Anyone hunt from a Saddle?

[Petey]

No, not this kind ….. (although that is a picture I took from my view several years back)


This kind …



It's been all the rage the last 3-4 years, being mobile and light. I broke down and Santa got me a kit this winter. I hear it's like the Creedmore of archery hunting, and now I'll need to grow a man bun. Good luck with that, as my top knot is going to be a bit thin with the hair on my head. All joking aside, talk about another rabbit hole. I typically hunt out of lock-on's or climbers and have been for the last 33 years, but something about the flexibility of this got me to purchase one. Especially after a hunt in OH last fall, where my old Loggy Bayou kept me to specific trees, and although I was mobile, hiking miles with 30-40#'s of stand and a pack for 12hr sits wore me out after a few days. Try finding a straight tree or one without vines or limbs where I was hunting. My biggest concern with this is I'm not a spring chicken and did I really want to trust my life to hanging from a rope?

After a lot of research, I decided to go with a Latitude Method 2, vapor line tether and lineman belt. For sticks I bought Tethrd Skelators. Because I'm a little vertically challenged I made retractable aiders out of amsteel to get me up an additional 5-7'. If I ever get good, maybe I'll go to a one-stick climb, but for now I'll use 4 Skelators with aiders. This rig up should get me to 20'. My last thing to purchase is a platform and I'm looking at several, but what are you all using?

Skelators with my retractable aiders:




Top of my list is Trophyline EDP (Every Day Platform) or the new 23' Onyx platform. Although I don't like the weight the comes with the Onyx, I like the design of the angled edges, but not sure if it's worth the price or the extra weight? Talking about fatigue and sitting for long hours, anyone with real world experience on platform sizes and shapes?

 

[Pawnee Bill]

I get the saddle on the horse, but the other thing, I ain't never seen anything like that before.

 

[Petey]

I get the saddle on the horse, but the other thing, I ain't never seen anything like that before.

Lol, Us crazy Eastern boys like to hide in trees to kill critters... instead of a "Tree Stand" the new craze is saddle hunting for lightweight mobility... or so I hear. Basically ya climb a tree with "sticks" and hang from a saddle, but the platform I'm asking about is a very small stand you basically put your feet on. This style gives you a safety aid and also 360 mobility around the tree to shoot.

 

[dantiff2]

I've been Rec (recreational) climbing and doing small tree work (personal, not for hire) for many years now and use this New Tribe Tengu saddle. There's NO WAY in hell i'd ever hunt from one over a hang on or ladder stand. The blood circulation gets cut off as soon as you apply weight to a saddle and time becomes a factor. A person NEEDS to be very aware of suspension trauma while using these!! It may be the latest, greatest hit but i'd never trade in my two man ladder stand for this ; )
Dan

 

[Petey]

Agree with your reasoning, fully. Any safety harness training anyone has ever done will tell you, basically is a race against the clock if you fall and it's supporting you. It's kind of the point in having a platform to stand on to take the weight off the saddle. I'm guessing it's a little different animal than using spikes and saddle to climb.

Who knows, this whole thing could be up for sale after this season, but I like the idea of the mobility and lightness for hunting out of state. Here in PA, I'll continue to use my lock-on's, ladders and climbers.

 

[dantiff2]

Agree with your reasoning, fully. Any safety harness training anyone has ever done will tell you, basically is a race against the clock if you fall and it's supporting you. It's kind of the point in having a platform to stand on to take the weight off the saddle. I'm guessing it's a little different animal than using spikes and saddle to climb.

Who knows, this whole thing could be up for sale after this season, but I like the idea of the mobility and lightness for hunting out of state. Here in PA, I'll continue to use my lock-on's, ladders and climbers.

I'm not even talking about falling or "hanging" from a saddle. I rec climb with only ropes (don't use spikes at all) and when I get up to a branch to "perch" or rest on, there is still constraining points and some level of weight on the system that will squeeze on you. Most of the weight is applied to your hip area. It takes quite a while to get comfortable with a harness/saddle. The only way to gain relief from this is to actually take all the weight off of the saddle and sit on a branch or platform so that there's zero weight on the bridge (or center tie in point of the harness). You are already carrying hang on steps, safety line and or buck strap and a platform to stand on. Might as well carry a small clamp on seat like this one and relax and enjoy the hunt ; )
Dan

Robot or human?

 

[Petey]

Appreciate your insight! I've heard exactly what you describe as the issue. Fatigue in the hip area, and it makes sense, even adjusting the bridge high or low to the saddle would add tension to my top or bottom panel. Mine is a 2-piece. I'm sure it's exactly what you explain, taking a while to even get the thing set up properly to be comfortable. I did purchase a back strap to help with that comfort.... down another rabbit hole. You can sure dump a ton of money into this, if you want "everything"

Hard to be mobile, lightweight, versatile and comfortable I guess. My old climbers are mobile and comfortable, but lightweight and versatile, not so much. You need to really pick your trees and they are bulky when walking in and out, especially if that one-way trip is a couple miles. You have neck and shoulder fatigue, just carrying your gear into a "honey" hole. ...


eh.. maybe this saddle hunting is just a fad that will go away. I'm gonna try it out here. Heck I haven't even climbed up a tree or shot my bow from it, so I may not like this one bit at all. I figured I'll start practicing and get all the kinks worked out and use it only in cases where I need to.

 

[dantiff2]

I wish you the best of luck! I hope it works out the way that you'd hope it would. Life is all about experience and if this helps you get deeper into the woods for even more enjoyment, then i'd say it was a small investment with and even greater return ; ) Keep us posted and let us know how it works out for you! We look forward to your future posts in the "Lets see those kills" thread ; )
Dan

 

[Dimner]

I have always wanted to try saddle hunting. Looks like a great way to be mobile and have multiple setups especially on state or boundary land where permanent tree stands are not allowed or could get stolen. The only thing that has stopped me is how to quell movement. I can't imagine it would be easy to keep 99% still while you get into shooting position when you see your target. Any movement would cause the whole setup to sway.

Either way though, there are hundreds of success stories on the saddle hunting forums. So maybe it's not an issue

 

[mrec300]

Yes I have hunted from a saddle since 2004. Its a very mobile way of hunting with the ability to set up multiple trees in various locations. No one can take your stand if you are wearing it in each time.

 

[Petey]

Well I stopped at a local shop and checked out the EDP and Onyx platform and decided to go the route of the Onyx. The only thing I'm not too keen on is the 4.5# weight, but it looks like they put a lot of R&D into this unit. Gonna be plenty big for me and love the angled edges at first look. Definitely has bite to it, and very grippy on the stand.. Made in the U.S.A. is another plus!

 

[Pyscodog]

I used a Summit Viper climbing stand for years..until it got stolen. It was a sort of PITA getting in and out with it but you could stay comfortable for hours on end as high as you wanted to go. Now I'm lazy and old and hunt mostly off the ground. Still seem to manage to fill a few tags too. I've seen the saddles and just don't think its for me. I like a place for my feet and something to lean back on.

 

[284winner]

Another saddle hunter here as well. Definitely gives you an added edge for bow hunting. Never hunted in one all day like a treestand but for 3-4 hours hunts, I really like it.