illinoisburt
Member
In the past I hunted public lands which did not permit leaving a stand up overnight - must pack in and pack out daily. The rules limit you to about an acre of designated spaces in wood lots mixed with crop fields. So stalking is a no-go. In some of these properties you were required to hunt from an elevated platform minimum 8 feet due to close proximity to houses (think edge of suburbia). Sounds terrible, right? Well we killed a lot of truly big bucks there in northern Illinois this way.
Anyway, going in and setting up in the dark makes you really appreciate a good safety harness system when you don't have the luxury of a pre-placed ladder with a safety line already attached up high. Whatever system you use, please hook up to the tree the moment you start climbing up even with a ladder. Most treestand falls are while setting up, getting into, or out of the stand. Your life and well-being is worth a few extra minutes to put a strap around the tree and move it up or down as your climb.
Anyway, going in and setting up in the dark makes you really appreciate a good safety harness system when you don't have the luxury of a pre-placed ladder with a safety line already attached up high. Whatever system you use, please hook up to the tree the moment you start climbing up even with a ladder. Most treestand falls are while setting up, getting into, or out of the stand. Your life and well-being is worth a few extra minutes to put a strap around the tree and move it up or down as your climb.