FAQs & Tips'n Tricks

Are you looking for answers or good ideas, then take a look here....

On this page we have collected some of the most frequently asked questions about bowhunting as well as common practicalities regarding shopping online on www.bowgearshop.

We have also collected some handy tips and tricks that may help you in your pursuit of the perfect bowhunt.

If you have any questions that are not answered on this page, do not hesitate to shoot out to us at this email

Why use a hang-on tree stand?
If you need to get close the animals you are harvesting, eg because you hunt with a bow, the key to success is to be where the animals are. You have to make sure you understand their movement patterns and to position yourself strategically correct to be able to get an opportunity at eg 20-25 meters. Taking into account the wind, vegetation and light conditions this may be very difficult to achieve without exposing yourself. As a result, you will be way better off with a flexible solution for setting up high the right places and to accommodate for many conditions where you will not be able to hunt if you are ground based. Climbers are good for straight, branchless trees – but we find them less flexible in situations where you do not have access to that tree type. And since you have to be where the animals have their movement patterns – you need a flexible solution. In our opinion a hang-on tree stand gives you just that.
How do I get started?
1. Must have items
  When you decide to take your hunting to the next level and go for a flexible hunting setup you must get the right gear. Below, we have gathered a minimum list of items you need to get started:
  - Hang-on treestand: Your hunting platform
  - Climbing sticks: Getting up an down the tree
  - Safety harness: To keep safe during hunting
  - Safety harness rope assembly: To get attached to the tree while on the hunting platform, and as an extra linemans rope passing branches and other obstacles in the tree
  - Linemen’s rope assembly: Your safety rope climbing up and down the tree
  - Bow hoist rope: To pull up your bow and other gear when you are ready on your platform
  Example of an item list for a minimum tree-stand setup:
  - Hang-on treestand
  - 4 pcs climbing stick (depends on high up you want to go)
  - Summit Safety Harness (includes Safety harness rope assembly)
  - Linemen’s rope assembly
  - Summit bow rope
2. Nice to have items
  You will be ready to go hunting with the minimum setup listed above. However, we suggest to consider a few additonal items to make your hunting experience better:
  - Add comfort to carrying your tree stand with the Lone Wolf Shoulder Pads
  - Additional Linemen’s rope assembly for attaching backpack to the tree while in the stand
  - Additional bow rope for pulling up your backpack
  - Quivers for easy attachment of Lone Wolf climbing sticks to the Lone Wolf treestand during transport
  - Bowholder for holding your bow when you are in your treestand
Safety considerations
When hunting from a treestand safety concerns are key. Make sure you use proper safety equipment and that you always take care when you are climbing trees.
Setting up: When you are climbing a tree and attaching climbing sticks and the tree stand always make sure you use the ‘3-points-contact’ rule meaning you need 3 points of contact with the tree at all given times. This could be two feet and linemen’s climbing rope or a hand, a foot and a linemen’s rope. Also make sure that the climbing sticks and treestand are attached firmly to the tree before adding all your weight. When the stick is attached to the tree give it a firm yank downwards to make it bite into the tree. Check our instructional video (coming soon) for how to climb the tree. Alternatively you can find videos on Youtube for how to climb trees with the gear of your choice.
Remember to think about which way the steps on the climbing sticks turn when climbing the tree. If using a 3 stick setup your first step should point in the opposite direction as you want your stand. If you use a 4 stick setup the first step should point in the same direction as you want your stand.
The stand should not be setup higher than the highest step on your sticks - this will make it easier to transition from your sticks to your stand and back again.
While hunting from your stand: Always make sure that you are using a safety harness and that it is attached to the tree with proper safety equipment. And always make sure you either are attached to the tree with the safety harness tether or the linemen’s rope. And make sure you are attached to both during transitions from one to the other – never remove one safety attachment before the other has been attached. This to keep you safe during transitions into and out of the tree stand.
Keeping silent tips & tricks
1. Hang-on tree stands
  Our tree stands are full-cast out of aluminum to make sure they are light weight and silent during weather changes. However, aluminum naturally can make some noise if parts hit each other. As a result we recommend to make sure you apply insulation tape, rope or similar to the places on the stand where parts can hit each other to avoid unintentional noise during setup and use. See our instructional video (coming soon) for how we like to soundproof our stands.
2. Climbing sticks
  As with the stands the sticks are also aluminum and can make noise. We recommend that you apply tape to the sticks to avoid noise. See our instructional video (coming soon) for how we like to soundproof our sticks.
  
  My gear is being noisy - what do I do? Look here
3. Rope assemblies and carabiners
  Using ropes are naturally silent. However, the carabiners and buckles may make noise. See our instructional video (coming soon) for how we like to soundproof our sticks.
Getting up the tree
A lot of effort and development has gone into making the tree stands and climbing sticks easy to use. However, as with everything else it takes some experience to get it right and to be fast and silent. Selecting the right tree for climbing has a big impact – easy trees can be climbed in 10 minutes or less while complicated trees with branches etc may take much longer. So we recommend to get familiar with every step in the process – practice, practice, practice. Learn the best tree size, plan how you would like to climb the tree, decide which way the platform should sit, think about how the steps should turn during the climb. Basically, we recommend to plan the entire climbing process so everything is ready before you start. It becomes routine eventually. And we recommend to train before you go into a hunting situation where speed and silence are important parameters to get the best out of your time spent hunting. Things to remember:
- Think about which way your steps on the sticks turn and where you want your platform, this could have an impact on your transition to/from the platform.
Getting down the tree
This is probably the easiest step in your hunting setup. Just pull down your setup in the exact opposite order you set it up.