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Talk me into jumping in the saddle

g2outdoors said:
No matter which climbing sticks you buy (Muddy, Lonewolf, Hawk, XOP) I can't recommend aiders enough. With 3 sticks and aiders you can get to over 20'. It would take you 4-5 sticks depending on how tall you are to get to the same height without aiders. There's a link in my signature that shows how I use aiders on my Lonewolf sticks.
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G2, I've been using Tapatalk and it don't show your sig on my phone. But I will log on to the computer tomorrow and check it out. Also I pm'd you yesterday but idk that I did it right. Looked a lot different than the messenger on archerytalk. If you didn't receive it can you pm me so I know it's done right lol I had some specific questions for you regarding the platform after watching those videos you posted


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Also does anyone have a video of them doing a complete ready to hunt setup starting once you arrive at the tree you pick? Like showing how your stuff is packed, what all you do to prepare for the climb, how you climbed, how you setup to utilize 360* of the tree, setting up your bow on a hanger and gear hanging, I mean the whole world. I want to see a system in action.

What all should I buy to be ready to climb a tree after opening up the boxes it all shipped in? I need to compile a list of everything needed to comfortably hunt quietly, light packing, quiet use, and comfort. I'm not one to go cheap the first time around when it comes to hunting gear, so I want the best of the best so that I enjoy it with quality equipment. I need to see what all I have to sell and how much convincing I will have to do to justify the buy lol

And if anyone lives near (1-2 hours) of Petersburg, IN I'd love to come meet up and you show me how you use the saddle and let me give it a test run if I fit lol. Just throwing that out there cause I'd love to play around with one in person first.


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I wish I had a video to show you. I'm 4 hours south of you

I use muddy pro sticks. I have a 5 step aider on bottom and 3 step aider on the next 2. I can quickly be 20' up. I would use spurs but only hunt where they aren't allowed. My sticks stack nicely I carry them on a strap and wear in my sitdrag the bridge over one shoulder
I still use ameristeps as my platform.


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To help slow things down and make it easier, do what I did. Start with the Saddle. Find out what you want most and go from there. Being in TX and hunting a lot of hot weather, that ruled out the web... but I wanted that the most based on comfort. I also wanted safe but low cost... so I put one together like many guys did and incorporated a rock climbing harness and climbing rope rated at 6,000# plus! Perhaps you want the peace of mind and convenience and want one of the other before mentioned harnesses. (Have you checked the classifieds? There are some there that are awesome saddles but not currently in production. Just a thought.) Once you get the saddle, you are going to spend a couple of hours at ground level getting comfortable, being safe and making adjustments.

Once this is done, then worry about the climbing method. I would hold off on the spikes at first. They take time to master and cost a pretty coin for the good ones. (From my understanding, you want the good ones... I have not used them myself.)

After you have the saddle and then incorporated the climbing method and are proficient, start adding thing you want in the tree with you. (Bow holder, hoist line, knee pad/cushion to strap to tree for you knees, maybe some water, flashlight/headlamp to see when climbing in the dark, cotton for wind direction, knife, ect.) Then focus on the pack. I strongly recommend getting a pack just big enough to carry everything you want/need comfortably. If you get a bigger pack, you will carry more weight than you need just because you can.
This should simplify it a lot for you. There are many good threads on here that go over every aspect that you just asked about in great detail. I hope there is someone near you as everyone here is extremely helpful. If not, do not worry. Do your reading and start with the basics. Everything else will come based on how, where and what you like to hunt.
 
I would recommend starting with a basic saddle + climbing method setup before you get into any of the custom or more advanced setups.

Try an off the shelf saddle - either an Aerohunter, Guidos web, or used Trophyline to get a feel for the system.

If you plan on going mobile then i'd get a set of 4 climbing sticks (i saw the muddy aerolite sticks at gander mountain for 40% off... just sayin') and get used to something that's more familiar to traditional hang on tree stand hunting.

The next thing to figure out will be the platform. A lot of guys here use the XOP platform kit - you can DIY it or @Erniepower makes an excellent one you can purchase. Other options are steppladder, ameristep straps, or some other custom thing.

Once you've given all that a fair shake and you think you're ready to experiment i'd say it's time to move on to different climbing and platform methods and even a custom saddle (ie: sitdrag).

One good thing about the saddle system is that all of the equipment holds it's value really well, so if you find something you don't like or if the system just isn't working for you you can likely recoup most if not all of your cost.

I'm currently running a sitdrag, 4 lone wolf sticks, and the XOP platform. This is going to be my setup for public land hunting this fall. Still a tad heavier than i'd like with the sticks, but a LOT more packable with the sitdrag.

I initially started out with a trophyline saddle - very bulky and uncomfortable IMO. Then moved onto an aerohunter evolution (still have it) which is very comfortable but is still very bulky and not very packable. Now i'm giving a sitdrag a shot.

Like everyone mentioned there is a learning curve and adjustment period so don't expect to be comfortable and ready for all day sits right out of the gate. That will come with time and experimentation. But put the time in to play around and practice with a saddle setup and I think you'll be pleasantly rewarded.
 
Man you all are awesome. I expected some good advice but you all are answering everything to a T. Thanks everyone.

The last two comments both helped a lot because you're right, I need to break this down slow as possible. I don't even imagine I'll hunt with a saddle this year. It may be a play with until the 2018 season. But I need to do the homework now before climbing so I'm off to a great start with the help of this info from you all

I'll start surfing the classifieds and seeing what all is out there.

If anyone has any gear they are thinking about posting or willing to part with feel free to send me a message.

As of now I am very interested in a off the shelf saddle for the peace of mind cause I have no experience in rock climbing harness or all the custom stuff that I'm sure I'll learn in time.

I'm thinking for my setup I'll use 3 sticks with aiders or 4 sticks to get me around 20 foot. On private land where it's allowed I could carry a few screw in steps in case I need them for a few extra feet. Then set in an aero hunter with either an xop platform or with the ameristeps. I'll think that'll get me on a good start.

Only thing I'm still trying to figure out is as you climb up the first stick, where is the 2nd 3rd and 4th stick at? How do you bring up more sticks separately to affix as you climb and where is the platform at that you're going to attach once at hunting height. Like how does your setup unfold as you go up the tree and how are these sticks being packed in without being noisy. The only stick sections I have experience with besides the cheap ones, is the summit buck steps.


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There has been a LOT of good advice in this thread. let me chip in my 2 cents.

DO NOT EXPECT to buy a saddle and hunt with it immediately. There is a learning curve with this system. You absolutely need to put significant practice in your setup before attemping a hunt. You need to practice setting everything up on the tree multiple times. Safety is key and you need to be totally confident with your Lineman belt and tether setup. The first time I ever setup a tree it took me probably 45 minutes to get sorted. After doing it a dozen times and really understanding my gear, I got that time down to 10-15 minutes. Now I can do it in less than 10.

You also need to practice shooting from the saddle. Many positions are totally awkward until you figure out how to incorporate your knees and feet into your shooting form. The first time you lean completely away from the tree to shoot behind you, the pucker factor is about an 11 on a scale of 1-10. This is normal because it's something completely foreign to bowhunters used to practicing from the ground, or even from a treestand. What you'll eventually find is that shooting from a Saddle is a ton of fun and totally ROCK SOLID once you learn how to apply the correct pressure. I think I could shoot my bow upside down now. I have that much confidence and experience in my setup.

Finally, what you'll find is that Saddle hunting will bring in a completely new aspect of enjoyment to your hunting. Treestands are treestands. They are tools. But these saddles feel like more. They add a lot of fun into the hunt for me. Something I never felt when hunting from a traditional setup.
 
g2outdoors said:
There has been a LOT of good advice in this thread. let me chip in my 2 cents.

DO NOT EXPECT to buy a saddle and hunt with it immediately. There is a learning curve with this system. You absolutely need to put significant practice in your setup before attemping a hunt. You need to practice setting everything up on the tree multiple times. Safety is key and you need to be totally confident with your Lineman belt and tether setup. The first time I ever setup a tree it took me probably 45 minutes to get sorted. After doing it a dozen times and really understanding my gear, I got that time down to 10-15 minutes. Now I can do it in less than 10.

You also need to practice shooting from the saddle. Many positions are totally awkward until you figure out how to incorporate your knees and feet into your shooting form. The first time you lean completely away from the tree to shoot behind you, the pucker factor is about an 11 on a scale of 1-10. This is normal because it's something completely foreign to bowhunters used to practicing from the ground, or even from a treestand. What you'll eventually find is that shooting from a Saddle is a ton of fun and totally ROCK SOLID once you learn how to apply the correct pressure. I think I could shoot my bow upside down now. I have that much confidence and experience in my setup.

Finally, what you'll find is that Saddle hunting will bring in a completely new aspect of enjoyment to your hunting. Treestands are treestands. They are tools. But these saddles feel like more. They add a lot of fun into the hunt for me. Something I never felt when hunting from a traditional setup.
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This is SPOT ON. Good stuff G2.


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Well I can't thank everyone enough for all the information. Really good way to have me introduced to this forum. Everyone has been super helpful and willing to answer everything I could wonder. There's a still a whole lot to learn to this style of hunting and I look forward to it. I like how it's not a one style system for all, that everyone has little tricks and custom things to fit their needs. Looks like a lot of fun.

I've got an idea of what I'll be buying now and I'm going to piece together a system soon. Thanks again everyone


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Good thinking. I'll probably use the white tape idea too


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