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G2Outdoors - Southern Illinois - live from the tree

Tomorrow is the last day. I'm hunting in the morning and my brother, since he is tagged out, is gonna scout a funnel we've been wanting to get on all week but haven't had the right wind. If it looks good I'm gonna make the switch at mid-day. Feeling optimistic.

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5 does so far this morning.

Not. A. Single. Buck.
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Keep at it tonight!! I failed to get points on the board last night with a 100”-110” 8-point chasing and breeding a doe within 60 yards of me for 45 straight minutes. Only time he was ever in range was marginally in range... with brush in the way.



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IkemanTX said:
Keep at it tonight!! I failed to get points on the board last night with a 100”-110” 8-point chasing and breeding a doe within 60 yards of me for 45 straight minutes. Only time he was ever in range was marginally in range... with brush in the way.



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Click to expand...

Hunts like that make me think about building a rope network in the trees so you can slide over in that direction, lol.

Good luck G2, if you're seeing doe that's a good sign.....right?
 
We wrapped up the hunt. What an incredible time. I'm working through the video of the entire trip, and will post it to my www.youtube.com/g2outdoors

Although I came home without a deer, the trip was a huge success to me. Before this trip, neither of us had ever stepped foot in the state of Illinois. For us to both get on mature animals on public land says the hard work and focus on strategy really paid off. I'm pumped about it!

My brother and I were planning to go to Kentucky for many months. Those plans fell through literally 48 hours before the start of our hunt. We scrambled and decided to give IL a try. Luckily for us, the Saddle Nation came through and offered some serious support. I have to give a special shout out to @Sticknstring88 for giving us some local insight that made things much easier on us. Peter - thanks a ton!

We made it to IL at 2 PM on Saturday afternoon. At the recommendation of @John Eberhart we spent the first 2 days scouting (Saturday afternoon - Monday morning). We bounced around to a lot of different parcels in Shawnee National Forest, and decided on 3 or 4 locations.

The hunt was nothing short of amazing. I was on bucks every single day. I had the second biggest buck of my life at 8 yards for over 12 MINUTES! He never gave me a good shot and I ended up taking a bad shot. You'll see in the footage that the deer was moving. Due to the low light conditions, I didn't recognize that through my peep sight, and thought he was standing still.

For Saddle Gear here are the winners and losers.

Home made SitDrag Tree Saddle - WIN - it's so light and versatile I never experienced a scenario where I needed a traditional stand setup. Also, I never experienced a single comfort issue. I provided my brother with one of my customized SDs. Even though he's only ever hunted with a saddle less than 5 times, he experienced zero issues during the week. Another Saddle Hunter convert!

Home made Platform - LOSE - I broke my home made platform on the very first setup of the hunt. The Muddy tree bracket snapped in half when I cammed the platform over. Luckily, I'm a hoarder of Stepp Ladders and Ameristeps so I didn't even miss a beat. The post and seat (Lone Wolf) are fine, I just need to replace the broken brackets.

@Erniepower Platform Kit with XOP Seat - WIN - My brother, who had never stepped on a platform before, used this on every single hunt. He loved it, and was comfortable all day. He actually bought it off me at the end of the trip. Luckily, @Huntingbob was building me a custom post so I can replace this one.

Lone Wolf & Muddy sticks with Aiders - WIN & LOSE - for packability and versatility, these options are tough to beat. We carried these climbing aids for a LOT of miles and even though they're not ultralight, they're still better than a climbing stand. However, my aiders did spook a few deer. That's why I labeled them as a win/lose. I'll have that sorted in a couple weeks.

Ameristep Strap on Platform - WIN - This is the most tried and true platform I own and they didn't disappoint. I used the top of my Muddy stick and 2 Ameristeps with an OCB strap on every single hunt. Sometimes I put 1 on each side of the Muddy, and other times they were both on the same side. I was always comfortable and able to maneuver for the shot. I love these things.

Ropeman 1 - WIN - As I mentioned before, my brother had only hunted from a saddle a handful of times. Before the trip he asked if he needed to purchase anything extra. I was providing him with a SitDrag saddle, platform, and Lone Wolf climbing sticks and aiders. He was good from that perspective. He said he didn't want to buy any Ropemans because he was comfortable with the prussic. However, I made him buy 2 for his tether and Lineman Belt (which I provided as well lol). That was non-negotiable. After the first hunting day, he said "holy s*** those things are the best!" You're welcome.

OnX Maps - WIN - While not Saddle Gear, I thought this was worth mentioning. There is no way we could have been as efficient without this resource. I paid the $29 for the state of IL, but I'm almost certain I'm going to pay the $99 annual fee for the entire country. That's how much I loved OnX Maps.

Thanks for following along with this "Live from the Tree" thread. Like I mentioned earlier, I videoed the entire trip and will be uploading to YouTube soon.

Also, through some really weird circumstances we ended up spending some time with Andy & David from the Midwest Whitetail TV Show. They host the "Small Farm" production for Bill Winke. They were really cool guys and were very helpful. Of course I was wearing my SH Kill Kap and SHoodie. I had also given my brother a SHoodie and Kill Kap. At the lodge, David asked what the "SH" was all about. I got to preach about the wonders of the Saddle and explained our system. They were blown away and wanted more information. Of course I referred them here. I'm like a virus, just give me time and I'll eventually infect you with the Saddle Hunting bug. We ended up scheduling an Osceola Turkey hunt on their show "Spring Thunder". They are taking over the production this year. If you want to see some of their videos you can check it out here. http://www.midwestwhitetail.com/videos/small-farms-11-7-17/

Illinois was an incredible place to hunt. If you're looking to do an out of state hunt, I definitely recommend it.
 
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Also - shameless plug for SaddlePalooza 2018 and the event sponsors.

We have several platforms from Ernies Outdoors. We have kits from Stealth Strips. We have SitDrags from EZ Hunter We have Stepps from Wild Edge. We have a complete AeroHunter Kestrel setup. We have a lot of products that anyone can try and even take home (for free). Not to mention incredible food, lots of fun people, and some of the best pig hunting in the Southeast.

If you're not attending SaddlePalooza, you are wrong.
 
Sounds like an awesome trip man! I use pretty much all the same gear and it really shines for run and gun hunting. Can't wait to see the video!
 
Sounds like an awesome trip. I’ve been checking this thread and almost called late last night to see if you made it back Ok. I like the review also. My ropeman is a little slow to lock down in the rain but it has always stopped. Glad you made another convert. Of course it’s a lot cheaper to use the g2’s stuff than buy everything g2 says is good. Did you use the stepps as a platform? I am enjoying mine that way.
 
@g2outdoors I'm glad you guys had such a great time too! Definitely a very successful trip!

I was also worried about you when you went dark for so long! We almost sent out the search dogs.
 
I was smoked. Saturday and Sunday were brutally tiring...straight to work at 530 Monday morning. Yikes.

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Certainly sounds like a great trip, I need convert my brother but he's pretty hard headed lol.

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