• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

WE Stepps vs. Predator Platform

H

hunthRd20

New Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2018
Messages
39
I'm new to saddle hunting this year and want to get some experienced opinions on the WE Stepps vs. the Predator Platform????
 
I have used both and both work - I personally prefer a platform like the predator or Klemz.
 
Predator over the WE stepps as a platform. Especially so close to the season. Predator is a small learning curve verses needing to line up the stepps and getting them to cam at different angles. WE is doable and practice will work, I just wasn't a fan as a platform.
 
Last edited:
I got the WE stepps first thinking i would like that best for moving around the tree but the i got to watching youtube and the small platforms and now I am thinking i might like that better
 
I went the the great outdoor show in Harrisburg PA this past spring and the WE guys were there with their Stepps and using a saddle to show them. i was instantly hooked
 
I'm a wild edge fan. I haven't tried a platform but after watching videos and threads about the topic, I don't see any reason to switch
 
I logged a bunch of hours last season with the stepps as a platform. My very short tenure pre-failure with the predator did not give me a fair comparison. Having said that, I can shoot 360 degrees around trees up to 18" diameter with as much ease on three stepps as the predator. They both check this box with ease.

Set up time/effort definitely goes to the predator if you can get it to seat properly for you with just hand action camming. Super simple process. I have an assassin platform and it's the same concept. It is certainly much simpler and faster to set up than the stepps. I have several years experience climbing with the stepps so i'm used to working them. There is a learning curve there, but it is easily overcome with some practice.

As far as packing goes - I give the nod to the stepps if you're already climbing with stepps - it's just three more in the bag.

If you're not climbing with stepps, I think it's a wash. Three stepps or the predator will fit in or on most backpacks with ease. They also weigh the same. If you're going with 4 stepps, which I never found a need for, then slight nod to the predator on weight/packing

Noise/movement I'll give very slight advantage to the stepps because once they are cammed on the tree, they don't move at all or make any noise. I had issues with my predator creaking and popping. These sound like they can be addressed by taking the platform apart and using bow wax, or some other lubricant. I can't speak to this but check some other threads it sounds like it is an easy fix.

The flexibility to get higher in a tree with one of the stepps and sacrifice it's use in the platform setup is a small plus - I had two hunts last season where I needed an extra couple feet, and used one stepp to get it, then had two for my platform. This is not an advantage if you're hunting presets, or have your tree/hunting height picked out ahead of time.

The ability to spread the stepps apart a little further on a larger diameter tree is also a small plus. Getting on a tree bigger than 20-22" would prove difficult for shorter guys to shoot around with just a predator. You can index your side stepps a little further out to address this - but it may be at the risk of comfort in some cases. I think I had one hunt on a bigger tree where this helped me. Again - a rare occasion for sure.

All in all, either method would cover 95% of your needs I think. You just need to consider the margins, and whether those rare occasions make one option more attractive to you.
 
kyler1945 said:
I logged a bunch of hours last season with the stepps as a platform. My very short tenure pre-failure with the predator did not give me a fair comparison. Having said that, I can shoot 360 degrees around trees up to 18" diameter with as much ease on three stepps as the predator. They both check this box with ease.

Set up time/effort definitely goes to the predator if you can get it to seat properly for you with just hand action camming. Super simple process. I have an assassin platform and it's the same concept. It is certainly much simpler and faster to set up than the stepps. I have several years experience climbing with the stepps so i'm used to working them. There is a learning curve there, but it is easily overcome with some practice.

As far as packing goes - I give the nod to the stepps if you're already climbing with stepps - it's just three more in the bag.

If you're not climbing with stepps, I think it's a wash. Three stepps or the predator will fit in or on most backpacks with ease. They also weigh the same. If you're going with 4 stepps, which I never found a need for, then slight nod to the predator on weight/packing

Noise/movement I'll give very slight advantage to the stepps because once they are cammed on the tree, they don't move at all or make any noise. I had issues with my predator creaking and popping. These sound like they can be addressed by taking the platform apart and using bow wax, or some other lubricant. I can't speak to this but check some other threads it sounds like it is an easy fix.

The flexibility to get higher in a tree with one of the stepps and sacrifice it's use in the platform setup is a small plus - I had two hunts last season where I needed an extra couple feet, and used one stepp to get it, then had two for my platform. This is not an advantage if you're hunting presets, or have your tree/hunting height picked out ahead of time.

The ability to spread the stepps apart a little further on a larger diameter tree is also a small plus. Getting on a tree bigger than 20-22" would prove difficult for shorter guys to shoot around with just a predator. You can index your side stepps a little further out to address this - but it may be at the risk of comfort in some cases. I think I had one hunt on a bigger tree where this helped me. Again - a rare occasion for sure.

All in all, either method would cover 95% of your needs I think. You just need to consider the margins, and whether those rare occasions make one option more attractive to you.
Click to expand...
Thanks for all the help. This is alot of info that i really needed. I will let you know how it goes
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top