shooting rails

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grouse
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shooting rails

Post by grouse »

Do any of you guys use deer stands with shooting rails? I like them for two reasons. First, they make holding the crosshairs still on my crossbow or rifle scope easy, allowing me to feel very confident on most shots. Second, they add a measure of safety when hunting from an elevated stand. They are not as safe as a safety harness but I'm stubborn and don't like to a use safety harness so the rail is the next best thing. I'm curious about what you might think.
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racking up points
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Re: shooting rails

Post by racking up points »

I like shooting rails for the reasons you listed. I drape camo burlap over them and brush them in to add a measure of concealment. But I still use a safety harness and won't get into any tree without one. In my younger years, I was like you and insisted I didn't need a harness but once I got married and had kids, I realized that there are people that relied on me being alive. It's a very unobtrusive piece of equipment, you really should seriously consider wearing one.
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paulaboutform
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Re: shooting rails

Post by paulaboutform »

What Racking up Points said X2. You can get safety harnesses now that you can put on like a vest and are very easy to strap on. Please reconsider and wear one for your sake and your loved ones sake. Remember that many falls also happen getting in or out of the stand. Accidents are unexpected, that's why they're called accidents and not purposes.

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Riflemanz
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Re: shooting rails

Post by Riflemanz »

Spend the money for a HSS vest and lifeline or your going to end up a stubborn man in a wheelchair or worse dead! Wake up man!
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Re: shooting rails

Post by vixenmaster »

I will be 65 in June, i use a safety Harness. I sit up in Hang-On stands & use Summit Climber. I love killin deer n hogs! :)
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amythntr
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Re: shooting rails

Post by amythntr »

racking up points wrote:I like shooting rails for the reasons you listed. I drape camo burlap over them and brush them in to add a measure of concealment. But I still use a safety harness and won't get into any tree without one. In my younger years, I was like you and insisted I didn't need a harness but once I got married and had kids, I realized that there are people that relied on me being alive. It's a very unobtrusive piece of equipment, you really should seriously consider wearing one.
Amen! For the sake of your loved ones wear a harness! As I tell everyone the best thing that can happen if you fall out of the tree like that, is... "you be dead on arrival"...at least your family can collect on the life insurance and move on....

....the worst that can happen is that you become a quadriplegic and your family has to feed you and wipe your arse for the rest of your life...

Didn't mean to be blunt about it...but I had to be blunt about it!

Anthony :)

....Obviously this was meant for "grouse", not for "racking up points".....
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W.Miguire
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Re: shooting rails

Post by W.Miguire »

rails are arm rest only, not a safety bar. with that said please don't get in a tree without a safety harness . I lost a good friend of mine because he thought the same way you did . left a wife and a little girl . was 44 years of age. don't mean to seem gloomy but that what happened in my experience . safety is important.
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Deerstalker
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Re: shooting rails

Post by Deerstalker »

I also like the tree stand rails for tie-wrapping the camo shroud in addition to a shooting rest.

Like others have said always, always wear your safety harness. Here is what a 16' fall looks like and I was extremely lucky that I could walk away. I thought that I was too good of a climber to need a safety harness & learned the hard way.

Image
Last edited by Deerstalker on Thu Mar 05, 2015 1:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Kegbelly
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Re: shooting rails

Post by Kegbelly »

X3 on what the others have said! Shooting rails are great for steadying a shot. Safety harnesses keep you alive. :idea:
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grouse
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Re: shooting rails

Post by grouse »

I appreciate everyone's feedback and I am certain that everyone's intentions are nothing but good. However, I do about 70% of my hunting from a 15" tripod stand with a 360 degree shooting rail and a 360 degree swivel seat. Rigging and using a harness on that stand seems illogical. When I hunt from one of my shooting rail equipped tree stands I feel no more vulnerable than I do in my tripod stand. I am no longer the reckless young man I once was I'm 66 yrs. old, I always wear my seatbelt in a vehicle, a helmet on a motorcycle and ear protection when I target shoot a firearm. I would probably be safer if I wore a harness just as I would if I placed a thick layer of cushions beneath my stand.

I'm not arguing against anyone else using anything they want to feel safe but a sturdy, properly installed shooting rail gives me an adequate feeling of security while spend my hours sitting in one of my stands. I said in my first post that I am hard headed and I'm sure to many of you I just proved it. Thanks again for your opinions.
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Deerstalker
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Re: shooting rails

Post by Deerstalker »

I felt EXACTLY the same way that you do until I fell. Remember it is NOT if but WHEN you will fall.
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DuckHunt
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Re: shooting rails

Post by DuckHunt »

I have a shooting rail on every stand I hunt in. I do like the ability to use a steady rest every chance I get. I even hunt with my compound bow from the same stands so I just have to stand up to clear the rail when shooting. On occasion, I have even leaned out against it to make sure the limbs are clear. API makes an aluminum strap on shooting rail that I've had on one of my hang-on stands for at least five years. I wouldn't want to rely on it to save my life, but it does add a little more security than a wide open seat.

I do wear a HSS harness and have a lifeline on my non-ladder stands. I wear the HSS harness every time I hunt even if I plan on hunting from the ground. It doubles as a world class deer drag and all of my gear fits in the pockets. The fact that its a safety harness is just a bonus.

Maybe the should market a spin off under the name MBDS for Monster Buck Dragging System. It could double as a safety harness. Since it is for dragging big deer maybe those with an aversion to safety wouldn't feel so bad about wearing it. :lol:

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