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Noobie Advice/Info

Jmarth said:
Thank you for this post! I came here today after listening to the wired to hunt podcast (shoutout to Lone Bow, I’m guessing) this morning at work. I myself am fairly new to hunting, and have secured access to two areas near me for the upcoming deer season. I was just starting to price out ladder stands, but I think the saddle might be the way to go. Theft of stands is fairly prevalent in southern Ontario, and I won’t be the only hunter at either location, and also by the time I buy multiple stands I’m likely better off with a saddle. I think I’ll be jumping on to the preorder for the mantis, with all of the bits and bobs. I’m looking forward to really scouring these forums!
James
London Ontario
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I am one hour north of London if you would like to try some saddle equipment out. Let me know. A saddle is the way to go for a new hunter. You don't have to unlearn things...
I have a size one and two kestrel and a guidos web and an xop platform and ameristeps and We steps and sticks. I have ordered a mantis and predator platform.

PM me if you wish.
 
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I'm new to Bow and saddle hunting.......anyone in the Massachusetts area or do you know of any clubs\organizations in the mass area? Interested in trying a saddle/climb. Looking into purchasing the Tethrd Mantis saddle.....anyone have any commets?

Greatly appreciate any comments and advise.
 
Not sure if we have anyone from MA, you'll have to check the saddle hunter map. If you're new and you already read this thread you have a good start!

I would start cheap especially if you need a climbing system, but if you have the cash a complete saddle is the easier easy to go.

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I'm new to all this and looking to get my first setup this year. I have been familiar with the concept for years but was apprehensive. I was never comfortable with heights but over the years that has all changed. I have used many climbers (Summit, API) and find myself getting 25 -30 ft with no problem. I really like the flexibility that can can come with a saddle. Your very limited with a climber. A saddle allows you to go with any tree, its super light weight, well hidden, many shot angles. I am from central Michigan and have hunted all over the state. I have followed John Eberhart for years but never went with the saddle. Partly because of cost but also because I wasn't sure I would feel secure swing'n up in the tree. I have been researching for weeks now and have stumbled on to this forum. Tons of great info here and I can't wait to get my first setup going. Everyone in here is fantastic and very helpful. Now I can't wait to get in a saddle!

All that being said, I'm thinking about starting with the Mantis Saddle. Has anyone tried this saddle yet and what do you think? Is it comfortable if your a sitter? I haven't even started yet but I assume I would be a sitter more than a leaner. I wasn't going to get the platform right away simply because of cost. I was going to dedicate dollars to the climbing system first. I really like the flexibility with saddling so you can piece this together as you go along.

Is the Mantis a good fit for a beginner? Will the Mantis work well for northern style hunts? Any input would be greatly appreciated. I"ll be spending more time on this forum. I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say about saddling as well as providing some of my own input once I get going.

Thanks!
 
WhiteOakAcorn said:
I'm new to all this and looking to get my first setup this year. I have been familiar with the concept for years but was apprehensive. I was never comfortable with heights but over the years that has all changed. I have used many climbers (Summit, API) and find myself getting 25 -30 ft with no problem. I really like the flexibility that can can come with a saddle. Your very limited with a climber. A saddle allows you to go with any tree, its super light weight, well hidden, many shot angles. I am from central Michigan and have hunted all over the state. I have followed John Eberhart for years but never went with the saddle. Partly because of cost but also because I wasn't sure I would feel secure swing'n up in the tree. I have been researching for weeks now and have stumbled on to this forum. Tons of great info here and I can't wait to get my first setup going. Everyone in here is fantastic and very helpful. Now I can't wait to get in a saddle!

All that being said, I'm thinking about starting with the Mantis Saddle. Has anyone tried this saddle yet and what do you think? Is it comfortable if your a sitter? I haven't even started yet but I assume I would be a sitter more than a leaner. I wasn't going to get the platform right away simply because of cost. I was going to dedicate dollars to the climbing system first. I really like the flexibility with saddling so you can piece this together as you go along.

Is the Mantis a good fit for a beginner? Will the Mantis work well for northern style hunts? Any input would be greatly appreciated. I"ll be spending more time on this forum. I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say about saddling as well as providing some of my own input once I get going.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I don't think a whole lot of folks have the Mantis yet, there are a few testers on here that seem to rave about it. I haven't ordered one either, but I think they are going to be great saddle's. Do you have a rock climbing harness or some fleece laying around? The reason I ask is you could make a cheap fleece(or any material really) saddle to play around with at ground level. I'm a huge fan of the platform, but there are folks that are not. You will need something, a ring of steps or you could use the top of your sticks. I think the Mantis would definitely work for a beginner, and you can always get a platform later, but you can't do much without a saddle.

When I started, I went cheap harness and spent my cash on climbing systems.

Hopefully, that helps a little, good luck!
 
WhiteOakAcorn said:
I'm new to all this and looking to get my first setup this year. I have been familiar with the concept for years but was apprehensive. I was never comfortable with heights but over the years that has all changed. I have used many climbers (Summit, API) and find myself getting 25 -30 ft with no problem. I really like the flexibility that can can come with a saddle. Your very limited with a climber. A saddle allows you to go with any tree, its super light weight, well hidden, many shot angles. I am from central Michigan and have hunted all over the state. I have followed John Eberhart for years but never went with the saddle. Partly because of cost but also because I wasn't sure I would feel secure swing'n up in the tree. I have been researching for weeks now and have stumbled on to this forum. Tons of great info here and I can't wait to get my first setup going. Everyone in here is fantastic and very helpful. Now I can't wait to get in a saddle!

All that being said, I'm thinking about starting with the Mantis Saddle. Has anyone tried this saddle yet and what do you think? Is it comfortable if your a sitter? I haven't even started yet but I assume I would be a sitter more than a leaner. I wasn't going to get the platform right away simply because of cost. I was going to dedicate dollars to the climbing system first. I really like the flexibility with saddling so you can piece this together as you go along.

Is the Mantis a good fit for a beginner? Will the Mantis work well for northern style hunts? Any input would be greatly appreciated. I"ll be spending more time on this forum. I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say about saddling as well as providing some of my own input once I get going.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
WOA, if you get a RCH and Sitdrag or a Saddle and you already have a climber you can use it as climbing method and platform once at Hunting height. This sport is not cheap to get started in. So don’t break the bank till you decide which method you want to use.
YouTube, climbing without sticks.
 
Hi guys! I'm very new to saddle hunting, like I just found out about it about a week ago. I have a public land Missouri trip coming up in the beginning of November, and I have been getting ready for the trip by doing a lot of hang and hunts here in Michigan where I'm from. I've been struggling with carrying tree stand, sticks, and a backpack on my back. I think the total weight was right around 35 lbs when measured the whole system. I'm a pretty fit person, as I played college football, but man I keep thinking about how the weight of this setup will limit where I can and can not go once I get down there. So here I am! Saddle hunting just seems like a perfect fit for me and what I'm trying to do. Yes, I'm a little overwhelmed when I look through this site, but I'm excited to start diving into this new hobby! With that being said I do have a quick question.

I've been looking for a saddle setup, but man those suckers are hard to find! Every place I look there's either nothing, or the saddle is 6 weeks out if I purchased it. Therefore I decided to go with a sitdrag setup. I've watched a lot of videos, and read a decent amount of DIY's about how to get it setup for saddle hunting. I bought every I think I need on Amazon yesterday, but the one thing I didn't buy was a rock harness. I choose not to buy this is because I have the muddy magnum pro body harness, which has lineman loops. Is it ok if I use the muddy harness in place of the rock harness?

I'm sure I will have more questions in the future, but i could use some help with this! Thanks everyone for the great information, and it seems like everyone is super friendly here. Eventually I plan on making my own saddle, with my father in-law. He works for a boat manufacture, and he has connections with the seamstress team, and he has access to all the material need to make a wicked saddle setup!
 
Aksisu11 said:
Hi guys! I'm very new to saddle hunting, like I just found out about it about a week ago. I have a public land Missouri trip coming up in the beginning of November, and I have been getting ready for the trip by doing a lot of hang and hunts here in Michigan where I'm from. I've been struggling with carrying tree stand, sticks, and a backpack on my back. I think the total weight was right around 35 lbs when measured the whole system. I'm a pretty fit person, as I played college football, but man I keep thinking about how the weight of this setup will limit where I can and can not go once I get down there. So here I am! Saddle hunting just seems like a perfect fit for me and what I'm trying to do. Yes, I'm a little overwhelmed when I look through this site, but I'm excited to start diving into this new hobby! With that being said I do have a quick question.

I've been looking for a saddle setup, but man those suckers are hard to find! Every place I look there's either nothing, or the saddle is 6 weeks out if I purchased it. Therefore I decided to go with a sitdrag setup. I've watched a lot of videos, and read a decent amount of DIY's about how to get it setup for saddle hunting. I bought every I think I need on Amazon yesterday, but the one thing I didn't buy was a rock harness. I choose not to buy this is because I have the muddy magnum pro body harness, which has lineman loops. Is it ok if I use the muddy harness in place of the rock harness?

I'm sure I will have more questions in the future, but i could use some help with this! Thanks everyone for the great information, and it seems like everyone is super friendly here. Eventually I plan on making my own saddle, with my father in-law. He works for a boat manufacture, and he has connections with the seamstress team, and he has access to all the material need to make a wicked saddle setup!
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Welcome to the addiction! I think you could make that work. I'm thinking run a double bridge. 1 on the sit drag and then a shorter or longer 1 on the muddy harness attaching it to the lineman's loops. The muddy would be the fail safe and hook in loose above the sit drag's bridge.

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Vhunter said:
I'm new to Bow and saddle hunting.......anyone in the Massachusetts area or do you know of any clubs\organizations in the mass area? Interested in trying a saddle/climb. Looking into purchasing the Tethrd Mantis saddle.....anyone have any commets?

Greatly appreciate any comments and advise.
Click to expand...

Several Massholes here!


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Wow, this is so excellent! Thank you for taking the time to put this all together, I’ve been reading and re-reading everything as I get off the ground!
 
squid said:
Wow, this is so excellent! Thank you for taking the time to put this all together, I’ve been reading and re-reading everything as I get off the ground!
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Yeah it can be a little overwhelming at first welcome don't be afraid to ask questions!

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Thank you donnieballgame!! This is extremely helpful info for those just getting into the saddle. I ordered a mantis Christmas morning. I have a question about your original post.. In the illustration in the link below it shows the tether wrapped twice around the tree. In g2outdoors youtube video about tethers he only wraps it once. Wrapped once, the girth hitch tightens if you lean one way but if you lean the other way can it loosen and slip around the tree? Giving you the feeling falling and possibly slipping off the platform. I hate to end a hunt due to ruining my pants. In my experience with HHS lifelines and tree tethers they try to slip down the tree if the weight of the rope is not cinching the girth hitch. I hope my question makes sense.
Not only am I knew to saddle hunting but I'm also new to posting things and asking questions on websites so please bear with me.
Thanks again to everyone that takes time to post the info.
http://saddlehunter.com/community/index.php?threads/basic-saddle-hunting-glossary.1888/
 
You can wrap once or twice around the tree... It is personal preference. Some people use castration bands to help keep the tether from slipping/in place on the tree. There are plenty of posts on that (band goes on the "loop" drawing tight against the single strand of rope).

I personally just girth hitch 1 time around the tree. Keep in mind that your weight is staying in the saddle and pulling down on the tether.

I don't hunt smooth bark trees so I don't know if they adversely affect the grip of the rope.

Hopefully this helps. I'm not the greatest at explaining things through writing.

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Homebrew454 said:
You can wrap once or twice around the tree... It is personal preference. Some people use castration bands to help keep the tether from slipping/in place on the tree. There are plenty of posts on that (band goes on the "loop" drawing tight against the single strand of rope).

I personally just girth hitch 1 time around the tree. Keep in mind that your weight is staying in the saddle and pulling down on the tether.

I don't hunt smooth bark trees so I don't know if they adversely affect the grip of the rope.

Hopefully this helps. I'm not the greatest at explaining things through writing.

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Thank you.. it certainly helps. I had to assume that tethers were not slipping around the tree on everyone but needed to ask. Assuming anything is usually a bad idea though. I had not seen the posts on but definitely read up. thanks again
 
Not sure the link will work. Just search for castration bands.

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Homebrew454 said:
Not sure the link will work. Just search for castration bands.

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The link worked and I just read all about it. I should have figured it had already been addressed. Sounds like its an issue for some and no so much with others. I will have to see what works for me. Thanks
 
Yeah saddle hunting is that way. Some are leaners while others are sitters. Some prefer larger platforms like the predator (or larger) while others prefer bolts or steps.

There is a lot of information here and a lot of helpful advise from the members.

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Vhunter said:
I'm new to Bow and saddle hunting.......anyone in the Massachusetts area or do you know of any clubs\organizations in the mass area? Interested in trying a saddle/climb. Looking into purchasing the Tethrd Mantis saddle.....anyone have any commets?

Greatly appreciate any comments and advise.
Click to expand...
 
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