• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

First Hunt from Saddle

Practice practice practice. It will get better, but you have to stick with it!

For searching... are you on the web or tapatalk? On the web there is a search bar at the top right. If you back out to the main page you search will search the entire site. On tapatalk there is a search button that works pretty well.

I use both. Thanks. I'll keep looking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Admittedly I'm not an experienced saddle hunter to begin with. I've been reading up on this forum and gearing up as well. I've tried my gear on the ground and today I decided to give it a hunting debut.
I have the Kestrel size 2, an XOP platform, knee pads and Lone Wolf climbing sticks with rope mods.
I wore the saddle to the place I wanted to hunt (a new place on public land I had never hunted before because I didn't wasn't to make a mess of the area where my top hit lister resides) picked a tree and started putting up the sticks. I got to the 3rd stick and realized I would have to go back down for my bow, forgot to string it up. When I got to the top I was feeling warm already. Took off the backpack and screwed in a holder to hold the pack. Took the XOP off the pack and tried and tried and tried to get it to cinch up. I finally got it to cam over but it still came lose so then I spent ten minutes trying to get the Jim Knot to loosen up. By now I'm sweating and getting tired. I'm on uneven steps because, well, you know, LW sticks. My legs are getting tired.
I finally get the knot lose and chuck the XOP to the ground.
At this point I attach the tree strap and climb back down to get my bow forgetting the lift rope in my pack hanging in the tree. So I reach up and hang my bow by the cam on the steps of the LW sticks as high as I can reach and climb up to it and do that two more times until I can reach it to the bow holder I had installed.
My bridge is hanging behind me so I have to step through it. It keeps catching on my boots. I finally get it in front of me and connect it to the tether. I try to find a way to control where my body is hanging. I have no platform. My legs are beat from standing on uneven steps while screwing with the XOP platform which is now laying on the ground. My saddle is riding up on me and I feel like I'm goi g to slide through the front of it. I can't turn anywhere. I'm right up against the tree. I can tell I'm not going to be able to hunt like this. I have my bow in my hand but instead of 360 degrees of opportunity, I have 1 degree.
I hear a snort in the woods behind where I'm attempting to face. My knee pads are down around my shins and catch on the LW steps as I try to maneuver myself to turn.
It starts to rain. A lot. I knew there was a 30% chance of rain but I didn't know it was 100% where I was.
My first time out in a saddle wasn't so good. But I'm going to keep trying. Starting with a new way to connect my platform. Even if I have to use a ratchet strap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hahahah this sounds exactly like my first 2 hunts in a saddle. It’ll get better buddy stick it out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Don’t feel bad, yesterday I got everything set up and went to my pouch to get my release out and realized I left it in a pocket on the jacket I wore on the previous hunt. Down the tree I went. Drive home, got my release, back in the tree. Luckily I only live 5 minutes away from where I was hunting. Ended up seeing 7 but no bucks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PJC
Admittedly I'm not an experienced saddle hunter to begin with. I've been reading up on this forum and gearing up as well. I've tried my gear on the ground and today I decided to give it a hunting debut.
I have the Kestrel size 2, an XOP platform, knee pads and Lone Wolf climbing sticks with rope mods.
I wore the saddle to the place I wanted to hunt (a new place on public land I had never hunted before because I didn't wasn't to make a mess of the area where my top hit lister resides) picked a tree and started putting up the sticks. I got to the 3rd stick and realized I would have to go back down for my bow, forgot to string it up. When I got to the top I was feeling warm already. Took off the backpack and screwed in a holder to hold the pack. Took the XOP off the pack and tried and tried and tried to get it to cinch up. I finally got it to cam over but it still came lose so then I spent ten minutes trying to get the Jim Knot to loosen up. By now I'm sweating and getting tired. I'm on uneven steps because, well, you know, LW sticks. My legs are getting tired.
I finally get the knot lose and chuck the XOP to the ground.
At this point I attach the tree strap and climb back down to get my bow forgetting the lift rope in my pack hanging in the tree. So I reach up and hang my bow by the cam on the steps of the LW sticks as high as I can reach and climb up to it and do that two more times until I can reach it to the bow holder I had installed.
My bridge is hanging behind me so I have to step through it. It keeps catching on my boots. I finally get it in front of me and connect it to the tether. I try to find a way to control where my body is hanging. I have no platform. My legs are beat from standing on uneven steps while screwing with the XOP platform which is now laying on the ground. My saddle is riding up on me and I feel like I'm goi g to slide through the front of it. I can't turn anywhere. I'm right up against the tree. I can tell I'm not going to be able to hunt like this. I have my bow in my hand but instead of 360 degrees of opportunity, I have 1 degree.
I hear a snort in the woods behind where I'm attempting to face. My knee pads are down around my shins and catch on the LW steps as I try to maneuver myself to turn.
It starts to rain. A lot. I knew there was a 30% chance of rain but I didn't know it was 100% where I was.
My first time out in a saddle wasn't so good. But I'm going to keep trying. Starting with a new way to connect my platform. Even if I have to use a ratchet strap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I am glad you are not giving up. My first handful of times practicing with the system took me forever and I was exhausted and tired just getting set up. I had to hang there for a bit to get the energy to climb back down. I promise it gets a lot better! As far as the Jim Stepp knot goes, I had that happen to me early on as well. During the second twist, I captured the Rope instead of just the standoff. This makes it act like an actual knot and makes it tight. Watch the video that they have on the Wild Edge website very closely and you will see what I am talking about. If done correctly, it will not tighten up on you like what you experienced.

The main difference that I have noticed between the Run and Gun setup versus a preset tree stand like I was used to is the amount of time needed. I used to walk up to a tree, tie my bow to the lift line and climb the preset "ladder". It took a grand total of one or two minutes to climb the tree, get in the stand and lift my bow. Starting off, I would give myself 1 hour to select a tree, get prepped at the base, climb and tie in, then lift bow and be ready to hunt. It now takes me about 15 minutes during daylight and 20 to 25 minutes in the dark. I tend to go much slower and try to be much quieter in the early morning hours when you can hear a pin drop. Do not be afraid to take a break halfway up to cool down and not rush! Keep up the hard work!
23ee0a78d2d682834e977c8a14f24642.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: PJC
Take all your gear and practice a foot or two off the ground put everything where you want it on the tree make sure your platform works do it over and over again. Practice walking around the tree and taking shots. The more you practice the better you'll be just hang in there it will get better and it will get easier just a matter of time and then you can look back at all that and laugh.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PJC
This sounds exactly like something I would do. Lol. To keep hunting an enjoyable time, I will be practicing all summer long. Not going to be fun in the Texas heat though. How did your season end?
 
  • Like
Reactions: PJC
This sounds exactly like something I would do. Lol. To keep hunting an enjoyable time, I will be practicing all summer long. Not going to be fun in the Texas heat though. How did your season end?
Not great not much hunting injury at work slowed me down.
 
This sounds exactly like something I would do. Lol. To keep hunting an enjoyable time, I will be practicing all summer long. Not going to be fun in the Texas heat though. How did your season end?
Had a great season. I didn't hunt from my saddle because I still need to get it dialed in. I didn't want to spend time during the season messing with it and I had a lot of preset lock on stands to hunt from. I'm definitely going to practice more and get my sticks prepared for public land and preset trees on private land with tree bolts. I did hang at ground level a couple weeks ago with my platform tree bolts and practiced moving around to various shooting positions. It went well and I was comfortable. I need to get out and get up into a tree and do some actual shooting now.
Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm planning to go all in for next fall. I appreciate all the folks who have helped me learn so much. It was daunting at first, but I'm starting to get things figured out.
 
keep at it. its a journey you'll look back on this in a year or two and be glad you didn't give up
I'm excited to use the saddle this year. I've been out scouting and I'm excited to see all the possibilities for me now. I'm going to be able to hunt more public land now. Looking for some remote areas where others don't dare to tread. Lol
 
I am glad you are not giving up. My first handful of times practicing with the system took me forever and I was exhausted and tired just getting set up. I had to hang there for a bit to get the energy to climb back down. I promise it gets a lot better! As far as the Jim Stepp knot goes, I had that happen to me early on as well. During the second twist, I captured the Rope instead of just the standoff. This makes it act like an actual knot and makes it tight. Watch the video that they have on the Wild Edge website very closely and you will see what I am talking about. If done correctly, it will not tighten up on you like what you experienced.

The main difference that I have noticed between the Run and Gun setup versus a preset tree stand like I was used to is the amount of time needed. I used to walk up to a tree, tie my bow to the lift line and climb the preset "ladder". It took a grand total of one or two minutes to climb the tree, get in the stand and lift my bow. Starting off, I would give myself 1 hour to select a tree, get prepped at the base, climb and tie in, then lift bow and be ready to hunt. It now takes me about 15 minutes during daylight and 20 to 25 minutes in the dark. I tend to go much slower and try to be much quieter in the early morning hours when you can hear a pin drop. Do not be afraid to take a break halfway up to cool down and not rush! Keep up the hard work!
23ee0a78d2d682834e977c8a14f24642.jpg

Nice picture. What is your backup Prussic knot connected to? RCH?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top