Climb Paws

[JakeJD]

Anybody used Climb Paws?

http://www.climbpaws.com

[bbvideo=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC_blzkwqBs[/bbvideo]

I mainly bow hunt public land with my Tree Saddle. I have around 10 spots set-up with screw-ins on good rut sign every year, but I am pretty unsuccessful in the early season. I want to locate some buck beds this winter and try to hunt them next year before November. Hopefully I will be more successful early season and save my good ruts spots for later in the year.

I tried to use sticks as a portable, lightweigth, mobile option, but most of the trees on the public land have too many branches / crotches or are too crooked for sticks. A lot of crooked elms and crotched cottonwoods where I hunt.

Pros:
-Lightweight - about half the weight of comparable sticks.
-Versatile - can handle branches and crotches better than sticks.
-Quiet - only metal in on the buckle.
-Can hunt higher with 10 steps - around 25 ft.

Cons:
-Bulky - no way around the bulkiness.
-May take more time to set-up than sticks. But if I pack my bow and gear up while I set the steps, the paws may actually be quicker.
-Possibly more PITA factor than sticks.

What do you guys think?

Thanks, Jake

[Beason]

Since you have the tree saddle, I believe the climb paws are a great choice. In a situation such as yours, I would choose the climb paws over the LW sticks given the pros and cons I see in the products. I bought a tree saddle a couple months back but didn't want to invest in these as I already have a LW rig so I sold the saddle. Great mobile hunting set-up you've got, especially if you're comfortable hunting out of a saddle.

[Stanley]

The sticks are safer to climb with as you can get more grip on the steps and stick base. Us old farts need all the help we can get.

[KLEMZ]

I have ten years experience using lone wolf climbing sticks. For the last two years i have used only climb paws.The main advantage the paws have is lightness. 5lbs of paws will get you as high as 10lbs of sticks. I love the paws but there are a couple situations where the sticks are better.
Big trees-- it is easier to set up sticks in a large diameter tree because you can toss the buckle around the tree and catch it without having to reach around the tree. The paws require me to reach around with both arms, which seems unsafe. Also I find it easier to maintain 3 point contact while climbing with sticks on a large tree because you can grab both the steps and the stick.
Leaning trees-- sometimes you need to climb a tree that is SLIGHTLY leaning back. This is safer with sticks because of the three point contact again.
Multi-trunked trees with a common base--sticks are better here because you can use a strap extension to attach to the big base and get you up to the split. The paws would not work on this tree if the base is too big.

Basically,for maximum versatility use the lone wolf sticks. For maximum portability the paws are great.

[Black Squirrel]

I know INhunter uses them and likes them. I hunt out of a saddle as well, and have only 4 climb paws for a platform for my feet. I don't really care for them. They seem to work there way down the tree with continued pressure from my legs. May be I'm not doing something right, but I prefer to use screw in steps for the base. On public I don't have any any other choice so I use them, but don't prefer them. I use LW sticks to climb a tree. I can see how they would be lighter and quieter to get into the woods.

[Milk Weed Seed]

I prefer stands over saddles for my big fat honey bear but... I know he was going for speed but seemed like a bit move movement, maybe because LW sticks have three rows of steps vs reaching around the tree for each step. Scent free material sounds like snake oil to me.

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