Saddle Hunting for the first time for 2021 Season

[giomess86]

Hello Hunters,

Hope everyone is having a safe and Successful Hunting Season. So I started to come across Saddle hunting for the first time through YouTube and from a co worker of mine and started to become interested. After watching tons of videos from Tethrd and other Hunters I feel like like this is the route I want to take going forward. I tried using a hand climber and hated it. This season I used for the first time an XOP hang on system and was Successful in getting my first bow kill in the 7 years I have been bow hunting. Now realizing how much I hate lugging all this crap into the woods I feel like its time to move onto Saddle Hunting and all the benefits it has to offer. Now here is where I would like some opinions on how to approach the 2021 Season for Saddle Hunting. I know it can get expensive so here is my purchase plan for saddle hunting. I plan to go with the Tethrd company. Since I will be new I plan to go with the following:

1) Menace saddle * Since I will be new to saddle hunting
2) The Predator Platform
3) I already have a linesman rope with a Ropeman 1 Ascender.
4) I will be making a rope Tether and will be purchasing a 2nd Ropeman Ascender 1.
5) Purchasing (2) SYS Haulers.
6) Purchasing a Recliner
7) purchasing an HYS Strap

I will be also buying kneepads etc.

If there is a way I can save any $$ please message me with any opinions/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Hope everyone has a Safe and Healthy New Year and lets gets the 2021 Season rolling !!

 

[Jimmy Wallhanger]

Buy used gear. Look at more saddles. Increase your CC limit.

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[rswink]

I use the tactical knee pads off Amazon, not super expensive and OD green goes most places.

Made several HYS straps, cheaper to make than buy. Was putting them up and leaving them in the trees on Private that were in good spots, made it easy to know where the good trees were, please s they are blaze orange, blaze red, and blaze pink. So visibility on them is not lacking

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[ekeith13]

Buy used gear. Look at more saddles. Increase your CC limit.

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definitely increase the credit card limit. i decided to go this route for a run and gun because im getting to old to be putting multiple stands up every year and i have already spent close to 1300$

 

[wdarby]

1) Menace saddle * Since I will be new to saddle hunting
2) The Predator Platform
3) I already have a linesman rope with a Ropeman 1 Ascender.
4) I will be making a rope Tether and will be purchasing a 2nd Ropeman Ascender 1.
5) Purchasing (2) SYS Haulers.
6) Purchasing a Recliner
7) purchasing an HYS Strap

I will be also buying kneepads etc.

If there is a way I can save any $$ please message me with any opinions/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

My 2c (probably not worth that) - it you have both a linesman's belt and safety line with a carabiner for the hang on, you can probably use the safety line for your tether with a paracord tender. Since you're getting a Menace - typically for sitting - you might not need the recliner, I didn't use one while sitting all season. You can probably save on at least one sys hauler by daisy chaining your ropes to your saddle (worked for me). I also used the HME accessory hook strap in pace of an HYS strap.

I wish I was a headlight on a north-bound train

 

[Skurbie]

Just received my first saddle setup that I purchased off of e-bay, wasn't exactly what I wanted but the price was right. After buying it a saddle got posted that I would have preferred. Be more patient than me an you may find what you're looking for on e-bay.

 

[CharlieTN]

If there is a way I can save any $$ please message me with any opinions/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Some ideas to save money:
1. Skip the ropeman and instead tie a Schwabisch hitch and use a paracord tender (honestly preferable in my opinion anyway.
2. Skip the HYS Strap. Paracord doubled up with knots tied periodically will work great for a gear strap. You can also make your own Amsteel gear strap which is what I run.
3. Skip the SYS haulers and pick up some cheaper dump pouches from Amazon.
4. Buy used for sure. There’s lots of gear constantly cycling through

And welcome to the club. It’s a great way to hunt but can certainly be a money pit if you’re not careful.

 

[rich]

I also am going to be saddling for the first time in 2021 because I was also drawn in by the YouTube ect. propaganda. LOL

I smiled with the question "is there anyway I can save money"? YES, but you have to have been a pack rat and had a father that was a pack rat for years. I am a DIY person on most everything. I made my own modified Eberhart style saddle using the safety belts accumulated over the years that came with tree stands and had to purchase 4' of hollow core 1" strap. I also used the D rings off a military heavy lifting strap. I made my own hauling bags out of some ballistic fabric I had.

I used an old hang on tree stand seat and post to make a platform of which I attached onto the front edge an angled piece of aluminum door threshold plate to allow my feet to rest at a comfortable angle while leaning.

I did have to purchase some 20" Hawk Helium sticks but got them on sale to my door for $119. I made a 2 step aider for the first stick and single aider for the others out of safety rope and old water hose I already had.

I had to purchase 15' of 8mm Sterling for lineman and bridge rope. I also got some Sterling 6mm to use for prusik knots. I already had a rope for tree tether. I did splurge and purchase two light weight carabiners for $20 because the ones I had were heavy steel but could have used them.

I will be making my own HYS strap out of 1" webbing strap that also came with a couple of tree stands from the past.

As to using the prusik knot on the lineman and tether I made a knot tender. I used a piece of 3/4" PEX plastic pipe 1/2" long slipped up the rope to the bottom of the knot and tied a piece of 550 cord looped to the PEX and then down to the carabiner. Works like a charm. This alone will save you around $50.

I also reworked a couple of ratchet straps I had for hanging the platform.
I made a pack frame out of 3/4" PVC pipe I had and used some old military ALICE shoulder straps for it to haul everything with.
I have the DIY ability as well as a sewing room full of machines I built onto the house for my wife to make all this stiff.
My total cost if you don't count time, is under $165 and most was in the sticks and the two carabiners.

I also have in my mind spinning around how to make a perch platform using some 1" square aluminum tubing I have to attach to the top of a climbing stick for those short two to three hour hunts I often get that will be very light and quick to put up and take down.
SO YES YOU CAN SAVE MONEY. Hope you have a great 2021 hunting season. Have fun because life is short.

 

[Schemeecho]

Hello Hunters,

Hope everyone is having a safe and Successful Hunting Season. So I started to come across Saddle hunting for the first time through YouTube and from a co worker of mine and started to become interested. After watching tons of videos from Tethrd and other Hunters I feel like like this is the route I want to take going forward. I tried using a hand climber and hated it. This season I used for the first time an XOP hang on system and was Successful in getting my first bow kill in the 7 years I have been bow hunting. Now realizing how much I hate lugging all this crap into the woods I feel like its time to move onto Saddle Hunting and all the benefits it has to offer. Now here is where I would like some opinions on how to approach the 2021 Season for Saddle Hunting. I know it can get expensive so here is my purchase plan for saddle hunting. I plan to go with the Tethrd company. Since I will be new I plan to go with the following:

1) Menace saddle * Since I will be new to saddle hunting
2) The Predator Platform
3) I already have a linesman rope with a Ropeman 1 Ascender.
4) I will be making a rope Tether and will be purchasing a 2nd Ropeman Ascender 1.
5) Purchasing (2) SYS Haulers.
6) Purchasing a Recliner
7) purchasing an HYS Strap

I will be also buying kneepads etc.

If there is a way I can save any $$ please message me with any opinions/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Hope everyone has a Safe and Healthy New Year and lets gets the 2021 Season rolling !!

You can always use a standard rock climbing harness and a sit drag. To better explain, watch this video by Diysportsman. This is basically what I'm planning on doing for next season 2021. The cheapest Saddle i could find was the Ambush Lite by Trophyline for around $160.00 for just the saddle or the complete kit for around $280.00 . The only difference for me is I decided to make my own custom sling or butt hammock for lack of better terms. The only real cost for me is my tree tether , linemans belt and bridge as well as my carabiners. But for the rope I needed, I just bought a 30 foot Hunters safety system lifeline. I'll just cut it to the sizes I'll need. My out of pocket expense was only about $100.00 So I saved a good bit. I only did it this way for two reasons. One, I'm cheap and Get a greater satisfaction if I can make it myself, two, not sure how well I'll like saddle hunting. I know I'll like it better than carrying in a hang on stand or climber stand since I can only hunt public land. Either way here is a the video I was talking about.

 

[JC3]

Come to the light, the JX3 tree saddle light..............
Don't be afraid, you will sit from dark to dark very comfortably, be able to snooze when you want, no dreaded hip pinch, no back aches, you can shoot 360° around the tree.
No platform required, only a ROS, no knee pads required, no sore knees, built in pack frame for carrying all your needs.
Buy once, cry once.
Come to the light, the JX3 light...........

 

[luv2bowhunt]

I daisy chain my linemans rope, eliminates one of the pouches.