I start by getting ready as if I was going to climb higher but then sit on the top piece. Make sure your feet are secure in the loops, cable, or whatever your stand has on the bottom piece then pull your knees up towards you just enough so that the spikes on bottom piece dislodge from the tree then move the bottom piece down by tilting your feet downward and relaxing your knees. When your legs almost straight tilt your toes back towards the tree and give a firm push with your legs so that the spikes catch the tree and hold well, HOWEVER don't put all your weight on the bottom until your sure it it stable.Then stand up and pick the top piece up with your hands and squat towards the bottom piece until the top piece almost hits your knees. Then sit down on the top piece to secure the spikes in the tree. Repat until you get down.
ALSO make sure to use a piece of rope 5-6 feet in length to tie the pieces to gether that way if the bottom falls off your feet while going up or down you don't have to sit there for someone to come get you.
What brand did you buy?

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BORN TO HUNT, FORCED TO WORK!!

[ This Message was edited by: bnow0707 on 2003-11-07 13:43 ]

Just to add to bnows instructions, if your stand is not a "stand up-sit down" climber then you have an "elbow rest" type.
Same method that bnow stated with the exception of sitting down, instead you lean on the top section (seat) using your elbows to support your weight then just tilt your feet to disengage the bottom half from the tree and lower it down the tree a bit and engage the bottom half into the tree, lift up on the top to disengage it and lower it a bit and engage it back into the tree and repeat till you get to the ground.
I can not stress enough the importance of the length of rope that attaches the two pieces together that bnow mentioned, sooner or later you WILL lose the bottom half and if its not attached to the top half....its a long, hard way down or a long wait for help without it. Step bro will almost certainly laff you outta the woods if he happens upon you stuck in a tree with the bottom of your stand laying on the ground !!

Also...always, always, ALWAYS wear a safety harness when climbing, sitting and dismounting in a climbing tree stand. If you choose not too then atleast leave a next of kin contact phone number in your wallet.

I got a cheap one from Walmart because im tapped on this season from all the new guns we got. Yea I found out about the rope the hard way on my way up the first time at about 7 feet my feet sliped free but I was able to jump down. If it does happen though I will have a Cell Phone on me so I dont have to sit in the tree all night.

It does require the elbows and wow its a pain. I always use the harness because I dont want to say hello to the ground again like I did just a few weeks back.

Now one last question.
What is the best way to get my Rifle up the tree with me? Tie it to a rope and pull it up UNLOADED. If so how do I tie it because I know of so many ways to tie knots but they wont come untied.

[ This Message was edited by: Zippy240sx on 2003-11-07 19:17 ]

I usually tie a large loop at the end of my rope and stick it through the opening between my scope and reciever then seperate the sides of the loop and put one side over each end of my scope this allows the gun to be level as you pull it up. Some people tie the end of the rope around the grip just behind the trigger guard. This keeps the rifle pointed down as it comes up.

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BORN TO HUNT, FORCED TO WORK!!

[ This Message was edited by: bnow0707 on 2003-11-08 06:21 ]

[ This Message was edited by: bnow0707 on 2003-11-08 06:22 ]

Ok thanx I will try that on the Phone Pole in my yard before Deer season.

[ This Message was edited by: Zippy240sx on 2003-11-08 07:37 ]

i usually use some kind of snaphook, they are easier to use with gloves on, i agree with not pulling the rifle up barrel first, ( it should never be loaded!), personally it unnerves me looking down a barrel, but i rig it so the gun comes up on a even keel, so the muzzle does not get dirt or mud in it.

I usually just unload and fix the sling so the rifle is across my back instead of over my shoulder. I feel a lot better about this way than hauling my (expensive) rifle up with a rope.

I'm sorry, but I got tears in my eyes from laughing so hard at you. I don't mean to be a jerk but the visual of someone stuck up a tree in a climbing stand and can't figure how to get down is hallarious. before you get mad and flame me it happened to me once, but not in a climber. I was in a platform stand, used a homemade ladder to climb up it. well I'm sitting there and all of a sudden I hear a CAAA - THUD. like to have jumped outta my skin. I looked down and the ladder was lying on the ground some 15 feet below. well, I thought real hard and couldn't come up with a solution. so there I was stuck. No way to call for help, or anything. about then a buck walked out and I forgot about the ladder and shot him. and to this day I can't remember how I got down but It sure didn't take me long to go look at my deer.

If you are worried about dents and dings on your expensive rifle, get a camo hard case and use it to haul up your rifle. You can attach the rope to the handle and it will come up level, clean and prevent any damage. I figured this out the hard way.
The best lessons are learned the hard way.

I bought a loggy Bayou sp? climber but only had the bottom part $225! can't go wrong, right!?. Big comfortable looking seat safety strap.. bla bla bla. Well not wanting to pay for the climbing arm piece I went out to the woods and found a tree. I soon found I was not as nimble and strong as I thought when wearing all my hunting layers and camo and only got about 6 or 7 feet off the ground by hugging the tree and pulling up the bottom. Being tired and sweaty and on the upper edge of big ravine which gave me a decent enough perch despite only being 7 feet up (maybe less) I hunted till I saw my partner signalling me from accross the ravine. Now it was time to go so.... I lowered my bow and grabbed on to the tree (hugged it) and let the lower part down about a foot. I did this until I was about 3-4 feet off the ground. Here it comes... Now I figure I can now safely step off/jump off the stand to the ground and go on my way. (yea right)

I start to step off ...and the next thing I remember is.... tumbling down the ravine head over heals and then leaves, sticks and mud are getting jammed down my neck as I slide down the ravine head first on my back at warp speed until I hit a tree with my shoulder, spin around and continue sliding down at speed, now having leaves, sticks and mud get crammed up my back. Once I stop. I get up and my finger is throbbing and bleeding like a faucet. I look up the ravine and see my stand at the bottom of the tree, my bow on the ground next to it. I look accross the other ravine and I see my friend hunched over and convulsing like he is getting shocked by 30,000 volts. He's almost having a heart attack laughing. He now gets control of himslef and he asks if I'm ok... I apparrently caught my finger on a schrew and it is sliced open.

He, between outbreaks of belly busting laughter, tells me he has a buck, so we get his deer, load it on the car and go to the emergency room, and I get stitched up. You should have seen the look on the faces of the emergency room techniciains as we come in all bloody (mostly from the deer that he gutted in record time so we could get me stitched up) and dressed in camo. We also had the car parked in front with the deer on the roof dripping blood down all the windows. (Its about 10:00 am by the way on a perfect 65 degree october day and everyone comming out of church watching us..

I know this is longer than most will read... but... I took the stand back to Dick's Sporting Goods walked up the manager with it in my hand, bandage on the other and said this f---king think almost killed me. I started to go on and he smiled.. held up his hand and said, "What can I do to make you happy." I returned it bought some fixed stands and climbing sticks and have been using them ever since (12 years ago). Since then I buy most any sporting good items from Dick's because of what that manager and others have done in the past when there has been a problem.

Moral of the story... forget the climbers... carry some climbing sticks and stay alive.