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How did you get started with saddle hunting?

First heard about it on a podcast over a yr ago. Was going to buy an areo hunter then I heard another podcast about saddle hunting when Greg Godfrey from tethrd came on the show, he sounded so convincing thought I have to give it a try, mostly cause of the weight factor. Because I do most of my hunting 1-2.5 mi off the rd. Thanks so much Greg!!!
 
I was on youtube looking at ways to improve my summit like packing it and carrying it around. Youtube recommended a video by G2outdoors and it was downhill from there. I watched all of Greg's videos and then tethrd was born and bought a mantis/predator. It did not come in until the end of the season and only hunted 3 times out of it the last yeat, but I was hooked. Now I have several saddles and I haven't used my summit since. It's actually still sitting at the bottom of the tree. I need to bring it in and sell it or something. I'm still learning a lot ...
 
I bought Eberhart’s book “hunting pressured white tails” because I hunt east Texas where every deer walks around looking up. I hunted the Trophyline the first year unsuccessfully and put it down for a year or two until I got tired of only being able to hunt straight trees with no branches with the climber. When I started hunting the saddle again I discovered that I have much more luck being undetected when I wait until the deer are in my “living room” before I move at all or draw on them. Since I picked the saddle back up, my longest shot has been less than 20 yds
 
I bought a GW in 2004 from Preston Wells, the best arrow builder in Mississippi. He happens to work with me at the firehouse too. I didn't know squat about sticks and spurs. I always was an Ol Man user since they came out. Before that two ton Ammackers and light, but deadly Warren Sweats. Anyway back on task. I got a set of Klein spurs. Had no idea how to use them, so they only got used a few times. Then got my first stick ladder. It was nice, but missed be able to move around to different spots quick. So kinda gave up until 2017. Tired of carrying the Old Man I wanted desperately to use my web. Searched for sticks didn't really want to spend the money, so I searched YouTube. Found @sampotter, @mtsrunner and @bowhunter15. Sam's stealth climb brought me to the site, where I met all the OGs. Learned of the SD and found out about all the different climbing method. I will not ever hunt from a regular stand again. Hunted all last year from my SD and maybe twice from the Web. Thanks @redsquirrel for building this site to get me back in the saddle again. I love Areosmith!
 
MFD205 said:
I bought a GW in 2004 from Preston Wells, the best arrow builder in Mississippi. He happens to work with me at the firehouse too. I didn't know squat about sticks and spurs. I always was an Ol Man user since they came out. Before that two ton Ammackers and light, but deadly Warren Sweats. Anyway back on task. I got a set of Klein spurs. Had no idea how to use them, so they only got used a few times. Then got my first stick ladder. It was nice, but missed be able to move around to different spots quick. So kinda gave up until 2017. Tired of carrying the Old Man I wanted desperately to use my web. Searched for sticks didn't really want to spend the money, so I searched YouTube. Found @sampotter, @mtsrunner and @bowhunter15. Sam's stealth climb brought me to the site, where I met all the OGs. Learned of the SD and found out about all the different climbing method. I will not ever hunt from a regular stand again. Hunted all last year from my SD and maybe twice from the Web. Thanks @redsquirrel for building this site to get me back in the saddle again. I love Areosmith!
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Glad I could be of help!
 
Started many years ago with the Anderson sling then I saw the Treesuit and then the Trophyline . Bought a Guido's Web then a Kestrel and a Flex . Back in the day I always like the idea of lightweight and 360 shooting around the tree that's what really got me started. I shot a lot of deer out of saddles. It's the only way to hunt. I still have the Treesuit and the Guido's Web and my Kestrel and Flex. The only problem I have with saddle hunting is witch saddle to use.
 
I spotted a Trophyline on a shelf in Basspro in the fall of ‘07 one day and bought it impulsively. Had never heard of such a thing, but always having the mobile “guerilla” hunter mentality, that thing looked like just the ticket towards becoming a true predator.

I killed a nice buck that fall that was in the 2’oclock position (over the tether shot). I haven’t hunted from a tree stand since, have zero presets, and rarely ever hunt the same tree twice.

I bought a GW in 2012 or 2013 and hunted from it until @justsomedude posted the ultimate ultralight saddle thread, which should be pinned by the way. Now I’m a RCH and fleece saddle guy, although I probably should dust off the GW for some all dayers in the next few weeks.
 
swd said:
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.
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15 yrs ago I served QDMA as their second RD. John Eberhart and I here in Michigan did a workshop together about deer management and hunting tactics out in the field. John turned me on to saddle hunting then but it never became a useful hunting strategy until I started hunting public land again. I've already have passed several good bucks this season but heading back to Iowa on Friday for 10 days
 
Listened to @dalton916 and @Benman talk about em for over a year before I finally started asking questions. Broke down and ordered a Kestrel Flex on 7/5. It got here a couple weeks ago and I’m hooked.

I was tired of lugging around climbers and loc ons long before I even knew what a saddle was. Only a few sits in, and I took inventory of all my loc ons and sticks last weekend to start selling them off. Can’t see myself going back....


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I decided to try some hang on stands after hunting from ladder stands and learned that I developed vertigo when I tried to stand on the hang on. I started researching RCH and hunting figuring that I could rig a way to keep me upright and came across John Eberhart. Once I saw his setup I knew that I had to try a saddle. Choked down the price of an Aerohunter Evo a few years ago and found what I was looking for.
 
I had spent my first several years of hunting sitting in the same River's Edge hang on stand, and a ladder stand, on the same piece of property. Two years ago, my buddy bought himself a Lone Wolf stand, and let me use his old API climber for the season.
It was cool to be mobile, and that thing was comfortable, but it was so bulky and loud, and a PITA to get through thick brush. I also hated searching for trees, and typically being just outside the ballgame because of the selection.

Needing to give back the climber, I was faced with (I thought) two options for mobility... a climber, our pay big money for a stand like his. Talking with him about it one day, he said mostly in jest, "some guys hunt out of a thing called a saddle"...I hadn't heard of it, and began researching, which led me here, as well as to some of Boswell's, DIY Sportsman's, and G2Outdoor's videos.
I bought a RC harness and ended up making a fleece saddle, which I love, and have used nothing else the last two seasons.
 
It almost started for me back in the late 80s when someone gave me an unopened Anderson sling. I never used it and passed it on, thinking that it can't be as good as my Cadillac climber. It almost started again in 2007 when I had a TL in my hands at Bass Pro, but elected to go with a Loggy Bayou safety harness to meet the guide's requirements on an upcoming hunt in Wisconsin. Finally, in the fall of 2017, after a hunt in Ohio and not able to find good trees to use with my climbers, I started searching for lightweight and portable stands. I found some @g2outdoors and @bowhunter15 videos and then found saddlehunter.com. I tore a disc in my back right after that Ohio trip and spent many months lurking and reading almost every post on the site while laid up with my back. I finally joined the site, bought a sitdrag and made a fleece saddle, and the sickness has not been cured yet.
 
I was hunting public and lugging a 30 lb climber around. One evening on a hunting/camping trip, i had scouted a nice area with the perfect climber tree. Marked the location and walked in at O’dark 30 the next morning. Someone was already half way up that very tree. I backed out without a plan B. It was about 20 degrees out and I was sweating as I lugged all my gear. Found a decent tree, fought the climber into position and settled down. All the sweat then became ice, and to make it worse when it got light I realized my area sucked!!!! I sold the climber to my buddy that day, and hunted from the ground for the rest of the trip. As I sat around I constantly Googled ways to hunt lightweight, I watched several of @g2outdoors youtube videos. He kept referring to this site. I was hooked that day and have never looked back
 
I was tuning a friend’s bow (he was new to bowhunting then) and he asked if I’ve seen/heard about saddles. I said no but it piqued my interest and I started researching. Fast forward, now we both use saddles.
 
I had seen something about it sometime around 07 or 08 but it was foreign to me a looked a bit sketchy so I pressed on with my climber. Earlier this year a hunting buddy of mine that just started last season asked me about it and I kind of dismissed it and didnt give it much more thought. My buddy kept talking to me about over a few weeks and brought up the point that we hunt a ways back and the weight savings would be nice. Needless to say I finally started to actually look into it and do some research, stumbled across this site and a few youtube videos and spent the next few weeks lurking non stop. I was sold and had to try it... until I saw the price of a saddle... almost dismissed it again 2x the cost of a climber and would it actually be better, safer? Would I like it? Then I found the diy mantis clone threads and dove right in. Bought myself a thread injector, supplies and spent a lot of nights ripping seams out and starting over. Im hooked now!
 
I found a TL hidden on a shelf in a local hunting store in 2007. Bought it, some rapid rails and haven’t looked back.


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