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Realistic learning curve to saddle hunting

N

Njjb122

Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2021
Messages
60
I just received my phatom in the mail just waiting for my we steps to come this afternoon and ill be ready to climb considering its my first time i just plan on practicing and use it for next season im just curious how long it takes most people to feel completely confident in effectively taking game i know everyone is different but i figured i could get an idea im sure for some it didnt work out but its definetly something i intend on mastering and being out of work atm i plan on practicing daily in hopes to maybe get a hunt or 2 out of it before our season closes feb 20th
 
The WE steps take a little getting used to setting them. But I didn’t think it was overly difficult as some complained. I have since moved to a two stick/one stick method but I also didn’t get rid of my steps. With an aider you can easily get 17-21ft with 3 or 4 steps. I do suggest a ladder type aider over the etrier. In a week you’ll be 3x better than the first day. In a couple weeks you’ll be proficient but in the dark is a whole other deal. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
 
Yea i went with knaider swaider lol...probably not the best for a beginner but i also purchased a 3 step aider thats not here yet....i wanted a lightweight setup and the sticks that i was considering were all on backorder and im a very impatient person when i want something...i do plan on getting sticks and trying every climbing method to see what i like the best ...
 
It all depends on your experience level. I had previous experience with mobile hang and hunt with a lock-in stand, as well as some rock climbing experience. I took my first doe out of a saddle by the next weekend of receiving it.

YMMV. I don't know your past experience but don't expect miracles if you're looking to go kn/sw straight out of the gate. There's been some documented close calls/accidents on the forums from that exact method. I'd suggest looking them up to get a better picture of what you're getting yourself into.
 
First year for me saddle hunting. It took about a half dozen sits before it felt I was starting to get a system down. I have now sat dozens of times and still becoming more proficient, but it was those first half dozen sits or so where I made the most advancements.
 
Depends on what you are coming from and how you want to saddle hunt. If you are new to mobile hunting or hunting in general I imagine it may take a while to get comfortable. I think climbing method makes a big difference and that is not strictly saddle related . Some are pretty straight forward and others are very creative.

I am using climbing sticks and a platform. I did not have much if any learning curve. I attribute that to the fact that I have spent years hunting out of a hang on with sticks and a RC harness. I have always used a LB and tether. The only real difference is the platform is much easier to hang.

It would be a different story for someone used to ladder stands or pre-sets. I am used to packing everything in and out.
 
I'd suggest tying the steps to a tree and leaving them for a day or two to stretch the ropes out. I started climbing with the WE steps and k/s combo. It took me a few sits to be able to comfortably climb 15' or so, nothing crazy. I can tell you for sure 2 things. It you have issues, it's probably gonna be with the k/s. I found that certain trees in certain conditions are not safe with the k/s, not that any aiders would have been safe, but my experience is only with the k/s. The second is that the fiddle factor with the knots will take longer to get down than climbing itself. In the dark with cold hands and irregular trees was too much. Especially going down with the k/s in the dark, that was sketchy. It's easier to just set a stick and climb and the fiddle factor with the steps wasn't worth the weight to me.

I'd definitely tie one in close to ground level and push the limits of it. The first time I had a step slide was at 12', not cool. It bit the bark too much and the next time I stepped on it, there wasn't enough to grab onto to be 100% stable. But it held enough and I used it for the rest of the hunt, I just wasn't standing on the cross bar. I'm not sure what it would take for the step to be completely unusable if it's tied to the tree and cammed over correctly initially. I still have the k/s but usually just use swaider (the hook) and skip the knaider. Like Flee and others have said, slow is smooth and smooth is safe, and fast.
 
I started 2 September's ago, I took a doe at 4 yards in mid October.

I practiced from July onward.

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It took me about a month using WE steps w aider to be efficient/ not noisy or sweaty once I settled in.
Used predator as platform for majority of first season.
I tried two to three WE steps as platform or offset to side of predator but didnt think it was worth the time setting them up after timing myself. It is nice for relieving pressure / sitting.
3 steps + platform is where I settled.
I still give WE stepps the edge over carrying multiple sticks.
It is a good enough method but I over analyze the climb.
Currently 1 stick and repel. Im alternating between ROS or ROS w Platform .
Still holding onto the WE steps as its nice to have a compact option w aider that gets you up a tree for $100 and to show others considering them.
I had many deer close to me in 1st season .
Practice shots at height you will be hunting at- I was not humble enough on this in my first season , its different shooting while pivoting / stabilizing from a saddle at height.

So exhaustive post short - its a gradual but long learning curve. Unless you don't over think your gear ;P
Hope that was helpful.
Good luck.
 
TreeCreep said:
It took me about a month using WE steps w aider to be efficient/ not noisy or sweaty once I settled in.
Used predator as platform for majority of first season.
I tried two to three WE steps as platform or offset to side of predator but didnt think it was worth the time setting them up after timing myself. It is nice for relieving pressure / sitting.
3 steps + platform is where I settled.
I still give WE stepps the edge over carrying multiple sticks.
It is a good enough method but I over analyze the climb.
Currently 1 stick and repel. Im alternating between ROS or ROS w Platform .
Still holding onto the WE steps as its nice to have a compact option w aider that gets you up a tree for $100 and to show others considering them.
I had many deer close to me in 1st season .
Practice shots at height you will be hunting at- I was not humble enough on this in my first season , its different shooting while pivoting / stabilizing from a saddle at height.

So exhaustive post short - its a gradual but long learning curve. Unless you don't over think your gear ;P
Hope that was helpful.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
This is what I went to as well, 1 stick and rappel. Safer than climbing down and much more fun.
 
Not much of a learning curve for the saddle it self for me it's the climbing method of which there are many that is the issue practice makes perfect there are a wealth of videos covering all the methods, my first saddle deer was on my first hunt out of a saddle and I used some barrowd tree spikes to get up coming back down got interesting
 
So ive been hunting for around 10 yrs got into a little late as im 34 but ive hunted with lock ons climbers and pre builts lockons ive always used screw ins and hunted pre determined locations wouldnt call my lockon setup a mobile setup thats what my climber was for but lately ive been running into more and more situations where the best tree to be in is one i cant get into with a climber and my lockons were normally set up in places already where i didnt want to move them i just tried the k/s in the backyard only went 3 steps high and im guessing its 100% technique as im learning step height, lineman belt position, and distance from tree all dramatically affect the difficulty. the size of the tree matters alot too i practiced on a 22" diameter tree as thats prlly the biggest I would climb and i could see how a smaller diameter would definitely be easier after my first few attempts climbing going down is definitely easier then going up and im a tad bit concerned with comfort level of phantom for long sits, 5-6hrs i dont see a problem but all day i dunno i dont have a platform yet waiting for predator xl but using the we step as one i cant say i was uncomfortable but it definetly wasn't the hammock like i was expecting. I also had a little bit of an issue getting the we steps to lock in ill try stretching the ropes like suggested ill stick with this setup for a little while because it is extremely light worst case i think all i would need is a 3 or 4 step aider
 
This was my second season saddle hunting and I've switch from hawk helium to one sticking with a regular hawk helium and a one step aider to WE steps with k/s... definitely prefer this method and I've only got a few climbs in with em... as other have said... tying in the steps is where your big learning curve will be... take the saddle out a few times and sit in. It for an hour or so... practice moving around for shots during these sits... you'll be pretty comfortable with sitting and moving in the saddle pretty quickly... I think I'm switching to rappelling either way, but I might try one sticking with a different stick... Tethrd One looks great for one sticking once its available... so like a few years... but so far the WE steps with k/s is my favorite method I've used
 
I couldn't agree more with @Hebeskibe's comments. For me the positioning and shooting in the saddle came almost naturally. That's not to imply you shouldn't practice it, it is a little different, but I think you'll find that transition an easy one.

For me the climbing method took a lot more practicing. I had hunted out of climbing treestands for the 20 years prior to moving to a saddle so I hadn't used a separate climbing method for decades. It took me way longer to find/develop a comfortable climbing method. I still spend more time practicing my climbing than my shooting from the saddle. In fact, the climbing has now become a pastime of its own. Another thing to keep in mind is that when you're set up in your hunting position you're securely tethered in so you really can't fall. Climbing up and down is the riskiest part of the setup.

One more word of advice that I found. Remember that, in most cases, climbing down safely is harder than climbing up. I've found this to be true for me regardless of how I have climbed (even Wild Edge Steps). The suggestion above from someone recommending rappelling is valid. Besides, it is a blast. Someone here once posted "I always say to myself, I'M BATMAN!, as I rappel down". Well that stuck with me and that phrase goes through my almost 60 year old head every time I rappel down the tree. :tearsofjoy:
 
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The saddle shooting is simple. The positioning your stand to get the best shots takes a few tries. Those wild edge steps are terrible. I too started with them and ditched them for hawk heliums. My first season with saddle was 2020 and I took five deer with a bow, four in a saddle. Saw more deer and more shot opportunity than ever in a climber. Being able to get in any tree I wanted to was the best. I hunted a few that were barely larger than my leg.

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I may be different than most on here but I had a hard time trusting my gear at height at first. It just felt so different hanging from the tether instead of the strap on the back of a safety harness. It felt kinda like i was falling over backwards to me. The climbing part was easier for me as I started with 3 full length Hawk Heliums and felt secure as I had something to hang on to as I climbed. Then I added one step aiders to them. Mind you, I was used to my Summit climber and/or my 20 ft. ladder sticks. Now I am swinging in my saddle like its a toy or something and I'm trying one sticking and rappelling down like I'm Spiderman. This is after only 2 partial seasons using my new gear as I got season ending injuries during both of the last two hunting seasons. Now I have just bought a JX3 and today I got some spurs to try out so my advice is to just have fun with it and practice at ground level but most of all be safe.
 
I started with the WE steps and a knaider/swaider and was never quiet, you could hear me from several hundred yards. Switched to a aider and was probably being heard from 50 or so yards away. Dropped to just the steps when I realized that locking them on was noisy.

Switched to Helium's, hated them for the carry in. We set up some pre hung trees on private. That worked.

Ended the season on Bullman Outdoors steps. Liked them. But, still think they are a little heavy.

Going to work on 2TC this spring and hopefully it is what I use next year.

Now, I started with a WE Perch and 1 or 2 extra steps. It was okay. Switched to ROS for the Helium's and have not looked back, small and compact.

But I am still undecided about the rappelling down the tree thing. Haven't done that in 25-30 years and my wife has never tried it. So, we are about to learn something, rappelling out of a tree, stopping to get the ROS, and then proceeding to the ground floor.

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Realistic learning curve as far as hunting from a saddle? That depends on how long it takes you to trust your tether at height, it's really that simple. Get past that mental hurdle and the rest is easy peasy with some practice.

Now for climbing method, that will take longer. How long depends on climbing method chosen and amount of time practicing.

Let me shorten your learning curve and help you keep money in your wallet in the long run ( by you not wasting time and $$$ trying every method only to end up where I'm about to tell you anyways) . . .

One stick climb and rappel down. . . ( mic drop)
 
I already knew how to climb and hang stands, so that was easy. Getting used to hanging in the saddle and feeling safe took a few hunts, I hung at ground level 2 or 3 times before climbing. It took half a season of relating lessons here to my adjustment in the tree to get really comfortable. The hardest thing I still need to work on is being comfortable shooting from the saddle by shooting more at ground level from the saddle and platform and also some at height. I still feel like a better shot from the ground or a regular stand.
 
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