The worst Treestand you ever had?

[KentuckyTJ]

I just had a horrible flashback from another thread of some old Baker treestands I used back in the day. I'll never forget the frightening rides down some tall straight trees in these things. My forearms still bearing the scars from numerous rides down with me hugging on for dear life and the hand climber fast behind banging me in the head. I also will never forget that sound either while we skipped down the tree...."KaChunk, kachunk, kachunk, kachunk, kachunk.                          

           

[adeeden]

Oh man just that picture brings back wrist burns!

[rolltidehunter]

we got a couple of these hanging in the shed

[Widow's Son]

I remember a climber a friend had that he had bought at wally-world. He paid $79 for it. The thing was actually riveted together and the first time he used it the rivets became loose. You had to balance yourself in it to keep it from shifting around. That thing would tilt 2" side to side. He hunted in it for a couple of years until he could afford a Summit climber. Those old Summits had a folding seat that you had to bend down, pick up, and step over to get it into the sitting position. All of this 20ft or more up a tree with no saftey belt. Man we were crazy.

Ross

[billy shipp]

The old Baker's were the worst climbers ever built, but the scariest time of my life was using  Loc-On Lem stands. They attach to the tree by chain with an S hook on the end. Twice I have been sitting in the stands up 16-18", just happen to look down and notice the S hook having just enough crook left to keep from straightening out. Both times I was afraid to even move enough to get out of the stand. This was back in the late 70's or early 80's. I always had on a safety strap, but back in those days it was just a strap around your waist. I reckon the strap would have kept you from falling to the ground but it probably would have cut you in half during a fall. I still have a couple of those old stand that I use ocassionally, but today it's always while wearing safety vest, and I've learned to inspect the S hooks before each use.

[Pete McMiller]

Oh come on now........you guys are all talking about the NEW stands.   :rolleyes:     Waaaaay back when, maybe 35-40 years ago, even before Bakers I built my very first tree stand from parts of an old lawn chair - yup, thin aluminum tubing, 1/4x20 bolts and a bit of canvas.  Damn thing was tied on a tree.  We were hunting Fed land back then and no tree pegs allowed so I "tied" triangular shaped blocks on the side of a popple tree to get up in the stand.  Sure enough the "steps" slipped down as I was going up so I had to shinny down after shooting a nice buck opening day.  I was young, dumb and brave back then and even I was scared of that stand    

Next came a Baker and a homemade baker - neither had hand climbers so we had to HUG the tree to get up and get down.  Never so glad to retire tree stands as I was when those were put to rest.

I am a confirmed ground hunter now.............  

[riverrat 2]

HA! HA! Baker climber! I love it. When I was around 13-14years old,my Dad had a Baker. I decided I was going to use it for some shooting practice while he was at work. I was real smart though,I went to the telephone pole in the yard to set-up because there was no limbs on that thing. Or bark. I got up around 14 feet,hoisted up my bow,nocked a arrow,began to draw.... AND DOWN I WENT!! what a ride. Even with tree's with bark on them,those were sketchy. rat'

[jcar315]

Early 80's.....first "tree stand" I had was a home made beauty crafted out of a piece of plywood and a kit with all the hardware.

I can still remember laying at the bottom of a tree, in the early morning darkness, moaning in pain and being thankful to be alive.

Quick ride to the bottom when it didn't quite bite on one of my shimmies up that day.

Not to be deterred, climbed right back up. So glad to have made it through that stage in "treestand development."

[Rob W.]

I can still remember my brother walking toward me with blood gushing from his head. He took the fast way down on one of those and was fine til he looked up and the hand climber fell.

After that I upgraded    to a lock-on with a plastic floor. Can't remember who made them but they were pretty scary too.


Rob

[Widow's Son]

I had a climber I made out of steel tubing and expanded metal. This was back when I worked as a welder and the stand was rock solid. You could climb like a monkey in that stand but it was HEAVY. That thing would kill a mule hauling it around in the Ozarks.

Ross

[Bowwild]

I kept my first (only) Baker so long I replaced the wooden platform twice! My chest had a red rash from tree-hugging most of the bow season until the weather turned cold enough to wear more padding.

I'm glad to have survived those 10 years or so.

[Widow's Son]

I think I still have knots on my head from those hand climbers.

[JMR]

My first attempt at a climbing stand was with a Baker. My Dad and uncles laughed their butts off at me while I was trying it out on a tree in the yard. I quit using it after I took the express elevator to the ground in the dark!

[BWD]

Baker or home made baker alike without a doubt. Going up was iffy, coming down could be a real thrill, but they insisted you sit real still.

I have a friend who swears he rattled up a decent buck while trying to get down one day.

[Widow's Son]

I don't remember a kachunk, kachunk sound. I was always screaming too loud.

Ross

[bobman]

Baker around '73 it was a big step up from standing on a tree limb balancing for hours in the cold. I never had a bad experince with mine but I was young strong and crazy.

Standing on a tree limb for hours would cause your feet to "go to sleep" and it hurt like he11 to walk those first 50 yards when you got down for the evening.

I shot my first buck in Stevenspoint WI in midair, it was jumping the fenceline the tree I was in was on, while balancing no hands on a limb 15 feet up an oak tree. I am lucky I am still alive with some of the dumb stuff I did.

I never had a kproblem with my Baker stand, but then I never ever stood on anything but the outside third either. We made some crotch stands, the first version was like flying an experimental stunt plane.  They would flip you upside down in a heart beat.  The second version worked and they all got stolen out of the trees.  The problem that I had was that I worked on very tall buildings in those days, 18 feet seemed like jumping distance to me.
The closest I came to dieing was with a Sabor climbing stand, "the widow maker" as my son called it.  After two hours of hanging, I shifted my weight on the seat and it dumped me off. The waist/chest strap nearly killed me.
I now only use the best tree stand I have ever used, a Huntmore chair, plenty high enough off the ground for me these days.

[Eugene Slagle]

Can't say it was the stands fault but I did have a Ameristep climber as my first ever climber.

Put it together one night tested it in the back yard & I want a hunting.
Now mind you the bolts were secured right but this little piece of string that was in the packaging never went anywhere so I lfet it out, needless to say my first time I learned what that string was for.

Thank God that I had on the safety harness because I got to where I wanted to be & the foot portion dropped to the ground..    
Not only did I have to get into the seat but most of my day was trying to fish that foot portion up with the bow hul line so I can get beck down out of the tree.

Lesson learned.

[Flatshooter]

Hands down, the suicide Baker! I can't tell you how many quick elevator rides I took on those suckers! I can't believe I used those things without any safety straps. I did tie myself into the tree midday but always slept with one eye open!

[wingnut]

A buddy of mine had a Screaming Eagle - Eaglette stand.  The dang thing was so small my butt was below my knees and my heals were the only part of my foot on the stand.

Hunted one night for bear out of it and changed to another bait the next day.

Mike