I was sitting in a treestand one day this past November and, as I looked over my various hunting gear, I thought about how my hunting arsenal has evolved over the years. Let this be a thread about "must-haves," tips and tricks, and generally, things that make you a better, more efficient deer hunters.
Now that I've hunted the better part of a season, I feel that I have my own particular system really dialed in where I want it. *Disclaimer* This is not an advertisement post... I've just tried a ton of things over the years and I'm somewhat of a gear snob, so I've learned what I like and don't like, what works and what works better. I'm sure we all have things we can contribute to this thread.
This setup here is my typical bowhunting arsenal. The stand will either be this Lone Wolf SitnClimb, or an Alpha hang-on and sticks. I am a Millennium stand fanboy too... You can't hardly beat their comfort... But over the years I've started sitting less, and standing more, and that's where the Lone Wolf stands come in. I'm not saying they're uncomfortable, because they're not. I'm just saying I don't need to rely on them to keep my ass cheeks happy for 8 hours because I don't sit down much. These stands are lighter, WAY more quiet, and WAY easier to hang onto the tree in my opinion. Specifically the Alpha... I don't know why I waited so long to get one... It's an awesome hang and hunt setup.
Here's just a quick shot of the Sit n Climb. Notice that I fold the sit bar up and push the seat out of the way. Lock it down with the included cinch straps and it's absolutely rock solid, and dead quiet.
For my pull rope, I have 30 feet of standard 550 Paracord, with a carabinier on one end and a small Nite Ize Geartie on the other. The carabinier is wrapped in heat shrink tubing to help reduce potential noise. The carabinier is clipped onto my harness when climbing or when traveling, and the Geartie is awesome because it's quiet, it can't scratch anything, and it wraps around whatever you want to pull.
For wrapping up the cord, I use the "figure 8" method that was introduced to me by our very own @Fluteman Greg. If you've never watched his instructional video, do so now. Thank me (err him) later.
For my bow/gun hanger, this year I picked up this telescopic hanger made by Hawk. I was skeptical at first and only bought this one because it's all that was available on the shelf that day, but damn am I glad I did. This thing is made of aluminum so it is very light. The weight and bulk of other hangers I've used always irritated me to no end. This one also has a very aggressive thread on the screw, so getting it to bite the tree is a breeze. The hook itself has a rubberized coating which again reduces noise and also "grips" whatever you have hanging from it. All very good qualities in a portable hanger.
For my lineman's rope I use the standard rope that came with my harness from Muddy Outdoors. From the factory it comes with a loop tied in one end, and threaded quick link on the other. Well their quick link is steel, so it's heavy, and the threading is a pain in the ass with gloves or cold fingers. So I upgraded and bought a 2-pack of aluminum climber rated carabiniers from Hunter Safety System. These things are flat out awesome. They're very light and very quick to attach to and from my safety harness. I use the same rope to attach to the tree so it's also handy in that regard. Quick Tip... Put a twist into the attachment loop when you hook up. The tension created then keeps the carabiniers separated so they don't clank together as you move.
Finally, my pack. I don't always carry in a hunting pack. I just don't like carrying things into the woods that I don't need. Most packs go against that mentality since they inherently promote carrying unnecessary shit into the woods. My exception is during the rut when I'm pulling all-day sits. I don't pack a lot of stuff... Mostly just bare necessities and some snacks. A couple years ago I think it was @Jackalope who posted about a deal on a specific Gameplan Gear pack that was on sale. I think it's called the Full Rut pack if I'm not mistaken. I bought one and I love this middle of the road pack. It's big enough, but not too big, and has some nice features. It's very well made and the zippers are very quiet. Noticing a trend here yet? I like stuff that's QUIET! The accessory cinch straps on the back of the pack are incredibly well designed and make it great for packing in extra layers.
And probably my favorite feature is the one side pocket is not only insulated, but is also the perfect size for a Yeti 16oz Rambler or comparable thermos. Anyone who hunts all day, in the cold, up in a tree, knows how rejuvenating a hot sip of coffee can be. This is one thing I don't usually go hunting without.
That's what I have for now. Now share what serves you well in the whitetail woods. I'm sure we can all take something away from this.
Now that I've hunted the better part of a season, I feel that I have my own particular system really dialed in where I want it. *Disclaimer* This is not an advertisement post... I've just tried a ton of things over the years and I'm somewhat of a gear snob, so I've learned what I like and don't like, what works and what works better. I'm sure we all have things we can contribute to this thread.
This setup here is my typical bowhunting arsenal. The stand will either be this Lone Wolf SitnClimb, or an Alpha hang-on and sticks. I am a Millennium stand fanboy too... You can't hardly beat their comfort... But over the years I've started sitting less, and standing more, and that's where the Lone Wolf stands come in. I'm not saying they're uncomfortable, because they're not. I'm just saying I don't need to rely on them to keep my ass cheeks happy for 8 hours because I don't sit down much. These stands are lighter, WAY more quiet, and WAY easier to hang onto the tree in my opinion. Specifically the Alpha... I don't know why I waited so long to get one... It's an awesome hang and hunt setup.
Here's just a quick shot of the Sit n Climb. Notice that I fold the sit bar up and push the seat out of the way. Lock it down with the included cinch straps and it's absolutely rock solid, and dead quiet.
For my pull rope, I have 30 feet of standard 550 Paracord, with a carabinier on one end and a small Nite Ize Geartie on the other. The carabinier is wrapped in heat shrink tubing to help reduce potential noise. The carabinier is clipped onto my harness when climbing or when traveling, and the Geartie is awesome because it's quiet, it can't scratch anything, and it wraps around whatever you want to pull.
For wrapping up the cord, I use the "figure 8" method that was introduced to me by our very own @Fluteman Greg. If you've never watched his instructional video, do so now. Thank me (err him) later.
For my bow/gun hanger, this year I picked up this telescopic hanger made by Hawk. I was skeptical at first and only bought this one because it's all that was available on the shelf that day, but damn am I glad I did. This thing is made of aluminum so it is very light. The weight and bulk of other hangers I've used always irritated me to no end. This one also has a very aggressive thread on the screw, so getting it to bite the tree is a breeze. The hook itself has a rubberized coating which again reduces noise and also "grips" whatever you have hanging from it. All very good qualities in a portable hanger.
For my lineman's rope I use the standard rope that came with my harness from Muddy Outdoors. From the factory it comes with a loop tied in one end, and threaded quick link on the other. Well their quick link is steel, so it's heavy, and the threading is a pain in the ass with gloves or cold fingers. So I upgraded and bought a 2-pack of aluminum climber rated carabiniers from Hunter Safety System. These things are flat out awesome. They're very light and very quick to attach to and from my safety harness. I use the same rope to attach to the tree so it's also handy in that regard. Quick Tip... Put a twist into the attachment loop when you hook up. The tension created then keeps the carabiniers separated so they don't clank together as you move.
Finally, my pack. I don't always carry in a hunting pack. I just don't like carrying things into the woods that I don't need. Most packs go against that mentality since they inherently promote carrying unnecessary shit into the woods. My exception is during the rut when I'm pulling all-day sits. I don't pack a lot of stuff... Mostly just bare necessities and some snacks. A couple years ago I think it was @Jackalope who posted about a deal on a specific Gameplan Gear pack that was on sale. I think it's called the Full Rut pack if I'm not mistaken. I bought one and I love this middle of the road pack. It's big enough, but not too big, and has some nice features. It's very well made and the zippers are very quiet. Noticing a trend here yet? I like stuff that's QUIET! The accessory cinch straps on the back of the pack are incredibly well designed and make it great for packing in extra layers.
And probably my favorite feature is the one side pocket is not only insulated, but is also the perfect size for a Yeti 16oz Rambler or comparable thermos. Anyone who hunts all day, in the cold, up in a tree, knows how rejuvenating a hot sip of coffee can be. This is one thing I don't usually go hunting without.
That's what I have for now. Now share what serves you well in the whitetail woods. I'm sure we can all take something away from this.
