Saddle Hunting 101 - The Saddle Hunter Podcast

[redsquirrel]

This is a good question.

I think it would also be good to discuss how long it takes to get up a tree (say 20-25 feet) and get set up. It currently taking me about an hour from the base of the tree till ready to hunt. Then about 30 mins to get down. This is important if your want to be set up before daylight or get out of the tree before it's it's pitch dark.


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I'm still interested in this because we can use this example to help you out. You are taking an hour to climb up and set up using spurs? And another 1/2 hour to climb down?

I am all about going mobile. I hunt lots of presets and mobile sets. Most of my presets are only hit once or twice during the season.

 

[Cajunshooter]

I'm still interested in this because we can use this example to help you out. You are taking an hour to climb up and set up using spurs? And another 1/2 hour to climb down?

I am all about going mobile. I hunt lots of presets and mobile sets. Most of my presets are only hit once or twice during the season.

Yes, it's a bit of a long story to tell it all but when I get to my tree I basically have to shed everything off of me, then put my jacket and everything thing else back on and then start the climb. In the case I mentioned above I probably had to go around 20 limbs on this tree that was only 5" in diameter. It was a difficult climb to 25'.


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[Gettin Closer]

I would stress how safe this system is when you are tethered in. Then again, I am not always the safest when climbing. I use a sitdrag with rock climbing harness and only have the 1 loop to hook the lineman to. To go around limbs you need 2 ropes (4 carabiners) all on 1 hookup. Not the best. How about some info on a way to improve or work the belt around limbs faster and safe! I would like to know that. Been looking at the simmons belt or woodpecker belt to possibly replace the rock climbing harness. Not sure though as I like the idea of the harness for safety.

 

[EricS]

Cajun I just typed a long off topic response and deleted it. I’ve spent an hour trying to pick a tree that gave me the most shooting lanes over the most trails but not climbing

Back to the podcast. The dollar figure is what took me so long to take the plunge. Not just the saddle but platforms and climbing systems also. I’m glad I bought the sit drag then kestrel but when you add up the cost of a new saddle,climbing system, and platform you could buy several treestands. It’s tough to talk cost though because it’s so varied I could buy a 40 dollar sit drag a 30 dollar rock harness and 50 dollar stick ladder and go hunting.
So instead of the money ordeal how about a 3 part series on climbing systems, platforms, and available saddles. Doesn’t have to be in that order. A little discussion on the pros and cons of each one. I listened to the first one last night and enjoyed it. Just don’t get too caught up in all this extra stuff instead of hunting.

 

[Cajunshooter]

Cajun I just typed a long off topic response and deleted it. I’ve spent an hour trying to pick a tree that gave me the most shooting lanes over the most trails but not climbing

Back to the podcast. The dollar figure is what took me so long to take the plunge. Not just the saddle but platforms and climbing systems also. I’m glad I bought the sit drag then kestrel but when you add up the cost of a new saddle,climbing system, and platform you could buy several treestands. It’s tough to talk cost though because it’s so varied I could buy a 40 dollar sit drag a 30 dollar rock harness and 50 dollar stick ladder and go hunting.
So instead of the money ordeal how about a 3 part series on climbing systems, platforms, and available saddles. Doesn’t have to be in that order. A little discussion on the pros and cons of each one. I listened to the first one last night and enjoyed it. Just don’t get too caught up in all this extra stuff instead of hunting.

?


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[sureshotscott]

Question for pod: What are the top 3 knots you should know, and what are their applications (and where are they NOT to be used)?

 

[mudminnow]

Back to the podcast. The dollar figure is what took me so long to take the plunge. Not just the saddle but platforms and climbing systems also. I’m glad I bought the sit drag then kestrel but when you add up the cost of a new saddle,climbing system, and platform you could buy several treestands. It’s tough to talk cost though because it’s so varied I could buy a 40 dollar sit drag a 30 dollar rock harness and 50 dollar stick ladder and go hunting.

I know the cost can be significant, but my mentality is "I am not deer hunting to save money". It is sort of like when someone asks me about buying a dog. I find them one and they say "Thats too expensive". You are not buying a dog to save money, if you add up vet bills, food, medication over twelve years, the price of the dog is the cheapest. I think in the long run saddle hunting will be more economical because i won't have to buy as many stands. Getting set up is about the price of four rounds of golf, or two months payments on a new car. I don't play golf often and i am driving my truck til the wheels fall off.

 

[EricS]

@mudminnow I think what was tough for me was tying up that much money in a system I may hate. For me it was all the other things I could be buying with that money. I haven’t tallied up what I’ve blamed on g2 but I have a hand climber, lone wolf sticks, stepp ladder system, climbing rope, 2 ropeman1, a stack of carabiners, tubular webbing, climb rite spurs, two sit drags, rock harness, kestrel, belay device. I’m sure there are others that I can’t think of now but that’s the bulk of what I have purchased in the last year for saddle hunting. I am glad I made every purchase I have made. I’ve got other stick ladders I still use that I purchased pre saddle hunter.

I know a few people that actually save money by hunting but they are few and far between. I really enjoy saddle hunting and I haven’t purchased anything yet that I wish I hadn’t. That’s one thing great about this site someone is always buying something new and telling the rest of us how they think about it.

 

[EricS]

@Cajunshooter sorry I must have deleted more of the post than I realized. If you are going around 20 limbs in 25’ you should have been able to go around several at a time. Your tether can be used as a second linesmans belt so you can hook it up high then loosen the other belt or remove it and climb up. This is supposed to be fun. It didn’t sound like fun to me with your description. Telling the long story would help others help you to get up easier. I’m not familiar with how long you have been climbing with spurs so if it’s new to you that may explain the time issue also.

 

[mudminnow]

@mudminnow I think what was tough for me was tying up that much money in a system I may hate. For me it was all the other things I could be buying with that money. I haven’t tallied up what I’ve blamed on g3 but I have a hand climber, lone wolf sticks, stepp ladder system, climbing rope, 2 ropeman1, a stack of carabiners, tubular webbing, climb rite spurs, two sit drags, rock harness, kestrel, belay device. I’m sure there are others that I can’t think of now but that’s the bulk of what I have purchased in the last year for saddle hunting. I am glad I made every purchase I have made. I’ve got other stick ladders I still use that I purchased pre saddle hunter.

I know a few people that actually save money by hunting but they are few and far between. I really enjoy saddle hunting and I haven’t purchased anything yet that I wish I hadn’t. That’s one thing great about this site someone is always buying something new and telling the rest of us how they think about it.

absolutely, totally agree. I have not made the jump yet, but plan on hunting out of a saddle in sept '18. I really only hunt out of ladder stands so i have no sticks, ropes, etc and am interested if i can get of consensus of what seems to be the best route to go

 

[EricS]

@mudminnow there is absolutely no consensus on the best route to go. Probably never will be. To me there’s a limited choice on new saddles. We gained one with the kestrel but are losing two with the evo discontinued and the guidos web no longer available after the end of December. Climbing methods are probably more varied than saddles. If I had to choose one right now and that was my only option from now on it would be the stepps. They are slow and require practice and patience but with exception of tree circumference I haven’t ever not be able to use them. You can make the ropes longer but you could do the same to sticks. There are just so many great ways to climb a tree it can be tough settling on just one.

 

[Justhanginground]

Addressing mods to saddle. Do you do it first or change as you go.


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[River Hunter]

Did anyone say "Advantages of a saddle over traditional stands"?

 

[donnieballgame]

Yes, it's a bit of a long story to tell it all but when I get to my tree I basically have to shed everything off of me, then put my jacket and everything thing else back on and then start the climb. In the case I mentioned above I probably had to go around 20 limbs on this tree that was only 5" in diameter. It was a difficult climb to 25'.

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I'm curious, again I'm no expert, but why do you have to shed? Are you changing out of sweaty cloths into hunting cloths, scent control, warmer clothing, is your harness/saddle not already on? I know some folks don't put their saddle on until the get to the tree, I use a rock climbing harness and sit drag and they both get put on at the truck.

If there are that many branches you should be able to fly up it using all of those branches for steps, right? I'm no expert with spurs but I would bet the slowest part is swapping/moving your lineman belt and tether, so how are you doing that?

Cajun I just typed a long off topic response and deleted it. I’ve spent an hour trying to pick a tree that gave me the most shooting lanes over the most trails but not climbing

@Cajunshooter I think @EricS is trying to tell you he's wasted just as much time just looking for a tree, which is exactly what I did today, although half of that time was using the throw line and bag to get a cord in just the right spot. My biggest issue with regard to time is making sure I'm setup well before first light, and if you run into a problem like climbing a tree with a bunch of branches that can really throw a wrench into your plans!

 

[mudminnow]

sounds like i need to just go to saddle palooza and see it in action. Its only a 4 hour drive from my house

 

[EricS]

sounds like i need to just go to saddle palooza and see it in action. Its only a 4 hour drive from my house

Exactly what you need to do.

 

[Cajunshooter]

Okay I guess I'm going to give the long version of the story to try to address what everyone has said or asked.

First I use a Guidos Web, spurs, with two linemans ropes with a Ropeman ascender on each one. I also use one of the lineman's as a tether when I get to the top. I cut the bridge off my Guido's tether and use it with my linemans for the tether.

I also use the Ameristep steps on a web belt with an overcenter buckle for my platform and another web belt with gear hangers on it to hang all my gear on the tree.

I also carry a backpack with gear in it and my bow, quiver and spurs strapped to it on my walk in to the tree.

That's my set up.

So when I walk in (which is usually a long way in, through thick brush) I take my jacket, gloves, and other cold protection off or I'll sweat like crazy. I have my Guido and all it's gear, backpack and gear and bow, quiver and spurs strapped to my back.

When I get to the tree I take the backpack, Guido and all the gear off my back and lay it down. Put my jacket on, put my spurs on, put my Guido on, strap it up and then put my back pack with bow and quiver on my back. Now I'm ready to ascend the tree.

In the case I stated previously I had a young 5 inch sweet gum to climb. When I got up to about 7 feet I started hitting limbs. I'm using the two linemans ropes to traverse the limbs, but some time I just break some off, some times I bend them to get them out of the way but mostly I'm going around multiples of limbs (which in some cases would break off if you stepped on them). Also this tree had a couple of small bends in it (sort of S shaped) which is a little tricky to climb especially on a 5 inch diameter tree because gravity forces you to the low side and you don't have much leverage on the tree to keep you on the up side.

So I then get to where I want to be, with limbs and foliage below and above me and again have to start to doing some trimming to get room to shoot in the directions I think I'll need to. Then I get my platform set, then I get my gear hanger on, then I get my backpack off and hung, then I take my quiver off and hang it, then I take my bow off and hang it, then I take an arrow out the quiver and nock it, then I take my release out of my backpack and dawn it, then I put on my gloves, head cover and camo stuff, then I pull out my milkweed, test the wind, and now I'm ready to hunt

Now maybe that doesn't seem like an hour worth of stuff but it was right at it. I know it won't be like this every time but people need to know it can be like this. No doubt I could find a better tree or I could prep a tree in advance but that's not the way I want to do it. I want to choose the best spot at the moment for the current conditions and movement, not the best tree to climb in advance.

Also someone made a very good point. I have only been using the Web and spurs for about two months. I am going (and have) to get more proficient, but if this Podcast is to talk to beginners then that's what I'm talking about here.

Okay, sorry if that's too much stuff but maybe it makes my experience a little more clear.


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[huck72412]

Okay I guess I'm going to give the long version of the story to try to address what everyone has said or asked.

First I use a Guidos Web, spurs, with two linemans ropes with a Ropeman ascender on each one. I also use one of the lineman's as a tether when I get to the top. I cut the bridge off my Guido's tether and use it with my linemans for the tether.

I also use the Ameristep steps on a web belt with an overcenter buckle for my platform and another web belt with gear hangers on it to hang all my gear on the tree.

I also carry a backpack with gear in it and my bow, quiver and spurs strapped to it on my walk in to the tree.

That's my set up.

So when I walk in (which is usually a long way in, through thick brush) I take my jacket, gloves, and other cold protection off or I'll sweat like crazy. I have my Guido and all it's gear, backpack and gear and bow, quiver and spurs strapped to my back.

When I get to the tree I take the backpack, Guido and all the gear off my back and lay it down. Put my jacket on, put my spurs on, put my Guido on, strap it up and then put my back pack with bow and quiver on my back. Now I'm ready to ascend the tree.

In the case I stated previously I had a young 5 inch sweet gum to climb. When I got up to about 7 feet I started hitting limbs. I'm using the two linemans ropes to traverse the limbs, but some time I just break some off, some times I bend them to get them out of the way but mostly I'm going around multiples of limbs (which in some cases would break off if you stepped on them). Also this tree had a couple of small bends in it (sort of S shaped) which is a little tricky to climb especially on a 5 inch diameter tree because gravity forces you to the low side and you don't have much leverage on the tree to keep you on the up side.

So I then get to where I want to be, with limbs and foliage below and above me and again have to start to doing some trimming to get room to shoot in the directions I think I'll need to. Then I get my platform set, then I get my gear hanger on, then I get my backpack off and hung, then I take my quiver off and hang it, then I take my bow off and hang it, then I take an arrow out the quiver and nock it, then I take my release out of my backpack and dawn it, then I put on my gloves, head cover and camo stuff, then I pull out my milkweed, test the wind, and now I'm ready to hunt

Now maybe that doesn't seem like an hour worth of stuff but it was right at it. I know it won't be like this every time but people need to know it can be like this. No doubt I could find a better tree or I could prep a tree in advance but that's not the way I want to do it. I want to choose the best spot at the moment for the current conditions and movement, not the best tree to climb in advance.

Also someone made a very good point. I have only been using the Web and spurs for about two months. I am going (and have) to get more proficient, but if this Podcast is to talk to beginners then that's what I'm talking about here.

Okay, sorry if that's too much stuff but maybe it makes my experience a little more clear.


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Makes sense. It would take anyone tons of additional time to do all of that. Maybe catalog your experiences at those locations and if they prove to be worthy of a return trip then go back and trim them up during the offseason. Also, just keep practicing with the spurs and you'll feel like a cat in no time.

 

[Cajunshooter]

Makes sense. It would take anyone tons of additional time to do all of that. Maybe catalog your experiences at those locations and if they prove to be worthy of a return trip then go back and trim them up during the offseason. Also, just keep practicing with the spurs and you'll feel like a cat in no time.

Yeah I can tell you I don't feel like a cat! I feel like a peg leg. I know that will get better.

The absolute toughest problem I have had on my property has been how fast the deer change their pattern once we start hunting. So I can't worry about what my experience in climbing a tree was like, I have to go where the deer are.


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[EricS]

@Cajunshooter I guess Imight go through that much trouble to set up if I really thought I was going to shoot a nice buck from that tree. When I’m hunting a run ang gun situation I don’t do much trimming. When you originally posted it sounded like hunting from a saddle in general was taking a significant amount of time to setup. You obviously couldn’t have hunted that tree from a climber. How long do you think it would have taken you to setup that tree with a hang on tree stand? Sounds like you picked a booger of a tree in a hopefully awesome location and made it work. I could see that taking a while.