What bothered u on your last saddle sit

[raisins]

Be careful of trees with bulges....wow, didn't intend that to be a double entendre but here we are.....anyways, if it is a beech tree then it is likely indicative of beech bark disease which induces a thing called "beech snap" where living and otherwise healthy-looking trees just break without notice. It is common in some high elevation spots in WV and that with the higher winds means you should always carry a chain saw and tow strap. I've been stuck twice in the past several years.

I climbed one of these, googled it, and then realized I was in a potential "snapper" all day.

beech bark disease - Google Search

beech snap - Google Search

I also do not climb near enough to one that a wind could snap it onto me. If hunters and elevated hunting was more common in the highlands of WV, then I suspect we'd hear about more injuries due to this. I now notice them laying over quite a bit.

As an example, I find downed beech trees that have all their leaves, have all their bark, and don't look too rough....but they have those dang bumps....I haven't autopsied one but my sense is that the fungus is able to fully invade while keeping the "host" alive until the final coupe de grace

 

[Nosaj]

I copied someone's trebble hook/magnet idea. I use an 8/0 weighted, snagging, treble hook that I flatten the barbs and file the tips as well as a small magnet that comes with a carabiner.

So far I have been able to pick up everything I have dropped over the last 2 seasons with this including a glove, eyeglasses, hat and a milkweed pod. I believe that I copied this from a SH post. I got the trebel hooks from amazon and the magnet from HomeDepot. I cut sections of wine cork to protect my stuff in my pack from the hook tips. I have found my stiff rappel line works best to manipulate the retrieval device.

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[Black Titan]

My knee pads gave me an issue my last sit. I use these by Bucket Boss. The padding is great, the outside material doesn't slip on the bark, but the straps are horrible. They dig into the back and sides of my knee and cause issues like hot spots and what not. I'm thinking of tacking on some hook and loop to the outside of my pants so I can affix these without using the straps. I like the knee pads, just not the straps.

BT

 

[Black Titan]

As an example, I find downed beech trees that have all their leaves, have all their bark, and don't look too rough....but they have those dang bumps....I haven't autopsied one but my sense is that the fungus is able to fully invade while keeping the "host" alive until the final coupe de grace

Curious- we have these trees as well as birch. Looking at the bark, this is what I would consider a "smooth barked" tree. As saddle hunters, I thought we were supposed to avoid smooth bark trees to begin with? I'm new to this so forgive me if I'm wrong.

I mostly find myself in some form of Oak or Poplar around here. Occasionally a hickory. I avoid and fir/pine/cedar trees as well.

BT

 

[Horn]

Wet feet and pants. Had rain gear on, just wasn't enough.

 

[raisins]

Curious- we have these trees as well as birch. Looking at the bark, this is what I would consider a "smooth barked" tree. As saddle hunters, I thought we were supposed to avoid smooth bark trees to begin with? I'm new to this so forgive me if I'm wrong.

I mostly find myself in some form of Oak or Poplar around here. Occasionally a hickory. I avoid and fir/pine/cedar trees as well.

BT

I don't totally avoid any bark type, really.

I did have a Lone Wolf climber slide down on a quaking aspen with wet bark (thin, smooth bark and hard wood)

I don't like shaggy trees because they are loud and grab your ropes. I don't like pines because they usually lack shooting lanes and also I don't like pine sap all over my gear.

 

[Zero One Actual]

Oh. I got one! I have a great sit tonight. Perfect wind. Perfect temp. Perfect everything. Perfect buck comes out. Broadside at 25 yards. Layup. Until.

I let the shot go (Carter wise choice thumb release, which I love and have been using for four years now), I’m waiting to see my Halo nock go exactly where it is supposed to go, except I see nothing instead. I don’t even see my arrow( Sirius Orion with a tough head triple blade 200 grain up front that flies like a laser beam) go anywhere near the buck.

Buck doesn’t really care too much either. Clearly he heard my string and he trotted about twenty yards away and still hung out looking around wondering what the minor inconvenience was.

Finally climb down after last light and find this (see pics and tell me what you think happened).

I have my thoughts. Bow sounded normal. No loud noises. No weird feelings. Bow is a new PSE Mach 34 totally dialed in shooting 65 pounds. And no, it wasn’t the bow (sorry Mathews guys).

 

[raisins]

Oh. I got one! I have a great sit tonight. Perfect wind. Perfect temp. Perfect everything. Perfect buck comes out. Broadside at 25 yards. Layup. Until.

I let the shot go (Carter wise choice thumb release, which I love and have been using for four years now), I’m waiting to see my Halo nock go exactly where it is supposed to go, except I see nothing instead. I don’t even see my arrow( Sirius Orion with a tough head triple blade 200 grain up front that flies like a laser beam) go anywhere near the buck.

Buck doesn’t really care too much either. Clearly he heard my string and he trotted about twenty yards away and still hung out looking around wondering what the minor inconvenience was.

Finally climb down after last light and find this (see pics and tell me what you think happened).

I have my thoughts. Bow sounded normal. No loud noises. No weird feelings. Bow is a new PSE Mach 34 totally dialed in shooting 65 pounds. And no, it wasn’t the bow (sorry Mathews guys).

Well, at least you have a story and you're taking it well. No one got hurt and the buck gets to live to meet with you another day.

I think maybe a few weird things like this have happened in my decades of shooting, but I can't really recall a lot. I've never had a modern carbon arrow fail like that. I'd maybe contact the maker and see if there was a problem with a certain lot. Have you shot all the arrows you have from that maker thoroughly (if they are gonna break, I guess better at home)?

 

[Weldabeast]

Well....what are those thoughts? U know more about ur arrows than we do. When was the last time u flex tested

 

[Zero One Actual]

Well, at least you have a story and you're taking it well. No one got hurt and the buck gets to live to meet with you another day.

I think maybe a few weird things like this have happened in my decades of shooting, but I can't really recall a lot. I've never had a modern carbon arrow fail like that. I'd maybe contact the maker and see if there was a problem with a certain lot. Have you shot all the arrows you have from that maker thoroughly (if they are gonna break, I guess better at home)?

Yes. I’ve had these Orions since the summer and have my top three in the quiver and arrows 4-7 with Ethic 200gr field points for target practice. Been shooting them with the Halo nocks since summer to dial everything in. I already spoke to Seth, the owner at Sirius. He is an awesome person to take a customer call on a Monday evening at 9pm and discuss what happened. He almost instantly knew what happened before I described the above story to him. But before I put his answer here, I just like getting other peoples ideas or stories.

Yes, the buck isn’t limping around tonight and neither am I. Tomorrow night though, we are dueling again.

 

[Weldabeast]

What is a halo nock? Is it something special or the name brand of a traditional lighted nock

 

[Zero One Actual]

Well....what are those thoughts? U know more about ur arrows than we do. When was the last time u flex tested

I only have a three arrow quiver and all three are checked probably daily once if not twice. Ranch Fairy OCD from the broad head to the nock tune. They are (number one was) my best three out of the dozen I ordered.

 

[Zero One Actual]

What is a halo nock? Is it something special or the name brand of a traditional lighted nock

Halo Nocks -

Halo Nocks provide superior, dependable performance with every shot. Their patent pending design wont accidentally turn on when placing on your

doubletakearchery.com

 

[Weldabeast]

My guess is each manufacturer will blame one another and u never really know what happened...hehehe

 

[Zero One Actual]

My guess is each manufacturer will blame one another and u never really know what happened...hehehe

As soon as the nock left the string it broke causing unstable arrow flight, (I’m a lefty), arrow is leaving QAD drop away and as it’s traveling forward, the arrow goes to the right making the rear of the arrow contact the riser and then snaps the arrow in the rear area of the shaft causing the clean snap. Both pieces of the arrow still continued forward due to the momentum, but separately, and ended up out in front of me in two different areas with the arrow about five yards to the right of where my point of aim was. This is also why the buck never really spooked and ran.

 

[Alaska at Heart]

Backpack is an easy 1..... Find something other than a pack to carry ur stuff

Can you elaborate on your pack-less approach? Right now I'm using an older Game Plan Gear fanny pack with shoulder straps. Sticks get strapped to the top and platform to the rear with the rattling antler feature. But then it either has to be hung in the tree or left at the bottom. I have a nifty little 3D printed accessory coming from Etsy to attach the platform to the rear of my saddle and could carry my Skeletor sticks via a shoulder strap....but what about other 'necessities'? A field dressing kit, knife, flashlight, headlamp, grunt tube, etc without overloading your pockets?

 

[Weldabeast]

Can you elaborate on your pack-less approach? Right now I'm using an older Game Plan Gear fanny pack with shoulder straps. Sticks get strapped to the top and platform to the rear with the rattling antler feature. But then it either has to be hung in the tree or left at the bottom. I have a nifty little 3D printed accessory coming from Etsy to attach the platform to the rear of my saddle and could carry my Skeletor sticks via a shoulder strap....but what about other 'necessities'? A field dressing kit, knife, flashlight, headlamp, grunt tube, etc without overloading your pockets?

"The Official Saddle Hunting Turkey Vest Thread"

Inspired by the similarly-named threads for backpacks and lumbar packs. I've always used backpacks and lumbar packs, usually both, so I'd have the option to gear up or down as appropriate. This summer I bought a no-name cheap turkey vest at the local fleet supply store, expecting to be...

saddlehunter.com

 

[mtfallon]

I normally hunt from an open shot and while I only have a handful of saddle sits under my belt, one of the biggest differences I'm learning to deal with is that moving the bow over your bridge is a lot of movement no matter how you go about it, so I'm learning to really favor the strong side on set ups to avoid having to do that.

 

[neonomad]

@Horn have you tried narrow webbing as pull up yet? I won’t go back to cord, the webbing doesn’t tangle as much, is easier to grip, and doesn’t create as much of a hot spot / destroy your gloves if you let something slide down rather than hand over hand it the whole way down.

 

[Horn]

@Horn have you tried narrow webbing as pull up yet? I won’t go back to cord, the webbing doesn’t tangle as much, is easier to grip, and doesn’t create as much of a hot spot / destroy your gloves if you let something slide down rather than hand over hand it the whole way down.

I have not but that does sound like a great idea! How small did you go?