Best Tree Climbing Method for Hunting

Best Tree Climbing Method for Hunting

You have decided to dive into saddle hunting and now racking your brain to find the best tree-climbing method. I will walk you through my thought process in picking the best tree climbing method for saddle hunting. I have only tried a couple of these methods, but I want to help you narrow down the method that might fits you best. Then you can start investigating the gear required. I use this method of finding the best solution to much of my gear and research. It can be applied to your own situation.

Tree Climbing Methods for Run and Gun Hunting

Your best method will most likely be based on your gut feeling in the end but if you want to approach this with a comparison or weighted scale approach this might work for you. Here are the categories I used in order to determine the best climbing method for a run and gun hunt. These are all the things I wanted the climbing method to ideally have! All rated on a 1-5 scale (1-no good and 5-Good)

Tree Climbing methods

I have narrowed down my search to 4 different types of tree climbing methods. For each of these, I will explain the climbing method and then rank them. You may have to adjust the numbers for your ability and hunting location. 

• Climbing Sticks
• One Stick method
• Single Steps
• SRS/SRT – Single Rope Technique /System
• DRT – Double Rope Technique
• Tree Spikes

Climbing Sticks – This is the method I first looked at because it is what you see when you think of traditional treestand hunting. Walk into any sporting goods store and you will find some sort of metal ladder to attach to a tree in order to get up to hunting height. They have been around for a while for the run and gun hunter and normally paired with a lock on treestand. With a saddle, you simply carry in the sticks and a platform if you choose. 

One Stick method – This method really looks at reducing the weight of carrying 3-5 sticks in. You have one climbing stick sometimes cut down shorter than the longer climbing sticks and sometimes a web or rope aider of some sort hanging from the stick. This video shows this method. 

• Overall Weight: 3
• Quiet: 2
• Easy Quick: 1
• Cost: 2
• Fit to hunting location: 4
  
• Overall Score – 12

Single Steps – This is what the name implies where you strap or screw-in single steps to the tree. There are a variety of types offered from single screw in type to single strap steps and Wild Edge even has a rope attachment method. The Wild Edge system allows for two feet to stand on one step if needed and some saddle hunters even use these steps as their platform. This video explains it!

• Overall Weight: 3
• Quiet: 2
• Easy Quick: 3
• Cost: 3 – for the Wilde Edge Steps
• Fit to hunting location: 5 – Public hunting requires non-screw type but definite fit. 
  
• Overall Score – 16

Single Rope Technique / SRT / SRS – This is common if you come from a rock climbing or even arborist background. Here you will use a throw line and weighted bag to get a single climbing line up into a tree. The throw line is thrown up around any size branch and then the throw line is attached to the climbing rope. One end of the climbing rope has a loop that eventually is girth hitched at the top of the tree. The girth hitch around the tree is the load-bearing part of the system. The climber then uses climbing hardware (Ascender and Descender devices) along with a webbed aider to climb the tee. This video shows you how this climbing method works!

• Overall Weight: 4
• Quiet: 3
• Easy Quick: 3
• Cost: 2
• Fit to hunting location: 5 
  
• Overall Score – 17
  

Double Rope Technique – DRT – This climbing method is similar to the SRT climbing method except without the hardware and you have to find a bigger branch or strong crotch of a tree for your rope to hang from. The hardware is replaced with manually tied climbing knots and your feet are against the tree as your climb. This video explains it best!

• Overall Weight: 4
• Quiet: 3
• Easy Quick: 3
• Cost: 4
• Fit to hunting location: 5 
  
• Overall Score – 19
  

Tree Spikes – This method of climbing requires a set of tree spikes to be purchased and attached to your boots. Arborists use them often to scale up trees. The spikes dig into the tree and the climber uses a lineman’s belt to climb the trunk of the tee. This video shows this method of climbing. Check your regulations for use on public land. Because I cannot use these on public land these were not an option, but I think they do have advantages!

• Overall Weight: 5
• Quiet: 4
• Easy Quick: 4
• Cost: 2
• Fit to hunting location: 0 
  
• Overall Score – 15
  

Pick Your Best Tree Climbing Method

Based on the above results I will be investing time and energy into learning the DRT method of climbing. Weight, Cost and the ability to use this on public land is key for me. This will be a learning curve, but with some practice in the offseason, I will master it. It’s also an easy jump then to the SRT method of climbing if I want to spend the extra money on the hardware, which might open up a few more trees to climb. More to come…

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