Monkeyball gave me a rather old book last weekend at the PLA/Shade Mountain Shoot. “Complete Outdoors Encyclopedia” by Vin T. Sprano. As I was reading through the archery and bowhunting section, most of the “how to’s” still stand, but then I saw this gem. Made me nervous sitting on my back porch on a sunny Sunday afternoon!

Oh….the book was published in 1972.

I slid down a few trees, never on purpose and the pines cut the worst

I had a couple Baker climbing stands, still have the scars to prove it.

I like the uncovered broadheads in the first picture lol

HA! Yeah, so many safety violations by today’s standards, but if those didn’t get ya, you still could probably only hunt weekends waiting for the chaffing to heal between tree stand sets.

I owned the original Baker Tree Stand and the Pro Hunter back in the 1970s. Later (late 1970s to mid-1980s) I got the Fox Squirrel Climbing Treestand (pictured). Then after that I had two Loggy Bayou Climbing Treestands (still own one). Now I have and use a Summit and a Lone Wolf Climbing treestand. Also have a bunch of Screaming Eagle hang-on treestands that I like.

Yes I made a baker back 1979 -1980 , one time came down the tree faster than I went up , laid at the bottom for five minutes till got my wind back, no other problems thank God. No more.

I've had many great hunts with my baker..

Even though I’m only 47, my first tree stand was a Baker, then a TSS. Took a ride on the TSS when I was about 13. My Dad wasn’t into setting with me, I was left on my own from day 1 age 12, he heard me scream the whole way to the bottom ??. Imagine that in 2024.

That is the reason I stay on the ground, got caught hangin up side down and that was enough. If God wanted me in the tree he would've gave me a tail.

I had one that came with the hand climber so you didn't need to hug the tree. It doubled as the most painful tree seat ever invented. Never went higher than 6 to 8 feet off the ground. Damn scary stand. I was young then. Never had it slide down a tree, but it made me a ground hunter.

I had a Baker, Widow maker!

Never owned a Baker. I made my own with a seat/hand climber. Never slide down the tree with it, but had it slip when climbing more then once. Killed a bunch of dear out of them. This was in the early 80’s

good stuff! made me smile, especially the exposed broadheads as someone posted above.

my goodness, good thing some of us were tough or lucky, because we weren't smart. :)

i had a TSS. took a few short slips but no major falls. i had taken a stencil and painted on my TSS 'Death from above'. LOL.

I had the Baker Mighty Mite with a hand climber. I learned real fast after taking a ride down the tree where to keep my weight positioned on the stand. I also got a goose egg on the top of my head from the hand climber slipping while I stowed it above me. Didn't do that again either:)........Nimrod

That thing, and others like it, contributed to the forming of the TMO!

MP

I always used a file to keep the blades sharp. Never had a problem with them even when I climbed a tree with ice on it. We often wondered how a woman could climb with the early model ( by hugging the tree ), but they did (?).

I had a Baker and the best thing that could have happened was when somebody stole it off of a tree I had it on.

They were solid once you got the chain binder around the tree. lol

We took all that we had, maybe 6 of them and sold the metal for scrap.

I ran with the Slim Jim for quite a while without the hand climber, hello! Rough on the forearms. I had the TSS for the longest time, did like that one. Last climber I had(still have) was the API.

Shick

Brought back some memories high heart rate until I tied myself to the tree but did shoot some critters out of my old baker still hanging in my garage thanks for sharing the memories

Had a Baker back in the day and then built a copy but with a much bigger platform. Used it for years and shot quite a few deer out of it without incident. Looking back now, I realize how risky those things were. Young and brave/dumb I guess?

Dad bought a couple in the mid 70s...I slid down a few pines, got scarred up on the chest n belly.

I had a Baker, TSS and Loggy Bayou. All slid down the tree lol

I used to make my own baker style stands.

my sons would tell you about some of the things i have hunted out of years ago, never used a safety harness. Amazing i never got hurt seriously, and yea i fell.

Perched on tree limbs, homemade stands etc.. My son saw a rock wedged up in the fork of a tree and sent me the pic from his cell phone..

"saw this and thought of you dad"

yep been there done that, there is still one up in a tree on the mt here behind the house about 10' off the ground. I remember i had leaned a big log up in the fork then pushed a big flat rock ahead of me and shinnied up the log, worked like a fool to get that up there.

years ago if i could get my arms and legs around a tree i could go up it...that ship has sailed, at 59 not sure if i still could and besides.....i have more sense now.

loc ons, climbers and a harness. I admit i don't get extreme about it but i wear something now.

I can relate to these posts. A “friend” lent me a Baker in the early ‘80’s. After a rough trip down a tree I’m not sure if he was a friend or someone trying to maim me.

I still have one tree lounge.

Accident waiting to happen !

A friend would have warned you to always keep your weight to the outside of the stand, and maybe pick softer bark trees which makes going up and down quieter as well . You guys crack me up..

Rattle can camo trap door, I don’t miss mine one bit.

I wonder at times how many people went to the hosp. because of these early things.

Actually can't even 100% trust new stands today. Which is why stands now come with a safety harness. PLEASE always where one. With the prusik safety line system attached ALL TIMES.

24 years ago I had a manufactured lock on stand break right at dark, right after I took my safety line off my waist and getting ready to lower my bow. 13ft up

Five days in hosp. cut from pubic bone to sternum. Ruptered spleen and bruised pelvic bone. It ain't funny but I have been field dressed and released. Waiting for appt. to have herniated incision repaired, a second time.

If I posted my photos right after surgery they'd likely get removed cuz it wern't pretty.

In KS there no trees climbers will work on so don't know squat.

I too went on the magic carpet slide with a baker. I made a ladder stand from it, and then it was stolen along with 2 other good ladder stands.

I killed my first bow killed deer, about 45 years ago, out of a homemade Baker clone. I couldn't afford the real thing, so I build one out of scrap metal and plywood, using the picture in an advertisement out of a hunting magazine. I remember sharpening the edges of the angle iron to a very sharp edge, so it would grab the bark on the tree.

Later on, I purchased a factory seat climber stand, that had sharp spikes welded on it. That stand was built before everybody got all worried about damaging the trees, and that was the best stand I ever had. Solid as a rock. I would still be using it if I hadn't gotten it stolen.

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