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Making the change.

I'm already carrying a way to get up a tree, be it a set of sticks, tree steps, or a rocket launcher. This doesn't really change. A light hang on goes 10lbs pretty easy. (there's a few put there that are lighter, most are heavier.) a saddle is just a couple pounds, less bulk, less metal to make noise and allows you to use more trees than a climber.

Although I haven't seen mine in the mail yet, I'm excited to give this a try. I have a hard time believing I won't like it.
 
Cause I was fat.
I thought heck my lazy but aint gonna loose no weight and this Summit is gonna be the death of me.
I was 238lbs at 5’7” isn’t a good look to I bought a sitdrag and started hunting. Now idk 5 years later I couldn’t imagine hunting any other way. At 187lbs the saddles just keep getting more and more comfortable!




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It just makes a lot of sense to reduce bulk overall. I have some presets on private, run & gun a lot on public. Nice not to lug that stand around ...... found its waaaay better on my back ( back band made all the difference for me ). The biggest bonus I didn’t really factor initially was that your connected bottom to top& back down!! That wasn’t always the case before consistently. Once you develop a level of comfort/ confidence in the safety aspect of the climb & hunt its kinda tough to go back. I still sit in a double w/ the kids but , by myself it’s saddle. I even hunt off of some of my old setups using the seat as a platform & tether above......
 
I hunt hill country and mountainous regions. I hunt areas most arent willing to. When your luggin a climber or a hang on this can be impossible or more trouble than its worth. There are too many advantages to saddle hunting over a treestand to name but I will never go back again. Ive definately killed more deer out of a saddle by far and i used to have to pass on deer in a climber or hang on because theyd be on my weak side and if i moved theyd bust me. I dont worry about that anymore.
 
Most of these reasons are the same as most. Lightweight, less bulk, public land hunter. I seem to be evolving as a hunter as I get older and now I enjoy the pursuit..the scouting, the studying maps, hunting fresh sign. All that leads to the need to be lightweight and mobile, so a saddle it is!

Already have my Hawk Heliums cut down, just picked up a 3-step e-trier. I received my Kestrel last week and just got confirmation that my Predator shipped yesterday. Have all spring and summer to figure this stuff out! Can't wait for this fall to get here. I've been bowhunting for 31 years and I feel as energized and excited as ever!!
 
Still getting all the gear together to get started with a sit drag and rch, but the plan is to ditch the hang ons. I'm a member of a club, and though it's private, we have to pull stands each year so one one has claim on a spot. Time consuming and a PITA to put up and take down the lock ons.
 
I've been a mobile hunter for more than 20 years but the biggest reason I made the change was an attempt to reduce the bulk of what I was carrying in. I wanted to be able to access thicker stuff than I could with a climber on my back. Also, its darn near impossible, unless you're walking down a road or across a field to sneak anywhere with a climber on your back, at least int eh areas I hunt. There's enough young knee to head high growth that you can't possibly keep it all from banging off the stand as you walk through.

Here's the part of "the change" I didn't forsee. After 45 years of bowhunting (20 or so from a climber) I was pretty set on how I approached my hunting and the way I did things. Adopting the saddle and new climbing methods has rejuvenated the game for me. I'm excited to try new climbing methods, platform options, saddle tactics (even if my wallet suffers some). I didn't kill a deer last season but in my opinion I had more fun than I have had in several years. That makes last year a VERY SUCCESSFUL season to me. I continue to look forward with excitement about the future innovations and tweaks I can adopt and make to my setup.
 
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