Fear of Heights

[Country]

I had a similar situation a couple seasons ago. After becoming completely mobile back in 2013, I always hunted out of a Lone Wolf Alpha. There was one hunt, probably in 2015-16 where I hunted out of a lone wolf climber. It was a high setup on the side of a ridge. I felt pretty nervous knowing the stand wasn't fully strapped to the tree for some reason. Last year, I started hunting out of a saddle for most of my hunts and that feeling is almost 100% gone. I think I really like the securing of having the tree directly in front of me along with being tethered in 100% of the time. Good luck! The safest way to hunt is on the ground. We all assume some risk even when we venture out into the woods. Do what is comfortable to you. Good luck

[cspot]

Ok. Thought I would update here since I just got my Mantis saddle setup. THe pics below are a couple of minutes after getting up in the tree. Big difference in my feeling compared to the hang-on stand. I am not ready to lean way back and do a drop shot yet, but I can tell with a little bit of hang time I will be good. Not sure why but I feel alot better in the saddle than the hang on. Probably because the bridge/saddle comes up around me instead of how you sit in a hang-on. Stupid but just the way my mind works. Felt a little bit like the saddle was riding up on me so I may try hooking the leg straps to the other loop the next time. I don't care for the Prussik knots and I think the Ropemans will be alot better once they come in. They are still on there way in the mail.

Maiden Voyage for the beast sticks for me as well. Wow do those things stick to the tree. The double steps also makes me feel alot more comfortable when going up and down than the singles of the LW sticks that I had before. Alot easier on the legs as well. I need to space out a bit more than I did tonight, but I was in a hurry to get up in the tree before dark.

Anyway I think I found my setup to pretty much replace my climber. Everything fits nicely on by X2 pack as well.


Untitled by cspot12, on Flickr

Untitled by cspot12, on Flickr

[Rich M]

Maybe a different seat will help? The M100U has a seat you actually lean back in and I find I like it a lot better than the little but pads on the other stands.

I also prefer ladder and climber stands over the lock-ons. Stepping off the sticks and around/over that stupid cable support isn't my favorite.

[raisins]

Might not be a popular subject, but something has happened that I didn't really expect.

Without boring you with my whole life details, in my younger days I used to hunt out of hang-ons without really any issue. Heights weren't my favorite things in the World, but it didn't really bother me. With my work schedule for a few years I didn't bowhunt and then when I was able to my kids were hunting so instead of using hang-ons, I was using double ladderstands everywhere. Long story short it has been probably 15 years since I used a hang-on. This year I bought a LW Alpha and some sticks to use to get more mobile. I have tried using them a few times for practice but the height issue is bothering me and I can't get above 10' or so and even then I am not comfortable. I also have a climber and that doesn't really bother me and I can go up to about 20' with no issue.

Not sure why it has changed so much for me over the time. I know that getting on a roof bothers me a lot more. Maybe getting older I know that I am not as invincible as I once thought that I was. I use a linesman belt when going up and am tied off the whole time, so I know that I really can't fall. I think the difference is with a climber is I sit down in and have a bar in front of me. Sounds stupid, but I can stand up in it which would easily let me fall over the bar. I know it is mental but I don't know if I can get pass it. May just have to use my climber and then hunt from the ground if there isn't a suitable tree for it.

Anyone have more issues with heights as they get older? Actually thinking of putting the stand and sticks up for sale soon. May give it a few more tries.

I"m usually pretty good, but sometimes I look down and realize what I'm doing is kind of crazy and I get a weird vertigo/fear feeling for a second (kind of a dizzy feeling combined with the feeling where you are at a cliff and afraid someone will push you). I just sit down and chill and I'm fine then. It probably doesn't help that I'm going to smaller and smaller stands to be lighter.

Here's my suggestion: of course go slow and cautious and analyze all your moves, but importantly use your tether on the way up also. A tether with a lineman's belt in tandem is much safer. If your equipment is in good condition (inspect it to give yourself confidence) and you always have a lineman's and tether on while climbing and you focus on that "I"m overly safe and overly cautious" feeling then I think your negative feelings will subside in time. Also, commit to never taking dumb risks. I never unhook from my tether in a tree. I even carry a second sling to use when putting on bibs and pulling the tether through the zipper, so I'm never unhooked even for a second.

I think it is perfectly natural to have some controlled apprehension while climbing in a tree because heights can be dangerous. So, maybe embrace that as your instincts trying to keep you safe and then focus on your careful procedure and good equipment. (as an aside, I'm always super aware around guns and it is almost a mild apprehension, and I think that is good and keeps me safe)

PS. Be sure to eat and drink enough while hunting. I had a scare 3 years ago where I forgot food and water and sat all day. I started getting a weird feeling on stand. As soon as I got to the ground after the hunt, the earth spun and I fell down. That scared me for a few hunts and why a dizzy feeling on stand or the wind blowing hard bothers me. Also, be sure to bring thin gloves that you can work with. I've had times where I had to take off gloves to climb or tear down and the metal made my hands so cold that it was dangerous (no dexterity while in a tree).

[berk51]

I've had a bit of an opposite experience. Was terrified of heights when I started deer hunting 20 years ago, but have gotten much more comfortable over time. Having just learned about Beast-style hunting, I picked up a Lone Wolf stand and sticks two seasons ago, and every time up a tree it gets easier and less scary. I'm a decent sized guy, 6'1, 210ish with a broad build, and I'm fully comfortable quite a ways up a tree on the Assault platform. That said, I have experienced some vertigo a time or two when I've set up off-kilter and didn't realize it til I stepped into the stand. That sucks.

[DaveT1963]

My daughter is having that right now. I put her in an 8 foot lock on and when I came back 4 hours later she told me she couldn't move - had sat there for 4 hours afraid to even get the phone out of her pocket. I felt terrible and we have hunted on the ground since then. I myself do better when i climb a tree in dark - I am good to 20 foot but anything above that i don't care for. I am going to try to get her in one of those new JX3 hybrid seat saddles and see if that works for her. I felt absolutely terrible seeing the look on her face when i got her down that evening...… ughhhh

[greenhorndave]

I dislike the step around the tree to get onto the lock-on platform. My least favorite thing about being in a tree.

I’m seriously considering going to a saddle for that reason among others. I’m using a climbing harness now and it’s a pretty small leap from that to go full saddle.

Thanks for sharing your recent experience Cspot.

[cspot]

My daughter is having that right now. I put her in an 8 foot lock on and when I came back 4 hours later she told me she couldn't move - had sat there for 4 hours afraid to even get the phone out of her pocket. I felt terrible and we have hunted on the ground since then. I myself do better when i climb a tree in dark - I am good to 20 foot but anything above that i don't care for. I am going to try to get her in one of those new JX3 hybrid seat saddles and see if that works for her. I felt absolutely terrible seeing the look on her face when i got her down that evening...… ughhhh

Everyone is different but for me the saddle is a big improvement over the hang on. if I have something in front of me like a railing or tree it gives me a lot more comfort. Even in a hang on if I had another tree or limb that came up past the platform it wouldn’t be as bad. I would think the jx3 would even be better than a typical saddle as far as comfort level with heights. I had considered them as well.

I get better the longer I am in the tree. With a climber if I am sitting all day during the rut I will sometimes go higher mid day.

The beast sticks with the double steps made me feel a lot more secure going up and down to. I was surprised how much nicer that was over single steps.

[Drenalin]

This might be slightly off-topic...

When I went off to boot camp at PI, I was deathly afraid of heights. The rappelling tower was my worst nightmare, until we did the confidence course. My first time off the rappelling tower, I managed to go rear-end over teakettle and free fell most of the way down before catching myself and doing the rest of the descent correctly. My drill instructor thought I was showing off and had me do it again. Then we get to swim qual, and I couldn't swim. Sure enough, my first event is off the high dive (or whatever they call it...it's about 15 feet). Anyway, what I learned was that I could force myself to do it and overcome those fears. For a long time, they pretty much went away.

Now, as I'm getting older, they seem to be coming back. I'm not as steady on a roof or a stand platform. I can still make myself do it, but I'm shaky. I found that rails don't seem to help my sense of security. So for now, I'm just dealing with it. As the season progresses, I get more and more comfortable, then I start the process over the next year.

Sounds like you've found something that will work for you, and I'm seriously considering a saddle for a lot of reasons now myself. But if/when I get to the point that my comfort level doesn't return as I use my equipment, I'll pack it up and hunt from the ground. I guess all that to say, if a person can find something that works for them or condition themselves to ignoring their fears, then great. But if not, just face your reality, get down and hunt how you're comfortable. Fear will only increase the likelihood of mistakes, in my opinion. Didn't mean to sermonize, and that's not all for you OP, just my two cents.

[raisins]

I dislike the step around the tree to get onto the lock-on platform. My least favorite thing about being in a tree.

I’m seriously considering going to a saddle for that reason among others. I’m using a climbing harness now and it’s a pretty small leap from that to go full saddle.

Thanks for sharing your recent experience Cspot.

I hope you are tethered when you step onto the stand.

I made a little spliced amsteel loop the other night that I'm going to use as a second strap at the bottom of my LocOn Limit (ala' Lone Wolf with the two versabuttons) so that it can't kick out as easily. Would something like that help?

[greenhorndave]

I dislike the step around the tree to get onto the lock-on platform. My least favorite thing about being in a tree.

I’m seriously considering going to a saddle for that reason among others. I’m using a climbing harness now and it’s a pretty small leap from that to go full saddle.

Thanks for sharing your recent experience Cspot.

I hope you are tethered when you step onto the stand.

I made a little spliced amsteel loop the other night that I'm going to use as a second strap at the bottom of my LocOn Limit (ala' Lone Wolf with the two versabuttons) so that it can't kick out as easily. Would something like that help?

Yes, I’m tethered. I’m a little cautious that way, so all good.

I’ve never had an issue with kickout, but I guess I don’t like being a tree hugger in that last step onto the platform.