Saddle Hunting

[CJ_BG]

All of y’all are saying all the reasons I really wanted to do it. There’s no doubt it would improve my hunting.

I’m 6 foot five and 230 pounds, so I tell everyone it’s just that I am too big. It’s really that I’m just too afraid of heights.

Not sure if it'll help you but I was/am terrified of heights. Queasy stomach, woozy head, the nine yards. The only time I'm okay with them, is tied in to a tree. I can hand almost perpendicular to a tree in my saddle and be alright. Took some time to get used to that feeling but you really are very secure if done properly

 

[Green-Up]

All of y’all are saying all the reasons I really wanted to do it. There’s no doubt it would improve my hunting.

I’m 6 foot five and 230 pounds, so I tell everyone it’s just that I am too big. It’s really that I’m just too afraid of heights.

You don't have to get 20' high to be successful(hotly debated topic of course). Find a setup with good cover and you'd be surprised what you can get away with at only 8-10' up.

That will help build confidence in your system without overloading your fear in the event that you feel the need to get higher.

 

[omicron1792]

Ha. Not the OP, don’t want to hijack his thread. Hope all this info helps.

I tried it for several years. Just never was comfortable. Good thing is it’s my private farm I hunt most of the time. I have 8 shooting houses and now up to 5 ladder stands. I’ll continue to add ladder stands so should be good.

 

[Beendare]

I’m older, 6’3” 240 and cant sit a saddle for more than a couple hours. The pinch is uncomfortable. That seems to be the case for many like me but the younger skinny guys seem to like them

 

[Green-Up]

Ok everyone want to hear opinions on saddle hunting. It looks interesting but i'm a tree stand guy and little bit nervous high up. I've looked at some options online looking to maybe get two one for me one for my son but also don't want to spend a ton. Any suggestions?

My $0.02...

My first recommendation for a specific saddle is anything from Custom Gear Modifications - they make upper tier stuff in their small home shop, with %99 U.S. sourced materials and their pricing is the most reasonable in relation to the quality you're getting.

Saddle prices are a bit crazy in general - I think liability/insurance drives a lot of that, nonetheless - if you don't know someone locally that has one you could try out, then your best bet, in my opinion, is to get something that will be easy to sell if you were to decide it's not for you.

With that, you're mostly looking at pricier options. In my opinion, if you go the cheap route, you're much less likely to end up with something that you can get comfortable in - each saddle fits different body types differently though, so it's not impossible.

On that note, my recommendations would be a CGM, as noted earlier, Cruzr XC, Latitude Method 3, or Ape Canyon Wood deluxe.

In general, I'd also suggest to steer away from standard single panel designs, and look for either a 2 panel design, or a single panel that's pleated.

 

[ArcherAdam]

Jmo--I would ask myself whaf type of country do you hunt in? If big woods/tall timber, I you can still do it however a climber will get you the height you need.

If you hunt areas that do not have great visibility due to ground cover, trees that a climber will not work in, etc--saddle hunting shines.

Since nearly all my hunting now is the latter, I sold my climber and hang ons.

Sent from my SM-S921U using Tapatalk

 

[kylegreulich]

Complete game changer for me, switched over about 4 years ago and will never go back to anything else. There are certain applications where a hang on could be better, but at least for me not many.

Carry 3 sticks, bottom one has a two step aider, other 2 have a single step. I can get up to 17ish feet if I stretch it. But I find myself setting up a lot lower intentionally, shot my buck this year out of a Y in a tree maybe 12 feet up. Sticks and platform weigh somewhere around 5 lbs total, have gone to lightweight ropes. That was the selling point for me as a mostly public land guy who has to move around a lot.

There’s a ton of good used stuff out there these days, grab a saddle and a cheap Amazon platform and put it on a tree in the yard just a couple feet off the ground and try it out. If it doesn’t work out you can flip that stuff for what you paid for it or close.

 

[bushwhacker1975]

Thanks y'all love the feedback i love how you can ask any question on here and people are beyond helpful!!

 

[nomadicbohunk]

I have two. One for early season and one for winter when I have 50 layers on.

I really don't think they are as comfortable as a stand. I'm not a huge fan, but use them occasionally. I also find it harder to get a good rest if I'm rifle hunting. I did a lot of research before I bought for what was the most comfortable too. I think I have CRÜZR Archons.

I don't regret getting one at all. If you have private land where you put giant heavy stands in semi permanently, it makes installing them about 500x safer. One example is that I put a 20 foot ladder stand in last year solo with mine. Getting it up into the tree was hard, but once that was done it was easy to strap down.

I will say this. Some people are like "It's your body shape" for if they're not comfortable. Or it's not adjusted right. I can loose and gain weight like it's no big deal. A couple winters ago I broke my arm super bad and gained like 60lbs that stayed on as I couldn't do anything normal for about a year with my arm. Going from 160 to 220 did not make either saddle fit better or more comfortable with any of the adjustments. I'm 6ft. So I don't think they are comfortable to a 40 year old in the range from are you in high school skinny to pretty fat.

I use one if I have to, but it's only here and there about every other year.

 

[Coyote Commander]

I always thought they looked uncomfortable.

I finally tried one two years ago.

It was one of those “I wish I’d have done this sooner” moments.

Real game changer for where I hunt.

And now that I have a system down that works for me I’d rather do a long sit in my saddle than in a hang on stand.

 

[mtnbound]

Ok everyone want to hear opinions on saddle hunting. It looks interesting but i'm a tree stand guy and little bit nervous high up. I've looked at some options online looking to maybe get two one for me one for my son but also don't want to spend a ton. Any suggestions?

I really like them over fixed stands, but you will be carrying more gear than you would when climbing into one.

The cost can add up pretty quickly for everything, but if you are hanging multiple fixed stands, it can add up as well. The biggest thing with saddle hunting is to practice safe climbing and returning to the ground, as those are the spots where accidents are most likely to occur. I use either a one-stick method or Bullman's steps for climbing, and I also use Bullman's Ring of Steps for a platform. If I am one-stick climbing, then I rappel back down with a Petzl GriGri.

The flexibility a tree saddle offers is great, but it takes some time to get it all figured out.