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Would this be a good tree to hunt from with a saddle?

Robert

Robert

Active Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2018
Messages
109
Location
St. Louis Area
This location overlooks a water crossing at a funnel. The tree pictured in the foreground with the crotch is where I set up last hunt, but I was looking at the white barked tree (sycamore maybe?) growing almost straight over the water. And thinking it would give me a lot more shot opportunity. I had never considered hunting a tree like this one until getting a saddle.
7292a0dc236f5fba9dbe3bc893392ddd.jpg


What are your thoughts? If you would hunt it, how would you do it? Any photos of similar situations?



Thanks!


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Thought being you tether off a vertical limb? Pretty cool idea. Try it, worst case is it doesn't work like you had hoped. Seems back cover may be an issue, but even then some trees without cover you just have to hunt where the deer are, and conbcetrate on staying extra motionless.
 
Eh, i tried hanging from a large pine limb with tether wrapped around the limb and my bridge and tether more or less vertical a few seasons ago. It wasn't very comfortable for me personally, and I haven't been inclined to sit that spot or hunt that tree again.
 
I'm not following how you are going to hunt it. Are you going to stand on the tree and tether to the limb? I guess my biggest question is how are you going to safely get there?
 
one of my favorite trees to hunt is just like that - a vertical limb on a horizontal trunk. It's 25' up though. And a lot more cover. Based on that picture, you'd look a bit out of place there...
 
My concern would be whether you could safely get to the vertical limbs to hang from. I have a Sycamore that I hunt from, that looks to set up similar to this one. Except my tree has quite a bit of lean to it, so I can "coon climb" to the first vertical limb and hang from that. I also have a hedge tree set up to hunt, from a hammock swing seat that is attached to the limb directly overhead. Ever what it takes. Just stay safe.
 
It is indeed a Sycamore. Depends on your climbing method as for as safely getting on one of the vertical limbs but it is definitely doable. If you climb DRT or SRT that would be the safest way, heck you could swing over there if you anchor is in the right spot. Before bolts I climbed DRT for hunting and sometimes would transfer trees if I got to height and realized the next one over had better shooting lanes.

Safety first though! I recommend reading the tree climbers companion if your going to climb or hang in abnormally structured trees as they have more considerations to take in like is it's abnormally because of a defect that could make the tree unsound. For instance that smaller limb directly in front of you in this picture is of a weaker limb structure than most limbs. It appears to be epicurmic branching (watersprout) with a bunch of included bark, just things to know if your gonna hang in trees. Back to the tree in question, this appears to be a wet area, sycamores grow in damp areas....and the river/floodplan I assume this is the main stem of the tree and not a branch, so I would check the root ball of that tree looking for any signs of it upheaving. Load test the tree/branch before using it as a sole tie in. But from this picture I wouldn't be uncomfortable with using it, for course I can't see the whole thing to make a full assessment of safety.

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