Convince to stick with saddles

[Ontariofarmer]

That’s another part where I’m torn. I’m not sure I could pull off an all day sit in a saddle. I never did a sit in a saddle for more than 4 hours last year and would get pain in my knees. Nothing serious but I doubted my ability to do an all day rut sit.


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My knees can bother me in a saddle too. I have 62 year old arthritic knees from hockey and pushing pigs. For long sits I always take my JX 3 . No knee pain, super comfort and much quieter than a climber.
With practice one stick and rappel is not much different than using a climber. The whale tail on a JX 3 is a knee saver. For shorter sits I still use a cruzr XC or TX5.

I had a climber and sold it. Too big, too cumbersome and too noisy. Really I can one stick up a tree as fast as I could set up and climb with a climber and coming down with a rappel rope is safer and faster. Also branches are no problem.

 

[sconnieman]

I too am making the switch this year to a saddle from a climber. I have been using a climber for a long time. My first climber was a Baker in the 80's and have used Summits since. I would weight your Viper and you may find that in fact it weights more than 20 lbs. My comfort zone is for sure with a climber. But with that said here are two facts that have not been mentioned. (1) You have to stand up to shoot a long bow or compound out of the Viper. More movement than a saddle. (2) Have you thought about how you are going to self recover yourself if your platform breaks and you are hanging in the middle of the top section. I have and the saddle is for me from here on out.

Big learning curve for sure, but well worth it. Boyne Bowhunter, Red Beard, Bwhana ,and several others have given me guidance on one sticking and rappelling down. I have tons to learn and experience. I had 4 climbers and have sold two. Will not be going back in time.

So I actually don’t own a viper, I own a titan. I have drawn while sitting but again that’s a titan and it’s a little bigger. I actually did have the bottom platform slip out and thankfully the cheap little summit tether kept it attached, though I was going to invest in some third hand stabilizer straps.


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[sconnieman]

Are you using a knee pad and a back band? Those are the 2 best accessories for comfort once you are in the tree. Are you hunting public land? Depending on the state, you could use climbing spurs, nothing I know of is quieter or faster.

With that said, I would like you to go to your hardest hunt for walk in access and climb. Do it once with the summit, and once with the saddle setup. You may find that the summit isn't all you remember it to be for access Kinda like how women forget how bad child birth is.

Good luck this season!

You’re not wrong, i definitely don’t want to make the same hike as last year with my summit again. This year I got knock off arctyerex knee pads but I’m not sure I like them. I do have the aero hunter recliner and it’s great.


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[boyne bowhunter]

I have bad knees as well. For a knee rest I position my pack (in my case a turkey vest) right in front of me on the tree. In the pouch I put one of those 1" foam seat pads. Between that and the padding in the back of the vest my knees are pretty comfy.

 

[Chehaw50]

This is my first year ever in a saddle. I now currently have 3 sits under my belt, so not claiming to be an expert by no means. Most of my years hunting have been with a summit climber, either being the viper or titan. The comfort in those is hard to beat. Over the years I have become bored with hunting the same location all the time. I got to where I would give a spot a morning sit and an evening sit then move if I wasn't seeing any activity. Last year I bought a lone wolf lock on and sticks for a hunt out of state just to add another tool in my tool box and to be a little more mobile and not knowing what kind of trees that would be there that would be suitable for a climber. Using the climbing sticks was the biggest learning curve and I knew with patience and repetition that it would come second nature, and it did. This year I purchased the Phantom and the Predator XL as another tool as well. I had my first sit for the Georgia opener and didn't come down out of the tree until 11. I would say I am a 90% leaner and a 10% sitter. I didn't see buying any new sticks since I had sticks already. I can around 15ft with 3 sticks. Early season with all the vegetation I find that's plenty high enough for me. I had 3 does at 15 yards opening morning, 2 does and a fawn also at 15yds which never knew I was anywhere around. Yesterday, I was able to get off work early, with my saddle setup being able to fit behind my seat in the truck, I was able to do a run and gun setup. I had a spot in mind of where I wanted to go setup, as I was walking in I came up to a small field that had been bush hogged that had 2 does out feeding. They ran off not to spooked so I immediately looked for a tree to climb. I ended up in a tree on the side of the field that was a little bit bigger that the diameter of a soft ball. I hung one stick and was able to set the platform from the ground at eye level. I ended up seeing 12 deer total, 3 buck and 8 does. Only one doe came within bow range but I choose not to shoot because of it still being a little warm. I was in blue jean and a t-shirt. I do realize that the saddle is not for everyone. I love it! It fits my style of hunting. I can see where in can be over whelming but so was a climber when I first started hunting. There is a learning curve with the saddle and it will take time and patience to get everything dialed in. I think it is safe to say that there is no stand out on the market that is going to be 100% better than the other. Every stand has its pros and cons.

Also, I would to congratulate sconnieman for losing 80lbs. I'm no small person as well, 5'10, 265# myself.

 

[Hunter260]

If you’re having trouble climbing sticks, you likely aren’t utilizing your linesman belt correctly or using your straps right. I made a couple videos on how I do it, give em a watch and maybe it’ll help you climb.

 

[bj139]

This thread is a little crazy. Try both and use the one you like best is the correct answer. I don't ask anyone else to tell me what to do.

 

[gcr0003]

This thread is a little crazy. Try both and use the one you like best is the correct answer. I don't ask anyone else to tell me what to do.

Lots a folks ask other people to tell them what to do only to do the opposite. People do what they want every time. Like you said, no one will actually be telling you what to do because people don’t listen to being told anything.

Did the OP decide to stick with saddle hunting or not? I’d say save yourself some money and get into saddle hunting now. If you don’t, you will only be back here in a couple years (depending on what level of misery you enjoy).

 

[BuckTown]

If you’re having trouble climbing sticks, you likely aren’t utilizing your linesman belt correctly or using your straps right. I made a couple videos on how I do it, give em a watch and maybe it’ll help you climb.

Can not over emphasize how much these videos helped me with climbing @Hunter260! I highly recommend anyone finding stick climbing difficult to definitely give these a view. I just watched the video about how to efficiently climb with linemen's belt last month and it has dramatically helped my climbs. Thanks for these!

 

[Hunter260]

Can not over emphasize how much these videos helped me with climbing @Hunter260! I highly recommend anyone finding stick climbing difficult to definitely give these a view. I just watched the video about how to efficiently climb with linemen's belt last month and it has dramatically helped my climbs. Thanks for these!

Hey I really appreciate that brother

 

[CharlieTN]

I went from a Summit Viper to a saddle last year after always finding myself in the wrong place because the only tree I could climb with the Summit was in the wrong place. The Viper is very comfortable but it is very bulky. I went with a ring of steps instead of a platform and shed 10lbs from my overall weight. This year I’m switching to the one-stick/rappel method and have shed a good bit more. I would be hard pressed to go back to a climber just to make sure I have the options of where to setup.

 

[sconnieman]

Lots a folks ask other people to tell them what to do only to do the opposite. People do what they want every time. Like you said, no one will actually be telling you what to do because people don’t listen to being told anything.

Did the OP decide to stick with saddle hunting or not? I’d say save yourself some money and get into saddle hunting now. If you don’t, you will only be back here in a couple years (depending on what level of misery you enjoy).

Well I’m in the first sit of the year. Decided I was gonna give it the old college try. Between weight loss, not having cold weather gear, and a pair of Kong ducks, the climb was a lot easier. Also the predator xl is way more comfortable then regular predator. All that being said, I still feel like I move around a lot in this thing and my feet are killing me. If anyone could recommend a good pair of insoles, I’d look into those.

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[bj139]

Well I’m in the first sit of the year. Decided I was gonna give it the old college try. Between weight loss, not having cold weather gear, and a pair of Kong ducks, the climb was a lot easier. Also the predator xl is way more comfortable then regular predator. All that being said, I still feel like I move around a lot in this thing and my feet are killing me. If anyone could recommend a good pair of insoles, I’d look into those.

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If your feet are hurting you are standing too much. Pull the saddle down behind your thighs so you can sit in it. Every 15 or twenty minutes stand up for a minute. You will be falling asleep in no time like some of us. Try this.

 

[Wasp]

Loose the sticks and the answer for me was sell all that and take $150 and buy a lone wolf hand climber or use a tree lounge foot climber or buy a summit open shot hand climber. Your carry weight drops, your speed increases and life is easy. There have been several on here who have really dialed in the climber/platform concept. For whatever reason I didn't get it until I started looking at their weight savings and reduced clutter. I get it now and saddles make alot more sense.

Tree lounge foot piece climbing platform

I finally got to do a little test today and I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner. This one is a touch heavy at maybe 6 or 7 lbs, but I already plan to have one custom made that will be even smaller and lighter. It is still lighter than carrying sticks and a platform by a long shot. It...

saddlehunter.com

 

[neonomad]

I too am making the switch this year to a saddle from a climber. I have been using a climber for a long time. My first climber was a Baker in the 80's and have used Summits since. I would weight your Viper and you may find that in fact it weights more than 20 lbs. My comfort zone is for sure with a climber. But with that said here are two facts that have not been mentioned. (1) You have to stand up to shoot a long bow or compound out of the Viper. More movement than a saddle. (2) Have you thought about how you are going to self recover yourself if your platform breaks and you are hanging in the middle of the top section. I have and the saddle is for me from here on out.

Big learning curve for sure, but well worth it. Boyne Bowhunter, Red Beard, Bwhana ,and several others have given me guidance on one sticking and rappelling down. I have tons to learn and experience. I had 4 climbers and have sold two. Will not be going back in time.

Last year I hunted a JX3 but this summer I’m actually getting some time to practice shooting out of it... I might shoot better out of this stand than I do flat footed at the range. Once legs are locked to the tree the whole setup is so stable, I’m holding on target real well. Much better than standing up in a stand I think.

 

[lightening_bug]

I feel more secure in a saddle. I think it's because I'm facing the tree and it doesn't feel like I'm balancing. If you don't have this problem with normal tree stands, and you're okay with the extra weight and tree limitations, then you should probably use a climber for comfort and simplicity.

 

[Westdesign03]

I feel more secure in a saddle. I think it's because I'm facing the tree and it doesn't feel like I'm balancing. If you don't have this problem with normal tree stands, and you're okay with the extra weight and tree limitations, then you should probably use a climber for comfort and simplicity.

I’m the exact same way. Probably the biggest reason I like saddle hunting is the secure feeling in it. I still use my lock on once in a while but I definitely am not as comfortable up in it as the saddle.


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[sconnieman]

Welp, everything is for sale now. Only thing left is the sticks and saddle


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[slydog]

Well thats that. Good luck with your climber. There is more than one way to skin a deer.

 

[Wirrex]

People don’t really talk about the commitment it takes to START saddle hunting. Even with all the videos and help we have on this site it isn’t simple. It takes a certain kind of person.