Hunter new to climbing

Hello to all, let me begin by saying that ive been lurking for a long time and have learned a lot by reading these forums! I've been intrigued by climbing trees since I was about 10. But until about a year or so ago did not know just how much. I'm a police officer in Delaware and a SWAT member. I went to a school and learned tactical rappeling and fast roping and was hooked by being up high and climbing ropes. Rock climbing has never really caught my attention as there is a lack of mountains and large rocks in my area. I'm also a devoted deer hunter. Which brings me to why I'm here. I found that a lot of hunters are using tree saddles to hunt from as they are more safe than traditional tree climbing stands. Enter the new tribe aero hunter. The aero hunter is the same as the walkabout. So I can use the harness to hunt from and recreational climb with. My plan is to use the harness to climb the tree i will hunt from then tie off and hunt. The difference between the walkabout and the aero hunter is the length of the bridge. The aero hunters bridge is much longer so that the hunter can move about to get into a shooting position. I called new tribe and asked it a double bridge could be set up on the walkabout as it uses a rigging plate with multiple holes. They told me it could. My plan is to use one short bridge to climb up and then use the longer bridge in the tree to hunt from. I would live to hear some suggestions as I am completely new so please forgive me!

Here are my basic questions:

I will be purchasing the aero hunter/walkabout saddle. I need some suggestions on a good rope. One that knots well and will stand up to hunting elements. Rain snow etc. I have 150ft of sterling super static rappel rope I use at work but that obviously will not work. I have practiced hanging on it using Blake's hitches about a foot of the ground with my rappel harness but would never climb on it. A split tail must be used with the rappel rope as it refuses to knot well.

Any suggestions on minimal equipment as I will be carrying it through the woods.

Any local climbers that could help me learn? I'm pretty proficient in knot tying and practice knot tying.. I'm a complete newb and don't deny it. I can rappel off an 8 story building fairly easy and know what needs to be done. However, I have not been able to find a local class to teach me ropes of climbing trees.

I appreciate any comments as I'm new and still learning. My goal is to learn the basics over this summer and prepare for next hunting season. I hope to learn a lot here and enjoy every climb!

For a climbing rope 11mm Yale Bandit might be a good choice. It has a fairly natural color pattern. It's very strong and supple and holds a Blake's Hitch well. Some of the arborist ropes can be very high visibility, I'm not sure what deer can see color-wise. Any good quality arborist rope will hold up well to the elements.

You're probably doing this already but I would practice climbing in trees quite a bit a and get your gear set squared away before using it for hunting.

Good luck with it!
-AJ

If you haven't done so already, get yourself a copy of Tree Climbing Basics with Peter Treeman Jenkins. Just click on "Store" at the top of the page and you can order it there. Keep things simple as you get started! I don't know about your experience, but the doubled rope technique is safe and reliable. Peter refers to the Blakes hitch as a magic knot; it goes up when you want it to go up, goes down when you want it to go down, and stays put when you want it too stay put. A foot ascender, like the Petzl Pantin is also a good investment.

Thanks for the replies!! The Yale bandit is actually the exact rope I was looking at. Deer are colorblind hence the hunter orange. What do you think about the double bridge? All i have to do is tie in another rope to the rigging plate. I was also thinking about a hand ascender with a foot loop attached with a biner.

Double bridge is good. Remember the number one rule of tree climbing. Always tied in. When you switch your attachment from one bridge to the other, keep your first attachment in place until you have tested your new attachment, transfer your body weight to the new attachment, then detach your first attachment.
-AJ

Maybe you can just use the static line that you already have and use a single Rope Technique with ascenders or prusiks. I think you will still want to get a tree stand though. It would be miserable without one.

I am not a hunter but I would suggest a basic saddle or even a TENGU saddle with a single bridge after you are on the tree and in position you need to keep everything silence and all those extra pieces of fancy climbing gear will only complicate your hunt. and they are cheaper than the "hunting" saddles invest in an extra piece of rope to make yourself a double ended adjustable lanyard to tie while to are in the tree and making adjustments to your climbing gear and saddle. The Video that Peter Jenkins put together plus the experience you have will keep you safe while in the trees. Safe hunting.

Beware of GAD (gear aquisition disease)! I think, before you know it, the tree climbing bug will bite, and you will be hopelessly under its power!