Setting lines in high trees- 100 plus feet- without getting busted.

i have the utmost respect for the Forest Rangers or equivalant. They put up with a lot of CRAP from a lot of users, all day, every day. My hat goes off to them for their exceptional people skills, non violent crisis intervention skills when dealing with IDIOTS etc.

I find the best course of action is to visit the Rangers prior to setting up in the trees. Explain to them what your doing, show them the gear, be professional and honest etc. 9 times out of ten they will shrug their shoulders and say go for it. Some have even offered to show me larger trees. The odd time they say no, THANK THEM and move on. They will be more receptive i find the next time you ask them if you thank them, rather than getting grumbly at them.

When i used to have a giant slingshot, i showed the gear to a Ranger once (his request). He had so much fun shooting the thing i almost did'nt get time to go climbing... :D:D

Good point about being upfront with the ranger. In my area I ninja 90% of the time because of the high density of bored law enforcement and lawsuit paranoia in my fair state. Though lately I have been making inroads on getting climbing permission for some areas. It's a gradual process.

It might be a good idea to bring a few donuts up, then lower one down on a throwline to appease the good officers of the law when necessary.

Launching donuts with a Big Shot might be taken the wrong way, hmm... how hard can you fire a jelly donut before it implodes? I digress.

In Massachusetts it is against the law to possess a slingshot, period. With one exception. If you belong to a "slingshot club" it is legal. Anyone want to form a slingshot club with me? At this point I do not own a slingshot. It is an arborist tree entry tool.

hehehe "arborist tree entry tool" PERFECT!!!!

I have been asked to speak at the Mississippi Rendezvous this October 7th

(FULL HARVEST MOON)

On of my topics must be tree entry art.

Abe can pitch a strike over 100 feet.

I can throw equal to Wild Thing in Bull Durham; the only bulls eye I can hit is the mascot sitting on the bench.

Scott can retreive at stuck bag in under 600 seconds. I spend hours just untangling my throwline.

Elliot can nail a limb at 50 meters. I can limb my nail. OUCH!

Of the many tools on my workbench is one that can hardly be heard; pulls a line up 100 feet and cannot be indentified as any kind of weapon.

Come to the Rendezvous to hear the rest of the story.

See you at the top,

Tree Tramp

I'm experimenting with a ALVEY sidecast fishing reel. My aussie buddies can cast a 1LB weight about 250 feet out to the surf with a sruf rod and these reels. Basically the reel is a large tapered spool that you turn sideways for casting then rotate back to retrieve. The one i own holds 1400 feet of 10 lb test mono. I predict i'll be able to hold about 400 feet of 1 to 2 mm spectra line. Add a swivel then the shotbag and bobs your uncle. I'm have a nice stiff fishing rod for this, and it breaks down nicely for packing.

pics below of the reel , will try to get pics of the setup when i can find a person with a camera.



ready for casting:
http://www.ausfish.com.au/alvey/10.shtml

That side cast reel might be nice mounted on a Big Shot. I think you will have difficulty casting straight up or at a steep angle (if that's what you are suggesting). I've done quite a bit of surfcasting, getting big horizontal distance on a cast is one thing, going up is a different matter, the motion mechanics are all wrong and there is no room for a backswing (weight wants to be below the surface of the ground if you are casting up). If you could make it work there is so much arc in the motion of the cast that you would need a wide open understory.

However if I'm completely wrong in my theorizing, let us know! I would love to put that sidecaster on a Big Shot (or mounted on the ground on a "stick" in front of the Big Shot). I wonder if it could be convinced to hold 180 ft. of 1.75mm Zing-It?

Moss, your right about the room to swing being very tight....LOL although it is easy to do in a big field where you can stand back a bit.

I really like the idea of the Alvey reel on the bigshot pole though!!! the reels ae inexpensive (some of the models) and can be found on ebay for cheap) (in case your looking iinlcuded a link...lol) http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170015009310&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_ReBay_Pr4_PcY_BID_IT


Damn , another piece of gear to add to my collection....LOL

Check this out.
Bowfishing seems like the tech for setting high lines. The company www.amsbowfishing.com has everything.

no can do...if i carried that down the city streets on my backpack, and intot he forest, id get taken down by the ERT/Swat team and arrested. Big no no carrying a bow in the city here.... :'(

heck i've been stopped for having my recurve bow on the seat beside me int he truck, while in the city.

Your point gets back to Treeman's original condition that the tree access device not raise suspiscion. I can certainly see how this wouldn't work in the city. Shooting arrows in a park would be irresponsible. I think hand-throwing is better for city trees.

What I had in mind, was to carry the bow in the trunk of my car to a forest preserve and use it to set lines in very tall trees.
I'll share how I do. I may even try telling the forest guys what I'm up to-and, then again, maybe not.
I'va attached a pic of the retriever system I want to mount on my bow.

STR tech, You mean that you guys are not able to walk around town with a gun on your side and AK-47 hanging from the rear window of your Pick up truck. Here in Texas that is just normal.
Even Grandmas pack heat here. Remember it is your God Giving right to carry a Big Gun in Texas!

Just kidding!

LOL! you have no idea how much i would love to be able to carry a sidearm........

Originally posted by Electrojake
Big Shot altitude boost ? ? ?
Using a standard Big Shot with 2.2mm Samson Zing-It throw line tied to a 10 oz. throw-bag, I can accurately shoot in a line 50 feet. With some luck and a tailwind I might be able to get a 65 foot shot. In dense forest I’m usually shooting almost straight up. Very poor trajectory that way too. Electrojake

What?!?!? I was using 12 oz. weight with 1.75 Zing-It this summer in Costa Rica and hit numerous (6-8) 90-100 ft. shots, the highest being around 110(total tree height was 134, but I was on a little hill). I had some 8oz. weights with me just in case, but I never needed them. Is there something fishy going on here? Can anyone else hit this? Or is there something about the Costa Rican air and gravity...?

mateo

100+ foot shots with the typical Big Shot system???

Greetings mateo,
My original quote of 50 to 65 feet straight-up in dense forest seems correct to me.

On a group climb I did with a few of the TCI forum guys a while back proved similar results. After repeated try’s by several of the gang, during winter when there was no canopy, with a 10 oz bag and 2.2mm Zing-it. . .
We were yielding hits with the Big Shot on 70 to 80 foot branches (at best).

I will agree that out in the open, with mono-filament line and a solid weight (not a shot-bag) you could easily break the 100 foot barrier with a Big Shot. Fortunately for me and my anemic Big Shot system, here in Jersey I’d be hard pressed to find a tree over 100 foot anyway.

Occasionally I will come across a mature Yellow Poplar and I gaze up in awe. I don’t get to see much big timber in my area. It must be great if you have access to the big ones!

Reporting from the swamps of Central Jersey,
Electrojake

Here in the northwest I am using a 10oz throwbag and 1.75 fling-it throwline and am able to set my lines around 125' with the 8' pole.

I saw one of Treemans employees hit 100+', with no problem, using a 14oz tb and 4mm slickline. He was using a 10' pole not the common 8', the rubber was also placed further down the yoke then it is when you buy it new. This gave him the"extra" pull desired. I was in awe!