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Looking to make the leap into saddle hunting

lancebrackin

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
12
I have been reading the forums and watching videos for quite a while now. I am looking to get into saddle hunting, but I will be honest, it is not on the cheaper side of things to try. I really like the idea of being more mobile.

Was anyone else out there very hesitant to spend the money needed to get into saddle hunting?

I am going to a meet up this Saturday, so I help that confirms if it is for me or not.
 
I was very hesitant as well. The frustrations that came with a self climber made the decision for me. I was tired of trying to find the perfect tree, limb branches, and lugging that heavy thing around. I switched and haven't looked back, like I just chimed in on another thread. If you have the chance to try it out just keep this in mind, things take getting use to.

Try making adjustments that fit your comfort level, saddles can be tweaked in ways you wouldn't believe to make them more comfortable. Every saddle is vastly different. Being mobile is a MASSIVE advantage over traditional tree stands. Welcome from Maine by the way! Do some exploring for info on here!
 
It isn't cheap, especially if you are coming from a climber, ladder, or no stand, but dang if it isn't stupid mobile, more comfortable, and you can use your tree to hide your draw.

If you know how you like climbing already it isnt bad, but that was the most expensive part for me.

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Welcome and i think you will like it. A meet up is a great way to get your toes wet.
It is not cheap to get the saddle and climbing setup,but you will never have to buy another treestand.
 
I am new this year, too. I got lone wolf sticks and immediately didn’t like the one step. I sold them really quickly - the classifieds here are good. I ended up with helium 30s- they are bigger and heavier than I thought. My rationale for saddle is tree selection. I just can’t deal with the lost opportunities from trees that didn’t work with my climber.
 
Meet up is the way to go. After if you’ve decided to go all in you can sell some of your current stuff to offset the cost and maybe repurpose others. Muddy and hss lifelines make great lineman’s belts and tethers if in good shape and correct knots are used. If you’ve already got sticks and a pack there’s another cost savings. Then you might be able to pick up a sale saddle or a good used one
 
I have been reading the forums and watching videos for quite a while now. I am looking to get into saddle hunting, but I will be honest, it is not on the cheaper side of things to try. I really like the idea of being more mobile.

Was anyone else out there very hesitant to spend the money needed to get into saddle hunting?

I am going to a meet up this Saturday, so I help that confirms if it is for me or not.
DO IT!!!!!!!!! It’s a lifestyle!
 
The cost to get in can cause hesitation but it is a better way to hunt from an elevated position. It does take longer than a minute to get comfortable so a short sit may not be the best approach or gage if its for you. Think about it as a life style as far as your hunting goes and the fact that it's so safe. If you live to hunt then this is a great way to get it done. I have a lot of stands gathering dust for the last 2 years. I'm pretty cheap too so I don't throw money around willy nilly and I'll tell you I consider it money well spent.

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Attending a meetup is the best way to try out different options and see whether you are comfortable in any saddle before putting out the cash. I saved money my first year by just buying the saddle and a pouch and used lifeline rope I already had on hand for my tether and linesman. I already had sticks from when I was doing mobile hang and hunts and that is often the second biggest expense.

Don’t leave the meetup without getting your initial questions asked and answered. You’ve probably already figured out that we love talking about this method of hunting.

You don’t have to drop a load of cash every year to do this effectively but it sure is fun trying different gear and dialing in your system over time.
 
Attending a meetup is the best way to try out different options and see whether you are comfortable in any saddle before putting out the cash. I saved money my first year by just buying the saddle and a pouch and used lifeline rope I already had on hand for my tether and linesman. I already had sticks from when I was doing mobile hang and hunts and that is often the second biggest expense.

Don’t leave the meetup without getting your initial questions asked and answered. You’ve probably already figured out that we love talking about this method of hunting.

You don’t have to drop a load of cash every year to do this effectively but it sure is fun trying different gear and dialing in your system over time.
I think I will see you Saturday
 
Welcome from Minnesota! My tip is while it may be tempting to cut corners to get into saddle hunting it'll cost you more in the long run. If you are not a DIYer, get quality gear. For example I tried to cut corners and get cheap sticks. Sure they were half the price... but they were twice the weight, super noisy and the stand offs were almost dangerous. I now have those for a preset on my property AND a set of heliums. Otherwise I am lucky enough to have access to an industrial sewing machine and power tools so I was able to make my own saddle and platform. If you have patience and skills some of the things like the ropes you can set up yourself.
Also FYI tinkering is an addiction that comes with saddle hunting... Have fun and stay safe!
 
Welcome from Minnesota! My tip is while it may be tempting to cut corners to get into saddle hunting it'll cost you more in the long run. If you are not a DIYer, get quality gear. For example I tried to cut corners and get cheap sticks. Sure they were half the price... but they were twice the weight, super noisy and the stand offs were almost dangerous. I now have those for a preset on my property AND a set of heliums. Otherwise I am lucky enough to have access to an industrial sewing machine and power tools so I was able to make my own saddle and platform. If you have patience and skills some of the things like the ropes you can set up yourself.
Also FYI tinkering is an addiction that comes with saddle hunting... Have fun and stay safe!
I have thought about it and if I do it, I will save the money and buy a saddle from reputable saddle manufacturer and get everything I need at once. Hopefully $700 will get me a good start.
Thanks
 
You’re in the best spot, attending a meet up is waaaay better than just ordering online & hoping your adjusted right. I wish everyone could start that way! Sure would have saved me time & money.

Deleting my account and removing this website from my favorites would save me a pile of time and money. Every time I get my system where I want it, I read something else on here that causes me to change it and buy more stuff. :tearsofjoy:

To the OP the one good thing is if you don't like something you can get most of your money back out of it. THe saddle stuff holds it's resale value pretty well.
 
This will be my first year in a saddle, it wasn’t cheap, but I have hunted a long time and take it real serious, too serious probably, anyways what I can say is with 100% certainty is that you can’t put a price on being mobile, having the ability to climb and hunt any tree anywhere at anytime is priceless, in my opinion it can definitely make or break a season, and it’s a life long investment, my friends drop $5k to go to Illinois and have come home more than once with nothing after 5 days.
 
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