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Bit the Bullet

bigjoe

bigjoe

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2015
Messages
2,618
Location
VA
Gents,

I bit the bullet and ordered the Kestrel. See if this old Marine can still keep up with you young bucks.

I have not been in a tree in 2 years. I refuse to get back into a tree unless using the safest method. This appears to be the safest. I plan on starting low ie a foot off the ground and learning before venturing higher.

Regards,

Joe
 
bigjoe said:
Gents,

I bit the bullet and ordered the Kestrel. See if this old Marine can still keep up with you young bucks.

I have not been in a tree in 2 years. I refuse to get back into a tree unless using the safest method. This appears to be the safest. I plan on starting low ie a foot off the ground and learning before venturing higher.

Regards,

Joe
Click to expand...

Joe hands down you made a solid choice. This was one of the biggest reasons for me to fully ditch all my lock ons and totally commit to the saddle. Beyond all the other pros you don’t get with traditional stands this is the safest choice. Best of luck
 
Good choice, Joe. Good luck. Think you'll like it.


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I am excited and nervous. I told my wife I had to get back in a tree. There is a place for ground hunting. But if you want to see big deer you need to be up a tree. She asked if my life insurance is up to date lol.

I am order #1141
 
You will enjoy it, takes a little bit of getting used to. But using the tree for cover all the time is such an underestimated advantage!!!! Like you said just start out low & get things figured out.
 
Bigterp said:
You will enjoy it, takes a little bit of getting used to. But using the tree for cover all the time is such an underestimated advantage!!!! Like you said just start out low & get things figured out.
Click to expand...

When I started out I didn’t use it and realized how big of a mistake that was. Now I hunt larger trees if available just to hide behind.
 
Awesome man! Good point about safety - it has to be number 1. I love that with the saddle it's really easy to maintain a permanent connection to the tree without it feeling uncomfortable.

The biggest safety challenge for me isn't sitting at hunting height. It's getting up and getting down. The climbing process always seems to be the most challenging for safety.

Happy hunting brother!
 
I too just ordered one. As far a safety I can see how safe it will be getting in the tree to hunting height. Once ready to hunt is there a back-up/redundancy in case there is a problem with the bridge, tether etc?
 
Great, Thanks. I am learning my way around the forum. I imagine once the saddle arrives I will have a better understanding and sense of how it will work and come up with a system. Mine is about 6 weeks out so I have some time to formulate options. Glad I didn't wait till just before the season to get started.
 
you made a great choice - and once you get some time at ground level getting used to it you'll see how safe and your confidence will soar. Recommend moving up in height gradually - and practicing movements and shooting positions - you have an entire off season to do so and should be ready to rock come opener - there are a ton of threads about set up that will help you get going once you have it - good luck!
 
Thank you gents for the encouragement.

Now plenty of time to figure out which climbing system and platform. Definetly thinking about the xop platform or Wilde edge steps

I want about 4 preset locations.

However we all know mobility is the key.

Good thing is I belong to a hunt club; so I can preset trees. No one else at Club will use this system or uses lock ons.

I expect not to be swinging like Boswell. . Lol
 
bigjoe said:
Thank you gents for the encouragement.

Now plenty of time to figure out which climbing system and platform. Definetly thinking about the xop platform or Wilde edge steps

I want about 4 preset locations.

However we all know mobility is the key.

Good thing is I belong to a hunt club; so I can preset trees. No one else at Club will use this system or uses lock ons.

I expect not to be swinging like Boswell. . Lol
Click to expand...

If you can do presets, look into the tree hopper bolt system.
Drill trees at the end of summer and you only need to carry a pocket full of bolts to get to the top. You can have 50 trees prepped and still only need 20 bolts (or however many steps you use to get to height)

You can either use an electric drill, or the hand drill. If you are prepping in the off season, I would suggest the bit for a power drill.


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IkemanTX said:
If you can do presets, look into the tree hopper bolt system.
Drill trees at the end of summer and you only need to carry a pocket full of bolts to get to the top. You can have 50 trees prepped and still only need 20 bolts (or however many steps you use to get to height)

You can either use an electric drill, or the hand drill. If you are prepping in the off season, I would suggest the bit for a power drill.


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Click to expand...
I got this complete setup for Christmas. Can't wait to give it a try. Want to have 20 trees prepped for next season.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.
 
g2outdoors said:
I got this complete setup for Christmas. Can't wait to give it a try. Want to have 20 trees prepped for next season.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.
Click to expand...

With our long growing seasons in the south, and the prevalence of pines where you hunt, don’t expect holes to last more than a season.


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We hunt a lot pines where I am at in VA.
I grew up hunting the Pine Barrens in NJ.

The tree hopper looks like it is a feasible situation to save $$ and not give away areas that I preset.

We have a rule in the club that anyone can hunt any stand. That being said I had more than one ground blind blown this season by guys over hunting it.
 
I agree with @IkemanTX , tree bolts would be a great option for your scenario. I’d definitely bring a small cordless if you’re gonna prep more than one.
 
Congrats on the purchase. I too just ordered in December and waiting on ship date. Happy hunting and Semper Fi
 
bigjoe said:
We hunt a lot pines where I am at in VA.
I grew up hunting the Pine Barrens in NJ.

The tree hopper looks like it is a feasible situation to save $$ and not give away areas that I preset.

We have a rule in the club that anyone can hunt any stand. That being said I had more than one ground blind blown this season by guys over hunting it.
Click to expand...

Hahaha, perfect. You don’t have any “stands” for them to sit now... you just carry everything in and out with you each time.
You could set up trees ALL over the club and hunt all the hottest spots super easily.


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