buy one) so I had to use the bear hug method of tree climbing. Talking about fun! There is nothing like climbing up a tree 25-30 feet by hugging the tree, pull yourself up, stand up straight and hug the tree, pull yourself up and hug the tree, doing this over and over until you get to the level you want to hunt at. This process looks kind-of-like an inch worm climbing a stick. Also, I found out quick you didn't want to hug climb the tree in a tee shirt. You always skinned your arms up and filled your shirt up with ants and bark. I learned to wear a heavy long sleeve shirt or jacket when climbing no matter how hot it was!
It's been over 40 years since I hunted with that type of stand and wouldn't even think of using one today. Back then, I was young and having fun deer hunting. Anyone else have any similar experiences?
First thing I notice when using it was where to set the bracket on the stand where it would be level when I climbed to the height in the tree I was hunting out of. I learned real fast that a tree is a hard thing to judge the diameter of when you are 20 feet below on the ground. Take my word for it, there is nothing fun about spending time in a tree stand constantly sliding forward. If the stand leaned back too much you had to worry about it sliding down the tree.
Secondly, you had to either stand up or sit down on the platform.When standing you had to worry about about falling out since this was in the days before safety harnesses. If you chose to sit down (which I did, except in bow season), your legs would eventually get numb from sitting on the platform with them dangling in the air unsupported. Finally half way fixed the leg numbness by putting some foot straps for my feet to rest on.
Third, you had to make sure your feet were hooked securely in the climbing straps so the stand wouldn't slide off your feet and down the tree, leaving you hanging like a squirrel on the tree with your stand 20 feet down on the ground! I walked up on a buddy of mine one day hanging in a tree with his stand on the ground below him. Got a good laugh out of it though he didn't think it was too funny!
Fourth, I didn't have the hand climber (too cheap even then to buy one) so I had to use the bear hug method of tree climbing. Talking about fun! There is nothing like climbing up a tree 25-30 feet by hugging the tree, pull yourself up, stand up straight and hug the tree, pull yourself up and hug the tree, doing this over and over until you get to the level you want to hunt at. This process looks kind-of-like an inch worm climbing a stick. Also, I found out quick you didn't want to hug climb the tree in a tee shirt. You always skinned your arms up and filled your shirt up with ants and bark. I learned to wear a heavy long sleeve shirt or jacket when climbing no matter how hot it was!
It's been over 40 years since I hunted with that type of stand and wouldn't even think of using one today. Back then, I was young and having fun deer hunting. Anyone else have any similar experiences?