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I'm Trying to be a Saddle Guy, I Really Am

Abishai

Abishai

Active Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
142
Location
FLW, MO by way of the Arkansas River Valley
I've been saddle-hunting on and off for about 5 years. I've adjusted my setups and tweaked things each year, but every time I use my saddle system, I find myself longing for my Summit Viper--weight-savings be danged.

It's just so much easier to hook up my climber and send it. Easier. Faster. More comfortable.

Using climbing sticks, ropes, aiders, platforms, carabiners, prussiks, kneepads, pouch this and strap that, and all that other stuff...

It takes me longer to get setup. I'm soaking wet with sweat by the time I'm ready to hunt. It's really not as comfortable as my climber.

Most guys hunt the same trees out of a saddle that they would if they had a climber (myself included).

Am I just doing it wrong? or does it really just not live up to the hype?

I feel like everyone is just a saddle fanboy because they're supposed to be and everyone else is doing it and it makes you cool, but it's just kinda like having an iPhone--not even as good as other phones, but if you don't have one you're a weeb.
 
I feel your pain. I use a alpha for most of my hunts, and sometimes hybrid with a treestand harness outta it. I just like the seat and platform space but there are alotta dudes here who are very kind, knowledgeable and helpful. And alotta them get in trees a climber can't. No shame in learning from these guys even if you choose a climber.
I went the saddle path and found out I move waaaaaay too much and had waaaay to much annoying little "necessary gear"but I've learned that these cats on saddlehunter have worked at their setup and have trimmed down a bunch to only the necessities and are successful at it (tethrd fan boys must be cringing at the lack of gear).
 
Abishai said:
I've been saddle-hunting on and off for about 5 years. I've adjusted my setups and tweaked things each year, but every time I use my saddle system, I find myself longing for my Summit Viper--weight-savings be danged.

It's just so much easier to hook up my climber and send it. Easier. Faster. More comfortable.

Using climbing sticks, ropes, aiders, platforms, carabiners, prussiks, kneepads, pouch this and strap that, and all that other stuff...

It takes me longer to get setup. I'm soaking wet with sweat by the time I'm ready to hunt. It's really not as comfortable as my climber.

Most guys hunt the same trees out of a saddle that they would if they had a climber (myself included).

Am I just doing it wrong? or does it really just not live up to the hype?

I feel like everyone is just a saddle fanboy because they're supposed to be and everyone else is doing it and it makes you cool, but it's just kinda like having an iPhone--not even as good as other phones, but if you don't have one you're a weeb.
Click to expand...
Do what works for you. If one saddle, one stick, or one climbing method was the best for everyone than all the others would be out of business.
If you feel confident and can hunt like a ninja from your climber than that's what I would use. Hang around here for entertainment and shoot deer from your climber. We won't make to much fun of you. ;)
Besides all the cool kids these days are hybrid hunters.
 
Funny you say that. I'm actually the opposite. I hunted out of Summits for 20 years before I moved to saddle hunting. I'll admit they're darn comfortable but I hated the noise that went along with packing them through the woods, setting up and climbing. In addition I was always a sweaty mess by the time I got to hunting height.

Saddle hunting from the right saddle is, for me anyway, almost as comfortable but the real advantage is the stealth and ease of climb. I'm almost never sweaty after achieving height while one sticking. I just find it so much less strenuous. I never say never, but at this point after 6+ years I don't see myself going back to a climber.
 
Not to be a jerk, and because you brought it up, I’d maybe be the first butthead to agree that you’re probably doing it “wrong”.
For starters, I don’t use half the crap you listed, and neither probably should you or most other people.
Aiders? Chuck ‘em.
Knee pads? Trash.
PouchES? I keep one pouch on my saddle.
One rope stays in that pouch and has one prusik and one carabiner. The other rope stays attached to my saddle, has one mechanical prusik and a carabiner, and doubles as suspenders.
I do carry spares of prusik cord and carabiners but that’s just sensible packing.
I use one “strap” on my platform, one on each stick, and one to hang my bow and bag from. A few straps are standard op procedure for anyone who uses a hang-on or even a ladder or climber.
My platform is one of the heaviest on the market and still lighter than the rubber bands that hold your summit to the tree.
I wear a tiny pack that’s big enough for some snacks, water, knives and flashlights, calls, and binos.
I can climb with 4 sticks in 5-10 minutes on virtually any tree I can reach my arms around, without breaking a sweat (unless it’s a hickory tree).
As a leaner, I’m in a perpetual hammock up there. I just hang and let the breeze shift me in the tree, and I have been able to use that tree to get way better encounters with animals that otherwise would have been hard to see or require more movement or wouldn’t have been able to use the trunk to conceal myself, etc. I can credit at least two kills to being able to hide behind the trunk prior to the deer getting into my shot window, and furthermore making shots around the trunk that would have been impossible in a stand with a normal harness.

I think you have unfortunately fallen victim to the saddlebro nonsense of it all, and this weird notion that “saddle hunting” is in-and-of-itself a “thing”…it’s not. It’s just elevated hunting like every other kind of elevated hunting, but with a harness that’s meant to keep you in the tree as opposed to stopping you from falling out of said tree.
On that note, the safety aspect can not be denied. It’s inarguably safer to hang from a well made saddle and ropes than to be in a stand with a standard harness hoping you don’t have to hang by the scruff of your neck today and risk suspension trauma.
It’s just hunting. From a saddle. And all the dipdees and doodads and BS are just that.
Do the benefits far outweigh the downsides for me and many others? Genuinely yes.
Is it easy to get caught up in Dorothy’s tornado of gear and methods and “what’re you running?” Absolutely yes.
Do you need any more than the saddle, a couple of ropes, and a way to get/stay in the tree that is safe, fast, and comfortable for you? Hell naw.

Buck up my friend. And keep the Summit cuz who knows, maybe you are just a summit guy at the end of the day.
 
Abishai said:
I've been saddle-hunting on and off for about 5 years. I've adjusted my setups and tweaked things each year, but every time I use my saddle system, I find myself longing for my Summit Viper--weight-savings be danged.

It's just so much easier to hook up my climber and send it. Easier. Faster. More comfortable.

Using climbing sticks, ropes, aiders, platforms, carabiners, prussiks, kneepads, pouch this and strap that, and all that other stuff...

It takes me longer to get setup. I'm soaking wet with sweat by the time I'm ready to hunt. It's really not as comfortable as my climber.

Most guys hunt the same trees out of a saddle that they would if they had a climber (myself included).

Am I just doing it wrong? or does it really just not live up to the hype?

I feel like everyone is just a saddle fanboy because they're supposed to be and everyone else is doing it and it makes you cool, but it's just kinda like having an iPhone--not even as good as other phones, but if you don't have one you're a weeb.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you need a summit open shot. A little lighter, less bulk, just as easy to climb, plenty comfy.

And yes saddles have been overhyped for years. I think the hype is wearing off which is why you see many guys going back to hang-ons and hybrid systems.
 
I felt the same way my first trip out this season. I knocked my glasses off my face on my way up, had to climb down. Got platform set, my bow hoist clip came off my saddle and fell to the ground with my bow still on the ground, had to climb down. I was soaked with sweat when I finally got set. I just had to laugh at myself or I would have cried. I am on the learning curve. I am not giving up but definitely working to reduce anything that xtra I am carrying.
 
I’ll echo what everyone else said, you gotta do you. If you’re pounding a square peg into a round hole and it just ain’t working, brother, stop hammering. Ain’t nothing wrong with a climber if it works for you. Now I’ll also say it seems like you’re dragging everything but the kitchen sink into the woods with you.
Saddle hunting at its core was supposed to be lightweight and mobile. If you look at how John does it it’s basically a strap basket strapped to your butt along with a ring of steps and some sticks. That ain’t bad. You could reduce that even more by 2tc but that would take practice so it you don’t end up a drippy mess by the time your set up.
There’s three camps in saddle hunting it seems like - the folks it’s clicks with right from the start, the folks who have to work at it a bit to make it stick and it clicks, and them that want it to work but it just doesn’t take. I’m a big believer in giving something a bit to see if you like but with hunting and saddle hunting especially, if you’re trying your hardest and it just ain’t taking, cut bait and move on. The season is finite and so is our time on this planet. You got something that works for you stick with it. Ain’t nuthin wrong with entertaining new ideas but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
 
I think it depends on how and where you hunt. If you are on private land and have easy access with easy trees to climb, a summit climber I'd a great option.

I don't have that and am only hunting on public land where I often am hiking a mile or more to get to my spots. I also believe that in season scouting is the best way to get on deer. Having a lightweight setup allows me to go farther in, and do more scouting than I would with a climber on my back.
 
I got into this before most anyone had heard of it. For me me it was simply because I could preset locations and get into them without any noise or disturbance. You're not doing that with a climber.

Gotta be realistic about your expectations and the the reasons you're doing it in the first place.
 
Personal choice is basically what it comes down to. For me I never hunt the same tree in season and my one sticking system is comfortable enough for all day sits. Sitting for any length of time in a climber or lock on kills my back so saddle was the cure for that issue.

Overall just depends on what you like and feel comfortable with. May sound like a broken record but saddle or climber are just a couple tools to utilize for the ultimate outcome of a dead deer somewhere below you!!
 
To me, it became abundantly clear that a climber is more restrictive than saddle hunting. I held on to my climber for awhile thinking I might use it in some situation. I eventually sold it after moving it around my garage time and time again and never even loading it in the truck.

My JX3 is as comfortable as my summit goliath was if I'm doing long sits, but I am far more capable as far as shooting in different directions and tree selection goes.

If I want to run lighter weight or lower profile and don't plan on being out there for forever, I use my ESS or woods deluxe.

I've hunted a ton of areas that I would have had to keep walking right on by with my climber.

I feel infinitely safer in the tree. I find it to be (usually) considerably less work and noise to get set up.

I can do everything out of one of my saddles that I could in my climber, but the opposite is not true.

I could see myself getting a decent lockon for a hybrid setup eventually, but I doubt I'll ever own another climber in my life.
 
I keep my climber, made a lot of good memories, but it rarely gets used. The only time really is when trees are wet and I want to pack an umbrella. And I try to work when it's raining, really only time I would go out in a steady rain is the first day and maybe first Saturday in rifle. Rain and saddle hunting don't mix that great.

I'm not a saddle purist either, been rocking the same setup with the .5 now for years, that thing is all I need.

I can't get up a tree pretty fast one-sticking, especially a climber type tree. I've ripped up some trees in a couple minutes when we're doing drives...keep everything all ready to go and hop right up there.

I hunt a lot of mountain laurel, that stuff is brutal to walk through with a summit. Brutal.
 
It sounds like you wanted it to work more than you thought about whether it really would or not.

The "cool" factor got ya. Kinda like fly fishing for me....lol. I own waaay more fly gear than I need for what little I do of it.
 
Saddlehunting literally is the cooler way to hunt, for me. I’d sweat my butt off carrying that enormous climber in your avatar to the spots I hunt.

I used to haul a Lone Wolf climber all about. Now I use a frame pack, climbing platform, and padded saddle and it’s all far better for me.

But it’s possible a saddle might not be something you’d ever prefer, in which case you should look into something more lightweight and compact, like the LWCG Crossover, if you cover even moderate distance to and from your spots.
 
My situation is a little different. I live in Texas and hunt almost exclusively private land with presets that I try to move periodically as necessity dictates. I hunt in a region that is not prime elevated hunting material to begin with. There are hundreds of oaks on the property, but most are short, multi-limbed and it is almost impossible to find a branch you would not define as a “leaner.” Climbing stands are an impossibility. I basically swapped the stand locations I previously hung loc-ons with a saddle approach. I feel safer and more confident shooting from the saddle and I like the ability to hide behind the tree and the mobility factor when the time for mobility arises. However, at least fifty percent of the time I hunt from tents I place on short platforms on brush areas and from tripods which I conceal in the scrubby oaks. Both those methods are better suited for the country I hunt, but both have their own limitations. In short, saddle hunting is another tool in my chest. I like it. I also like other hunting methods and there is no rule book telling me I have to chose one over any other.

Good luck to you this season, either way. This is supposed to be fun. Do what makes you happy and gives you confidence.
 
Do what works for you. I started on a climber too, a X-stand Mini that was around the 13lbs. It was nice but man carrying that around for miles sucked. I keep hearing my father-in-law saying, 'deer hunting is fun until you actually shot the deer'. I didn't understand this until I had to drag a deer AND the tree stand back to truck. I appreciate that the previous generations did this with 30-40lbs Loggy Bayou stand but I'm going to accept modern method.
 
I think with modern stands and sticks becoming lighter we will see a shift away from saddle hunting. It was a bubble that was bound to burst. (Not that they’ll go away completely) Only so many ways you can stitch a saddle. They will also run out of gizmos to come up with to make it more comfortable. People have found out that you can get some of the benefits of a saddle but be more comfortable using a small hang on with a saddle or rock climbing style harness. I still think for the average weekend warrior a climber is a good option. They probably aren’t hiking miles and would be more comfortable for longer sits. Don’t let the FOMO keep you in the saddle if it’s not working.
 
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