getting over heights in a tree stand!

lon0121

lon0121

New member
i recently put up a 15 foot high ladder treestand and its set up great, i get up and just freeze because im scared of heights, but i want to hunt bow outta this stand!

any suggestions on how to get over heights. ha

lonnie
 
1) It's mostly a case of mind over matter.....2) You have to have confidence in your ladder/platform......3) Spend some time at lower heights and increase them a little at a time until you are comfortable...

I had a problem when I was a rookie street cop in Kansas City many years ago and chased a dept store burglar up a fire escape to the roof, seven stories above the pavement... Caught and cuffed him and then couldn't bring myself to climb back down...They had to call out the fire department with a bucket to get us both down and he was laughing his fanny off the whole time...
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if im scared crapless at 15 feet, i doubt that 20 to 25 would help me lol, im used to calling turkey and coyote ground level, hunting deer in a ground blind with a rifle. I figure if i start bow hunting that i might as well do it right with some stands! plus i can get away with a little more movement and hide my scent better! you can definatly count on me wearing it!
 
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Im telling you man you need to get a nice safty harness. Your family will be thankful and so will you if anything ever happens. Check out some HSS vest.
 
i ordered the ladder tree stand from the sportsmans guide, it comes wiith a full body type safety harness. man im telling you, that stand is sturdy! my wifes uncle was jumping up and down on it and trying to wobble it. i got up there and had to be hanging onto the railing! lol ill definatly wear the harness!
 
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Originally Posted By: Zack BeamIm telling you man you need to get a nice safty harness. Your family will be thankful and so will you if anything ever happens. Check out some HSS vest.


Some GREAT wisdom Zack !
 
I personally know two folks who still suffer today from a serious falls and another who was still in high school when he lost his life from falling out of a tree stand. The boy who died was wearing one of the belt straps and when he fell it slid up to his chest and he suffocated because he could not climb back into the stand. Buy a good harness and use it!!!!! I cringe thinking back on the chances I took back in the day before they made the nice/safe harness's on the market today.
I have the HSS and the Loggy Bayou harness system's and both are quiet and safe and VERY CHEAP insurance IMO. I don't hunt from trees as much as I used to because I spend most of my time in the brush country but I you do not have to get too high to be successful. If you pick trees with good cover 10ft is high enough and I have killed a 1/2 dozen or so deer with my stand 6 to 8 feet off the ground. With that being said I have hunted some terrain where 25ft was the minimum.
 
my stand was 15 foot up, when you actually stand up on it your at least 20 feet up, i lowered the stand to 12 feet today and when i stand im 15 feet up. i feel more confident that way!
 
I dont like heights either but 15 would be nothing for me. You just gotta get used to it and like the others said, get a safety harness and use it CONSTANTLY!

Even when you get accustomed to the height have that harness on!

I knew a guy that got killed falling from 10 feet.

It dont take much if ya land wrong.

Be safe and think of your family and not just yer comfort on stand.
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If that ladder stand scares you, don't venture into hang-on stands, they'll really give you the chills. I reserve my ladder stands for mornings when it's either real cold or I'm not real motivated about climbing up in the dark. They're nice to climb into compared to some of my others. I shot my first buck at about 10 yards from an old ladder stand that only had a top platform and no footrest. Was about 8 feet off the ground, but I stood up on the platform to take the shot. If you have a place to set a ladder stand up at home and can get another stand, set it up and practice with the safety harness to feel more comfortable. You can also practice shooting sitting down more if it makes you more comfortable. Make sure the stand is very tight to the tree, using additional ratchet straps if necessary and tighten the straps periodically throughout the season. Nothing will make you more jumpy than a wobbly stand. Good luck, it's amazing what a better view and different perspective you get by being a few feet(or 20+) in the air.
 
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