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LWCG Ghost harness

Nutterbuster nailed it. Very different styles. I occasionally hunt off a climber platform and when I do I drop my tether and use the short bridge I use for SRT. When I sit alot I want to move as little as possible and not have to take that weak side shot. If I know I'm more likely to have deer coming in from all over the place I'm more likely to choose a larger platform that makes adjusting easier.
 
Anybody know if lwcg is going to make the ghost harness? I have not heard anything about it for about a year now.
 
Couldn't tell much about it but I do like the ring, less rope wear/friction. Be a easy enough mod to try out
It must be a utility worker thing.....
Except as you lean out and walk around the tree it either rubs bark off or it slowly loosens the strap moving it downward( I know because I tried it with an old harness strap and a steel ring from West Marine like two years ago, thinking it would be much easier than slack in my tether), turns out it wasn’t. I prefer to just turn the tether toward the direction I am walking the tree. If you’ll notice, he is still tethered in slightly above the ring. At least in the pic I saw.
 
I never understood the "bridge being in the way" problem. I run a tether above my head with a 32 inch bridge and never have encountered the issue. My bow arm is obviously extended way out and I am always hinged at the hip because I am 25 feet in the air. When do you guys encounter this as an issue? I gotta climb a tree and try to create this problem. Never looked to see if my string is being impeded at full draw.

This would be an uncomfortable system for us that spend a bunch of time sitting. Pete
Man the bridge is in my way and created every missed shot opportunity I’ve ever had!

lol I am totally kidding. Maybe if you keep your tether up as high as you can reach? Nope tried it, even then with a light lean the shot was easy and the bridge was not in my at the slightest. You have to understand marketing! The first rule to a sales pitch is state a problem that people “have”, make them believe it is a real problem and that your product is the solution!!! That is truly marketing 101
 
Looks like a battle belt with a bridge and leg straps
It’s literally the old school lineman’s belts that lineman and phone guys used 20 years ago before the invention of the full attach front harness and buck squeeze. Of course back in the day we used leather not nylon with padded spacer mesh.
 
Last year i was hunting out of a platform with my bow hanging on my Left (strong) side. A buck snuck in unnoticed DIRECTLY behind the tree I was facing so I never knew he was there until i heard him take a step from about 15 yards away. Once i noticed him he started to turn and work to my right, perfectly broadside at that 15 yard mark.

I had to grab my bow hanging on the left side of the tree and try to get it over my bridge/tether to the right side of the tree with him basically at point blank range with as little commotion as possible being it was late season so there were no leaves and from his vantage point i was totally skylined.

Long story short he busted me trying to get my bow over my bridge/tether to get that shot on my right side. In that instance my bridge 100% impeded my ability to smoothly get a shot at a buck that showed up in an unexpected spot. Had I had something like this Phantom where i was attached more at belt level instead of a tether coming down from head level I would have had a much easier time sliding my bow from the Left side of the tree over to the right side of the tree to get an opportunity at this shot.
Please don’t take this the wrong way because I am not trying to argue with anyone, I am simply asking for my own understanding and knowledge. Why didn’t you slack out your tether, side load the platform and shoot him from behind the tree instead of trying to do what Ernie does in all of those videos? I say that because the way you describe the scenario it sounds like you tried twisting on your platform to make the weak side shot which is why your bridge was in the way... I never understood standing up and bringing the bow over (or under) the bridge and twisting on the platform for a weak side shot. That is a ton of movement that a deer can see even if you move carefully. By doing so, your tether is now in a position to end up pinching your chest and neck against the tree if you slipped or the strap broke on your platform (which is always possible). That’s why platforms are made to be side loaded so you can side load, lean out and shoot from the backside of the tree on a weak side shot. I always carry a couple of the slotted squirrel steps from Dan-O to make it easier to walk in the tree, in case I can’t lean around it because the tree is too large. If I am wrong and you did it some other way, you can explain to me how you did it to cause your bridge to be in the way? you would definitely be teaching me something new.
 
Last year i was hunting out of a platform with my bow hanging on my Left (strong) side. A buck snuck in unnoticed DIRECTLY behind the tree I was facing so I never knew he was there until i heard him take a step from about 15 yards away. Once i noticed him he started to turn and work to my right, perfectly broadside at that 15 yard mark.

I had to grab my bow hanging on the left side of the tree and try to get it over my bridge/tether to the right side of the tree with him basically at point blank range with as little commotion as possible being it was late season so there were no leaves and from his vantage point i was totally skylined.

Long story short he busted me trying to get my bow over my bridge/tether to get that shot on my right side. In that instance my bridge 100% impeded my ability to smoothly get a shot at a buck that showed up in an unexpected spot. Had I had something like this Phantom where i was attached more at belt level instead of a tether coming down from head level I would have had a much easier time sliding my bow from the Left side of the tree over to the right side of the tree to get an opportunity at this shot.
Please don’t take this the wrong way because I am not trying to argue with anyone, I am simply asking for my own understanding and knowledge. Why didn’t you slack out your tether, side load the platform and shoot him from behind the tree instead of trying to do what Ernie does in all of those videos? I say that because the way you describe the scenario it sounds like you tried twisting on your platform to make the weak side shot which is why your bridge was in the way... I never understood standing up and bringing the bow over (or under) the bridge and twisting on the platform for a weak side shot. That is a ton of movement that a deer can see even if you move carefully. By doing so, your tether is now in a position to end up pinching your chest and neck against the tree if you slipped or the strap broke on your platform (which is always possible). That’s why platforms are made to be side loaded so you can side load, lean out and shoot from the backside of the tree on a weak side shot. I always carry a couple of the slotted squirrel steps from Dan-O to make it easier to walk in the tree, in case I can’t lean around it because the tree is too large. If I am wrong and you did it some other way, you can explain to me how you did it to cause your bridge to be in the way? you would definitely be teaching me something new.
 
Don't know how the ghost itself will work out, but after spending time in the ambush and playing with an old assassin harness, there is definitely merit to the idea, and I'll be building something similar.

To me, if you're standing on a large platform (and that has its merits) it makes more sense to use something like what Kuhnert has. The design just needs refinement. I have a few ideas I'm working on, but I think it would be very easy to take the riggers belt design and bring it up-to-speed with today's stuff.

I've killed a good amount of deer the past couple of years from a ROS and a sling-style saddle. It's quite doable but the bridge is absolutely in the way, especially for a weak-side shot. Saying it isn't to me is like listening to a guy say his assault and 4 lone wolf sticks arent heavy. Ok. Take this roll of carbon bolts and this saddle and get back with me. Maybe it doesn't impede everybody's results, but it's still a thing. For most of us it's just a thing we've figured out.

A belly button high hookup point means there's as little in the range of your bow and bow arm as their can possibly be. That's not comfortable or feasible from a ROS or if you sit, but it absolutely is if you're leaning on a big platform. I spent 4 or 5 all day leans on an ambush, and by the end of it I was quite comfy with my tether as low as it would go. My buckle on my tether is usually touching the tree, and most of my weight goes into the top 2" webbing on the kite.

A riggers belt style harness makes that hookup much more comfortable. It sits right at your waist most of the time, and actually provides a little back support. I don't personally need that, but it would be the cat's azz for those who currently carry separate back bands. When your ready to sit for a while, just slide it down under your butt and sit.

Same day LWCG did that ghost video they also did this much longer one. It's mainly about the evolution of the Kuhnert-style platform, but they go over the harness as well. Wish there was a way to edit out everything but Kuhnert talking, since both of the D'acquistos and whoever the other guy is add little to the discussion, but it's definitely worth watching.


I think the whole system makes a tremendous amount of sense. I never understood the leaner/platform crowd until I started doing it Kuhnert's way. Kinda how I struggled to get dialed in on a sling and a ROS until I started really looking at how Eberhart did it. Two different systems. To me it doesn't make sense to marry a sling to a platform, or a riggers harness to a ROS.
Nutterbuster I usually agree with most of your views on hunting. I disagree with this one though. Not sure if you’ve heard of a buck squeeze? If not get you a buck squeeze or tree squeeze lanyard if you truly like to stand up and hunt that closely in. It will grip the tree in a loop configuration and allow you to keep that position while walking around the tree and his system would in my opinion work easier on a ring of steps where you would have the ring slide around the tree while you walk the steps for a shot. The positioning on steps aren’t much different from the positioning and angle while standing on hooks. His whole set up is what utility workers used for decades and for me it’s not that comfortable (hence bucket trucks were created)
 
All I saw was a ring on a strap. Tell us about the harness
That’s because he patented that so it’s the major selling point. The rest of the system you can get from any where they sell lineman’s gear or telephone utility gear
 
That gave me a bit of anxiety looking at it. Seems like a lot going on there. Plus the bridge adjusted very easy. Like slip out and fall to my death easy.
 
I think people who complain about the weak side shot being an issue need to stop playing in their phone so much while they’re hunting, practice more, and kill more deer so they know what to do in the moment of truth. Also need to do some math on how many deer have come from behind a tree stand, or stood behind another tree for no shot, or came from downwind, etc.

I’ve shot several deer on weak side. Some I was set up to shoot before they ever got there. Some got there before I set up to kill them. One time one busted me. You know what? I’ve been busted a bunch of times with deer on my weak side in a hang on. And a climber. And on the ground. Who cares? Also, I’ve had deer standing or walking in full view of me at 0-25 yards on my weak side, and have gotten my bow over a bridge and tether, drawn, and killed em dead.

what’s my secret? I just did it. Unless you plan on getting a bow you can shoot with both hands, or you’re proficient with your crossgun or rifle with both hands, it’s gonna happen. Raising your bow 8” to clear the bridge instead of just sliding it in front of you will not cost you that many deer over the course of your career. Unless of course you kill hundreds or thousands of deer. Relax.

Now that I’ve said that(sorry I blacked out for a minute), those feelings don’t have to be mutually exclusive from thinking this harness and platform is a valid concept.

The tribal nonsense is annoying as hell these days. But if you can look past it, you should really listen to Brad. He has spent a whole lot of time and thought and effort honing this concept. I don’t know the fellow. I don’t know if he kills a bunch of deer. What I do know is a deep thinker who has put significant effort into running an idea to ground.



if you prefer to stand/lean most of the time, you owe it to yourself to either get one of these and try it out, or at the very least learn where the fella is coming from on the design. You’ll take something away from it.
 
Please don’t take this the wrong way because I am not trying to argue with anyone, I am simply asking for my own understanding and knowledge. Why didn’t you slack out your tether, side load the platform and shoot him from behind the tree instead of trying to do what Ernie does in all of those videos? I say that because the way you describe the scenario it sounds like you tried twisting on your platform to make the weak side shot which is why your bridge was in the way... I never understood standing up and bringing the bow over (or under) the bridge and twisting on the platform for a weak side shot. That is a ton of movement that a deer can see even if you move carefully. By doing so, your tether is now in a position to end up pinching your chest and neck against the tree if you slipped or the strap broke on your platform (which is always possible). That’s why platforms are made to be side loaded so you can side load, lean out and shoot from the backside of the tree on a weak side shot. I always carry a couple of the slotted squirrel steps from Dan-O to make it easier to walk in the tree, in case I can’t lean around it because the tree is too large. If I am wrong and you did it some other way, you can explain to me how you did it to cause your bridge to be in the way? you would definitely be teaching me something new.

I was leaning facing the tree with my bow on the left as im a right handed shooter. The well used trail runs perpendicular to my tree straight behind me and most of the time deer come in from the right, walk behind the tree, then continue on their way bringing them to my left broadside at about 15 yards at which point i only need to grab the bow, draw, and shoot without even moving my body. As little movement as possible is key as this trail runs parallel to a large ag field about 30 yards inside the tree line. Its the ONLY tree suitable for hunting this spot but it at the same time gives you a massive risk of being skylined so you have to keep the tree between you and the deer when hanging off the tree in a saddle.

In this case the buck came in quieter than a field mouse DIRECTLY from behind the tree so i never heard a thing or knew he was coming until he was about 15 yards directly behind the tree. Had he turned to his right and gone to my left he would be dead. But he turned to his left going to my right which necessitated me having to try and grab the bow and position for a shot with this buck 15 yards away and nothing behind me but sky being the field is behind me. In a saddle this was not possible as he spotted me slowly moving the the bow up over my tether. With a saddle you are just leaning out too far from the tree and too much movement is involved with the skylining issue here.

After this incident i abandoned using a saddle at this spot and put my hang on back up there on the side FACING the trail, meaning there is nothing between me and the deer. Same as ive hunted the spot for a dozen years before tinkering with saddle hunting. I MUCH prefer hunting that way because i lean into the tree and blend into it without the tree obstructing my view. When 20 ft up it doesnt matter if the tree is in front of you or behind you it breaks up your silhouette and you can blend into it. The key is seeing the deer before they see you so you can slowly ready yourself for the shot while never taking your eyes off them. I never let my shoulders get outside the width of the tree as i turn sideways. Had i been in my trusty LW Assault i would have seen that buck LONG before he was 15 yards away and been ready for the shot when it presented itself.

The "hunt 360 degrees around the tree" thing is really a myth, just a marketing ploy. No mature buck is going to let you get away with that amount of movement in a tree. Immature deer and fawns will which is a lot of what the guys who say you can do that are shooting but im not interested in shooting small deer. Guys who have mastered saddle hunting like Eberhart dont swing around trees and hunt 360 like that he mostly preps trees LONG in advance and sets up where he only has to lean outside the tree for the shot. But he isnt moving around and repositioning when the Buck is inside the kill zone like that. Anyone who tells you that you can doesnt have much experience hunting mature bucks on public.
 
I was leaning facing the tree with my bow on the left as im a right handed shooter. The well used trail runs perpendicular to my tree straight behind me and most of the time deer come in from the right, walk behind the tree, then continue on their way bringing them to my left broadside at about 15 yards at which point i only need to grab the bow, draw, and shoot without even moving my body. As little movement as possible is key as this trail runs parallel to a large ag field about 30 yards inside the tree line. Its the ONLY tree suitable for hunting this spot but it at the same time gives you a massive risk of being skylined so you have to keep the tree between you and the deer when hanging off the tree in a saddle.

In this case the buck came in quieter than a field mouse DIRECTLY from behind the tree so i never heard a thing or knew he was coming until he was about 15 yards directly behind the tree. Had he turned to his right and gone to my left he would be dead. But he turned to his left going to my right which necessitated me having to try and grab the bow and position for a shot with this buck 15 yards away and nothing behind me but sky being the field is behind me. In a saddle this was not possible as he spotted me slowly moving the the bow up over my tether. With a saddle you are just leaning out too far from the tree and too much movement is involved with the skylining issue here.

After this incident i abandoned using a saddle at this spot and put my hang on back up there on the side FACING the trail, meaning there is nothing between me and the deer. Same as ive hunted the spot for a dozen years before tinkering with saddle hunting. I MUCH prefer hunting that way because i lean into the tree and blend into it without the tree obstructing my view. When 20 ft up it doesnt matter if the tree is in front of you or behind you it breaks up your silhouette and you can blend into it. The key is seeing the deer before they see you so you can slowly ready yourself for the shot while never taking your eyes off them. I never let my shoulders get outside the width of the tree as i turn sideways. Had i been in my trusty LW Assault i would have seen that buck LONG before he was 15 yards away and been ready for the shot when it presented itself.

The "hunt 360 degrees around the tree" thing is really a myth, just a marketing ploy. No mature buck is going to let you get away with that amount of movement in a tree. Immature deer and fawns will which is a lot of what the guys who say you can do that are shooting but im not interested in shooting small deer. Guys who have mastered saddle hunting like Eberhart dont swing around trees and hunt 360 like that he mostly preps trees LONG in advance and sets up where he only has to lean outside the tree for the shot. But he isnt moving around and repositioning when the Buck is inside the kill zone like that. Anyone who tells you that you can doesnt have much experience hunting mature bucks on public.

you definitely could’ve killed that deer if you were in a hang on. It’s also possible he sees you stand up, or reach for your bow, or turn your bow vertical, or draw, or turn slightly to address him. Or it’s possible he comes from right or left and you’re sticking out

just like it’s possible he turns right. And you’re singing the praises of the saddle and how “right” you were to choose the saddle for that spot.

I’m not disagreeing with your assessment that the hang on is a better choice for that spot. I’m just not following the deductive reasoning for saying so.

there’s literally an infinite number of ways that hunt could’ve gone. And it’s entirely possible a hang on results in more positive results than a saddle. The problem is you don’t have the data or capability to run that trap properly. It’s all intuition. And that’s generated from your experience. That’s not nothing - I’m not down playing it.

I’d have a lot more faith in your experience if you didn’t follow your assessment with a bunch of gross over-generalizations about other hunters.

some spots a hang on makes a lot of sense. Some spots a saddle does. That depends on the hunter, the terrain, the vegetation, deer travel direction, tree options, weather, time of year, and on and on. And guess what? After all that, the amount of randomness is still too large to factor in. Some people use many tools, some decide to pick one and roll with it.

how to move when a deer is in bow range is an entirely different subject that requires an Immense amount of experience and smarts to master. I won’t argue with you there.

but that has nothing to do with saddles and hang ons. The difference in those two and how you move once a deer is in range, has a LOT more to do with your site choice, and what you do when you first see the deer OUT of bow range.

Sometimes deer get inside bow range before we can do anything. I’ve had it happen many times. In both a saddle and a hang on. Some I’ve killed, some have walked. You had a bad experience. It seems silly to peg it all on a saddle because of that.
 
you definitely could’ve killed that deer if you were in a hang on. It’s also possible he sees you stand up, or reach for your bow, or turn your bow vertical, or draw, or turn slightly to address him. Or it’s possible he comes from right or left and you’re sticking out

just like it’s possible he turns right. And you’re singing the praises of the saddle and how “right” you were to choose the saddle for that spot.

I’m not disagreeing with your assessment that the hang on is a better choice for that spot. I’m just not following the deductive reasoning for saying so.

there’s literally an infinite number of ways that hunt could’ve gone. And it’s entirely possible a hang on results in more positive results than a saddle. The problem is you don’t have the data or capability to run that trap properly. It’s all intuition. And that’s generated from your experience. That’s not nothing - I’m not down playing it.

I’d have a lot more faith in your experience if you didn’t follow your assessment with a bunch of gross over-generalizations about other hunters.

some spots a hang on makes a lot of sense. Some spots a saddle does. That depends on the hunter, the terrain, the vegetation, deer travel direction, tree options, weather, time of year, and on and on. And guess what? After all that, the amount of randomness is still too large to factor in. Some people use many tools, some decide to pick one and roll with it.

how to move when a deer is in bow range is an entirely different subject that requires an Immense amount of experience and smarts to master. I won’t argue with you there.

but that has nothing to do with saddles and hang ons. The difference in those two and how you move once a deer is in range, has a LOT more to do with your site choice, and what you do when you first see the deer OUT of bow range.

Sometimes deer get inside bow range before we can do anything. I’ve had it happen many times. In both a saddle and a hang on. Some I’ve killed, some have walked. You had a bad experience. It seems silly to peg it all on a saddle because of that.

I took his point to be that its better to move BEFORE the deer is in range, and he'd have had that advantage with his old and now current hang on setup.

But, I do agree that saddles have their place, too, at least for me.
 
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I took his point to be that its better to move BEFORE the deer is in range, and he'd have had that advantage with his old and now current hang on

100% my point. Id have seen that Buck LONG before he got close enough to bust me had my view not been obstructed by the tree. Once he was right there on top of me like that really there was no amount of movement he was going to let me get away with.

Saddles 100% have a place which is why i still have and use them often. I am just not one who believes saddles are the best for everything to the point id sell all my treestands.
 
Did this harness ever come to market? For stander's or leaner's I can see this idea being very comfy. Most of your weight is supported by you legs, which puts very little pressure on the saddle. Less pressure= less hip pinch. Less hip pinch= less fidgeting. less fidgeting= less movement. IMO I fidget too much in a saddle. I'm much more still in my LW's. However many of the trees I hunt, can only be realistically hunted w/ a saddle. I suppose I could go buy 30 LW's and put strap extensions on all of them.
 
Did this harness ever come to market? For stander's or leaner's I can see this idea being very comfy. Most of your weight is supported by you legs, which puts very little pressure on the saddle. Less pressure= less hip pinch. Less hip pinch= less fidgeting. less fidgeting= less movement. IMO I fidget too much in a saddle. I'm much more still in my LW's. However many of the trees I hunt, can only be realistically hunted w/ a saddle. I suppose I could go buy 30 LW's and put strap extensions on all of them.
I watched the video and this can be done with a low tether and short bridge on your saddle. It's exactly how I hunt and I can say it works very well with the method 2 panel.
 
I watched the video and this can be done with a low tether and short bridge on your saddle. It's exactly how I hunt and I can say it works very well with the method 2 panel.
I played w/ the same idea this afternoon in my saddle. It's very comfy. No hip pinch. However I have a Transformer and w/ a short bridge,my D rings are about 6" apart. When I pivot to left, my hitch on my bridge hits the the carabiner. It acts like a tender and releases the hitch. Not a good situation when your not expecting that sudden extra 6-12" of bridge length! I can solve that with a stopper knot but sometimes I actually want to lengthen it. If the D rings were back another 2-3" on either side, I could pivot easily to the left. The Kuhnert's harness attaches further back near the hips which would solve the problem.
 
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