When you do something new for the first time, it can be scary, or even intimidating. Before last month, I had a fear about setting up my own treestand. I consider myself to be a novice hunter since I just starting bowhunting last fall. With that being said, I have many exciting firsts still ahead. My new and thrilling hunting spot is in the heart of Wisconsin’s driftless area. Professional hunter and friend, Kelly Alexander, was kind enough to share his prime hunting land this year. Kelly has several monster bucks on his wall and offered to help scout out a good place to set up. My husband, Mike, Kelly’s wife, Jess, and both sets of our children, set out on a nature walk to find a spot to set up my treestand. I was looking forward to trying out my new Lone Wolf Climbing Sticks, and attempt to set up my treestand for the first time. Last season my dad and husband put it up. This year I wanted to try.
The weather was hot, sticky and the terrain wasn’t exactly what I would call stable. The forest was thick and even worse the kids were tired and crabby from the long drive. Let’s just say I didn’t have the camera out to take cute pictures. Jess was kind enough to walk the kids back to the house so we could continue on our journey. Jess knew how enthusiastic I was to try and set up the stand for my first time. (Jess, I owe you one.)
Kristen Monroe straps the sticks on the tree. Submitted photo.
Mike, Kelly and I continued our exploration of the woods and game trails. The next decision we made would determine whether my 2011 bowhunting season will be a success, or not. There it was, the perfect tree with a set of trails that looked as if a herd of cows ran though. The climbing sticks were easy to carry, weighing only 2.7-pounds per stick; I was carrying a set of three for a total of 7.5-pounds. They were light and I carried them effortlessly. [Note: These sticks also come in a mini size, at 1.5 pounds per stick.]
Lone Wolf climbing stick
Mike talked me through the process of strapping the sticks on the tree one-by-one. Besides the light weight of the sticks, my favorite features were the pivoting V-Brackets, they adjust to match the natural contour of the tree. The sticks fit 4- to 22-inch tree diameters. If 22 inches doesn’t do the trick, there are strap extensions available; holy smokes, that would be a huge tree! I secured each stick with the straps and climbed back down to get my stand. The sticks were extremely quite, portable and easy to use – even for me, a beginner. I looked up and with all said and done the distance between the steps was approximately 15 inches, so my stand would be about 15-16 feet off the ground. Maybe it doesn’t sound like a big deal to many, but I felt pretty darn proud that I had set the stage for the stand.
Up she goes! Submitted photo.
The Lone Wolf Climbing sticks are ingeniously designed to nest together and mount directly on to the Assault™ or ALPHA™ Hang On. There presented my next problem. I do not have a Lone Wolf stand yet. That’s on next year’s purchase list. This year I have an old heavy stand with a steal platform, honestly I’m not even certain of the brand. My stand is safe, but it’s really heavy. Although I felt proud to set up my own sticks, Mike had to hang my stand. I am not afraid to admit it when I need a helping hand. I would rather have a little assistance than to injure myself and ruin my whole hunting season. Like I said in the beginning, I have many firsts still to come. It just goes to show how important it is to invest in good equipment that will work for you. I wish I had a light weight Lone Wolf stand to go with my slick sticks. We took a few branches down to clear some shooting lanes and called it a day.
Company Contact Information:
Lone Wolf Portable Treestands Inc.
P.O. Box 62
Edwards, IL 61528
309.691.9653
www.lonewolfhuntingproducts.com
Kristen Monroe began her career working for Bast Durbin selling advertisements for the outdoors industry in 2007. She currently writes for Outdoor News Publications in an outdoor blog called Pass It On. View all posts by Kristen Monroe
Thank you Tammy. I tried a climber last weekend and liked that too. I NEVER thought that would happen. It pays to try new things, especially things you are afraid of.
Kristen, thanks for the interesting and very informative review of the Lone Wolf Climbing Sticks. I liked reading about them from a woman’s perspective! Good review!!