Hawk Helium Sticks, Tree Stands and Hunting Blinds

What Hawk makes for deer hunters

On this site, Hawk covers more ground than most stand brands. The grid above filters by type, and it holds:

• Climbing sticks and steps: the Helium sticks, a Ranger stick set, strap-on and screw-in steps
• Hang-on tree stands: Helium, Rival and CRUZR models
• Climbing tree stands: the Ultra-Lite Climber and the Warbird
• Ladder stands: the two-man Big Denali, plus blind kits that wrap a ladder stand
• Box blinds and ground blinds: steel box blinds and pop-up hub blinds
• Saddle gear: a Helium saddle starter kit and a platform
• Chairs and safety gear: blind chairs, bucket-top seats, a harness and a safety line

Hawk's own site also sells tools and game recovery gear. This site doesn't list those, so they aren't in the grid.

The grid changes as listings come and go. So I'll write about the lines and what separates them, not about how many are listed this week. Most specs in the grid come from Amazon listings, and the grid marks those values. Where Hawk publishes a number on its own product page, I use Hawk's.

Hawk Helium sticks: the lineup that gets searched

Climbing sticks are short ladder sections you strap to the trunk one above the other. You climb them to reach a hang-on stand or a saddle. The Helium sticks are aluminum, and Hawk sells them in two lengths and two generations.

Helium 20-inch and 30-inch sticks

Per the maker:

• Helium 20-inch: 20-inch stick, 10-inch step, 2.5 lb each, 300-lb capacity, usually sold as a 4-pack
• Helium 30-inch Gen 2: 30-inch stick, 10-inch step, 2.9 lb each, 300-lb capacity, sold as a 3-pack

Quick math, the kind Jess does on a napkin: four 20-inch sticks are 10 lb on your back, three 30-inch sticks are about 8.7 lb. The shorter sticks give more steps for the same height. The longer ones mean fewer pieces to hang. Rule of thumb: count the sticks you need for your stand height before you compare pack weights.

Gen 1 versus Gen 2

The original Helium 20-inch page describes a silent-use Versa Button, Tree-Digger Teeth that grip bark, and 10-inch steps with raised ends to keep your boots in place.

The Gen 2 pages add, per the maker:

• Angled footpeg for easier climbing
• Hawk Button with a lightweight Helium Rope for attaching each stick
• Silent Stack nesting so the sticks pack together quietly
• Dual-sided traction steps and overmolded hooks on the 20-inch Gen 2
• Silent Lock suction cups between sticks on the 30-inch Gen 2

Both generations are in the grid. Here's the thing: when you buy a single stick to add to a set, buy the same generation you already own, so they nest. More on stick types across brands is on the climbing sticks page.

The Ranger set and steps

The grid also shows a Ranger 3-pack of sticks sold with a steel hang-on stand, a strap-on Helium step set, and a screw-in Mega-Step. Screw-in steps go into the tree itself. Rules on that vary, so check your state wildlife agency and ask the landowner before you drive anything into a trunk.

Hawk tree stands: hang-ons and climbers

Helium hang-on stands

A hang-on stand straps to the tree and stays put; you climb to it on sticks or steps. The Helium hang-ons are aluminum. Per the maker, the Helium Ultra Lite weighs 11 lb and the Helium Pro weighs 12 lb with a 24 by 30-inch platform, both rated for 300 lb and both with memory foam seats. The Helium XL, Kickback and Kickback LVL XL listings are in the grid with their specs from Amazon.

Rival and CRUZR hang-ons

The Rival stands are the compact end of the lineup. Per the maker, the Rival Micro weighs 10.1 lb on a 20.5 by 17.5-inch platform, and the Rival Lite weighs 15 lb on a 20.5 by 29-inch platform with a mesh flip-up seat and backrest. Both list four levels of platform adjustment and a 300-lb rating.

The CRUZR is a steel hang-on with a 24 by 30-inch platform. Hawk pairs it with its CRUZR tree bracket, sold separately, which the maker says lets you hang and remove the stand quickly at several locations. Several Helium and Rival pages also list CRUZR bracket compatibility. Hang-ons across brands are on the hang-on tree stand page.

Climbing stands

A climbing stand is two pieces that walk up the trunk with you. Per the maker:

• Ultra-Lite Climber: aluminum, 20 lb, 20 by 27-inch platform, trees 8 to 20 inches across, 300-lb rating
• Warbird: 22.5 lb, 21 by 34-inch platform, 300-lb rating, a padded sling seat

Both use what Hawk calls Fold-Flat for carrying and an Auto-Latch cable for attaching to the tree. Climbers need a straight trunk without low limbs. Hawk's FAQ gives 8 to 22 inches as the general tree diameter range for its stands; follow the range on your own model's page. More on how climbers work is on the climbing tree stand page.

What to compare between Hawk stands

The deciding specs are the same across the hang-ons and climbers:

• Stand weight: matters on every walk in
• Platform size: room for your boots and for turning to shoot
• Seat type: memory foam, padded or mesh sling
• Weight rating: Hawk's FAQ gives 300 lb for its one-man stands

That weight rating counts everything on the stand. The TMA guidelines say never exceed the weight limit the maker specifies, and that means you in November clothes plus your pack and bow. Do the sum before you shop.

Hawk ladder stands and ladder blind kits

The Big Denali is a two-man, 18-foot ladder stand. Per the maker, it has two 24-inch-wide mesh seats, a 51 by 17-inch platform, a ratcheting tree strap with a crossing strap tensioner, and a padded shooting rail. The rail can face up as a gun rest or flip down for bow clearance. Hawk's FAQ gives its two-man ladder stands a 500-lb limit.

On a two-man stand, both people are harnessed before either one's boots leave the ground, and both stay clipped in until they're back on it. A second seat means a second harness, every time.

The ladder blind kits in the grid are camo covers that wrap a ladder stand's rail, one sized for a 1.5-man stand and one for a 2-man. More on ladder stands across brands is on the ladder stand page, and tripods are on the tripod deer stand page.

Hawk box blinds and ground blinds

Steel box blinds

The Hawk box blind is a steel shed with windows, built to sit on the ground or on a tower. Per the maker's pages for the Office and the Compound:

• Steel surfaces inside and out, with insulated panels the maker rates at R7 and an insulated floor at R8
• A rubber floor pad for sound
• Residential glass windows that open one-handed, sized to shoot a bow through
• Ships fully assembled, with tower options sold separately

The Office measures 6 feet square and 6.5 feet tall; the Compound is 87 by 69 by 78 inches. The grid also shows the Double. Hawk's site describes its box blinds as USA made. More on the type is on the box blind page.

Pop-up ground blinds

The Reveal 3-person and the Mancave are hub-style pop-up blinds, with their specs from Amazon listings. A pop-up blind needs its stakes and tie-downs every time you set it up. Ground blinds across brands are on the ground blind page, and best ground blind has a ranked list.

Hawk saddle gear

A hunting saddle is a harness you sit in, tethered to the tree, instead of a stand. The Helium Saddle Starter Kit, per the maker, weighs under 4 lb, fits waist sizes 28 to 40 inches, carries a 300-lb rating and packs into an 8 by 8 by 10-inch bag. It includes the saddle, a removable padded seat, a reclining belt, aluminum carabiners, a rope grabber, a tether rope and a climbing rope with prusik knots. No platform is included, so you'd add one or use the sticks.

Saddle hunting has a learning curve. Practice the whole setup at ground level first. The saddle hunting guide, the hunting saddle page and the saddle platform page cover it across brands.

Hawk chairs and seats

The chairs split two ways. Blind chairs sit on the ground: the Big Denali Luxury Blind Chair, its XL version, the Premium Swivel Blind Chair and the Stealth Spin Chair. Per the maker, the Premium Blind Chair has a 22-inch padded seat that adjusts from 17 to 24 inches, swivels 360 degrees, and is steel with a 300-lb rating.

Then there are seats for odd places: bucket-top seats that sit on a 5-gallon bucket, and an Any Angle tree seat. A bucket seat is the simplest blind chair a man can own, provided he already owns the bucket. Blind chairs across brands are on the hunting blind chair page and the swivel hunting chair page.

Hawk safety gear and stand safety

The grid shows a lightweight harness with a suspension relief strap, a tree stand safety line, and stands sold with harnesses included. Hawk's FAQ says all its treestands come with a full-body harness, and it recommends a lifeline so you stay connected while climbing.

My one opinion on this page: wear a harness every time your boots leave the ground. No exceptions, no "just a minute." The TMA guidelines say the same thing in plainer words: wear a full-body fall arrest harness every time you leave the ground, including going up and coming down. They also say:

• Keep the tether snug, with no slack when you sit
• Inspect the stand and harness for wear before each use
• Don't leave a stand up more than two weeks
• Read the maker's instructions each season, and keep them

Hawk's FAQ points to its media resources page for each model's instruction manual. The tree stand page covers stand types and safety across brands.

Who's behind Hawk

Hawk's story page says the company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Its FAQ names GSM Outdoors, LLC in the box blind warranty, and Hawk's warranty registration runs through GSM Outdoors. I couldn't verify a founding year or where the stands and sticks are made, so those are left out.

Warranty basics, per Hawk's FAQ: one year on manufacturer defects from the date of purchase from an authorized retailer, with the original receipt. Box blinds carry a limited lifetime warranty for the original buyer. Damage from freight carriers, improper installation, misuse or neglect isn't covered.

Hawk without an e makes the stands. Hawke with an e makes optics, and its page is here. Spell it right, and measure twice before you climb once.