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How did you get started with saddle hunting?

S

swd

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2019
Messages
217
Location
Tennessee
For me, it was a Wired to Hunt podcast a year or two ago. John Eberhart was the guest. I had never heard of saddle hunting prior to that and started to do some research. I was not thrilled with my climber and realized that at under 20 lbs, it was about as light as it was going to get. I was also frustrated with finding the "right" tree in the wrong areas.
 
Last year, Nebraska, Nov 5th. Arguably one of the best days. Struggling through bushwhacking to get to a spot, sinking in over my boots, sticks popping off my Assault, the whole package probably 25-30 lbs... Just aggravating as heck. Think I was so mad I actually sled back to the truck and went to town to get beer! Found this forum, went to saddlepalooza, practiced all summer, and did my first 5 hour sit in the cccccold snowy Nebraska woods yesterday! Love it! Even with the Sitka Fanatic jacket the package is under 20lbs. Thanks Greg, Ernie, Carl, Garrett, Boswell, all the guys at palooza, the tho, etc
 
I decided to hunt a barrier island that was a wilderness area. I researched the lightest tree stands and found trophyline and after a little research online I went to trophylines website and ordered an ambush. And then I waited and waited. Never got a confirmation email or shipping notification so I did a bunch of research and it was just coming out that they closed. My money was gone but after much research I got ahold of the owner and got a refund. Then I found saddlehunter.com years later and it renewed my interest but My choices were pretty much limited to overpriced, used trophylines or the aero evo. Then @g2outdoors started making videos of the sit drag. I used two the last half of one season and then they came out with the kestrel. I finally got a trophyline ambush about a year ago and was kind of glad I didn’t get one when I originally ordered.
 
eberhart, and me finally getting tired of dragging my climber thinking "maybe hes on to something :confused2:"
 
Don’t even remember, but probably saw someone mention it on Archery Talk about 15 years ago. Ordered a TreeSuit, then made one DIY, 3 TrophyLines, Guidos Web, etc.
My current favorite rig is fleece backed up by a Tactisaddle or RCH.
 
When Uncle Sam stationed me at Fort Carson, Colorado in 2010 I had to quickly adapt my Southeastern tactics to the foothills of the Rockies.

That's when I found an old trophyline.

A couple years later I started making my own out of Sitdrags and even some mesh ones. I was trying to find the best combination of lightweight, comfort, and less bulk.

I've probably built 10 saddles of all different styles and shapes.

It's a blast.



Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
"Still hunting" and seeing no deer lead me to a Summit Viper (and success!).

Lugging the Viper around lead me to Seans Outdoor Adventures on YouTube and the Lone Wolf Hand Climber.

Struggling with tree selection (branches) and still too much weight/bulk lead me to Garret's (DIYSportsman) YouTube channel and his experimenting with a sitdrag and the LW Assassin (though I initially thought the saddle thing was crazy. I mean, who wants to face the tree?).

Garret got me to Boswell's YouTube videos featuring the Kestrel, etc.. Bobby, in turn got me to saddlehunter.com, which led to a Kite, which has now become a JX3, and of course, the rabbit hole of climbing methods.
 
A little over two years ago I was dragging an XOP air raid around as I started to become more mobile and hunt more public land. This was a stark contrast to the preset ladder stands that we had setup on my family's private parcels. The hikes in and out were grueling.

It was around that time that I stumbled on videos from @bowhunter15 and @g2outdoors while researching ultra mobile hunting setups. It was through those videos that I came to this site where I spent another year lurking and researching as much as I could.

Last year I was about to pull the trigger on RCH + sitdrag setup when my cousin @cdgvd6 posted a fb picture of him in a brand spanking new Mantis. That was all the convincing I needed to go all in and buy a saddle/platform from tethrd. I haven't looked back since :)
 
Like others, I started looking for a lighter setup than my LW Assault and four clumsy sticks which led me to search youtube and I somehow stumbled upon @g2outdoors and diy sportsman and was instantly sold the minute I saw how a saddle could open up a whole new world of hunting for me. The proof is in the pudding because this year I have been to more locations, in a wider variety of trees, covered more distance and have seen more wildlife to date than I normally see by the time the season ends.
 
I had been mobile hunting in a Summit for years but I hated how noisy it was carrying it through the woods. I stumbled across mention of the Trophyline somewhere and tried to order but they had just gone out of business. I spent the next couple of years trying to catch one at a reasonable price <$400 on ebay and similar sites to no avail.

Eventually I found the AeroHunter Evolution and ordered one (their product literature is what led me here). I was never able to get fully comfortable in the EVO (too many adjustments and I didn't know enough to know what I had to do to solve my comfort issues) so I only hunted sparingly out of it.

When Aerohunter released the Kestrel, I joined the mass of people in line to get one. It's simplicity was the key to mastering the comfort for me. I was done with treestands at that point. I haven't even had a climber on a tree since then.

I have since moved to the Tethrd Mantis which I personally find a little more comfortable but all the current saddles are simliar enough in my opinion that you can find comfort in any of them.

By the way, after a few years of saddle hunting I broke out that EVO to give it another try. Now that I understand what adjustments to make to solve different issues, it may be the most comfortable of all my saddles. If it weren't so bulky I'd be hunting out of it today. :)
 
Greens saddle in a magazine ad if I remember right. Long time ago. Screaming eagles were great but too heavy to lug around the MT wilderness.
 
20 years ago I had a tree sling. Used it a little but it was not very comfortable for me. Wish I still had it to do the mods on. Couple years ago I ran across DaveT1963 and his mod of the Deadringer hammock chair (didn't like how noisy it was), which lead me to saddle hunting forum. Got back into the saddle with the purchase of a Guido's web from this site this year. I like the idea of hang and hunt over fresh sign and hiding on the back side of the tree. Planing on making a fleece saddle and looking for a Tactisaddle in the future and learning how to be a thread injector. This site has great info for guys that like to tinker.
 
I'm really new to it, but started not being satisfied with the possibility of being hung by the scruff from a "hunter safety harness" should something bad happen.

That led to rch, then full blown saddle sickness... Never going back.
 
Same as many others above. Hunted for a number of years using a summit climber but grew tired of the lack of tree selection, not being able to effectively hunt new areas, bulk, noise dragging it through the brush, etc.

I think it was a Wired to Hunt podcast that I first heard of saddles. Didn’t think much of it. Last year it popped back in my brain and I did some research before ordering a Mantis.

First season in and I can already see the benefits. I haven’t hunted the same tree twice on any WMA yet this year. Love the mobility and stealth. I’m sold.
 
I was looking for a more mobile and lighter set than than the climbers ive been lugging around for the past 20+ years and also moved to within a stones throw to a heap of public. The mobile set also keeps me from going back top the same loc ons on the small tract of private I own. Hate to say never but I am way more comfortable and probably never going back
 
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