Hang on stand help

Buy some screw in steps, put one in the tree at the height you want the platform to be, lift the stand up and rest it on the step while you ratchet it down.

Also, get a lifeline

I'm 77 and I can put one up in 30 - 45 minutes tops..

I'm on my phone right now but when I get home I'll post how I do it...

Screw in steps = gut hooks if you happen to slip or fall from your sticks or stand and one catches onto you. It takes me about 30 minutes or so to get everything set up. I use the harness and linemans belt and feel safe being able to use both hands to hang the stand.

How To - Hanging Treestands..


Since it is getting time to hang treestands I thought the following would be good to post.


First off I have found that the easiest way to hang treestands is to have my son do it for me. He is 23 years younger than me.

IF I have to hang them myself this is the way that I do it:

It is imperative that I am tied off in one form or another whenever my feet leave the ground. When going up the tree to hang the stand I use the line man’s rope that came with my Summit Seat of the Pants full body safety harness. The lineman’s rope is around the tree as I go up.

I have two pull up ropes in use. One is tied to me with the other end tied to the treestand. The other rope is tied to the treestand with the other end tied to my Summit Climbing System Rope.

If I am using screw in steps I put them fairly close together as I am somewhat short legged and it can be a real stretch in heavy hunting clothes. My usual 20 to 25 foot up will take as many as 14 or 15 steps. The amount of steps I use is also determined by the position of my starting step and what step will allow me to step into the stand at the top.

When I get to the height that I want to go to I screw on two steps at the same height. That way both my feet or on the same level. I then either use a pulley type device to pull the stands up or just use the pull up rope. If I use the pulley type device it will hold the treestand in place while I hook it up to the tree. I have found that much easier and safer. If I don't use the pulley rope to position the stand I use a screw in step to hold the stand in place while I ratchet it on.

My son and I are phasing out our screw in steps for the easier to use and much safer climbing sticks. We still use the line man’s rope to go up the climbing sticks fastening them as we go up. if you are hunting public ground be sure to check out the legality of screw in steps.

Either way I hook the treestand to the tree below where my lineman’s rope is fastened to the tree. That way when the treestand is in place I can climb into without unhooking the lineman’s rope. When the treestand is in place I unscrew one of the top steps and screw it in a little higher up so that can step DOWN into the treestand instead of trying to step UP into the treestand. A lot of falls occur when a hunter is stepping into and out of the treestand. This makes it much safer.

Once I am in the treestand I will pull up the Summit Climbing System Rope. I will install it on the tree high enough that when I am hooked up to it in a sitting position almost all of the slack of my tether is taken up. Having too much slack in your tether can allow you to fall below the level of your stand. Falling below your treestand will make it more difficult to get back in it. It is imperative that you can get back in as people have died from being suspended in their fall protection harness.

After the Summit Climbing System Rope is in place I then hook up my Summit Seat of the Pants full body safety harness tether to the Summit Climbing System Rope. I can then unhook my lineman’s rope. At no time am I ever not hooked up to the tree.

I then climb down using the Summit Climbing System Rope Prussic knot.

For hunting - I tie a small looped rope on the bottom end of the Summit Climbing System Rope to use as a pull up rope for hunting. When I get to my stand for hunting I loop the small rope around the stirrup of my crossbow or gun and the weight of the crossbow or gun will hold the Summit Climbing System Rope in place as I climb and I slide the Prussic knot. I then pull up the Summit Climbing System Rope with my crossbow or gun attached. That way the rope is in the treestand with me so that the deer cannot smell it or see it wiggle if I move in the treestand.

This is the way I do it....YMMV..

That is the EXACT method I use. Obviously a straight tree is a requirement.

I will now only buy hang-ons that have a "receiver" that is attached to the tree that the stand "slides" onto. I like the Millennium stands.

Once you get comfortable with it, leaning back against the lineman's belt will really make the whole process easier, freeing up both of your hands. Just have to adjust the belt so it's not too tight or loose around the tree. I like to have it adjusted where, when I lean back, I'm about 18" or a little less away from the tree.

I usually pre-assemble the ladder sticks on the ground and the lean them up against the tree. Get the bottom straps tightened down and then proceed up the sticks with the stand receiver, tightening the ladder straps as I work my way up. Once to the top, I just have to get the receiver strapped to the tree and then pull up the stand to me with a rope. slide the stand onto the receiver and tighten the strap around the stand and tree and I'm done. Usually takes me no longer than 20-30 minutes.

If they are too big to cut, or you don't want to cut them, you will have to unhook the belt and flip it over the limb and the re-connect to your harness.

Ah, ok. I wasn't sure if maybe you used 2 belts (one below and one above the limb) to stay "connected" instead of undoing it and then reconnecting it once you cleared the limb. Thanks.

Install the climbing stick and then install the lifeline. Now you can have two points of attachment, lifeline & lineman belt. You could also use a tree attachment strap or rope as you are climbing / installing the stick if that makes you more comfy until you have the lifeline in place.
I use a pull strap that has a carabiner attached to it and place the strap a few inches above where I want the top of the stand to be. The carabiner on the strap will be my "pulley".
Run a rope through the carabiner on the strap and attach one end to the stand. Now you can hoist the stand up the tree from the ground and once you get it at the height you want, tie the rope off to another tree. Now you can go back up and attach the stand to the tree. I will also take a ~18" long piece of solid wire and attach it to the stand so that if need be I can hang the stand by the wire to the carabiner on the pull strap thus allowing me to release the tension on the rope and make smaller adjustments to the stand height.
Hope this helps. I have meant to take some photos of my setup but always forget to.
I can typically get a complete setup installed in under an hour once I get the the tree I am putting it in.