The act of hanging a treestand is not complicated. In fact, the tricky part is knowing where to hang one. However, before that can be accomplished, a basic understanding of how to hang the stand must be achieved. Above all else, safety is the primary concern when hanging treestands for hunting purposes.
Treestand Safety Gear
Some basic safety gear must be obtained before heading out to hang a stand. This essentially consists of two items; a complete safety harness and a lineman’s belt.
A complete safety harness with lineman’s belt is the ultimate safety tool for hanging treestands as it allows the hands to work unencumbered while keeping you safety attached to the tree.
Many treestand safety harnesses include a free lineman’s belt with purchase, however if yours did not they can be purchased separately for a small fee.
Miscellaneous Gear
Some additional items should be taken into the field in order to make the stand hanging experience easier and more effective. These items include; pruning shear and saw, trail markers and bow rope.
The pruning tools are used for clearing shooting lanes. The most effective type of pruning saw will be ones that are equipped with an extension bar.
This allows the user to cut high-hanging branches that are normally well out of reach while using non-extending saws. Pruners are best used when trimming small branches and saplings out of shooting lanes.
Hanging The Treestand
Screw-in type steps used to be very popular. However, today, “ladder-type” steps are perhaps more widely used. They offer more foot room and are typically more stable than single steps.
However, due to their size, they are heavier. In addition, they are not a mobile as single steps.
Assuming “ladder-type” steps are being used, the first step is to connect each section of the ladder steps together while they are on the ground. In other words, each section should be fully connected and lying on the forest floor.
Next, attach each safety strap in the appropriate location. Each section of steps will have a location for the safety strap to connect.
This safety strap must go around the tree and connect to the opposite side of the ladder section. Once the sections have been connected and the safety straps are in place, it is time to place them against the tree.
Connecting the Ladder Steps
Start by standing the completed ladder section up against the tree in the desired location. Next, wrap the bottom safety strap around the tree and connect to the opposite side of the ladder.
Tighten the safety strap as tight as possible. If the next safety strap can be reached from the ground then repeat the process. If not, wrap the lineman’s belt around the tree and reconnect to the section around the waist and step up onto the first section of steps so that the second safety strap can be reached.
Then repeat the process for connecting the ladder’s safety strap around the tree. Do this until all of the safety straps have been connected and the top of the ladder has been reached.
It is now time to climb down and retrieve the stand.
Hanging The Treestand
After attaching the ladder to the tree, climb down and retrieve the treestand. First, be sure that the treestand has a bow rope attached to the front of it.
This will be used later for tying a bow and pulling it up to the stand. For now, the same rope will be used to pull the treestand up once the climber reaches the top of the ladder steps and is ready to hang the stand.
Take one end of the rope and tie it around the lineman’s belt and tie the other end around the front of the stand.
Climb back up to the top of the ladder and pull the treestand up to hanging height using the previously mentioned bow rope.
Using the treestands hanging mechanism, attach the stand in the desired location.
Next, untie the bow rope that is attached to the lineman’s belt and let it fall to the forest floor. The end result should be a rope that is attached to the stand that can be reached from the ground in order to attach a bow before climbing up the ladder and into the stand.
Climb back down to the ground and disconnect the lineman’s belt. Next, consider shooting lanes and begin trimming unwanted branches and limbs that may affect the path of an arrow.
Trimming Shooting Lanes
Walk around the hunting area while looking up at the previously hung stand. Use the pruning items to clear any limbs that may impede the path of an arrow.
Use caution though as mature whitetails are very sensitive to change in their environment.
Too much trimming of shooting lanes and the very bucks that are being hunted could end up being educated to what is really going on.
