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Hunting vs relaxing

Wlog

Wlog

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2016
Messages
485
Location
Chesapeake City, MD
I see posts often on this site and others, talking about comfort and many posts about giving up on saddles because the person can’t find comfort. Then there are usually a lot of posts telling the person to experiment with different tether height or bridge length, so on and so on.
I was having an uncomfortable hunt this morning and it made me think about this. It won’t be anything groundbreaking for most of you to hear this but maybe to convince a skeptical new saddle user. Sometimes, because of the nature of mobile hunting, even with a perfectly functional and comfortable saddle you can still have an awkward and uncomfortable hunt. Think about why you ditched a climber or a really heavy stand...
Lack of straight, limbless trees where the best deer habitat was? Long walks, scouting with stand on back and bow in hand? Me too.

I was in an awkward, crooked, knotty tree with limbs and vines this morning and there wasn’t a good way to stay comfy but I was where the deer were and in the tree I needed to be in to shoot one. The other side of the property has less deer activity, more hunters and lots of straight, limbless, pretty trees. It’s a trade off you have to be willing to make to be successful. Now I didn’t shoot a buck this morning because the deer that came by weren’t what I wanted to shoot but the plan worked as far as getting the right tree right location.

Don’t give up too soon because you had an uncomfortable sit. It might not be the equipment or something you’re necessarily doing wrong that is making you sore or uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s the tree and it can’t be avoided.
My 2cents. Just throwing it out there. Take it or leave it.
 
Very true! I've sat in my backyard tree for hours at a time in absolute comfort, well I used it for hunting for first time yesterday and though it wasn't terrible but by the end my feet were killing me, probably from the thin soled boots I was wearing and my legs were wore out. My only guess is do to the split tree I was in kinda cramped me and it had a slight lean. But seen a bunch of deer so it was a good day
 
Totally agree. Opening morning I was ok but couldn't get as comfortable as I wanted. Thought maybe it was just a little adrenaline and excitement of being back in the woods but when I relocated in afternoon I was in a tree that felt perfect.
 
I bought a JX3 for this year. Still have yet to break it out of the box.
 
Great Thread! Maybe I never owned a comfortable climber, but for me saddles are more comfortable. That being said, it’s not a recliner, I’m not in a tree for a nap or a yoga session. At 53 and in reasonably good shape, I know I’m gonna be sore. I know that I’m gonna get hotspots and pinch points. I know how to make an adjustment and deal with it. My first year with a saddle, I did an 11 hour sit in a SitDrag. It required alternating from sitting to leaning. I even spent sometime rotated and leaning sideways. What I have found is that every year the first few hunts are the most uncomfortable and that as the season wears on it becomes easier and less uncomfortable. I think people need to realize that no trees are the same and that small adjustments will always be required. And that it takes time to get your body accustomed to a different way of hunting.
Oh and yes Comfort is in the eye of the Beholder!
We all have different thresholds
 
I don’t think you’ll ever truly be comfortable in a tree sitting, standing, leaning, or otherwise from a lock on, saddle, climber or otherwise. Human bodies aren’t meant to be sedentary in those positions For long periods of time. Like OP said take your pros ands cons and use what’s going to allow you to have the best hunt.
 
I’ve said it before. I think most hunters on most hunts are sitting in the spot they are exactly because it’s Comfortable. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.

you’re exactly right though. If you’re hunting, really hunting, you’re going to wind up in spots where you hunt on ground, or 5’ up, or on a leaner, or a tree with a million branches, or a tree with one exact spot to sit and one exact lane to shoot through. It’s why I continue to say that climbing methods, and the difference between features in minimal Saddles, and platforms, really are not material. There are so many other variables that change each Hunt, at least for me, that it’s difficult to see major advantages to any.

I will likely cross over into killing more deer from the Ground this year than I have from a tree. Not because it’s more comfortable. Just because many of the spots where the deer are dictate that being on the ground is more effective.

I like the way you’re thinking about this though. It ain’t the saddles!
 
Excellent point OP and I 100% agree. You can have one set up and be perfectly comfortable and what not and then go to a different tree with the exact same setup and system and almost the same diameter tree and the whole situation is a cluster!!! One thing it does for me is constantly evaluate my equipment and systems and try to wreak out the most comfort and convenience I can get while still being in a kill spot. This can be tough sometimes no matter what equipment we are using. But that is the challenge to this whole process too. I do get frustrated sometimes but in the end, I learned something to tweak or how to pick a better tree (if possible) etc. Great post and astute observation!!!
 
Relaxing....
Sitting dead still in freezing rain, heavy wind, snow...humping mountains miles into deep woods to do it...hunting...that's how I relax.

Work...
Getting that big buck back to the truck. That can get uncomfortable...but, I got to relax first.

It is nice to have those perfect days...but the hunt is just as perfect for me when I persevere despite the challenges.
 
I have gone back with my own version of JX3 if you will- a recreational tree climbing saddle along with a Petzl Podium seat. This facilitates my climbing better and I have a comfortable sit and I use my tending strap( pulls hybrid srt device up rope) and it doubles as my recliner strap. I was always trying to make hunting saddles behave like climbing saddles . Finally got a viable option for accessibility as well as comfort at the top. Loved the Guidos and the JX3 but didn't work so well for my tree access technique. If a hunter has comfort he is less likely to be squirming around trying to find the right position.
 
No matter what tree stand I've used I always leave the stand sore. Not the case with a saddle. Yes I have to adjust more but it's worth it. I'm still debating buying a real saddle as I use a sitdrag with the bottom of a safety harness. I adjust the pressure between them both it is simple and super light. I like the fact that I'm tied in twice all the time.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk
 
cedar paul said:
I have gone back with my own version of JX3 if you will- a recreational tree climbing saddle along with a Petzl Podium seat. This facilitates my climbing better and I have a comfortable sit and I use my tending strap( pulls hybrid srt device up rope) and it doubles as my recliner strap. I was always trying to make hunting saddles behave like climbing saddles . Finally got a viable option for accessibility as well as comfort at the top. Loved the Guidos and the JX3 but didn't work so well for my tree access technique. If a hunter has comfort he is less likely to be squirming around trying to find the right position.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I've looked at boatswain chairs, but checking out the Podium I see Petzl harnesses that have upper back attachments. A harness could probably be put together to facilitate climbing as well as saddle hunting using your method with a podium or such seat, which could double as a treestand fall arrest harness when using a micro stand like the LWCG .5.
 
dbow0603 said:
No matter what tree stand I've used I always leave the stand sore. Not the case with a saddle. Yes I have to adjust more but it's worth it. I'm still debating buying a real saddle as I use a sitdrag with the bottom of a safety harness. I adjust the pressure between them both it is simple and super light. I like the fact that I'm tied in twice all the time.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I hunted a diy battle belt saddle this weekend for 9 hours straight, it got a little uncomfortable at hour 6, but I did not leave the sit sore. I hunted it the next day for 4 hours and not sore from the previous day. If I had been in a lock on stand, I would not be able to stand up straight after a 9 hour sit. Besides, I would get uncomfortable in a lazy boy recliner if I stayed in it for 9 hours straight!
 
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