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Sitting on the fence in Central Iowa

B

Buckwheat

New Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Messages
1
First of all, thanks for the add. From the short time of being a member I can see this site has a wealth of knowledge and members willing to answer the same question many time over.

I first heard about saddle hunting from the DIY SportsmanYouTube videos. Then I heard a few podcasts with John E. and it peaked my interest. I am very stubborn and set im my ways with pre-hung hang ons as well as staying mobile with my Lone Wolf. That being said I hate lugging that thing in and out every hunt.

The main concerns I have about saddles is the noise of the ropes on the tree when getting into position for a shot, and the amount of movement required to get the bow in position for said shot. Another concern is where to hang my pack so it is easy to get into, but not in the way while moving around the tree. I use a Badlands 2200 so it is a decent size pack. Lastly, I am a pretty big guy 5'10 250, I do quite a few all day sits every season and really don't know how well I would do in a saddle/sling.

I do see a lot of upside to saddle hunting as well, especially since I already prep numerous trees every year for the Lone Wolf. I'm sure the more time I spend on the site and videos I watch will be enough to kick me off the fence and into a saddle/ sling.

Sorry for such a long first post.
 
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Welcome to the site. I'm in central IA (Polk City) as well. Hunted with a sit&drag/rock climbing harness last fall. I will not be returning to my hang-ons or xop climber. I felt like I was carrying next to nothing into the woods in comparison.

As for your concerns, my ropes made ZERO noise while maneuvering for a shot. There is some movement getting into position. I think this is helped by trying to keep the tree between you and the deer the bulk of the time. As for the pack, I like a small pack in the tree, and I hang it directly in front of me.

Believe me, you keep reading around here and you will not be able to not try it.
 
Welcome aboard! I’m very new to this also! I can tell you that I’m now sold. I did a DIY Sit - Drag. Very minimalist. I hung in a tree in my front yard for several hours yesterday just trying different things. I’m 5’10 220 and now sure I can hang alll day
 
Welcome to the site! So your already no stranger to pre season prep as well as run & gun style hunting. All that’s missing is the saddle! My current setup doesn’t make noise. One big difference you’ll notice immediately is your saddle is about the same weight or less than your current harness, now just don’t tote the stand. Whatever climbing method you use for your LW hang on will be fine. Though if you stick around you’ll have way more than one climbing method along the way.
 
I was in the same boat as you up until a couple of months ago. A member in my archery club and this site convinced me to give it a try. I bought an aero hunter kestrel and I figured what is the worst that can happen, I don't like it and have to sell it and maybe lose a $100. I've only played around with it twice but I really like it so far. As far as movement I'm hoping to be set up correctly and move as little as possible to take the shot. I'm hoping that the saddle will let me get set up among some branches to really give me some cover as opposed to being below the branches with a hang on.
 
As far as rope noise, I haven’t noticed any. Maybe on a shag bark hickory. The rope isn’t being dragged across the bark as you move around for a shot. It is just laid around it and that’s only when you are really getting way around the tree. I would say if you are sitting at the 6 o’clock position, you would have to move past the 9 or 3 before you really get rope contact wrapping around the tree. This varies with tree diameter.
Sitting all day is possible. Many of us do it. I sit and lean in my saddle. Swap pressure from one leg to the other. Many positions you can move into to change pressure points. It’s all about understanding your saddle and practicing in it to find what’s comfortable for you. If you are just looking for a hunt system to jump in and hunt right out the box, you may be disappointed in a saddle. It’s a system that you have to tinker with to find what’s best for your body. I was ready to hunt out of it after a few sits and practice shots in the backyard but I am still learning and fine tuning years later.
 
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