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Reloading Afield
- Thread starter musketman
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Randal Zartman
40 Cal.
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MM, 1.No need to reload if it is laying there dead. 2. You have to bend over further to pick up anything you dropped :crackup: Last year I was in a treestand beside my nephew when he took a shot at a nice buck. My first reaction was to watch the deer. After a few seconds I thought I should relad in case of a second shot becoming available. I found I focused on one thing at a time so I didn't drop anything. Later in the season, I was by myself on the ground when I took a shot. When I went to reload, I put my fanny pack on the ground so I didn't drop anything. When I went down over the bank for the follow up shot I left the fanny pack and all my supplies up on the trail 
when I went for something after the second shot, I had to climb back up the bank. I wasn't as focused as when I was up the tree. :results:
Zman
when I went for something after the second shot, I had to climb back up the bank. I wasn't as focused as when I was up the tree. :results: Zman
Tree stands pose a greater danger all by themselves, lots of things can go wrong, real fast...
You have to climb the tree/ladder with a gun (hopefully unloaded)
You have to load in a confided area, branches and all will limit your movement...
You could drop your gear, including your loaded rifle/musket...
You could fall...
Nothing to block the icy wind, making reloading more difficult...
Now, pre-measured speed-loaders lend themselves to tree stands better than feeling around for everything separately...
Take a clothes line with you and tie it to your possibles bag, carry the other end of the rope up the tree with you, once you are in position simply hoist your possibles up to you... (don't do this with your gun)!
You have to climb the tree/ladder with a gun (hopefully unloaded)
You have to load in a confided area, branches and all will limit your movement...
You could drop your gear, including your loaded rifle/musket...
You could fall...
Nothing to block the icy wind, making reloading more difficult...
Now, pre-measured speed-loaders lend themselves to tree stands better than feeling around for everything separately...
Take a clothes line with you and tie it to your possibles bag, carry the other end of the rope up the tree with you, once you are in position simply hoist your possibles up to you... (don't do this with your gun)!
I usually climb down quietly out of the treestand, take plenty of time to quietly, completely field clean & dry the bore, then reload.
If it's early, I'll drag him back to the base of the tree and get back in the stand for a couple more hours...if not, I'll drag him out to the truck
If it's early, I'll drag him back to the base of the tree and get back in the stand for a couple more hours...if not, I'll drag him out to the truck
Huntinfool
45 Cal.
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I've been thinking here lately of making myself some pre-measured load holders out of bamboo or river cane. My friend has a bunch of the stuff already dried out.
I'd only need one or two at the most just to hold pre-measured powder in. If for some unforeseen reason I needed more I could fill them on the spot. I have some cork I could use to stop em up with.
I've got a loading block that holds six patched balls. it would save having to pour out of the horn into a powder measure I guess it would save some time what do ya'll think. River cane would be period correct I guess I've several powder measures made from the stuff.
Chuck Goodall
The Original Huntin' Fool
&
Kanawha Ranger Scribe
I'd only need one or two at the most just to hold pre-measured powder in. If for some unforeseen reason I needed more I could fill them on the spot. I have some cork I could use to stop em up with.
I've got a loading block that holds six patched balls. it would save having to pour out of the horn into a powder measure I guess it would save some time what do ya'll think. River cane would be period correct I guess I've several powder measures made from the stuff.
Chuck Goodall
The Original Huntin' Fool
&
Kanawha Ranger Scribe
No, haul your gun up on the rope. Unloaded or at least unprimed or capped as the case maybe. Muzzle down, so it is not pointed at you. DO NOT try to climb with the gun in your hands or slung on your back. It could make it more likely you will fall, and/or cause more injury if you do fall and land on it. I am not sure exactly what you meant MM, but I am sure your advise had safety in mind.
I have heard of the hammer being snagged on a branch and pulled enough to fall past the sear and fire...
I also heard of the gun snagging on branches from being slinged, pulling the shooter away from the branches while climbing...
If hunting in pairs, have a buddy hand you up your gun (unprimed) sideways, so the barrel is not pointing at either of you...
I guess it would be safe to haul up a muzzleloader, butt first...
Use a strong line or rope though, if it breaks you'll have a bore full of who knows what...
I was trying to provide safety precautions, that's all...
I'm sure there are extreamly safe ways to haul a (loaded but unprimed) muzzleloader up into a tree stand, I would like to hear some more ideas...
I, myself, would wait until I got in the tree stand before loading, only because I know what I'm capable of doing...
I also heard of the gun snagging on branches from being slinged, pulling the shooter away from the branches while climbing...
If hunting in pairs, have a buddy hand you up your gun (unprimed) sideways, so the barrel is not pointing at either of you...
I guess it would be safe to haul up a muzzleloader, butt first...
Use a strong line or rope though, if it breaks you'll have a bore full of who knows what...
I was trying to provide safety precautions, that's all...
I'm sure there are extreamly safe ways to haul a (loaded but unprimed) muzzleloader up into a tree stand, I would like to hear some more ideas...
I, myself, would wait until I got in the tree stand before loading, only because I know what I'm capable of doing...
Randal Zartman
40 Cal.
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Keith, The guys at the hunter safety course recently suggested double or triple looping the rope around the unloaded gun and pulling it up muzzle first. As you lift the butt off the ground you could clog the muzzle.
Zman
Zman
Reloading does not seem to be a real problem in the tree stand although my platform is a lot larger then an average tree stand. The big thing is to take your time and slow down. If you drop something because you are in a hurry then you have saved no time at all. Besides if I have shot, the animal better be down.. :thumbsup:
:what:
I'm a safety concious individual, I use a climbing belt if I'm going 15+ feet, and always use a safety belt, etc.
But putting those aside, for about the past 20 years I've averaged climbing up and down trees with a rifle slung over my back about 60 times/season....lever actions, bolt actions, automatics, shotguns, muzzleloaders, etc...and can't for the life of me see how that increases my chances of falling...far greater chance of hurting myself with any of a number of gun related mishaps by laying it on the ground, trying to rope it up, etc.
:results:
I applaud the use of a safety belt. Many people don't wear them, and correct me if I am wrong you can't wear it while climbing into the stand. I ask this seriously, I stick to the ground myself.
With the gun in hand you are not as able to hold onto the tree or steps. Slung it could snag on a limb and pull you off balance.
Yes, dropping a firearm tied to a rope muzzle down could plug the bore. If that happens clear the obstruction. I say haul it up muzzle away from you, because people have managed to shoot themselves hauling a gun up with the muzzle pointed up. An unloaded gun would take care of that problem entirely.
:m2c: Do what you will, just be careful. Anyway we discuss could have some potential drawback.
With the gun in hand you are not as able to hold onto the tree or steps. Slung it could snag on a limb and pull you off balance.
Yes, dropping a firearm tied to a rope muzzle down could plug the bore. If that happens clear the obstruction. I say haul it up muzzle away from you, because people have managed to shoot themselves hauling a gun up with the muzzle pointed up. An unloaded gun would take care of that problem entirely.
:m2c: Do what you will, just be careful. Anyway we discuss could have some potential drawback.
OK, I'll correct you... ::
I use a "climbing belt" similar to a lineman's climbing lanyard...it's a very strong adjustable rope which goes around the tree and snaps back onto itself.
As I go up the tree, both hands are free since my rifle is slung over my back and I just take a couple steps, flip the climbing rope up a little higher, take another couple steps, etc...takes longer to describe it than to do it.
And I don't put treestands in locations requiring that I have to navigate through limbs to get to them.
When I get into the stand, I leave the climbing rope around the tree, and I already have one end of a wide web safety belt snugged around my waist, I pull the other rolled up end out of a cargo pocket on my pants leg, and fasten it around the tree.
Then unhook the climbing rope and hang it on a high tree step, unsling rifle, turn around, sit down, shoot deer.
::
Seriously, with this system I'm never untethered from the tree going up or coming down.
It may not be the ultimate scientific proven multi-layered, multi-limb, sky-hook body style parachute harness that's advertised but at least I wear & use this style, and probably would not at all use the allegedly better one.
I use a "climbing belt" similar to a lineman's climbing lanyard...it's a very strong adjustable rope which goes around the tree and snaps back onto itself.
As I go up the tree, both hands are free since my rifle is slung over my back and I just take a couple steps, flip the climbing rope up a little higher, take another couple steps, etc...takes longer to describe it than to do it.
And I don't put treestands in locations requiring that I have to navigate through limbs to get to them.
When I get into the stand, I leave the climbing rope around the tree, and I already have one end of a wide web safety belt snugged around my waist, I pull the other rolled up end out of a cargo pocket on my pants leg, and fasten it around the tree.
Then unhook the climbing rope and hang it on a high tree step, unsling rifle, turn around, sit down, shoot deer.
::
Seriously, with this system I'm never untethered from the tree going up or coming down.
It may not be the ultimate scientific proven multi-layered, multi-limb, sky-hook body style parachute harness that's advertised but at least I wear & use this style, and probably would not at all use the allegedly better one.
Wayne Combs
40 Cal.
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RB,the construction industry has quit using safety belts and have gone to using a safety harness.If I understand correctly a belt can break your back.Wayne.
My head's in the clouds, but my foots stay in contact with sweet Mother Earth. I tried bowhunting from treestands twice. There may never be a third time.
Maybe if I had a had one of them nice store-bought kinds that stay in place all on their own. :shocking: Nothing gets the heart pumping like standing there bored to tears and suddenly dropping a foot as the durned thing slips. Happened both times! No thanky.
Now my tree seats are placed two feet off the ground.
Maybe if I had a had one of them nice store-bought kinds that stay in place all on their own. :shocking: Nothing gets the heart pumping like standing there bored to tears and suddenly dropping a foot as the durned thing slips.
Happened both times! No thanky. Now my tree seats are placed two feet off the ground.
And that's why my "Silent Slide" safety belt only has a 12" tether...can't drop and hurt myself.
It was invented by a man in Michigan (or Wisconsin) who I met here at an annual Deer convention several years ago...his belt has since been bought out and is carried by Cabelas, Red Head, etc...most practical safety belt I've ever seen.
Yes, a whole body harness might be better...but it suffers from a major design flaw: "It has to be bought and worn"...and most hunters don't buy and wear them due to their cost and bulkiness.
I have a system that provides me far greater safety than the majority of hunters use...particularly when statistics show the majority of falls occur during the transition from the tree into the stand, and from the stand back onto the tree.
It was invented by a man in Michigan (or Wisconsin) who I met here at an annual Deer convention several years ago...his belt has since been bought out and is carried by Cabelas, Red Head, etc...most practical safety belt I've ever seen.
Yes, a whole body harness might be better...but it suffers from a major design flaw: "It has to be bought and worn"...and most hunters don't buy and wear them due to their cost and bulkiness.
I have a system that provides me far greater safety than the majority of hunters use...particularly when statistics show the majority of falls occur during the transition from the tree into the stand, and from the stand back onto the tree.
RB, Sounds like a good set up, thanks for the correction. I realize your belt shouldn't do this, but another caveat. Don't tie a rope around the chest. A properly designed harness is one thing, a rope around the chest or waist is anonther. What has happend is a hunter will fall while wearing a rope around their waist. Without leg loops or something the rope slides up to the chest. Unfortunately, the knot is often a slip knot (?), like a lasso. This tightens up and can suffocate a person by constricting the chest. Not common, but has indeed happened.
This "Silent Slide" safety belt design has taken that into consideration...no slip type connections.
The way I use it is to cinch the half of the safety belt around the tree so when I sit down in the treestand the 12" tether to the belt around my waist/hip area is already at the end of it's very short length so I cannot drop...and it keeps me right there against the tree within easy reach of tree steps, etc.
Not saying any such occurance would be fun, but I have none of the exposures that were heard about 15 years ago from people having 20' of exceess strap for a freefall drop to break their backs with, or slip knots to tighten so they suffocate, etc.
I approach and configure myself with a tree & treestand on the assumption that I am going to fall, therefore, how do I mitigate that fall so I dont't get hurt badly and can recover / get out of the situation while up there on that tree. I only use industrial strength tree stands and they must have multiple attachment points to the tree for redundancy.
In addition, instead of using 20-25' treestand heights like when I bowhunted, I now only put them up around 10' so at 6'4" I can usually jump up and touch the platform of the treestand.
:results:
The way I use it is to cinch the half of the safety belt around the tree so when I sit down in the treestand the 12" tether to the belt around my waist/hip area is already at the end of it's very short length so I cannot drop...and it keeps me right there against the tree within easy reach of tree steps, etc.
Not saying any such occurance would be fun, but I have none of the exposures that were heard about 15 years ago from people having 20' of exceess strap for a freefall drop to break their backs with, or slip knots to tighten so they suffocate, etc.
I approach and configure myself with a tree & treestand on the assumption that I am going to fall, therefore, how do I mitigate that fall so I dont't get hurt badly and can recover / get out of the situation while up there on that tree. I only use industrial strength tree stands and they must have multiple attachment points to the tree for redundancy.
In addition, instead of using 20-25' treestand heights like when I bowhunted, I now only put them up around 10' so at 6'4" I can usually jump up and touch the platform of the treestand.
:results:
I use a real heavy duty harness that comes over the shoulder, then across the chest and around the waist also. Just to try it hanging, I have seen how well it holds fooling around in the yard on trees. It actually does a real good job.
The best thing is it doubles as a deer drag after you shoot your animal. You can not believe how much you can pull in a harness like that. I pulled a huge doe out of my cedar marsh last year with it. To try and pull that animal out any other way would have been the death of me. I bought the thing at Cabela's.
The best thing is it doubles as a deer drag after you shoot your animal. You can not believe how much you can pull in a harness like that. I pulled a huge doe out of my cedar marsh last year with it. To try and pull that animal out any other way would have been the death of me. I bought the thing at Cabela's.
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