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Am I too late to saddle up?

Tree Gal

Tree Gal

New Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
20
Location
Southern Illinois
Hey everyone, I’m new your group. I’m very interested in joining the saddle hunting community (my husband thinks I’m crazy). Was looking into buying a set up with tethrd. First question-if I were to pull the trigger and make this purchase immediately (knowing the wait times), is the learning curve too steep to be prepared for this upcoming deer season? Did you guys that didn’t have months and months to practice, feel adequate? Second question-has anyone ever got a discount code from tethrd? I am supposed to be on their mailing list and I have never received any type of correspondence/email since being added a month ago. I didn’t know if I fell through the cracks or what. It said something about discount codes, was interested since I’m getting ready to spend a small fortune with them. Let me know what ya’ll think.


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When does the season start where you hunt?

The more practice the better obviously. Personally, I felt OK after a few full practice climbs, but not fully comfortable.

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Opens October 1st. I’ve been progressively getting fed up with my climbers over the years so I started bow hunting off the ground last year until the leaves fell then I headed back up into the trees. I was kind of thinking I could go ahead and still take the plunge and if it didn’t feel comfortable or like I didn’t have the hang of it, I would just go back to the ground game again this year.


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Look up saddle hunter on Facebook. Heath Hartt makes saddles that are top quality for 150.00 I will get one eventually but just so you know he doesn’t have leg straps. It does cup your butt though. Everyone that has gotten one feels safe. Oh and 3 days turn around.


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Newhunter1 said:
Look up saddle hunter on Facebook. Heath Hartt makes saddles that are top quality for 150.00 I will get one eventually but just so you know he doesn’t have leg straps. It does cup your butt though. Everyone that has gotten one feels safe. Oh and 3 days turn around.


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Click to expand...
I have heard nothing but great reviews about his saddles. If I didn't already have a kestrel I would order one myself
 
It’s never too late. I started my first year in a saddle a couple months into the season. We didn’t have all the newbie start up info back then and the info was a lot harder to find. My first climb and hang was on a hunt. If you have a climbing method practice with that. With all the info available you should be well in your way to swinging when your saddle arrives. You may not be totally proficient with everything but the safety aspects and methods of finding comfort should be easily researched. If you want to practice shooting while you wait grab a pillow case, a fleece blanket or something you can tie up into a sling and shoot from ground level.


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Welcome to the addiction.
I would pay close attention to the classifieds. Saddles come up for sale from time to time.

As far as the learning curve goes, there are a lot of "moving parts" to this style of hunting. A lot depends on your level of experience in trees. Are climbers the only climbing method you have used? Getting up to height is obviously a requirement so that's one aspect that needs addressed. Are you hunting public or private land? Private opens up a lot of possibilities for climbing methods. Public limits climbing gear. Regardless of what land you hunt, gear management and organization (have a polished system) is vital for safety, comfort, staying quiet, and minimizing frustrations.
The next important aspect is foot management. Platform or ring of steps? There are several options within those 2 categories.

Developing gear management and how to climb and manage feet are a huge part of the learning curve of saddle hunting. I picked it up quickly. A little tweaking here and three is usually an on-going process for most saddle hunters. I doubt that it will be a "one-and-done" for 99% of newbies or experienced hangers.

Choice of weapon will also effect the learning curve. Maintaining proper archery form takes a little more practice in saddles than does firearms.

#1 tip...
Go check out the Saddlehunter map and find someone close to you and ask for help.
Before long, your husband will be learning the finer points from you.
Good luck and stay safe.
 
I too started "saddle hunting" at the end of the 2018 season...like at the end of December, beginning of January. I hunted with my saddle...didn't see a thing but fell in love with the style of hunting. If you get the saddle I recommended then you'll have plenty of time to learn the "ropes."
 
I agree with Tom. Although this will be my first year in the saddle, I found that I could get comfortable in the saddle and shooting from it fairly quickly.

Climbing to height and gear organization is where I spend most of my time. It's not rocket science but takes practice to be quiet and efficient.

I'm using WE Steps with kn/swaider and I like it but if I had to learn a system in 2 months I'd go with sticks.
 
Go for it! Honestly I hardly had any practice time in when I first hunted out of my saddle and other than some odd angled shots i had no problems what so ever! Now having said that practice is of the utmost importance when it comes to safety so always be safe before anything else! And you can always make a Wraptor to try! Look up Wraptor in the diy section! Good luck and be safe!!! And welcome!
 
I ordered mine last year once the season already started. I received the saddle three weeks before the season went out. It was the best three weeks of hunting I had ever had. It’ll be worth it to go ahead and order it and if you get to use it 2 months or two weeks you will be happy.
 
It's never too late. Not sure if this was already said but if you weren't comfortable with at tree stand height, they also work great for sitting at ground level. That would be a good way to get the feel of the saddle while hunting but before climbing.
Good luck
 
Thanks everybody for the warm welcome, encouraging words and tips and tricks. I will look into these other saddles and techniques for practicing. On the saddle made by heath hartt-how does it work if there are no leg straps? It just cups your butt only? Is this a safety concern?

I hunt a substantial amount of private especially in the October timeframe and during our firearm seasons. The past few years I’ve been venturing out onto the public during November, rut, and late season and I’m starting to get addicted to the challenge and adventure of it. Got a real nice one with muzzleloader over a mile in a couple of years ago. Would love to recreate that at a further distance and with my bow. And that’s where the saddle hunting comes in


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Neat to see another women here. I'm new too but have my saddle. I wouldn't think it was too late. Been practicing for a few weeks myself and the one thing I'd say is that I need to practice because I can tell I'm not quite in saddle shape yet. It's not as exhausting as using a climber and I think part of my problem is being super tense. Just trying to get some hang time so I can relax. It's probably just me, though.
 
Do it!!!!! One solid day of practice and you should be able to be safe in the tree. You will still have some things to learn, but you can continue to improve with each hunt.

I have been on Tethrd mailing list since spring and there has been no correspondence. They have no need for coupon codes when they can't keep things in stock. Don't wait for a coupon to pull the trigger.
 
Bama_Xander said:
Do it!!!!! One solid day of practice and you should be able to be safe in the tree. You will still have some things to learn, but you can continue to improve with each hunt.

I have been on Tethrd mailing list since spring and there has been no correspondence. They have no need for coupon codes when they can't keep things in stock. Don't wait for a coupon to pull the trigger.
Click to expand...

This is good to know, thanks. I’m hoping to get it done this week. I’m planning on buying most everything through them minus the tether and the lineman’s belt. I’m fairly certain I have what it takes to create these on my own and save myself about $100. Do you happen to know if most saddle folks use the ropeman1 on both the lineman’s belt and the tether? Or is it more beneficial on one more than the other ?
 
The ropeman's are nice in both the tether and the linemans rope. You will be thankful for them more than you will miss your $45. If you had to pick one, I would say lineman's belt since you will be more likely to have two hands free when adjusting tether compared to while climbing with the lineman's belt.
 
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