1.) bluecat - 12/01/2014

Was planning on posting this question for awhile so Saturday I took some pictures of my setup. I'm still trying to find a better way to hang my bow while on stand.

The first pic shows those little bow hooks you can buy. They aren't near big enough for a bow and leave your bow sandwiched up against the tree because of the quiver. I hate these but they are light and easy to screw in. You bow will poke you in the back if it is a small diameter tree.

So I created a holder made from tubular steel (I didn't do the fabrication). It has gone through many incarnations and this is the best so far. If the tree tilts, I can tighten or loosen the paracord and even out the hinge holding the hook. It is fastened to the tree by an over-the-center strap (ratchet strap would probably be better).

The hook is large enough to safely put your bow on without fear of it falling off. I've seen my bow sway in some mighty winds with no problem. The steel hook was then rubberized. This whole system works but it is heavier than I'd like and I won't leave it in the tree as I don't want someone to take it. Therefore I have to cart this around all the time.

What do you all do?


Sorry, the pics aren't great as the sun was directly facing me but this ain't no beauty pageant.

2.) Swamp Fox - 12/01/2014

I use the little bow hooks because I must constantly resist the urge to add more weight to my pack, LOL

When I sit facing away from the tree, it is on my left side as high as I can get it from a standing position. I run the hook through a cut-out in the idler wheel rather than rest the limbs on the hook.

If I anticipate much standing or watching behind me, I put a second hook on the other side of the tree.

I assume you shoot quiver-on? If anyone's interested in ideas for how to hang your quiver for shooting quiver-off, I can throw out some pro tips, LOL (possibly later).

3.) Swamp Fox - 12/01/2014

P.S.---I luv the idea of being able to adjust for the lean of the tree...I might have to study that a little closer for one or two set-ups. :tu:

4.) bluecat - 12/01/2014

Yes, I shoot quiver on. I'd put the hook through the idler wheel but that quiver puts a severe angle from hook to bow and I don't trust it.

Once, I get the design right, I may have one made in aluminum. That would help a bit.

5.) luv2bowhunt - 12/01/2014

I found a guy at the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show that was selling light weight bow hooks. Maybe 10" long unfolded, they work well. I prefer the small hooks if I have a branch above me I can screw then into, which I often do. I always try to setup in a tree with lots of branches.

Red oaks or beech trees are the best because they keep their leaves all the way through our bow season.

6.) bluecat - 12/01/2014

[QUOTE=luv2bowhunt;27456]I found a guy at the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show that was selling light weight bow hooks. Maybe 10" long unfolded, they work well. I prefer the small hooks if I have a branch above me I can screw then into, which I often do. I always try to setup in a tree with lots of branches.

Red oaks or beech trees are the best because they keep their leaves all the way through our bow season.[/QUOTE]

I hate screwing stuff into trees if I can at all avoid it. I don't mind a small hook though.

I've looked at a few of the camera mounts. They are nice but can be expensive.

7.) luv2bowhunt - 12/01/2014

I screw in all my hooks in Sept. long before the season starts. Straps are bad where I hunt, like a neon sign pointing out your location to other hunters from a distance. They are what allows others to find your camera so easily.

8.) Swamp Fox - 12/01/2014

Hawk has some neat gizmos, including two bow arms and a bow hook. In fact, their bow hook is so good, apparently, it's "tactical".

If it's tactical enough to get into black walnut and some of the hard m-effin oaks I come across on occasion, I'm in!

Oorah!


[url]http://www.hawkhunting.com/collections/accessories[/url]

9.) luv2bowhunt - 12/01/2014

Beech trees are the worst. Not sure my .308 would make a dent in them.

10.) luv2bowhunt - 12/01/2014

"Xtendible™ Bow Arm
by HAWK™
This product is not available"


Thanks for getting us excited about stuff we can't get.:re:

11.) bluecat - 12/01/2014

Ads look so good on straight trees... I rarely encounter one.

12.) Swamp Fox - 12/01/2014

I call these "woodpeckers". It's a little tree auger. For starting your hooks or screw-in steps/tree bolts.

There are several different versions, including common Yankee drills. If you can find hand drills originally sold by Simmons, that's what a lot of people mean when they call something a woodpecker.

[url]http://www.ebay.com/itm/BuckWing-Hunters-Hand-Auger-/291310471703?pt=US_Knives_Tools&hash=item43d3750a17[/url]

13.) Swamp Fox - 12/01/2014

[QUOTE=luv2bowhunt;27466]"Xtendible™ Bow Arm
by HAWK™
This product is not available"


Thanks for getting us excited about stuff we can't get.:re:[/QUOTE]


I took that to mean they are out of stock for this year. Wait til next July and they'll have them out the yin yang. :wink

14.) Swamp Fox - 12/01/2014

[QUOTE=bluecat;27467]Ads look so good on straight trees... I rarely encounter one.[/QUOTE]

Show/ 'splain more about how you adjust the hook for tree lean. I'm intellested in that.

15.) bluecat - 12/01/2014

Look at pic 3. The small piece coming from the bracket is like a hinge. It can move freely. What keeps it from moving is some cord tied above and below the arm. I can let out cord to lower the hinge or tighten up cord to raise the hinge. It's a drawbridge.

16.) Swamp Fox - 12/01/2014

Ah. I couldn't see that was paracord til I blew up the pic. Thought it was a metal brace.

This new learning amazes me, Sir Belvedere.

[B][SIZE=4][COLOR="#FF0000"]"None shall pass."
[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]





:wink

17.) Swamp Fox - 12/01/2014

[QUOTE=bluecat;27472]... It's a drawbridge.[/QUOTE]


[B][SIZE=4][COLOR="#FF0000"]"None shall pass."
[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]






Ah. I couldn't see that was paracord til I blew up the pic. Thought it was a metal brace.

This new learning amazes me, Sir Belvedere.



:wink

18.) bluecat - 12/01/2014

Lol!

19.) Swamp Fox - 12/01/2014

My theory is that everything in life can be seen through the prism of [I]The Holy Grail,[/I] [I]Napoleon Dynamite[/I], or [I]The Outlaw Josey Wales[/I].

You could throw in [I]The History of the World, Part 1[/I], but that's kinda obvious...

20.) Deerminator - 12/01/2014

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;27476]My theory is that everything in life can be seen through the prism of [I]The Holy Grail,[/I] [I]Napoleon Dynamite[/I], or [I]The Outlaw Josey Wales[/I].

You could throw in [I]The History of the World, Part 1[/I], but that's kinda obvious...[/QUOTE]

add; cat Ballou

21.) Deerminator - 12/01/2014

....