[Fairchild #17]

The good thing is that you can buy them all and sell them for what you paid for them. I've even seen some sell for an upcharge because of the long shipping wait with both companies.

 

[cspot]

The good thing is that you can buy them all and sell them for what you paid for them. I've even seen some sell for an upcharge because of the long shipping wait with both companies.

So have you tried the saddle out hunting yet? I have been doing some research on these and may try one for next year. I like the idea of not having to pack a climber especially on far back in hunts in the early season where I am only hunting a few hours.

 

[Buckshot1822]

The good thing is that you can buy them all and sell them for what you paid for them. I've even seen some sell for an upcharge because of the long shipping wait with both companies.

So have you tried the saddle out hunting yet? I have been doing some research on these and may try one for next year. I like the idea of not having to pack a climber especially on far back in hunts in the early season where I am only hunting a few hours.

I have hunted with a saddle at least partially since 2008. I started with the trophyline, and bought a tethrd mantis after it was released last fall. The newer saddles are a lot less bulky than the old trophylines were. There is no more bulk than a rc harness or vest.

IMO the biggest advance in saddle hunting happened when people started makong the DIY pivot style platforms. They made it about 1000x more comfortable for me.

 

[Fairchild #17]

I made my first sit in a saddle the other night and I didn't miss having a seat one bit for the 3 hour sit.
What I did miss was a platform big enough to stand on and turn around.


Most guys have gone to some type of super small platform as a foot rest, and these tend to weigh about 3 pounds or so. You can stand and turn around on them, but they are far from comfortable to simply stand there and shoot from. Literally just big enough for your two feet.


I have a Millennium M7 that I took the seat off. Shaves a tiny bit of weight, but makes it much more packable when carrying 4 sticks in. I also do not use the bracket for hanging it, rather I utilize a homemade strap to the tree and hook the stand behind the strap.
This stand now weighs around 7.5 pounds, but gives me a full platform to work off. Total weight with 4 lonewolf sticks is just over 18lb. This carries very well on my molle harness and plastic frame.
For those hour after work sits, I will still try to just stand on top my last stick, which is a double step. For anything else, I think it's worth packing the extra weight of the stand.
I'm also in the developmental stages of making a sling harness for your feet that will attach to the stand post. Fooling with it in the garage, it feels like your sitting in a hammock chair. Super comfortable to pass the time.


Seems like everything I do has to be a hybrid of a couple different systems.

 

[irishiup]

I've been watching The Hunting Public guys use these. My biggest question is: What happens if a deer presents a shot behind you?

 

[Buckshot1822]

I've been watching The Hunting Public guys use these. My biggest question is: What happens if a deer presents a shot behind you?

It's called a drop shot, you can pivot your hips and feet on a platform and shoot behind you. So guys use a ring of steps and walk around the tree. If you are at all athletic it's not hard to get into a good shooting position.

 

[elk yinzer]

I made my first sit in a saddle the other night and I didn't miss having a seat one bit for the 3 hour sit.
What I did miss was a platform big enough to stand on and turn around.


Most guys have gone to some type of super small platform as a foot rest, and these tend to weigh about 3 pounds or so. You can stand and turn around on them, but they are far from comfortable to simply stand there and shoot from. Literally just big enough for your two feet.


I have a Millennium M7 that I took the seat off. Shaves a tiny bit of weight, but makes it much more packable when carrying 4 sticks in. I also do not use the bracket for hanging it, rather I utilize a homemade strap to the tree and hook the stand behind the strap.
This stand now weighs around 7.5 pounds, but gives me a full platform to work off. Total weight with 4 lonewolf sticks is just over 18lb. This carries very well on my molle harness and plastic frame.
For those hour after work sits, I will still try to just stand on top my last stick, which is a double step. For anything else, I think it's worth packing the extra weight of the stand.
I'm also in the developmental stages of making a sling harness for your feet that will attach to the stand post. Fooling with it in the garage, it feels like your sitting in a hammock chair. Super comfortable to pass the time.


Seems like everything I do has to be a hybrid of a couple different systems.

I feel similar, I don't mind the tiny platform until I do. I'm good this early season, when I start doing a couple all-day rut sits in a row I start yearning for my treestand again.

I think the LW Assassin would fill a nice hybrid niche but I'm not about to drop $500 for one.

Last year I used my XOP air raid a couple times hybrid style with the saddle. Going into the year I really thought that setup was going to be the ticket for me. It works great in the tree, but once I adapted to the luxury of packing in my saddle setup I felt like I was snagging every piece of brush in the woods carrying the bulky treestand.

Curious to hear about this sling for your feet. I played around with a LocOn Windwalker last year too, and made a knee pad for it that was nice. Ultimately that was a pretty good setup but there were a couple things I didn't like about the windwalker as a treestand (no leveling and squeeky metal grate) so I sold that. For now the Predator is my favorite of the setups but I definitely would not mind a Predator XL.

 

[Buckshot1822]

I made my first sit in a saddle the other night and I didn't miss having a seat one bit for the 3 hour sit.
What I did miss was a platform big enough to stand on and turn around.


Most guys have gone to some type of super small platform as a foot rest, and these tend to weigh about 3 pounds or so. You can stand and turn around on them, but they are far from comfortable to simply stand there and shoot from. Literally just big enough for your two feet.


I have a Millennium M7 that I took the seat off. Shaves a tiny bit of weight, but makes it much more packable when carrying 4 sticks in. I also do not use the bracket for hanging it, rather I utilize a homemade strap to the tree and hook the stand behind the strap.
This stand now weighs around 7.5 pounds, but gives me a full platform to work off. Total weight with 4 lonewolf sticks is just over 18lb. This carries very well on my molle harness and plastic frame.
For those hour after work sits, I will still try to just stand on top my last stick, which is a double step. For anything else, I think it's worth packing the extra weight of the stand.
I'm also in the developmental stages of making a sling harness for your feet that will attach to the stand post. Fooling with it in the garage, it feels like your sitting in a hammock chair. Super comfortable to pass the time.


Seems like everything I do has to be a hybrid of a couple different systems.

I feel similar, I don't mind the tiny platform until I do. I'm good this early season, when I start doing a couple all-day rut sits in a row I start yearning for my treestand again.

I think the LW Assassin would fill a nice hybrid niche but I'm not about to drop $500 for one.

Last year I used my XOP air raid a couple times hybrid style with the saddle. Going into the year I really thought that setup was going to be the ticket for me. It works great in the tree, but once I adapted to the luxury of packing in my saddle setup I felt like I was snagging every piece of brush in the woods carrying the bulky treestand.

Curious to hear about this sling for your feet. I played around with a LocOn Windwalker last year too, and made a knee pad for it that was nice. Ultimately that was a pretty good setup but there were a couple things I didn't like about the windwalker as a treestand (no leveling and squeeky metal grate) so I sold that. For now the Predator is my favorite of the setups but I definitely would not mind a Predator XL.

Man, when i started saddle hunting all their was was screw in steps and strap on ameristep rings. They were brutal to stand on as a leaner, but I still did it due to the convenience of the saddle.

Ernies DIY platform totally solved that problem for me, and the predator is 10x better than it. I dont have much use for a bigger platform honestly.

 

[Flint Lock]

Man, when i started saddle hunting all their was was screw in steps and strap on ameristep rings. They were brutal to stand on as a leaner, but I still did it due to the convenience of the saddle.

Ernies DIY platform totally solved that problem for me, and the predator is 10x better than it. I dont have much use for a bigger platform honestly.

That's all I use to this day because the platforms are so overpriced it is sickening, and I haven't had time to come up with a DIY solution. What is Ernie's platform?

 

[Buckshot1822]

Man, when i started saddle hunting all their was was screw in steps and strap on ameristep rings. They were brutal to stand on as a leaner, but I still did it due to the convenience of the saddle.

Ernies DIY platform totally solved that problem for me, and the predator is 10x better than it. I dont have much use for a bigger platform honestly.

That's all I use to this day because the platforms are so overpriced it is sickening, and I haven't had time to come up with a DIY solution. What is Ernie's platform?

He is the guy that basically designed the predator.

He sold a kit that you could add an xop or lone wolf seat to to make a platform.

If you are interested in a DIY solution, check out the saddlehunter forums, lots of ideas there. A Klemz platform is very similar to the predator.

The predator is well worth what it costs to me, it works perfectly.

Out on a limb manufacturing makes some decent looking platforms that are a bit cheaper.

 

[RegularJoe]

Well I'm new to this so I will try to tell a story about my climbing rig and my first hunt with it, I found my time amusing tonight, and I enjoyed it a lot. This was only my second time up a tree with this rig.



I have a RC harness, home built safety ropes (built with quality carabiners, good rope, and ropeman ascenders), new set of Hawk Helium sticks (3), a home built single step aider, and an old lock on stand I cut the chain off for silence with a good ratchet strap. Put her to the hang and hunt test tonight and I know some guys like to video hunts, well someone should have videoed me at a few points, would have been good entertainment! I got the first 2 sticks hung just fine, the aider worked great. Third stick I didn't go as high because of tree limbs and shooting lanes, no big deal I just left it hang on #2.



I was getting ready to hang stick 3 and hoist up the stand and I had to skip my lineman's rope over a limb and dropped a carabiner. Not having a spare on hand I had to climb back down for that, which was good news really as I had not tied the stand or myself to the hoist rope, tic toc. I was down the tree in a flash, hooked up my hoist line to the stand and me while I was down and boogity, boogity up the tree again. Third stick hung fine, pulled up the stand and fought with the ratchet strap, yep I'm going to go to cam buckles and hookless straps, way too noisy. Not to mention I had to wind up what seemed like 4 miles of nylon strap to avoid it blowing in the breeze and being spotted by my quarry at the moment of truth. The first try camming over the stand platform one of the vicious bark grabbers was on another strap below, solved that after two tries and climbed in the stand.


I went to set up my safety line and windy as it was got a hunk of bark in my eye the size of a hub cap, fought that off and managed to get my self settled down, hoisted the bow (AKA the The Death Tube Launcher), nocked a death tube and began the vigil. The wind swayed the tree I was in, a smallish cherry on the edge of a corn field, and I held on with no seat to sit in (cut that off for weight savings too, may not have been a smart move), it was rough for a while but I figured it would calm down and when it did, the deer moved. I saw 8 doe, a beautiful red fox peed on a clump of grass 20 yards from me, and I passed the larger of two buck before I could only see the glow of the sunset to the west and my legal time afield had ended.


Time to climb down, in the dark, sounds like a hallmark moment and something easy to deal with, but I can say I will be practicing with this thing in the dark at some point after season. I learned the lesson of the hoist rope quite well tonight. I have a good hoist rope, small carabiner on one end and a like 35 feet long, 3/8 camo, seem to never snag on thorns, berry bush, etc, I like it a lot and have hunted over 20 years with this bad *** braided blessing. I hooked the carbiner on the death tube launchers cam's and sent it toward the earth only to find the extra length was fouled below, I gave it a good yank and noticed my second set of climbing stick jostle a bit on the tree, I gives another yank and sure as Jesus wore sandals, my rope has just unseated climbing stick 2 from the tree, in the dark. I had to pull my bow back up and hang it again, let all the lineman rope slack out so I could kneal down and turn a light on, unfoul my rope and restart my descent on the edge of a cornfield with deer feeding in it.


I planned to leave my gear in the tree and pick it up tomorrow while moving further in so I left the platform and stick 3 above. I got my foot on stick number 2 and gave it a stomp, it seated up ok but it had twisted around the tree a bit and the aider was snagged, again with the lineman's rope max length maneuver I got things right and was able to lose altitude a little more. Moved the aider down a set of stick and found terra firma.


The things I suggest you pay attention to,


never disregard your hoist rope in windy conditions, it can get fouled and may impact your ability to descend a tree
always carry a spare carabiner, seems basic right?
Aiders are cheap, carry one per step

watch out for hub cap sized bark off a cherry tree when you adjust you safety line
practice a bit more with your gear before you try to Git 'er Dun


I think I could have killed a deer with ease using my cheap set up, I am interested in doing more of this type of hunting, Thanks for starting this thread Fairchild, still waiting to see your success pictures big guy.....tic toc....

 

[Fairchild #17]

Joe, .......so much easier to develope a "one-stick" climbing method that works for you.


I hunted for 3 hours the other night perched on nothing but the double step of my climbing stick.

2.5lb of gear got me 20' and hunting.
I think I'm going to be part of the "ditch the platform" crowd. I have a ring of Ameristeps I'm packing for my next hunt. Ultra mobile. Low fuss. My game.

 

[RegularJoe]

I looked at a video of a guy using one stick, it does look pretty slick. I think I will move to a platform and lighten up from the old hang on stand. I have an old stand here with a small platform, if I remove the seat off of it I could make it work. I am not sure the RC harness will be my go to for very long, seems like all the saddle manufacturers have long delivery times and are sold out, might end up being next years big gear addition the way it looks. I see applications for this in smaller trees and odd shaped trees for sure, very cool system with lots of flexibility.

 

[Fairchild #17]

Comfort seems very individualized and you have to get your saddle set up just right for you.
I was much more comfortable the other night on my top stick than I was using my M7 platform the time before. It doesn't seem logical, but that's how it turned out.
I did a lot more "sitting" with the stick. More "leaning" with the stand.


I think adding this ROS is going to be my system so I can walk around the tree.

 

[RegularJoe]

I have 3 metatarsal bones in my right foot that were broken in 1989 that are finally giving me some trouble now after 30 years of healing. The rest of my body can stand just fine but that foot needs pressure off of it frequently or it will ache and keep me from sleeping, it is time to see a specialist about it but that is another subject. I agree that this system is personalized to a big extent, that is also a great thing about it. I am gonna try that single stick climbing today.

 

[dce]

Comfort seems very individualized and you have to get your saddle set up just right for you.
I was much more comfortable the other night on my top stick than I was using my M7 platform the time before. It doesn't seem logical, but that's how it turned out.
I did a lot more "sitting" with the stick. More "leaning" with the stand.


I think adding this ROS is going to be my system so I can walk around the tree.

What kind of saddle are you using and how do you keep your knees from getting crushed against the tree?

 

[Fairchild #17]

What kind of saddle are you using and how do you keep your knees from getting crushed against the tree?

Tethrd Mantis.
Knee pressure against the tree really isn't unbearable, but I might pack along a set of knee pads for my next hunt.
Legs straddling the tree is also fairly comfortable.
You can also sit side saddle for a change up with your hip against the tree.

 

[Fairchild #17]

I am gonna try that single stick climbing today.

Once you develop a system and don't have to think about your next move, you will not want to go back to multiple sticks.
I've done it, tried multiple sticks again, and went back to the single stick. Sometimes I just need to reassure myself.

 

[dce]

Tethrd Mantis.
Knee pressure against the tree really isn't unbearable, but I might pack along a set of knee pads for my next hunt.
Legs straddling the tree is also fairly comfortable.
You can also sit side saddle for a change up with your hip against the tree.

I gave the treesaddle a whirl several years ago but it just killed my knees.The next year I bought a QUIDO'S WEB.It solved that problem and was fairly comfortable but more of a pain to deal with than I cared for.I really liked the concept so I may have to give it another legitimate try.

 

[cspot]

Been doing the research into saddles lately as I will own one before next season. Seems to me that just about everyone is different in how they like their setup. Not only platform vs ring of steps vs whatever, but also how they like to adjust their saddle, tether height, bridge length, etc. Seems you have to play around with your setup to get it comfortable for yourself. Far different from a treestand where you pretty much set it up and you are done.