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Long time lurker taking the plunge.

Drix22

Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2020
Messages
49
So I've lurked here for a while. I started hunting by invitation 3 seasons ago (4 come November), and in my general research I got quite intrigued with saddle hunting. I've read various stuff over the years, and admittedly spent more time last season in the tree stand reading about saddle hunting than I probably should have- But to be fair to me I filled out my buck tag on day 2 and I was mostly there for the post-evening alcohol and revelries.

Anyhow. This is the year I decided to slim down, pack light, and keep mobile.

The last 3 years have been the same sit on a 80 acre property with 6-8 other guys hoping for the best. Last year I turned odds in my favor by employing some trail cameras to minimal effectiveness- I figured out that there were bucks on the property, and roughly where I might bump into them more frequently, but ran into timing and pressure issues with my friends. No more. I'm hunting where I want, I'm staying out of the 10y old treestands, and I'm doing it my way.

After reading a lot of reviews, and knowing nobody, I decided I'd pick up a H2 saddle kit with the Triad bridge- Reviews seemed to give it high marks for comfort and popularity, without it looking overly complicated. Further research lead me over to the Shikar climbing sticks- I wanted something very light, this knocked out quite a few options. From there I'd narrowed it down to 3 brands, I can't remember the first but their ship date was way out- like October, the second was beast, and then the shikar's, I think I just rolled with the lighter over cheaper stick. I've picked up some Amsteel daisy chains for the sticks- that'll be in on Friday.


Anyhow. I need a few things and I'm looking for advice:

1. Platform- I guess it's down to the predator platform, I like that it packs up flat and it seems a reasonable size and easy to carry. I bought my climbing sticks about 3 days before they went 20% off, it didn't please me too much- Does the predator ever go on a sale greater than the current 5% off? Is there something else I should look at? I know rings are popular, but as a first timer I'm not sure I'd be as comfortable on rings than a platform.

2. Backpack and accessories- The backpack I've used the last few years isn't fit for use. I'm looking for an ultralight low scent bag to store the basics- Water, snacks for an all day sit, hand/foot warmers, field dress kit, binos, and maybe an extra layer. On top of that I'd like it to manage to hold the sticks and platform. I've browsed the backpack thread but didn't come to any solid conclusions- Is the predator pack where its at? Seems like it might be a bit heavy for what it offers.

3. Aider- My plan was to assist the 3 sticks with an aider in the middle, but I'm not sure about aider options. What's popular?

4. Ropeman- I like the idea of the ease of adjusting, but I'm not sold. Worth it or not?


Thanks for the help.
 
So I've lurked here for a while. I started hunting by invitation 3 seasons ago (4 come November), and in my general research I got quite intrigued with saddle hunting. I've read various stuff over the years, and admittedly spent more time last season in the tree stand reading about saddle hunting than I probably should have- But to be fair to me I filled out my buck tag on day 2 and I was mostly there for the post-evening alcohol and revelries.

Anyhow. This is the year I decided to slim down, pack light, and keep mobile.

The last 3 years have been the same sit on a 80 acre property with 6-8 other guys hoping for the best. Last year I turned odds in my favor by employing some trail cameras to minimal effectiveness- I figured out that there were bucks on the property, and roughly where I might bump into them more frequently, but ran into timing and pressure issues with my friends. No more. I'm hunting where I want, I'm staying out of the 10y old treestands, and I'm doing it my way.

After reading a lot of reviews, and knowing nobody, I decided I'd pick up a H2 saddle kit with the Triad bridge- Reviews seemed to give it high marks for comfort and popularity, without it looking overly complicated. Further research lead me over to the Shikar climbing sticks- I wanted something very light, this knocked out quite a few options. From there I'd narrowed it down to 3 brands, I can't remember the first but their ship date was way out- like October, the second was beast, and then the shikar's, I think I just rolled with the lighter over cheaper stick. I've picked up some Amsteel daisy chains for the sticks- that'll be in on Friday.


Anyhow. I need a few things and I'm looking for advice:

1. Platform- I guess it's down to the predator platform, I like that it packs up flat and it seems a reasonable size and easy to carry. I bought my climbing sticks about 3 days before they went 20% off, it didn't please me too much- Does the predator ever go on a sale greater than the current 5% off? Is there something else I should look at? I know rings are popular, but as a first timer I'm not sure I'd be as comfortable on rings than a platform.

2. Backpack and accessories- The backpack I've used the last few years isn't fit for use. I'm looking for an ultralight low scent bag to store the basics- Water, snacks for an all day sit, hand/foot warmers, field dress kit, binos, and maybe an extra layer. On top of that I'd like it to manage to hold the sticks and platform. I've browsed the backpack thread but didn't come to any solid conclusions- Is the predator pack where its at? Seems like it might be a bit heavy for what it offers.

3. Aider- My plan was to assist the 3 sticks with an aider in the middle, but I'm not sure about aider options. What's popular?

4. Ropeman- I like the idea of the ease of adjusting, but I'm not sold. Worth it or not?


Thanks for the help.

1. Platform...I have my predator and now a predator XL on order. I will love the XL it is just as sturdy and user friendly as it's little brother. I also have a shikar mini with the scout platform for my weak side shot. My strong side I'll place my climbing stick even with it and call it a day.

2. Packs...predator pack is only for one thing. The predator. It is very light and flimsy. Really not to much you can put on it. I have two packs. One Kifaru pack and my pop-up 28 pack that I use for early, mid and sometimes late season. I can fit everything in there to stay out all day.

3. Aider: Look at this thread that I posted some pictures of. https://saddlehunter.com/community/...ifying-lw-stick-to-mini-stick-question.29661/ posts #6-11 are pictures of the aiders I use.

4. Ropeman. I had two ropeman 1's and sold them. They are good for a linemans belt but not made for life support. Only 4 or 9kN (900-2025lbs)
I personally like to have about 16-17kN minimum for life support (4000 + lbs.).
Look up distel hitches and prussic tender. Cheaper and stronger.
 
1. Platform...I have my predator and now a predator XL on order. I will love the XL it is just as sturdy and user friendly as it's little brother. I also have a shikar mini with the scout platform for my weak side shot. My strong side I'll place my climbing stick even with it and call it a day.

Damn, should have thought about doing something like that for more space. Maybe next year.

2. Packs...predator pack is only for one thing. The predator. It is very light and flimsy. Really not to much you can put on it. I have two packs. One Kifaru pack and my pop-up 28 pack that I use for early, mid and sometimes late season. I can fit everything in there to stay out all day.

Both these packs seem like they might be more than I want. Maybe I should wait for my saddle to come in and figure out my platform and figure out what I need and how to pack it from there. I hunt basically a wooded back yard, I'm not way out there so to speak, I think a reasonable daypack with a lot of pockets and maybe some attachment points for miscellaneous crap will be fine.


3. Aider: Look at this thread that I posted some pictures of. https://saddlehunter.com/community/...ifying-lw-stick-to-mini-stick-question.29661/ posts #6-11 are pictures of the aiders I use.

Oh thats helpful. Looks like most people use the Kailas or Black Diamond. I'll probably lean towards the black diamond if it really helps with larger boots (winter hunting up here) and it looks like it might be lighter too. Size seems to be just about what I need, maybe a little bit long, but that's ok.

4. Ropeman. I had two ropeman 1's and sold them. They are good for a linemans belt but not made for life support. Only 4 or 9kN (900-2025lbs)
I personally like to have about 16-17kN minimum for life support (4000 + lbs.).
Look up distel hitches and prussic tender. Cheaper and stronger. .

Going to have to look into this more, like way more. Might be getting over complicated for a new guy.
Thanks for your input.
 
1. I use a ridge runner. I like it's not deep but wide, allows me to scoot around a tree a bit.
2. For a pack I use a horn hunter g2. I can strap my four sticks down, two on ether side and my ridge runner in the middle. Enough room for longer sits and can lash down an outer layer or two. Might be a bit big for your needs. Look into a day/fanny pack. I think scentlok might have one. So does cabelas and tensing.
3. I have a single aider hanging from each stick, allows me to get a little extra height. You can make simple ones out of rope, there's plenty of tutorials.
4. I use a Kong duck on my linemans as I like the ease and speed while I'm climbing. I use a prusik on my tether.
 
So I thought I'd update this post as we're 2 weeks out from opening day.

I've made some decisions and modifications and I'd thought I'd share for anyone reading or get some input.

1. Platform- After a long back and forth I got a predator XL. I've been in it about 5-6x now in the front yard and have minimal complaints other than its noise value. I do have some stealth strip tape, I just need to quiet it down a bit so it doesn't clank when it folds closed. Sadly, the XL is slightly larger than the backpack I got, I was hoping it would fit inside the backpack which has a sort of "laptop" compartment, but it does not, perhaps next year I'll get my hands on a used non-xl and see if it fits.

2a. Backpack: I did a lot of scouring and I knew what I wanted for a style and ended up with the Filson Ripstop Nylon backpack. Its got a large draw string dump style main compartment with a fold over flap, Molle webbing down the center of the outside, two nice big outside pockets, and a pocket in the back that I can stuff the treestand seat in. The outside pockets will hold my range finder, snacks, milkweed seeds, etc, the other side will probably house scents if I decide to use them. My biggest worry with the pack (and I haven't fully packed it yet) is that I'll need to pack in layers, usually I end up hanging **** off the back like my coat, and I think without a legit frame bag this will still be the case. If I had to make a request to the designers of the bag- the flap should be a pocket too.

2b. Accessories: I picked up a pair of the new Tethrd dump pouches (the ones with pockets on the side). These hold my rope and tether, and I use the pockets to hold the carabiner ends so that they clank less when I pull them out. I'm not sold of their attachment on the h2 saddle, I'll probibly zip tie them to the saddle at some point.

2.c Accessories: I did pick up a set of black diamond multi-step aiders. These actually required a lot of practice. I keep one in the bottom of a dump bag (its my backup) and the other stays in the top of the first use bag. I put my first step as high as I can comfortably get it and then use the aider off the start on that first step and the linesman belt from the same pocket. I was watching a video of a guy who uses single step aiders, his statement was that his sticks were 20", and when hung at forehead height, his aider was 20" above his last stick and then it's 20" to the next stick which encourages muscle memory. There might be wisdom to this.

2d. Accessories: Ropeman 1: I tried it with the prusik- that was a hard pass dawg. The two handed adjustment was just too complex while dangling 15' up trying to learn your ****. I accidentally picked up a ropeman 2 somewhere along the line, I've heard it's reasonable for a linesman belt, but I probably won't bother. With that said, I kept the factory prusik's from my H2 kit on the ropes, and just pushed them all the way down to the stop knot and added a half hitch to tuck the tail. If I decide on a hunt that something catastrophic has gone wrong with my ropeman 1, I can slide the prusik back up- you won't need this if you know how to tie one off the top of your head and carry the extra cord with you, I don't trust myself to do that, but I do trust myself to inspect and test the existing knot before hitting the field. This configuration also adds a nice little bit of weight to toss a rope behind a tree if need be without worrying about carabiner clank.

2e. Stealth stripping- I have some, I'm going to use it more. I'm going to wrap it around my carbineers so they're a bit more quiet, and the main post of my platform so when I close it up it doesn't clang.


2f. Shoes. I noticed really quickly all shoes were not made equal when it came to the aider- trying the aider with sneakers was a nightmare, using my hunting boots is way more comfortable and stable.

Dangling. I'm not going to lie, I got some vertigo. You put me on a mall balcony and I'm not a fan- I did not feel any such thing (or any fear of height) with the saddle, I felt well locked, and while I currently trust my linesman way more than my tether, I'm sure thats a matter of experience. I did notice my platform placement needed some love, when I cam it down the top post tends to pull away from the tree, I'm not sure how to adjust this, whether I need to pull down harder before caming or whether this is an angle adjustment thing. I think at this point the only other piece of equipment I need is going to be something to just hang equipment like my backpack off of- I think I might use the original strap to the predator platform (I have an oversized amsteel rope mod I'm using) and just sling it around the tree and cinch it tight, but I'm looking for other options too.
 
So I've lurked here for a while. I started hunting by invitation 3 seasons ago (4 come November), and in my general research I got quite intrigued with saddle hunting. I've read various stuff over the years, and admittedly spent more time last season in the tree stand reading about saddle hunting than I probably should have- But to be fair to me I filled out my buck tag on day 2 and I was mostly there for the post-evening alcohol and revelries.

Anyhow. This is the year I decided to slim down, pack light, and keep mobile.

The last 3 years have been the same sit on a 80 acre property with 6-8 other guys hoping for the best. Last year I turned odds in my favor by employing some trail cameras to minimal effectiveness- I figured out that there were bucks on the property, and roughly where I might bump into them more frequently, but ran into timing and pressure issues with my friends. No more. I'm hunting where I want, I'm staying out of the 10y old treestands, and I'm doing it my way.

After reading a lot of reviews, and knowing nobody, I decided I'd pick up a H2 saddle kit with the Triad bridge- Reviews seemed to give it high marks for comfort and popularity, without it looking overly complicated. Further research lead me over to the Shikar climbing sticks- I wanted something very light, this knocked out quite a few options. From there I'd narrowed it down to 3 brands, I can't remember the first but their ship date was way out- like October, the second was beast, and then the shikar's, I think I just rolled with the lighter over cheaper stick. I've picked up some Amsteel daisy chains for the sticks- that'll be in on Friday.


Anyhow. I need a few things and I'm looking for advice:

1. Platform- I guess it's down to the predator platform, I like that it packs up flat and it seems a reasonable size and easy to carry. I bought my climbing sticks about 3 days before they went 20% off, it didn't please me too much- Does the predator ever go on a sale greater than the current 5% off? Is there something else I should look at? I know rings are popular, but as a first timer I'm not sure I'd be as comfortable on rings than a platform.

2. Backpack and accessories- The backpack I've used the last few years isn't fit for use. I'm looking for an ultralight low scent bag to store the basics- Water, snacks for an all day sit, hand/foot warmers, field dress kit, binos, and maybe an extra layer. On top of that I'd like it to manage to hold the sticks and platform. I've browsed the backpack thread but didn't come to any solid conclusions- Is the predator pack where its at? Seems like it might be a bit heavy for what it offers.

3. Aider- My plan was to assist the 3 sticks with an aider in the middle, but I'm not sure about aider options. What's popular?

4. Ropeman- I like the idea of the ease of adjusting, but I'm not sold. Worth it or not?


Thanks for the help.
1. I have the Predator and love it. It's a great platform for all the reasons you said.
2. I am a pack deer out guy so I have a beefier backpack. Mystery Ranch Pop Up 28. Great for attaching sticks and platform too
3. I use a Versa aider and it's awesome. https://www.backwoodsmobilegear.com/shop-online/versaaider
4. Ropeman - Totally worth it in my opinion.
 
If we're going over setups here...
You cant go wrong with tethrds platforms. Both sizes have their own benefits. With the battle between comfort, weight and size, I choose size. Therefore I have a small predator and the sticks I went with are (4) Shikar 17".

Shoes are very important for obvious reasons. I didnt want multiple boots so I went with 400g irish setters. For the late and colder seasons, i have a pair of boot insulators that i slip on over my boots after I'm settled in the tree. They work wonderfully and my feet dont get too hot when I'm turkey hunting in the spring or early deer season.

Packs... best I can tell you is you'll probably want 2. I have a larger pack with a frame support that I'll use on all day sits or when I take my hunts to public land and need to pack something out.
For my private land sits, I use a big bear lumbar pack from alps. If I need to pack some extra clothes, it has an expansion chamber that converts into a backpack. Love this pack.

Ropeman vs prusik... Do not use a ropeman for your tether. I wouldnt trust them for that since it's still a mechanical item that has a possibility of failing. I do however use one on my linemans rope. The ease for climbing and cinching the rope tight makes it a no draining. The failure risk is still there but I'm not applying as much pressure/weight to it as I would be if I was sitting down or dangling from it.

The biggest thing for me is how well my gear packs. I want everything tight. I want my packs to have straps for cinching my gear down. I hate having things feel like their dangling off and swinging around. I have the fang system from DBJ outdoors installed on my sticks and platform which makes carrying them around and hauling up the tree super easy. All the fluff and extra nonsense has been gutted and the only things I have in my pack are items that have been proven to work well for my style.

At the end of the day, do what works for you. No two kits will be the same for two different guys. You'll tinker and find what your comfortable with.
 
Completed my first sit yesterday.


I was very comfortable, however i thought my setup was quite heavy, going to have to figure out how to lighten up.

Also going to have to learn to set my platform better, for some reason it's always got play when I stand on it.
 
Saddle got first blood at about 4:20 tonight.

Black bear at 30 yards, absolutely no clue I was there. Extremely comfortable sit, dropped my aider coming down in my excitement, was very glad I had another on my other hip.
 
So I think I'm just going to come back and update this post yearly with my experience, maybe someone new would appreciate the multi-year experience.

Last year (2021) I dropped a nice 8 pointer out of the saddle* I put the asterisk out there as I got a bit lazy. I did a few saddle sits but didn't see much, but I was locked in to specific areas due to high pressure from my hunting group. The friday evening of the last hunting weekend I was in my tree stand and turned around at a noise and saw the back side of a deer way off yonder for a fraction of a second. The next morning I went back to the same stand, tethered up to the tree, and stood on the seat of my stand like a platform and faced the opposite direction all morning.

Just past dawn I made sight of two bucks, 102 yards out through semi open woods. They were hoofing right to left, and ducking behind a small rolling hill. I decided to let out a short doe bleat out of my grunt call, and sure as **** one of the two came to investigate after what felt like an eternity. I watched him close the distance sniffing every branch and acorn along the way, by the time he entered a reasonable shooting distance I figured he'd get close enough to wipe the powder burns off the thing, and sure enough I shot when he was broadside about 10' away from my tree, so saddle's got 2 kills now.

I haven't changed much on equipment:

1. Platform: Remains unchanged, I like it though it's size is a bit clumsy, if it were smaller it would fit in the laptop compartment of my pack. Also: Why does my pack have a laptop compartment?

2a. The straps to my filson backpack had molle loops to stick my rangefinder case into, these promptly broke when holding my rangefinder.
2b. Tethered dump pouches- Still haven't zip tied them to my saddle but they need to be. I still use them the same way, and I find I tend to favor my right pounch over left.
2c. Aiders- I bought new aiders, the black diamond ones didn't hold open very well and I found I was ****ing around a lot trying to get my foot in, I now have a long ladder style, I haven't used it much but what little I have done has been an improvement.
2d: Ropeman- Still going strong, I love it, haven't gone back to the prusik. I have thought about moving the prusik and using it as an attachment point high up on my tether to keep my chest over waist in a inversion scenario, I've read a few of them over the last year and I think I could do better in preventing this kind of problem if I have an accident.
2e. Stealth stripping is holding up fine, its good stuff.
2f. Shoes: My Lacrosse alpha burly (1000's) are still going strong, they're nice and warm with a pair of wool socks and a toe warmer. I do wear a thin pair of nylon socks under the wool, makes things more comfortable. The toe warmer lasts like 4-6 hours, so it's not adding much heat, but it's just enough when I want it. My boots fit better in the new ladder than the old, so it's an improvement.
 
So I think I'm just going to come back and update this post yearly with my experience, maybe someone new would appreciate the multi-year experience.

Last year (2021) I dropped a nice 8 pointer out of the saddle* I put the asterisk out there as I got a bit lazy. I did a few saddle sits but didn't see much, but I was locked in to specific areas due to high pressure from my hunting group. The friday evening of the last hunting weekend I was in my tree stand and turned around at a noise and saw the back side of a deer way off yonder for a fraction of a second. The next morning I went back to the same stand, tethered up to the tree, and stood on the seat of my stand like a platform and faced the opposite direction all morning.

Just past dawn I made sight of two bucks, 102 yards out through semi open woods. They were hoofing right to left, and ducking behind a small rolling hill. I decided to let out a short doe bleat out of my grunt call, and sure as **** one of the two came to investigate after what felt like an eternity. I watched him close the distance sniffing every branch and acorn along the way, by the time he entered a reasonable shooting distance I figured he'd get close enough to wipe the powder burns off the thing, and sure enough I shot when he was broadside about 10' away from my tree, so saddle's got 2 kills now.

I haven't changed much on equipment:

1. Platform: Remains unchanged, I like it though it's size is a bit clumsy, if it were smaller it would fit in the laptop compartment of my pack. Also: Why does my pack have a laptop compartment?

2a. The straps to my filson backpack had molle loops to stick my rangefinder case into, these promptly broke when holding my rangefinder.
2b. Tethered dump pouches- Still haven't zip tied them to my saddle but they need to be. I still use them the same way, and I find I tend to favor my right pounch over left.
2c. Aiders- I bought new aiders, the black diamond ones didn't hold open very well and I found I was ****ing around a lot trying to get my foot in, I now have a long ladder style, I haven't used it much but what little I have done has been an improvement.
2d: Ropeman- Still going strong, I love it, haven't gone back to the prusik. I have thought about moving the prusik and using it as an attachment point high up on my tether to keep my chest over waist in a inversion scenario, I've read a few of them over the last year and I think I could do better in preventing this kind of problem if I have an accident.
2e. Stealth stripping is holding up fine, its good stuff.
2f. Shoes: My Lacrosse alpha burly (1000's) are still going strong, they're nice and warm with a pair of wool socks and a toe warmer. I do wear a thin pair of nylon socks under the wool, makes things more comfortable. The toe warmer lasts like 4-6 hours, so it's not adding much heat, but it's just enough when I want it. My boots fit better in the new ladder than the old, so it's an improvement.

2.d: I need some explaining on this one….exactly how do plan to be inverted with your chest over your waist?
 
2.d: I need some explaining on this one….exactly how do plan to be inverted with your chest over your waist?
Well the point is *not* to be inverted.


Saddle Death… Stay safe out there. | saddlehunter.com
Saddle safety PSA | saddlehunter.com

I'm wondering if running a line from a chest harness to my tether would help prevent an inversion. I'm not sure what this would look like, especially when bow hunting. It's something I'll need to think about more.
About the laptop sleeve: is that really what it is? Could it be an internal separator for a water reservoir?

No, pretty sure its a laptop sleeve, the whole portion of the pack that your back touches unzips, base corner around the top back to to base corner giving one very large, shallow, square, and padded compartment. I could probably put a water pack in there, but I think it'd be a bad choice as it would squeeze between your gear and back.
 
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No, pretty sure its a laptop sleeve, the whole portion of the pack that your back touches unzips, base corner around the top back to to base corner giving one very large, shallow, square, and padded compartment. I could probably put a water pack in there, but I think it'd be a bad choice as it would squeeze between your gear and back.

Well, I guess you may be hanging from a tree and need to zip off a quick email or something sometime. :-D
 
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