Let’s talk about tree stands

Unless you're talking about a different grigri, the one from Petzl, which is designed for belaying climbers is absolutely a fall rated device.

I think you should reread the technical specifications. It's an assisted DESCENDER, not a fall arrest device. Maybe what you were thinking of was this:


Don't end up like this guy:

 
To clarify my point, the harness I bought has a fixed whip, bungee and pull away stitching, with a strap cinch to go around the tree. I see your point @ThePreBanMan that if the mad rock is not rated for fall protection then a prusick would make more sense. In either case I simply want to replace the fixed length (short) tether and cinch strap for a proper climbing rope with enough length to be both a cinch and reach the ground. When using a climber or anything else, I can keep it rolled up and “short” as a fall protection tether. But being able to use that same tether as a self rescue/rappel rope is all I am saying. Basically a universal rule. “If something goes wrong, I should be able to safely avoid free fall and then reach the ground in controlled manner easily”
 
I think you should reread the technical specifications. It's an assisted DESCENDER, not a fall arrest device. Maybe what you were thinking of was this:


Don't end up like this guy:

I see your point.
 

He was re-setting a stand, without a harness. Something I might have done. In the past.

"“I wanted to try rolling as my feet hit, but it was already too late for that. I heard these really loud cracks as my right femur, right tibia and left femur broke, and I saw the outline of my right knee inside my pants push out of its joint. I tried to stand after I hit the ground, but I folded right up from the pain. The left femur was broken real bad. That leg now has lots of hardware in it.""
 
I think you should reread the technical specifications. It's an assisted DESCENDER, not a fall arrest device. Maybe what you were thinking of was this:


Don't end up like this guy:

I agree......and I think I had mentioned it, look at the previous video. When your at height with these devices, and have slack in the line they should be backed up with a prussic or a simple overhand knot. You can also put a friction hitch (there are many) on one of the sides of your harness as well........you really should have this when belaying down as well as a back up in case you freak out and do something wrong with the descender.

Nobody is going to quit hunting with Mad rocks.....they are the easiest device to use. Backing any of these things with a simple rope knot or friction is best though, even though a lot of the you tube saddle hero's do nothing of the sort. Especially the single stick crowd, how much they rely on that thing while ascending trees is disturbing. But if they took the right safety precautions they couldn't preach how single stickng is it and the fastest way up a tree.
 
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they'll never sell me on harnesses
a harness saved my life this year. I also use a lifeline which allows me to connect on the ground and be connected all the way up to the stand. When I stepped on the stand the platform gave away, I fell and my harness caught me. self rescue was easy as pulling around the tree to the sticks. Took the stand down. Went home got a new one out of the garage and was back hunting in an hour. No broken bones, no drama, no lost hunting season, still breathing.

Stupid is as stupid does.
 
a harness saved my life this year. I also use a lifeline which allows me to connect on the ground and be connected all the way up to the stand. When I stepped on the stand the platform gave away, I fell and my harness caught me. self rescue was easy as pulling around the tree to the sticks. Took the stand down. Went home got a new one out of the garage and was back hunting in an hour. No broken bones, no drama, no lost hunting season, still breathing.

Stupid is as stupid does.
Glad your OK Rob.

Hunters Safety Lifelines were on sale for like 50% off at Midway recently. Like 17 bucks each. Can't even buy the rope for that. I buy 3-4 every year on a post season sale, with a plan to have a lifeline for every setup eventually. There is no better way connected from ground to stand on a prussik hitched to a lifeline.
 
Bumping this thread up....I start looking for new gear this time of year. Its cheaper, and more available than before hunting season when shit sells out.

I'm a guy that likes to use a Saddle as a safety harness with a stand for absolute ease of setting stands, as in a saddle you can just hang hands free and set sticks, stand, whatever.......drop down to repel, adjust your position...etc........Also it provides absolute mobility in the stand for shooting, where i can hang off the edges anyway I want and feel safe, and still shoot, or use it like a saddle, or use it like a stand. The bridge in the front does get to be a PIA at times when sitting traditionally in a stand facing back to tree has been a pain point.

Finally someone came out with hybrid saddle/safety harness that fits my type of thing. XOP Mondo. I'll throw a good adjustable lightweight UMHPE bridge on it, and when I'm sitting regularly I can hook it up to the loop above my head. Plus it has shoulder straps so the thing wont keep falling down like a saggy diaper when walking is another huge plus.....and compared to other saddles its fxcking dirt cheap. Win Win for XOP with this thing. IMHO....... and coupon code for anything XOP is onyourown15 for and it will cost like 128 bucks shipped.

1685711121436.png
 
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Bumping this thread up....I start looking for new gear this time of year. Its cheaper, and more available than before hunting season when shit sells out.

I'm a guy that likes to use a Saddle as a safety harness with a stand for absolute ease of setting stands, as in a saddle you can just hang hands free and set sticks, stand, whatever.......drop down to repel, adjust your position...etc........Also it provides absolute mobility in the stand for shooting, where i can hang off the edges anyway I want and feel safe, and still shoot, or use it like a saddle, or use it like a stand. The bridge in the front does get to be a PIA at times when sitting traditionally in a stand facing back to tree has been a pain point.

Finally someone came out with hybrid saddle/safety harness that fits my type of thing. XOP Mondo. I'll throw a good adjustable lightweight UMHPE bridge on it, and when I'm sitting regularly I can hook it up to the loop above my head. Plus it has shoulder straps so the thing wont keep falling down like a saggy diaper when walking is another huge plus.....and compared to other saddles its fxcking dirt cheap. Win Win for XOP with this thing. IMHO....... and coupon code for anything XOP is onyourown15 for and it will cost like 128 bucks shipped.

View attachment 759060

Just ordered one. 15% off plus free shipping. Thanks...
 
I'm OP so I approve this thread hijack.... I just bought a bow and went to reedys to get it adjusted. Holy guacamole I had no idea how much arrows cost. A dozen 4mm FMJ's later and I am starting to see why people told me it's not exactly a "cheap" hobby.
 
I'm OP so I approve this thread hijack.... I just bought a bow and went to reedys to get it adjusted. Holy guacamole I had no idea how much arrows cost. A dozen 4mm FMJ's later and I am starting to see why people told me it's not exactly a "cheap" hobby.

Too funny... Shot the R100 this summer and lost 3 arrows... $68.00.... Then they had the "Steel Forest" shoot. I said, "Hell No!!!!"
 
I'm OP so I approve this thread hijack.... I just bought a bow and went to reedys to get it adjusted. Holy guacamole I had no idea how much arrows cost. A dozen 4mm FMJ's later and I am starting to see why people told me it's not exactly a "cheap" hobby.
Those are fairly high end arrows. Not really needed. I guess if you want the extra thinness and weight for hunting, but I'd not target shoot with them. Especially if your just starting out, and gonna lose a few arrows as you get better.

I shoot Easton 340 6.5 bowhunters for everything, they are straight and heavy enough for hunting. I buy them on Amazon I think for like 40 bucks a half dozen, uncut and cut them with an 80 tooth on my miter saw.

Though with a compound....they last a long time. 80 bucks a dozen and they last me years. Last time they had a sale on them I bought a dozen and haven't even opened the package. I probably will have those arrows 5 or more years.

Lot cheaper than boxes of ammo, and shotgun shells...... That's for sure. I burn a case a month at the skeet range and that's around 100 bucks. Way more expensive than reusable 6.5 arrows.
 
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Those are fairly high end arrows. Not really needed. I guess if you want the extra thinness and weight for hunting, but I'd not target shoot with them. Especially if your just starting out, and gonna lose a few arrows as you get better.

I shoot Easton 340 6.5 bowhunters for everything, they are straight and heavy enough for hunting. I buy them on Amazon I think for like 40 bucks a half dozen, uncut and cut them with an 80 tooth on my miter saw.

Though with a compound....they last a long time. 80 bucks a dozen and they last me years. Last time they had a sale on them I bought a dozen and haven't even opened the package. I probably will have those arrows 5 or more years.

Lot cheaper than boxes of ammo, and shotgun shells...... That's for sure. I burn a case a month at the skeet range and that's around 100 bucks. Way more expensive than reusable 6.5 arrows.

Yeah I feel for the "just go to reedy's and listen to them" advice everyone had been giving me. I mean, yes, I got some good gear. But after doing some research I can tell these are definitely more than I need for target practice. I am fortunate that I have a great indoor range at my club where I can safely shoot and tune the FMJ's but for outdoor shooting I definitely plan to work up my own arrow. I picked up a mini miter saw from harbor freight and plan to get into building arrows. Kinda nerding out now, the whole bow tuning and setup, arrow dynamics, pretty interesting and seems alot easier to break into than reloading. I picked up a Synunm Portable Bow Press and will be making my own draw board with a worm gear trailer winch.

Too funny... Shot the R100 this summer and lost 3 arrows... $68.00.... Then they had the "Steel Forest" shoot. I said, "Hell No!!!!"

Lol I feel that
 
Glad your OK Rob.

Hunters Safety Lifelines were on sale for like 50% off at Midway recently. Like 17 bucks each. Can't even buy the rope for that. I buy 3-4 every year on a post season sale, with a plan to have a lifeline for every setup eventually. There is no better way connected from ground to stand on a prussik hitched to a lifeline.
I use them on all my stands
 
I'm OP so I approve this thread hijack.... I just bought a bow and went to reedys to get it adjusted. Holy guacamole I had no idea how much arrows cost. A dozen 4mm FMJ's later and I am starting to see why people told me it's not exactly a "cheap" hobby.
If your looking for an economical arrow that shoots great look at the Victory VForces I get them for about 120 bucks for a dozen cut to size with points ready to shoot from my local archery shop, arrowspeed archery
 
Yeah I feel for the "just go to reedy's and listen to them" advice everyone had been giving me. I mean, yes, I got some good gear. But after doing some research I can tell these are definitely more than I need for target practice. I am fortunate that I have a great indoor range at my club where I can safely shoot and tune the FMJ's but for outdoor shooting I definitely plan to work up my own arrow. I picked up a mini miter saw from harbor freight and plan to get into building arrows. Kinda nerding out now, the whole bow tuning and setup, arrow dynamics, pretty interesting and seems alot easier to break into than reloading. I picked up a Synunm Portable Bow Press and will be making my own draw board with a worm gear trailer winch.



Lol I feel that
Its a learning curve. You learn what you can live with and live without after years of experience. Just like everything else.

Really with today's tunable bows and quality string materials......stuff it pretty easy now, set it and forget it for the most part once you get your setup how you like. But there will always be the guys that like to tweak. Im out of that phase of the sport. Mostly just hunt with the bow now....don't do a lot of 3D.

I get the thing papertuned and shooting good out to 35 yards with reasonably priced arrows and fixed blade broadheads and I'm more than good to go. I set my one pin locked in at 25 yards and get used to shooting from 10 to 35 that way so I never have to move anything. 10 hold a little low, 35 hold a little high. Good to go no thinking. Should I need to take a bomb, I can move the pin and have settings, but that never happens....rarely can I see beyond 35, and I generally would never let one fly much beyond 40 in the new england deer woods.
 
If your looking for an economical arrow that shoots great look at the Victory VForces I get them for about 120 bucks for a dozen cut to size with points ready to shoot from my local archery shop, arrowspeed archery

I'll check those out as well. One dilemma I have is what to do about switching between 4mm and larger arrows. Pretty sure that would jack up the rest height/nock position by a couple mm?

Its a learning curve. You learn what you can live with and live without after years of experience. Just like everything else.

Really with today's tunable bows and quality string materials......stuff it pretty easy now, set it and forget it for the most part once you get your setup how you like. But there will always be the guys that like to tweak. Im out of that phase of the sport. Mostly just hunt with the bow now....don't do a lot of 3D.

I get the thing papertuned and shooting good out to 35 yards with reasonably priced arrows and fixed blade broadheads and I'm more than good to go. I set my one pin locked in at 25 yards and get used to shooting from 10 to 35 that way so I never have to move anything. 10 hold a little low, 35 hold a little high. Good to go no thinking. Should I need to take a bomb, I can move the pin and have settings, but that never happens....rarely can I see beyond 35, and I generally would never let one fly much beyond 40 in the new england deer woods.

My vision isn't great so I'm on the same page that I doubt id be comfortable taking a shot past 30 yards or so. Can't hit what you can't see. It's not THAT bad but it's fairly blury.

Right now I am just working on figure out my draw weight. I have a cheap amazon bow and a PSE Evo NXT 33. The PSE came at a little north of 70lbs, I think it's turned down to about 68 right now, but I can only smoothly pull it a handful of times before I can feel my back and shoulder doing all sorts of weird stuff. I can either just turn it down, and tune it turned down, only shooting and practicing with it, or I can use both bows. The PSE left at hunting weight and tuned, shooting it only a few shots per day till my strength and form improves, while shooting lots of reps with the cheaper bow set (and tuned) at a lower weight. That's sort of what I'm leaning towards, because then I can leave the PSE setup and tuned for 4mm arrows, and I can shoot cheaper arrows on the cheaper bow at a lower weight. Only issue is I'd be getting much fewer reps in with the actual bow I plan to hunt with, at least until my strength improves.
 
My bad I missed the 4 mm part.

Turn the PSE down, tune it and shoot that for practice and hunting. One, it is the better quality bow. Two it is better to be totally comfortable hunting with a bow you shoot all the time. If it has 70 lb limbs you should be able to turn it down to at least 60. Bring it to a quality bow shop and have them turn it down for you and make sure everything still lines up for you. Then you are good to go.

Until you get really familiar with shooting and proficient, shooting two different bows is probably a recipe for confusion.

I have two bows. My main bow and a backup bow (my old bow) A 2020 Hoyt RX-1 60 to 70 lb limbs and a 2003 Hoyt Vortech 70 to 80 lb limbs Both are set up almost identically. Both at 70 ish lbs, both at 29.5 inch draw, both shooting the same arrow. That way if something goes wrong with my main bow I can easily transition to my backup and not have to change anything else.
 
My bad I missed the 4 mm part.

Turn the PSE down, tune it and shoot that for practice and hunting. One, it is the better quality bow. Two it is better to be totally comfortable hunting with a bow you shoot all the time. If it has 70 lb limbs you should be able to turn it down to at least 60. Bring it to a quality bow shop and have them turn it down for you and make sure everything still lines up for you. Then you are good to go.

Until you get really familiar with shooting and proficient, shooting two different bows is probably a recipe for confusion.

I have two bows. My main bow and a backup bow (my old bow) A 2020 Hoyt RX-1 60 to 70 lb limbs and a 2003 Hoyt Vortech 70 to 80 lb limbs Both are set up almost identically. Both at 70 ish lbs, both at 29.5 inch draw, both shooting the same arrow. That way if something goes wrong with my main bow I can easily transition to my backup and not have to change anything else.
4mm would require a rest adjustment most likely.

This.......Ideally a bow is most efficient at its peak weight. Which is why I buy 60# bows and only shoot them at max poundage. But its fine to turn a bow down. If your hunting you should be able to draw it, in a treestand sitting, pull it straight back from rest, without any strange gyrations or pointing the thing to the sky or something stupid that would let the deer see your movement.

I have the same. 2021 Mathews and a 22 Bowtech, both at 60#. Mainly my backup bow is for my son, but its set to my draw, but easily adjusted to his on the fly. So I choose a Bowtech for that as they don't have modules. We both shoot the same arrows. I shoot arrows a bit longer and heavier for additional hunting weight, and tune my bows to them. I don't want to be messing around with 2 sets of arrows, I got enough shit as it is.

60# from a compound with a sharp broadhead will shoot thru a deer's lungs, heart, liver, and break the spine all day long. Ive done all three. I prefer cut on contact heads as not to rob any additional energy out of the arrow. 70# to me is overkill, but if your shooting an open on impact head, its a good idea.
 
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I'm OP so I approve this thread hijack.... I just bought a bow and went to reedys to get it adjusted. Holy guacamole I had no idea how much arrows cost. A dozen 4mm FMJ's later and I am starting to see why people told me it's not exactly a "cheap" hobby.

Also try Trader Jans in Fall River and X Spot on Rt1.
 
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