Can you top this one!

[WTNUT]

Sitting in the stand this evening I had some time to reflect. I have been bowhunting since 1980. My mentor hunted from trees in the old Baker tree stands, but was ahead of his time. He taught me to use a safety belt when no one used them. I have never been in a tree stand in 37 years without either a safety belt or safety harness on. I hope there are a lot of younger hunters out there that can say the same at some point. But, I bet there are not many who are 50 or older who can say they have never been in a tree stand without one one.


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[Buckly]

You're right. I started bow hunting in 1975 and never wore a safety harness or anything until about 10 years ago. I never had a seat for 20 years either and that was a real pain. A seat and a harness and now I'm pretty comfortable.

 

[WTNUT]

Remember how bad the Baker tree stands were. I think there was a 70 percent chance the platform would fall out from under you!. We converted our hand climbers to a seat climber before you could even buy a seat climber. A couple pieces of aluminum and a little plywood and we had a seat climber. I wish I had that darn thing, not to use anymore but to just show folks how crude it was.


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[Bowsnbucks]

Yep - I used the old Bakers with a safety belt that just went around your waist. It came with the Baker, but just imagine if you fell ....... you'd be hanging there, probably upside down, until the crows picked your eyes clean !!! When I think of the REMOTE places I used that Baker .......... It's a wonder my skeletal remains weren't found by a hiker the following year. No rescue team would have found me !!

 

[yoderjac]

Sitting in the stand this evening I had some time to reflect. I have been bowhunting since 1980. My mentor hunted from trees in the old Baker tree stands, but was ahead of his time. He taught me to use a safety belt when no one used them. I have never been in a tree stand in 37 years without either a safety belt or safety harness on. I hope there are a lot of younger hunters out there that can say the same at some point. But, I bet there are not many who are 50 or older who can say they have never been in a tree stand without one one.


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I remember the old Baker's. You certainly didn't want to use one on a smooth barked sycamore when wet! We now know it goes far beyond a safety strap. I took an IBEP class (and eventually became an instructor) when I was young. That is what started me using a safety strap. I didn't realize how much of a death trap it was. We had a young marine hunting on Quantico years ago who used a safety strap. Plenty of slack, of course, so he could maneuver for a shot. When he fell, it broke his back and then he suffocated.

We now have full body harnesses with a strap for relieving pressure and even descension systems. I've never fallen from a stand, but many of my friends have. Even with the safety systems we now have which allow connection from the time we take our first step, as I get older, I moving away from hang-on stands toward ladder stands and box blinds where I feel more comfortable.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I'm older, no more climbers for me either. Ladders are it. Once installed, no noise going in & out like a climber either.

 

[WTNUT]

I never did like climbers, but one of my close friends is 60 years old and I literally just got him to get away from a strap and use a harness 3 weeks ago.


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[Someday isle]

I started with those old Baker style climbers too. A friend had one and I bought a smaller knock off model. We too used the harness around the waist and thought we were safe. He had the bigger Baker model and I remember he sounded like a hardware store walking through the woods. Times have certainly changed for the better. I've still got my old loggy bayou too but I don't trust it anymore. The fear of that rope having dry rotted over the years scares me and the platform seems to have gotten a whole lot smaller. None of the new models seem to climb nearly as high as they used to either. They used to easily get 25 feet or higher. Seems now they only go to about 12. I have a summit climber that I'm sure I'll use at some point again this year. Now that I have my own property I've got three ladder stands up that I am really getting to like but I have had four deer use a trail near one ladder stand where I can't get a shot. There's a chance my climber will get put to use under the right conditions yet.