How Many Misses......

TreeVB

TreeVB

Branched out member
Location
Boise, Idaho
How many misses does it take with your throwline before you start to lose your cool? I was having a hell of a time getting a line set in a medium sized honeylocust today which is where this is coming from. Clients dog is in the house just barking away so frustration built up quick. Usually takes me three throws by hand before the big shot comes out. If i miss twice with that then I'm a bit erked. On top of this, has anyone had any fun stories while setting a line? I used to work for a guy who was working on a movie set and his 12oz throwball came free falling down from about 80' right on the head of, his words not mine, some "extremely butchy chick". Said she just slowly sat down right in place and held her head but said she was fine. Got away a few minutes later.
 
I’ve learned to just grab the big shot first if I think I’ll need it. A ton of factors come into play at how long I’ll throw string though until I give up. Between the height, ease of climb, necessity for single line, groundie willingness to get me the ladder, time on the job, pressure of making guys stand around, amount of work in the tree, level of hangover, day of the week, number of trees that are next. It can be a tricky bitch
 
Someone that I highly respect (namedrop here) told me they throw five times and then find a different spot. They also reminded me one day that I can’t make a career from throwline. I now use that line on myself some days when I’m struggling- like today, trying to set lines in 10 white pines. Not my best day of throwing.
 
If it's more than 40' up, I just get the APTA out. Otherwise, I think I can go about a dozen attempts before I completely lose my cool, go batshit bazerko, and start up a steady stream of profanity. Two more tries and the bodies start piling up. Or, after 11 tries, I just hop back in the truck and go have a cup of coffee somewhere. When I come back, I'm ready for another 11 attempts.

Some days, I'm so buzzed up on coffee by 3PM that I just come back the next day.
 
When I get to the 5th attempt I find it easy cause at that point I can just walk my rope up into the canopy since I dropped the whole damn tree* after failed throw number 4!!

*also launched throw bag and hank of line into low earth orbit throwing shoulder out in the process.
 
JeffGu said:
If it's more than 40' up, I just get the APTA out. Otherwise, I think I can go about a dozen attempts before I completely lose my cool, go batshit bazerko, and start up a steady stream of profanity. Two more tries and the bodies start piling up. Or, after 11 tries, I just hop back in the truck and go have a cup of coffee somewhere. When I come back, I'm ready for another 11 attempts.

Some days, I'm so buzzed up on coffee by 3PM that I just come back the next day.
Click to expand...
You know when you hear a song that sounds like it was written for you. That is just what you have done Mr Gu. I am touched bro.
 
I can throw to sixty feet because I only have my arm and shoulder. I am going to make a throw bag launcher one of these days. Maybe I can use potatoes to test my prototype.

Once in a tree I was trying to make a second TIP for a traverse and I pulled a whole mess of dead oak limbs and a birds nest of zingit back to me. It looked very graceful. My second attempt I hit my TIP and had the bag swing right back into my outstretched hand. Kinda of made up for unintentional dead wood removal.

I find that my really bad ass throws can be offset by some really bad throws. It just takes patients. My technique involves picturing the bag going right where I want t to go as I throw. 100% of the time it works 60% of the time.
 
I’ve gotten pretty good throwing by hand now that I stopped using my big shot. I usually throw with one hand but I noticed after 3 tries or so and my aim is off I switch to a 2 hand granny shot and I’ll get it, and vice versa sometimes. Doing the same thing over and over again with the same poor results usually requires a change up of position or technique or both.
 
I've started using the granny-shot throwline-doubled-through-the-ring method for single hand throwing, as an aid. You have three legs of throwline that I heard peel out better.





I work in the rain, time to time :)

Now that its dry weather, I've experimented with wetting my APTA and throw-weight for for lubrication and maybe a tiny bit better seal of air in the barrel.

Not sure if either help or not. No data.






Walk around the tree, including the neighbors' yards if allowable, to find a great shot, rather than try the first good shot you see.
 
I don't wait for 5 or 6 misses to lose my cool. I lose it on the first one. But what I have learned is that this is a mental task more than a physical one. Once I start losing my cool, I work to get my mind back in a positive, optimistic gear and try it again. And again.... After 5 or 6 tries, I agree that it's time to move to a different spot.

The worst test of my patience came on a vine-covered tree in a wooded area. My first throwbag went where I wanted but got stuck in the vines. The second throwbag went to another spot where I wanted but it got stuck in the vines too. The third throwbag got stuck in yet another spot. At that time, I was out of throwbags and throwlines. All this time there are stinging caterpillars raining out of the tree on me. But then I got incredibly lucky. I yanked on the third throwbag, and it just happened to hit the second throwbag in just the right way to make it fall right where I wanted.
 
Its encouraging to see that this is not a rookie only issue.
Bigshot helps a lot.
I have a hard time getting the line back to the ground which is most aggravating, cherry trees really like to catch the line.
 
How about when you dead center the bottom side of the target limb about 6 times in a row. If I have to set several lines I'll try to get there before everyone else and set them. Also before cranking a saw. When the neighborhood hears a saw that's their que to come outside and start nosing around and asking questions. And offering solutions.
 
How bout when the only decent branch is on the down hill side of the tree 75’ up? And no amount of praying will hook you up on it. Or the shot looks good and the wind blows the line away from the branch. Or you get a great shot and hook the bag around a branch and get it stuck! Oh yeah, bean thar dun dat.
 
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