Kids and saddles

[excitedbysquirrels]

My daughter (11) wants to start hunting with me. I've taken her out in a ground blind a few times to make sure she knows hunting is called hunting for the same reason fishing is called fishing.. she wants to hunt how dad hunts up in a tree.. ive been saddle hunting for a year but was curious if you guys have any input or know of any videos that show how i could assist ascent/decent her into the tree with me.. last thing i want is for her to make a mistake that i cant control.

Any input is appreciated

 

[krub6b]

What's your current climbing method? that will impact what the best options are. If you climb sticks I would consider climbing up hanging a lifeline style rope that she could be attached to and then use as her tether as well. That way she just has to manage slack, no disconnecting until she's back on ol' terra firma. Not sure what other climbing style I would consider with an 11 year old. preset stick ladders may be something to consider for this adventure, it'll get you up higher than a set of stick without aiders will for sure.

 

[excitedbysquirrels]

I climb srt, but i was leaning towards setting sticks for her for that exact reason. Just wasnt sure how id be able to control her decent if she was only setup to on a ropeman

 

[krub6b]

I would opt for a good tending friction hitch, like a longhorn agile that she can tend one handed on the way up and down

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[TreeRecon]

Do you know how to rescue someone aloft? If she's on a Ropeman (which I wouldn't do) you may need a mechanical advantage to raise her up and remove it.

Something to keep in mind. Accidents happen and not being able to get your kid down would be a nightmare to me

 

[excitedbysquirrels]

Solid point. I actually took her to the park and we practiced with my srt setup she was able to get up about 6' using the hand ascender and footloop and repelled perfectly with the grigri.. im thinking i may just set her up on the grigri and have her climb some sticks.. probably just going to take this season to practice more

 

[elk yinzer]

Climb first and belay from above with a redirect anchor. Assisted belay device or autoblock highly recommended.

 

[JCLINE84]

You could always climb up first, then set up a block and tackle pulley system to hoist a kid up into a tree with you. You could run the tag end through your belay device for added safety as you’re pulling them up.

 

[Camelcluch]

I like JCLINE84’s idea but would add a drill winch to up the saddle hunter overdone cool factor.

 

[DedicatedShooter]

Tagging in for this. My son will be 12 next spring and I've been thinking of ways to get him in the tree with me too. We're fortunate to have a 40 acre permission piece and we do have 3 double ladder stands out there but still, having the flexibility to hop from tree to tree mid-season without having to move ladder stands would be really nice. This has been our first season on the property and two of the stand locations we thought would be good are definitely not good. Plus, I hunt the military base nearby too and the archery only areas require you to be in a tree. You can set stands out there but being semi-public you run the risk of someone getting into your area before you do. If we were both setup with a saddle, it'd be best.

On that note, who makes saddles that would fit a kid?

 

[excitedbysquirrels]

Tagging in for this. My son will be 12 next spring and I've been thinking of ways to get him in the tree with me too. We're fortunate to have a 40 acre permission piece and we do have 3 double ladder stands out there but still, having the flexibility to hop from tree to tree mid-season without having to move ladder stands would be really nice. This has been our first season on the property and two of the stand locations we thought would be good are definitely not good. Plus, I hunt the military base nearby too and the archery only areas require you to be in a tree. You can set stands out there but being semi-public you run the risk of someone getting into your area before you do. If we were both setup with a saddle, it'd be best.

On that note, who makes saddles that would fit a kid?

I ended up getting my daughter a rock climbing harness. I set my lifeline and get into the tree.. setup the ring of steps then set her lifeline up. Her and i practiced with her grigri + quite a bit. She clips in to her grigri and onto the line herself while i setup a mechanical ascender with a pully. I then pull her into the tree then disconnect the pully/ascender and set up her auto-stop knot. Shes able to pull up herself in a SRT style but it takes ages.. we will practice over the summer more to help build up her strength and coordination.

 

[cincyprostheticguy]

Tagging in for this. My son will be 12 next spring and I've been thinking of ways to get him in the tree with me too. We're fortunate to have a 40 acre permission piece and we do have 3 double ladder stands out there but still, having the flexibility to hop from tree to tree mid-season without having to move ladder stands would be really nice. This has been our first season on the property and two of the stand locations we thought would be good are definitely not good. Plus, I hunt the military base nearby too and the archery only areas require you to be in a tree. You can set stands out there but being semi-public you run the risk of someone getting into your area before you do. If we were both setup with a saddle, it'd be best.

On that note, who makes saddles that would fit a kid?

The Pygmy Rattler Starter Kit | Custom Gear Modifica

The Pygmy Rattler is an extra small version of our Sidewinder Saddle. Made with the same quality materials and craftsmanshipo as all of our saddles, the entire kit has been downsized for the petite person, or for youth supervised by adults. The kit comes with:1. Pigmey Rattler Saddle2...

www.customgearmodifications.com

 

[cincyprostheticguy]

Tagging in for this. My son will be 12 next spring and I've been thinking of ways to get him in the tree with me too. We're fortunate to have a 40 acre permission piece and we do have 3 double ladder stands out there but still, having the flexibility to hop from tree to tree mid-season without having to move ladder stands would be really nice. This has been our first season on the property and two of the stand locations we thought would be good are definitely not good. Plus, I hunt the military base nearby too and the archery only areas require you to be in a tree. You can set stands out there but being semi-public you run the risk of someone getting into your area before you do. If we were both setup with a saddle, it'd be best.

On that note, who makes saddles that would fit a kid?

Youth/Women Size Old Design Transformer Saddle — Overwatch Outdoors

We found a few of our old design Transformers laying around the shop and want to offer a deal to clear out the inventory! These are Size 0 saddles for waist sizes in the 20-29” range in Multicam Camo (pictured). These are perfect for women and youth. The Transformer is a two panel saddle that hand

www.overwatchoutdoors.net

 

[jaredtpuck]

Ok these youth saddles are freaking awesome. Take my money now!!


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[bfriendly]

Solid point. I actually took her to the park and we practiced with my srt setup she was able to get up about 6' using the hand ascender and footloop and repelled perfectly with the grigri.. im thinking i may just set her up on the grigri and have her climb some sticks.. probably just going to take this season to practice more

Man this is good stuff! I’m excited for you! I was thinking gri gri too so she can come right down without changing out the ropeman. Hell I’m so intent on getting up SRT I just ordered a grigri+ myself. I do plan to use a JRB hitch once I get it figured out, but gonna give the Petzl a shot first.