How To Use Climbing Sticks: Step By Step Guidelines

Bowhunters are well aware of tree saddles/sticks and tree stands. Tree stands often can be very bulky and heavy. To fix that problem, manufacturers came up with the idea of climbing sticks. They are smaller in size and easy to carry in your backpack.

If you haven’t seen a climbing stick and don’t know how to use one, you are at the right place. Welcome, let’s learn together how to use climbing sticks. If you are confused about what climbing sticks to buy, click here to find out the best climbing sticks on the market.

---

Climbing Sticks

If you are using hang on stands, then the best option for you is to go for climbing sticks. You will find two types of climbing sticks on the market, screw-in steps, and climbing sticks.

As the name suggests, you use them to climb to your tree stand. Instead of using them like mountain climbing, you place your foot on the bottom one and then climb on to the next one. Easier said than done. If you have a height phobia, then maybe you shouldn’t try this.

---

Precautions

Before you start climbing, check if any of the steps are broken. If they are, that will create a big problem. You don’t want to fail a step while climbing the tree. Now that safety concern is out of the way, let’s start learning.

---

How To Climb Using A Climbing Stick

If you know what you are doing, then the process is fairly simple. You guys saw electric poles, right? Ever noticed there are some holes in the pole? Those holes are there to help the electrician insert their climbing rods and climb the pole when needed.

In the jungle, you won’t find a tree with natural holes for you to insert climbing rods. What you can do is, use climbing sticks. As the name suggests, they are sticks that have a bunch of steps on them.

Step 1

Put the first stick on the bottom of the tree and bind the belt around the tree as hard as you can. You need to make sure the bind doesn’t come out loose. We don’t want to make it into someone’s fail compilation.

Step 2

Secure yourself to the tree. Have any of you ever seen an electrician climbing an electric pole? You see how they wear a belt and bind that around the pole. That belt stops the electrician from falling from the pole. You will find plenty of Tree Climbing Belts in the marketplace. Make sure to wear one. It’s important so that we don’t fall from the tree.

Step 3

Start climbing the stand. Before you reach the top of the current stick, pull out the second stick from the backpack and place it on top of the current stick. Make sure to keep a small gap between the two sticks. Depending on the sticks you are using, the gap size will vary. It’s there to prevent a collision.

Step 4

Remember how tightly you tied the first stick? Time to redo that. Make sure to firmly grab the stick in your left hand. Use the right hand to pull the rope from behind the tree. Grab it and tie it as your life depends on it.

Trust me that is the best motivation. And I am not even joking. Your life depends on it, doesn’t it? I mean you probably won’t die from a fall. But it will leave broken bones in your body. None of us want that. That’s why make sure to tighten the rope as hard as you can.

Step 5

Profit. Haha, just kidding. Step 5 is to repeat all the steps besides step 2. We don’t need to follow a new safety protocol. I am assuming you already know how many tree-climbing sticks you will require. Just remember to keep a small gap between the final stick and the tree stand. That will make it easier to climb up and down.

---

Advantages Of Climbing Sticks

Climbing sticks are easier to carry. The only weight and mass they have been in the stick. The steps are quite lightweight. Once you become good at using them, you can do it faster than any average person.

That will boost your confidence by a lot and that’s an advantage in my book. Climbing sticks are easy to use. I will say, they are the easiest way to climb on a tree. A person who never climbed a tree before can use it safely and feel good about it.

---

Disadvantages Of Climbing Sticks

When you are trying to put up multiple climbing sticks, they can be a bit tedious. Don’t worry, you can overcome that. Instead of rushing the process, just take your time and do it at your own pace.

Another disadvantage of the stick is, that they are not as secure as screw-ins. But they are easy to bind and easy to remove. We can’t say the same for screw-ins.

---

Summary

Climbing a tree is not an easy task. But it’s not as hard as some of you think. You will need a lot of patience and the will to learn. That’s all you need to master the art of using climbing sticks.