10 Best Climbing Sticks For Deer Hunting
Updated on: December 2023
Best Climbing Sticks For Deer Hunting in 2023
Big Dog Hunting Hotfoot Climbing stick, 24'
- 24' Double Sided steps
- Extra wide,
- Straps INCLUDED
Guide Gear 20' Climbing Sticks
Guide Gear Hang-on Tree Stand & Climbing Stick Combo
Big Dog Hunting ADTS-400 Advanced Take-Down Treestands Timber Step, 31", 4 Steps
- 4 Sections, 31" Each. Each section weighs approximately 4lbs. each.
- Fold Out Tread Steps for Easy Climbing
- Secured With: (1) Strap Per Section
- Meets ASTM Standards
- Weight Capacity: 300 lbs.
- Each section weighs approximately 4lbs. each.
Lone Wolf 4 - Pc. Climbing Stick
- Quick, quiet and easy to use; Ingeniously designed to nest together and mount directly on the Assault treestand or ALPHA Hang On treestand
- Pivoting V-Brackets adjust to match the natural contour of the tree
- Fits 4" - 22" tree diameter (strap extensions available); 350-pound weight rating
- Single tube design; Reversible steps
- Stick Length: 32"; Distance between steps: 15"
Guide Gear Quick Climbing Sticks, 3 Pack
Big Game Quick-Stick Climbing System CS050
- Height: 20' (18" Between Sections)
- Step Width: 10.5"
- Alternating Step Design
- 5 Sections (4 lbs. each)
Guide Gear 20' Tree Ladder
Millennium Treestands M210 Stick Climber
- STICK CLIMBER: Being able to get into and out of your treestand safely and easily while hunting is important. The M210 Stick Climber is a great solution. Built for hunters and built to last.
- 20-FEET TALL: At 20-feet this Stick Climber delivers the goods to get you up to your stand and back down again safely.
- CAM BUCKLE: The M210 Stick Climber comes with a 7-foot cam buckle for extra large trees.
- SMART CONSTRUCTION: The lightweight steelTough construction with a durable powder coat finish means you’ll enjoy years of great service from this climber. Standoffs offer plenty of boot room as you climb. And the dual top step adds security.
- MEASUREMENTS: Built to hold up to 300-pounds. Weighs 17-pounds.
Hawk Helium Climbing Stick 3 PK. for Treestand Fold Up Steps with Boot Grabbing Grooves
- Traction grabbing steps
- Includes silent-use tree attachment hooks and trigger teeth
- Compact design
Deer Hunting with the .223 Remington
While the .223 Remington is far from ideal for deer hunting it is not as ridiculous as many maintain. Let's take a look at the numbers.
The general rule of thumb is that a cartridge needs to produce 1000 foot pounds of energy at a given distance to effectively take a whitetail deer. The .223 Remington firing a 60 grain Nosler Partition as loaded by Federal produces 3160 feet per second at the muzzle and 1330 foot pounds of energy. The energy at 100 yards is 998 foot pounds and at 200 yards is 736 foot pounds. (Ballistics from federalpremium.com) While this level of energy is not impressive to say the least, let's look at the numbers of the 30-30 Winchester. The 30-30 Winchester is a great deer cartridge that has filled innumerable tags over the years, yet its ballistics are not spectacular either. The 30-30 Winchester fires a 150 grain bullet at 2390 feet per second and generates 1902 foot pounds of energy. At 100 and 200 yards the energy numbers are 1296 and 858. While the 30-30 Winchester does produce better numbers than the .223 Remington, the difference is not that significant. (30-30 ballistics from remington.com) And then there is my .45 Flintlock whose round balls barely generate 1000 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle, yet has killed about 20 deer. And then there are all the deer that fell to the .25-20 and .32-20 Winchester and the .44-40 Winchester, none of which even come close to 1000 foot pounds at the muzzle. While ballistics are interesting and are useful as a basis of comparison, they do not tell the whole story.
With a proper bullet at a proper distance shot into the proper area, the .223 Remington will take deer just fine. While I have never killed a deer with a .223 Remington, I have seen a hunting companion take many with the .222 Remington. Use a Nosler Partition or other sturdy bullet, keep your shots to about 150 yards, and place the bullet properly into the lungs and the .223 Remington will work fine in the deer woods. While other light kicking guns such as the .243 Winchester, .260 Remington, or 30-30 Winchester are far superior choices, if you have no other choice use your .223 Remington with confidence.
