Lone wolf vs Novix vs Beast gear

[Eliteman26]

Lone wolf!

 

[Long Cut]

I’m late to the party, but this was recently bumped back up so maybe someone else can find my opinion useful?

Anyhow, I’ve been a “mobile hunter” since circa 2013 on WMA’s across the Southeast. I’ve owned & used climbers, saddles, hang on’s, leafy suits & ground blinds. They’re all tools with their own Pro’s & Con’s

Climbers- Ultra lightweight climbers (Lone Wolf Hand Climber & Sit & Climb) or the new LWCG $1,200 climber are the best mobile hunting stand for a southern deer hunter. Period. From comfort, pack ability, climbing height is universal and almost all of us are climbing pines trees, sweet gums or white oaks. We don’t have the gnarly multi-base or super wide trees you find in the Midwest. Weight and bulk are handicaps to climbers, but their ease of use, rapid deployment and comfort make them an asset for a southern hunter. The LWCG climber is around 10-11# which competes with all hang on’s and many saddle setups. Tree size and type can be a limitation for climbers.

Saddles- Comfort is subjective and honestly over-hyped at times. My hips, knees and feet cannot sustain more than 3-4 hours. The ability to shoot a bow is noticeably harder, especially the “off side” shots in cold weather & thick layers. I’ve found myself to get busted more in saddles than anything other tree stand. Packing in a platform, sticks etc can be time consuming to break down then pack up compared to climbers. Shooting a rifle out of a saddle system is very easy to “c-clamp” off the tree or tether. A universal system that you can build out to your needs to some extent. The backpack/pack will be the biggest weakness for saddles in my experience. There are few tree size limitations with saddles. You are further away from the tree, a deer can and will pick you off from the sides if side cover is limited. Typically the lighter weight system of the 3 tree-stand varieties (If built out that way).

Hang On- Beast & LWCG .75 are the best hang on stands for mobile hunters. There’s no other competition if you want “the best”. I do feel the Beast stand is slightly better than LWCG personally due to the components and overall specs, but that’s my opinion. The LWCG .5/wind walkers etc.. can be utilized as a “hybrid system” with a saddle.. but at a cost to comfort and being seen transitioning between the 2 positions (sitting and standing)
Hang on’s are the best stand for a bow hunter. The ability to shoot standing, sitting and even straddling the seat are more conducive for bow hunting than a saddle or climber will allow. Trying to shoot out of a hang on with a rifle is more challenging for longer shots over 100+ yards, especially when buck fever, wind, cold weather etc come into play. The stand becomes the “back pack” so packing sticks, clothes etc to the stand makes it easy, These stands can be utilized as a “load shelf” to carry more weight as well. Deploying a hang on is slower than a climber, but typically faster than a saddle system. There are few tree size limitations for there stands. You’re also closer to the tree than a saddle or climber stand. Weight wise you’ll be in between the climber & saddles.

Leafy suits- Most mobile, quickest to deploy and move around and lightest weight. Extremely challenging for compound bows. Significantly easier with a crossbow or traditional archery to “snap shoot” quickly. A compound getting over the valley and into the back wall without being spotted is an act of congress. Setting up for 45 degree shots is your best bet on trails, crossings etc… The actual setup is heavily dependent on foliage cover and topography as well. Not every location will be conducive for ground hunting with a compound bow. Extremely challenging but also the most fun and rewarding style of hunting (in my opinion).

Super long write-up but, I hope somebody finds this helpful. I personally use all of them to my advantage when applicable. In my opinion, too many guys fixate on one setup and miss out on better options for their style or situation.