PJC
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2016
- Messages
- 2,539
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 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