Saddle hunting with kids?

[jy198460]

Do any of ya'll have your kids hunting out of a saddle yet? I hunt a lot of public land and my daughter is getting to the age where she is about ready to start tagging along more than just youth hunts. I have always dreaded the thought of hauling around 2 climbers when she was finally ready.

But now that I have switched to a saddle I thought it seemed like it would be a good option to get her a saddle in the next year or so and then we can both have saddles, platforms and then carry an extra stick and we can hunt out of the same tree. Has anybody done this and how did it work?

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[Rise.Kill.Eat]

My daughter has been hunting with me since 4th grade - 6 years. She has slayed a wad of deer with her crossbow. She just broke 100 pounds in weight (shrimp) and couldn’t hold the crossbow without a tripod. So we were restricted to ground blinds.

But she can finally pull the state minimum and is switching to a compound. Which means we can get into some trees now!

My plan is to pack my sticks and lock on stand (Modded Muddy Vantage) AND my saddle and platform. I’ll climb and set up everything. She gets the lock on. I get my saddle. It will only be an additional 13 pounds from what I normally carry.

I feel like archery is hard enough on noobies. And shooting out of a saddle is a BIG learning curve for a first time bowhunter. So I’m gonna give her a stand as long as she needs/wants it.


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[jy198460]

My daughter has been hunting with me since 4th grade - 6 years. She has slayed a wad of deer with her crossbow. She just broke 100 pounds in weight (shrimp) and couldn’t hold the crossbow without a tripod. So we were restricted to ground blinds.

But she can finally pull the state minimum and is switching to a compound. Which means we can get into some trees now!

My plan is to pack my sticks and lock on stand (Modded Muddy Vantage) AND my saddle and platform. I’ll climb and set up everything. She gets the lock on. I get my saddle. It will only be an additional 13 pounds from what I normally carry.

I feel like archery is hard enough on noobies. And shooting out of a saddle is a BIG learning curve for a first time bowhunter. So I’m gonna give her a stand as long as she needs/wants it.


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Man that's a great idea! That will still greatly reduce weight. And in all reality probably be about the same weight I was carrying with my climber setup last year.

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[sdoyle1]

I’ve made and sold several saddles in kids sizes. My daughter is 11 and hasn’t hunted from the saddle I made her but she loves SRT and DRT climbing with it in the trees in my front and back yard.

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[MattMan81]

I have been messing with this some. I tried to use a a youth fall harness and a sit drag. No good. The harness needs to much slop for the sit drag to work. Looks like she could fit a saddle now, but I think I am gonna put here in a climbing harness. Cheaper and saddle lead times are crazy. Maybe next year. Also she like me climbing the tree behind her. So in practice I set the sticks, run a life line, and then she climbs. I was gonna try to set her a little lower than me. But if she climbs first, it's hard for me to get around her to help her tie in. I guess she needs to go slightly above. Or Same height. If i do a multi limb tree, I'll have to move to the other limb. I'll have to do that with caution.
I also ordered a mission platform for all day rut hunts. She was gonna use the preditor platform. But I think I am gonna swap. Give her the bigger area to feel more comfortable. Or at least try it.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

Here's a couple of links to previous threads on this topic I found by searching for "kids" by member @T.Clarke. He really has this down to a science and his kids love saddle hunting!

Kids these days, saddlehunter style

When you get called in for dinner during a practice session. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

saddlehunter.com

Thoughts for kids in a Saddle

Did some searching here and still looking. Any experience with kids ages 10-15 using a saddle? Let me know what type of saddle you are using with your kids. I have a daughter (age 10) who would love to hang from a tree with me as she gets into hunting. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

saddlehunter.com

Youth saddle hunters?

How many of you have put your youth hunter in a saddle and on the same tree as you? Any advice? Reason I ask is that I picked up a saddle and another Ridge Runner for my stepson, he's 15 and slender built. Figure I'll put the RR's back to back and keep him in the same tree as me, this way I can...

saddlehunter.com

 

[jy198460]

I’ve made and sold several saddles in kids sizes. My daughter is 11 and hasn’t hunted from the saddle I made her but she loves SRT and DRT climbing with it in the trees in my front and back yard.

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Wow that is awesome! I may need to give you a shout when I'm ready to get her a saddle. She is skinny as a rail so it will be extremely hard to find her proper size.

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[jy198460]

I have been messing with this some. I tried to use a a youth fall harness and a sit drag. No good. The harness needs to much slop for the sit drag to work. Looks like she could fit a saddle now, but I think I am gonna put here in a climbing harness. Cheaper and saddle lead times are crazy. Maybe next year. Also she like me climbing the tree behind her. So in practice I set the sticks, run a life line, and then she climbs. I was gonna try to set her a little lower than me. But if she climbs first, it's hard for me to get around her to help her tie in. I guess she needs to go slightly above. Or Same height. If i do a multi limb tree, I'll have to move to the other limb. I'll have to do that with caution.
I also ordered a mission platform for all day rut hunts. She was gonna use the preditor platform. But I think I am gonna swap. Give her the bigger area to feel more comfortable. Or at least try it.

It will definitely be next year before I do anything with her. She just got her bow last week so it will probably be next year before she is ready for anything other than a gun. So we will probably just use a blind for this year.

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[jy198460]

Here's a couple of links to previous threads on this topic I found by searching for "kids" by member @T.Clarke. He really has this down to a science and his kids love saddle hunting!

Kids these days, saddlehunter style

When you get called in for dinner during a practice session. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

saddlehunter.com

Thoughts for kids in a Saddle

Did some searching here and still looking. Any experience with kids ages 10-15 using a saddle? Let me know what type of saddle you are using with your kids. I have a daughter (age 10) who would love to hang from a tree with me as she gets into hunting. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

saddlehunter.com

Youth saddle hunters?

How many of you have put your youth hunter in a saddle and on the same tree as you? Any advice? Reason I ask is that I picked up a saddle and another Ridge Runner for my stepson, he's 15 and slender built. Figure I'll put the RR's back to back and keep him in the same tree as me, this way I can...

saddlehunter.com

Thank you sir! I will give those a look through.

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[sdoyle1]

Wow that is awesome! I may need to give you a shout when I'm ready to get her a saddle. She is skinny as a rail so it will be extremely hard to find her proper size.

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Yeah. Hit me up when you’re ready.


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[wildotter]

Got my son shooting from his saddle. Still practicing climbing and starting to get some shooting in now. Will be a while before he takes a shot at a deer from hunting height, but he’s going to get some hang time with me this year. Probably going to keep most of his shots off the ground or from fixed position stands this year. He’s loving it all so far!

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[EricS]

Mine has hunted out of a saddle a few times. He’s had his first archery hunts and first solo saddle hunts this weekend. I have to be within sight or sound of him on wma