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Beginning to wonder if I made a mistake

WMA hunter

WMA hunter

New Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2017
Messages
37
Location
Sylacauga, Alabama
After listening to John E. Talk about saddle hunting I decided to try for myself. I bought a Guidos Web in like new condition and some hawk helium sticks. I rope modded my sticks and am pretty happy with them. I modded my tether for my web to the loop stitched web strap and went with a lighter bridge made of 1 inch web strap. It is pretty quiet and a little lighter now. The issue that I have is that with the sticks it feels just as heavy and bulky as my climber. Once I get to the tree it still takes me 20-30 minutes to get in the tree and once I do it feels like I just can’t get adjusted right. I think my bridge could be too long and maybe I could strap my sticks to my back differently to lower their profile. Right now I am thinking I may only use it on prepared trees and only for gun hunting. I was truly excited for run and gun hunting with this setup. Is it just because I am getting used to it or could it just be wrong for me?
 
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I'm just starting into it myself. I haven't enough experience to know if it's going to be comfortable for me or not but I sure hope it works out. It'll give me a ton of hunting options. People swear you'll see more deer from a sling as well. Stay hidden. Blend in.


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It’s hard to imagine you won’t get better. With a shorter bridge and longer tether you should be able to move around the tree Good. I carry my sticks on a strap so I can carry them in front of me or on my back to even things out depending on what I am carring


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I am off next week for the muzzleloader season. I have one tree I prepped for the web and a couple areas I plan to carry it in. I should get a better idea then. I usually strap sticks inside but maybe I should strap and carry. I also find it hard, with a bow, to have my pack obtainable. Won’t be as much of an issue with a gun. I probably should come up with a better platform system than screw in steps also
 
Saddle hunting isn't for everyone. With that I'll add that sometimes it just takes a simple adjustment and then sometimes it takes a different saddle. Well except for me.
 
I️ ditched the sticks after 2 hunts for the same reasons you mentioned. I’m using step ladder and like it. 30 mins is average for me to get from ground to hunting but it gets better each time. I️ also picked up some spurs that I️ plan on using next season. I️ actually trade my helium’s for spurs.


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Light weight saddle hunting is really dependent on your climbing method, but you are somewhat limited with the Web. Ive never tried it but I don't see you doing 1-stick, srt or spurs and rappel in a web.

The easiest way to be lightweight with it, is to pre set trees with either screw ins, or drilling holes with an ezkut bit and carrying 20 or so grade 8 bolts. You can also add aiders to your sticks to maybe be able to leave one stick at home and reach the same height.

I don't think the platform is really crucial with the web since you are sitting. Screw ins are fine for it imo


The web is a pretty awesome late season saddle though.....John E probably didn't tell ya, you will have more than one saddle, if you stick with it.
 
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Yeah I think I will really like my web in my preset trees. Maybe I should do a sit and drag next. I gaff pokes at work from time to time so I could prob just gaff some trees too. I Prob was fatigued too making the issues worse. I hung a lock on set for my son this weekend before hiking in to hunt. Those screw in steps for my platform just seemed so annoying after that lol
 
WMA hunter said:
Yeah I think I will really like my web in my preset trees. Maybe I should do a sit and drag next. I gaff pokes at work from time to time so I could prob just gaff some trees too. I Prob was fatigued too making the issues worse. I hung a lock on set for my son this weekend before hiking in to hunt. Those screw in steps for my platform just seemed so annoying after that lol
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sit drag and a rock harness opens up everything you can find on the site as far as climbing. just as comfortable as a trophyline or kestrel

for a gun hunt with heavy clothes/boots on, tough to beat a preset and guidos though as far as saddles go
 
The web is a very comfortable saddle. It is not the lightest out there by far and its bulkier than other saddles. Some guys swear by the web. I've used a web on about a 1/2 dozen hunts and that will probably be it due to the size/weight compared to my other saddles.

For everything else, it will take practice. It doesn't happen overnight and you will have to keep tweaking until you get where it works for you, everyone is slightly different. Eventually you should be able to get up the tree in 10 and set up in 15 total.

You can definitely make this setup work for you, you just have to keep at it. Just keep at it and reading on here. You will read lots of threads of new guys having similar problems and eventually they work them out. Hopefully that serves as motivation to keep at it! :D
 
WMA hunter said:
After listening to John E. Talk about saddle hunting I decided to try for myself. I bought a Guidos Web in like new condition and some hawk helium sticks. I rope modded my sticks and am pretty happy with them. I modded my tether for my web to the loop stitched web strap and went with a lighter bridge made of 1 inch web strap. It is pretty quiet and a little lighter now. The issue that I have is that with the sticks it feels just as heavy and bulky as my climber. Once I get to the tree it still takes me 20-30 minutes to get in the tree and once I do it feels like I just can’t get adjusted right. I think my bridge could be too long and maybe I could strap my sticks to my back differently to lower their profile. Right now I am thinking I may only use it on prepared trees and only for gun hunting. I was truly excited for run and gun hunting with this setup. Is it just because I am getting used to it or could it just be wrong for me?
Click to expand...

I'm next door in Mississippi -- like you I started with the Guido's Web. It hooked me into saddle hunting, but it wasn't long before I was wanting something lighter. Tried out sit-drag then the Aero Hunter Evo. Both of those felt much more natural and are much, much easier to manage, especially down here where we have to suffer through warm winters.
 
The web is heavy compared to other saddles. With it’s comfort level you can’t really compare carrying it in to carrying something like a lone wolf hand climber. You would have to be comparing it to something like a gunslinger or tree lounge for it to be a fair comparison. I’m not a fan of screw in steps. They may be great for presets but I’m not leaning around the tree trying to screw them in on a run and gun set that I would only hunt once. Keep experimenting with your setup and you will get it figured out. If your using regular screw in steps there are easier steps to screw in that should work fine with the web.
 
Comfort is very important to me. I like all day sits. What would be a good alternative to screw in steps for platform. I considered getting some wild edge steps or some strap ins and adding a few to one strap. The leaning around to screw steps in is annoying lol
 
WMA hunter said:
Comfort is very important to me. I like all day sits. What would be a good alternative to screw in steps for platform. I considered getting some wild edge steps or some strap ins and adding a few to one strap. The leaning around to screw steps in is annoying lol
Click to expand...

Ameristeps are the best IMO


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Somewhere in the platform section (maybe tree bolts revisited thread?) someone posted a picture of blocks of wood with a single bolt going through them and into the tree. I took 5" treated 2x4 blocks and drilled a 7/16" hole through them (width wise). Then I took a 3/8" bolt and dropped that through the blocks and into the tree. That seems to work pretty well. The block will pivot around on the bolt a little, but you can always put a couple of bolts front and back to give it something to stop against. Hunted from these for all but 2 hrs of daylight yesterday and it worked well. The platform has been the biggest trick for me to figure out with regards to saddle hunting, but this is pretty good. I cut up some scrap 2x4 and made several sets. I left the ones in the tree yesterday.
 
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I just started this year as well with a saddle. I use a stepp ladder with 3 ameristeps added to the rope. Works like a charm for me.
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I have had an Anderson treesling for thirty years,haven't used it in maybe fifteen years, Iam going to start using it again. I liked it when I did use it, could get in just about any tree, easy to carry and quiet. Dose any one else here use a Anderson tree sling?
 
Anderson treesling said:
I have had an Anderson treesling for thirty years,haven't used it in maybe fifteen years, Iam going to start using it again. I liked it when I did use it, could get in just about any tree, easy to carry and quiet. Dose any one else here use a Anderson tree sling?
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I bought one from a member this year and am going to modify it and use it next season.
 
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