Tree Stands vs Long Bow

[Davo]

I am struggling.  I keep tinking and clipping my stand with my bows. Tonight I scared off another doe.  My two bows are a 64 and 68 inch long bow. Are these huntable from a climber and a big man in it.  I listed them for trade in hopes of finding a shorter long bow.  Am I trying to accomplish the impossible. Will going to shorter bow help?  I sure hope so public land deer dont come easy in southern WI. Any thoughts would be helpful.

[30coupe]

I've never hunted from a climber, but have killed deer with a 62" and a 58" longbow from tree stands, a ladder stand and an Alpha Lone Wolf hang on respectively. For me at least, 62" is pretty much as long as I go, but then again, I'm only 5'9".

[Davo]

I am six foot, and a bit girthy.  I love my summit but the two pieces are just making it difficult. Never was an issue with my short wheel bow but now I have grown up to a long bow  and its killing me.  I cannot seem to make the angles and ground blinds are not always an option where I hunt. Just can't afford to buy another bow need to trade away.

[Three Arrows]

It appears as if you are hesitant to get to the edge of the stand and reach out.  I am 5'8" and have successfully hunted with 68" longbows out of a stand.  I use a stand with a bar in front and lean against it.  You will still have to cant the bow some.

[Biggie Hoffman]

GIRTHY???? What the heck is that??


While it's always something to think about, I shoot my 68" longbows out of my climber with no problems. Sometimes it requires an extreme cant, like I've shot a few deer with a nearly level bow. Like 3 aroows mentioned, if you'll lean against the top rail and shoot over it, you should be ok.

[Stone Knife]

Did you practice out of your stand before season? I like to shoot out of the front of my climber I set my harness up so I can lean way out, in a pinch I can shoot out of the side while I lean on the arm rest, my stand is an API Shooting star I comes with a cam lock strap to attach the top section firmly to the tree. With my harness and the top fastened to the tree it gives me confidence to lean out as far as it takes to get the shot off. You also need to be aware when your maneuvering your bow, slow deliberate moves are best to avoid hitting your stand and making unwanted noise. I have shot 66" Hills from my stand as well as other ranging from 58" to 62" although I prefer hang on or ladder stands sometimes I need the climber to get the shot opportunity, mine is not real trad friendly, but it gets the job done with some advanced planning on my part as to were I can and can't take my shots. Sometimes you get a deer in range but are better off letting it walk hoping for a better shot on a different day, it's better to let it walk than to spook it or make a poor shot in haste.

[stickbow2442]

I use a climber and I have a 64" longbow. So far I have had know problems. I always stand up to shoot and I have nothing in front on the treestand.

[Curveman]

What stickbow2442 said. I use a lock-on too. I try various shots and trim or be aware of a shot I can't make accordingly.

[KentuckyTJ]

What biggie said. The beauty of our stick bows is they don't have to be straight up and down to shoot well. If not the problem's not your bow its your stand. I don't use climbers for just that reason, the two I own both keep me from being able to shoot in all directions and angles. If you are set on them, try covering your stand in felt or some other soft material then the noise issue is solved.

[Morning Star]

Some people just shoot their best holding a bow a certain way.  To contort may make take your shot off mark, does depend on the person.
  I used to shoot 60" - 64", but tired of the length getting in my way, seemingly all the time when hunting.
I damaged the bottom limb tip of one of my 60" bows when it hit the frame of my treestand. That cost me a dandy buck an almost my bow.  I have a number of stories where the length of the bow was a problem while hunting.

I tried a 56" recurve a couple years back and have never looked back.   All the bows I hunt with are now 56"ers.  Best move I made.....
Always thought there'd be to much finger pinch, but I shoot them just as well.

[Pat B.]

I have hunted with 66" A&H bows for the last three years and have killed quite a number of animals from hang-on stands. Never a problem, I do shoot standing up though.. In fact, I'm always standing when I'm hunting..

[xtrema312]

I just don't like climbers.  Maybe a Lone Wolf would work well for me with the small upper frame.  I like a hang on stand with a fold up seat for maximum clearance.  With those it is the tree I have to watch.  I have played around with shooting at a low height in the yard a lot.  I can shoot the 62" ok most angles.  66" was just too long for me.  My 56" mojo is great out of a stand.  The 58" lost creek is also a great stand bow.  I pull to 29.25" and have no finger pinch issues.  Those longer bows are great on the ground.

[Davo]

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like I have some tweaking to do. You guys all gave me some things to think about. My problem really is most prevelant at shots to the rear  from about the 5 oclock to the 8 oclock and that may be the limitations I have to accept until experience guides me in the right direction.

I am not a leaner but I always stand and have taken to dropping my top piece a little lower.  I have tried other stands. In WI no screw in steps, no stands left in woods, and buck steps are just to small for me so I am a climber man just need to find my comfort zone. As always your info is helpful thank you.

[VAFarmer]

I have been practicing out of my stand with my first bow, a Bear supermag 48.  It is getting around 45lbs at my draw- this works well for bending at the waist and being able to hold back for a short while (really short     ) if he crosses shooting lanes.
the supermag 48 is only about 8 inches longer than my wheelie.  
I am thinking about experimenting with a different string.   IF I can get it up close to the equivalent of 50lbs. of energy, I will feel really good.  It already groups well to 25 yds, and has decent speed. It seems to stack pretty fast after about 28.5", though.
Check out the Supermag 48, and I think you can find the Browning equivalent Explorer or Expedition or safari or something like that.  I think its around 52".

Farmer

[Orion]

Dave:  I've used 64-66-inch longbows for years in stands, both climbing and hang on, mostly Lone Wolfs.  The hand climber on a LW is fairly small and folds up if you have the time and opportunity to stand.  Seats also fold out of the way on the hang ons.  Though, in truth, I take most of my shots while sitting.  

One key is to position the stand to take best advantage of the shot you're most likely to get.   I agree that the 5-8 clock position is a hard one for a right hander, particularly if you can't your bow.  As others have suggested, may need to practice with different bow angles.  I can't say that bow length has ever caused me to not get a shot ( I even shot one deer completely behind me, which required some body contortion and faith in my safety belt.), but they're not going to be as maneuverable as a 36-inch compound.  Good luck.

I think nobody talks about the little edge you get from being up in a treestand. Especially early in the season before you start to relax with it. For me, hunting out of a climber with a longbow is fine as long as I lean out away from the stand bar for the shot. This makes a person nervous unless they have practiced it a lot, have a solid stand, and a good harness. It will throw off your stance ergo the practice. I am not comfortable in my stand until I have used it for a week or more--and it's the same every year. The other thing is, you can pad the rails of the stand so it's quieter. I have an API with padded rails and it's less likely to make noise if your limb hits.

[MnFn]

I like Stone Knife's idea of letting an animal move to a better shot. But,I don't have alot of experience shooting out of a treestand, and I do use 56" to 60" bows these days.
It sounds like Stone Knife has solid supports when he shoots while leaning out from the stand; but as a general rule, is it a good idea to use safety features, such as railing, or safety harness to aid you in leaning out to make a shot? I would probably do it also if I had a nice deer within my range, but is it a good idea?Just asking the question. My safety harness had a warning against it.

Just thinkin'
Gary

[smoke1953]

I personally have been struggling with the necessary anchor adjustment when the increased cant is required. Currently, and it's always a work in progress for me, I'm finding that concentrating on alignment of the arrow so that the arrow is directly below my eye works better than thinking of any specific anchor first. Any additional comments regarding this issue is appreciated.

[Lonnie bailey]

Like you said earlier, you have to drop the top part of the climber to clear the bottom limb. Be sure to wear your safty harness, and adjust it to where you dont have to lean out away from the tree.this has really helped me with the sname problem.

[mark land]

Hang ons are normally not a problem but my Ol man climber has cost me several shots on deer, another reason why I prefer to shoot shorter recurves and not lonbows.  But, that Ol Man stand is just so comfortable and I am shooting 56 and 58in recurves.  I just make it a habit now to set the seat portion of the stand as low as possible and angle my stand to the R slightly of where I think the deer will come and if I have time I will drop the seat portion down to the platform and that opens up even more room, but definitely need to practice out of your stand and know what positions you can shoot from and what you need to do if they present another angle.  I just make it a habit to look at my lower limb before shooting and make sure it will clear.  Mark