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How did you hear about saddle hunting?

River Hunter

River Hunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2017
Messages
301
Location
Minnesota
Curious how everyone heard about saddle hunting. For me, it was word of mouth.

I was at the local sporting goods store (Cabin Fever in Victoria, MN - awesome shop) and was waiting for the owner to talk to him about X-stands that just came out as they were suppose to be 10 pounds or so...started chatting with the guy next to me and he said "forget the climber, just get a Guido's Web and be done with it - all my lone wolf's are collecting dust".

So I looked up Guido's Web and made the plunge.

Converted my cousin the following year when loggers started logging right by his ladder stand so we headed to public land and I let him use my GW - as much as he didn't want to use it I kinda forced it on him. 15 minutes in the tree he was on the phone with Butch to place an order lol.

That was 3 years ago...I'm now a proud Kestrel owner!

I wish I could hunt down the guy that told me about the GW and thank him.
 
I read about them in John Eberharts books. Took a few years before I took the plunge and got my first saddle. Now i'm going on 5 years of saddle hunting?

Funny to think even just 5 years ago there were virtually no good saddle hunting resources out there. Will never go back to hang-ons or climbers.
 
researching lighter tree stands for public land hunting, Bigasports cane across the evolution. So I bought a sitdrag and the rest is history
 
Eberhart’s books for me too. Read how he used them, but didn’t think it was for me. Then as I researched going lighter for hunting public land and research it some more. Don’t think I would have made the leap of faith without saddle hunter as a resource.


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I stumbled upon a guidos web you tube video about 2 years ago. Gave it a try and didn’t really hunt out of it real hard. Then last season I decided to give it ago again and found this forum and the Kestrel. So this up coming season I’m going to hunt almost exclusively out of the Kestrel I ordered yesterday.
 
i heard John E interviewed on wired to hunt and started looking into it. I found this site and stalked for a while. I got a kestrel and Ernies platform and am now trying to figure out how i want to climb a tree.

My reason for getting into it was not for a lighter set up but a safer set up. I always felt like i was sitting on the hot seat in the dunking booth waiting for the seat or platform to give way in a lock on or climber. 4 point harness scared me too. I would rather always have tension on my safety device then never have tension until a fall.
 
Had hunted for years but mainly learned about it through experience and word of mouth. Decided to make a concerted effort to become more knowledgeable and saw Precision Bowhunting recommended as a good book to read. Read it and noticed the frequent mentions of Eberhart's "ambush saddle," though I had trouble really understanding what he was talking about. Late in the season I finally remembered to research it a bit, which led down the rabbit hole that brought me here and to buying a kestrel.
 
Back injury and torn up knee/surgery last October, couldn't bend knee so my lone wolf sticks or climber wouldn't work, rigged up some ladder stands (with some help) that were already set to try and accommodate my knee (unsuccessful attempt for comfort but I was able to suck it up)... whole time hunting I was thinking: "there has to be something out there or something I can DIY" to solve this dilemma, that could make it possible to get into a tree and hunt even if "handicapped slightly"...? So I ended up stumbling onto saddle hunting on youtube (THANK YOU G2 and Boudreaux for your videos!!!) which lead me to SADDLEHUNTER.com and as many have stated: one thing lead to another, purchased a Kestrel and some WE steps (wanted double step climbing sticks but currently unavailable during off season).... So far I believe this set up will be the answer to my question and based on what I was able to do after the surgery and how I hunted, there is no doubt I could have used the WE steps to get up the tree and hunted in comfort wearing the Kestrel....! During my research I recalled seeing the Trophy Line years ago, my thoughts at the time where "how could that possibly be comfortable?", information wasn't as easily available at the time and I had never met anyone who hunted from a saddle... Wish I would have tried it years ago, but now I'm telling every hunter I meet about it and converting my hunting buddies!
 
I have been hunting more public land over the last few years and was sick and tired of the climbing stand. Started researching lighter easier ways to hunt on YouTube. I saw one of those recommended videos....G2 did on the Sit-Drag and I was sold. I know this is my solution and future for hunting ☝️
 
Saw an ad for the treesuit saddle in a magazine probably close to 15 years ago. I have always liked trying different stuff when it comes to hunting and thought it looked cool so I ordered one. I used it on occasion but didn't like how it felt wearing it in while carrying my bow, pack and climbing sticks. Plus it was just easier to use my climber. I sold it, then found this forum, made a sit drag, and then bought a kestrel last fall.
 
My dad used to hang behind me in his anderson sling when I was a kid. After college I was reading Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails and learnt about the ambush saddle. I immediately bought one and never looked back.
 
Precision bowhunting, then heard John Eberhart on big buck registry, looked at saddle hunter for a month, then bought the kestrel. Can’t wait to sneak in on some early season bucks with spurs or tree bolt method!
 
I was at a Deer and Turkey expo here in Indiana and met Tyler Mitton, who was with TL at the time, and demoed it right there. I was instantly hooked and have never looked back! And I immediately got John Eberhart’s book. My fav pic mashup of me in the saddle was sent to me by one of my patients; and it’s fitting. “You talking to ME???”

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John Eberharts book about 20 years ago! I then tried one of the original old-school saddles and didnt like it. So it got returned. Recently I was shopping for the lightest treestand out there for running & gunning; when i ran into John Eberhart at OutdoorRama this year. Someone else was with him to (possibly mr. Boudreaux Boswell?); but watching them use the new Kestrel Saddle design had me sold!!! I ordered one as soon as i got home. It should arrive in April!! I think i’ve already ordered every accessory ever mentioned on this Forum & watched all of G2’s & Boswells videos!!! This is already an exciting addiction!!
 
mudminnow said:
i heard John E interviewed on wired to hunt and started looking into it. I found this site and stalked for a while. I got a kestrel and Ernies platform and am now trying to figure out how i want to climb a tree.

My reason for getting into it was not for a lighter set up but a safer set up. I always felt like i was sitting on the hot seat in the dunking booth waiting for the seat or platform to give way in a lock on or climber. 4 point harness scared me too. I would rather always have tension on my safety device then never have tension until a fall.
Click to expand...
Lol I hear ya on the hot seat in a dunk booth! I shook like a meth head climbing onto traditional stands.

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Back where I was a wee'un I saw an add for the Ambush Saddle in a Cabela's catalog. That image of a bowhunter hanging off of a tree like a camoflage Spiderman stuck in my head. Got started public land hunting during college and in my quest to hunt ever-deeper in the swamps I came across Eberhart's books.

Looks cool + might help me kill a deer = an unhealthy obsession with getting up a tree with as little gear as possible. Will most likely culminate in me climbing a hickory tree with my fingernails and leaping onto deer with a pointy stick.
 
Nutterbuster said:
Back where I was a wee'un I saw an add for the Ambush Saddle in a Cabela's catalog. That image of a bowhunter hanging off of a tree like a camoflage Spiderman stuck in my head. Got started public land hunting during college and in my quest to hunt ever-deeper in the swamps I came across Eberhart's books.

Looks cool + might help me kill a deer = an unhealthy obsession with getting up a tree with as little gear as possible. Will most likely culminate in me climbing a hickory tree with my fingernails and leaping onto deer with a pointy stick.
Click to expand...
True story, I have a co-worker who is native American and he swears his cousin killed a deer with a spear by jumping from a tree and diving the spear through the deer's back. Then later in life he killed a small hog by jumping on its back and stabbing it with a knife. The dude is crazy.


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I had quite a journey that led me to this community. On July 4th last year I was hanging a couple of sets and the last one I hung was an older Gorilla stand. I got it up in the tree and was standing on it trimming limbs when the cables broke and the platform fell out like a trap door. Luckily the tree had several trucks and I believe I kinda slid down one of them (I happened so quick I don't really know). I walked away from that with a few scratches and some bruises. I knew how lucky I was and I'd only get one of those, the next time could be much worse.

I'd heard of some folks using rock climbing harnesses as safety belts so I did some research on them and ordered me one and loved it. It was simpler, lighter, more comfortable and if I happened to fall out of the tree stand it was much easier to self recover.

Fast forward to the end of last year and I'm scrolling through instragram and a guy by the name of bayoubowhunter is talking about hunting out of his saddle and how great it is. So I look up tree saddle on youtube and that leads me to Boswell's videos. I thought about it for a few months, (mainly the price) did some more research, found this site and ordered me a kestrel which should be here in the next few weeks.

Im looking forward to hunting in mine. I worried about not being comfortable in is as some had listed that as a reason for selling but I made my mind up to play with it enough when I get it to make it comfortable because the benefits are endless. Before I even ordered it I would be walking through the woods scouting and I would look up at trees and think ''man that would be perfect for a saddle." Most of those trees/spots I've never hunted because its impossible to get a stand back there without making a ton of noise.
 
I had been hunting around 6 years out of pre hung stands on a small piece of private. Last year a buddy loaned me a climber for the season and I really did love it. I started hunting public last season , and quickly found out the downsides of climbers...bulky, weight, noise, need of straight limbless trees.
After joining the Hunting Beast last fall to learn new tactics , I read of quite a few of those guys(a few are on here, too) using saddles, and I was intrigued. Did some research, watched videos from G2 and Boswell, as well as DIY Sportsman, and decided it was the way to go for me .
It will be nice to go into an area lite, ready to climb or ground sit based on the terrain.
 
Back in the late 80's, I ran into some little old grizzled dude, at the mart. We were both buying all of the Thunderhead 125's we could get at $5 a box from the Wal-Mart year end clearance aisle. I actually split up the available boxes between us, so we could both buy the same amount. The dude asked me where I hunted, then proceeded to tell me that he hunted public, exclusively. He told me to go get this particular Bowhunting magazine, where I would find an add in there for an Anderson Tree sling. He informed me that, once I bought one, it would forever change the way I hunt. I bought the magazine. then once I got home I ordered the sling and a pair of Buckingham climbing hooks and away I went. Back then, I could hunt two complete days before the arches of my feet and the insides of both knees were so sore, that I would need a day or so break. A few yrs later, I met a dude at the Whitetail Classic who was selling an "improved" Anderson, called The Bulldog. It had an aluminum frame for the seat to attach to, a back rest strap, and a sliding bar between your legs, as a standoff, against the tree, instead of knee pads. It is very comfortable and addressed the sore knee problem of the Anderson. The spurs are mostly retired, but as for the Bulldog, I have used it ever yr. since. I never saw the old boy again, but if I ever had, I'd a shook his hand.
 
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