Saddle Hunting

[Southern Heritage]

I love my saddle. My lower spine is fused and I struggle to get comfortable in lock ons. The saddle is super comfortable. Now the down side. I’m really allergic to poison ivy.
I hunt swamp land and it’s on the majority of every tree.
Any time I saddle hunt in the dead of winter i still get it. Yes I wear long sleeves and gloves. Still get it.

 

[GetTheLedOut]

It has its time and place. All these guys comparing weight to a hang on are full of it. It’s way lighter to have a saddle on your person (suspenders are key)
Sticks and platform on/in your bag. That said, I wouldn’t want to do an all day sit in my saddle.
It has its time and place…

 

[JayRoot]

Going on 6yrs now and I absolutely love it. There is a learning curve, but that comes with anything new. I personally feel its the safest way. You are always attached to the tree. And yes things can go wrong, as with anything in life. Have to practice your setup. I prefer a single panel saddle with a back band and HF knee pads. Once its dialed in I can sit all day without a problem. Getting "saddle ready" is a real thing, just like "sea legs".

 

[Robobiss]

Going on 6yrs now and I absolutely love it. There is a learning curve, but that comes with anything new. I personally feel its the safest way. You are always attached to the tree. And yes things can go wrong, as with anything in life. Have to practice your setup. I prefer a single panel saddle with a back band and HF knee pads. Once its dialed in I can sit all day without a problem. Getting "saddle ready" is a real thing, just like "sea legs".

Agreed, boots matter too.

I really like stiff mountain boots (like crispis) in the saddle because it makes standing on the platform and the edge of the platform so much easier.

I do all day sits in mine every season, no trouble.

 

[HighCountryHill33]

Agreed, boots matter too.

I really like stiff mountain boots (like crispis) in the saddle because it makes standing on the platform and the edge of the platform so much easier.

I do all day sits in mine every season, no trouble.

Phenomenal point. Tried it in Muck boots a couple of times and my feet absolutely killed me. Switched to mid-top Merrell's and haven't looked back.

 

[ChrisAU]

I was super skeptical but tried it last year and now I love it. It feels about 1000x safer to me then even an old ladder stand. I'm in control of everything. Buy quality ropes and be mindful of what you are doing and it is about as safe as you can be when elevated.

 

[ChrisAU]

Edit double post

 

[Robobiss]

Phenomenal point. Tried it in Muck boots a couple of times and my feet absolutely killed me. Switched to mid-top Merrell's and haven't looked back.

I inevitably switch later in the season when it’s too cold for uninsulated boots, but by that point in the year I’m in “saddle shape” and it doesn’t kick my butt as much.

The first couple of hangs of the year if they were to be done without the stiff boots would be rough.

 

[bowhuntercoop]

I was doing it back in the early 2000s before it got popular and all the light weight stuff came out. These days I see zero advantages.

My lwcg protype .5 weighs less then 5lbs for a stand and 4 lwcg compact foldable doubles are around 5lbs. 10lb for a stand and sticks that get me 20 ft is hard to beat. Still use a saddle as a safety harness but couldn’t go back to full blown saddle hunting for any reason.

 

[RocketRob16]

I got into it a few years ago and it's a very effective way of hunting. I started with a single panel saddle and two-tether climbing method. Two-tether is too much work getting up a tree especially when its hot outside in the early season. I swapped to sticks with cable aiders and a buzzard roost saddle and it works a lot better for me.

 

[Chromer_7]

Also a stand hunter growing up and last year finally decided to try it. I have loved it, the mobility and ease of going on single sit hunts just about anywhere

 

[Nine Banger]

My lwcg protype .5 weighs less then 5lbs for a stand and 4 lwcg compact foldable doubles are around 5lbs. 10lb for a stand and sticks that get me 20 ft is hard to beat. Still use a saddle as a safety harness but couldn’t go back to full blown saddle hunting for any reason.

You can leave the platform and shoot almost 360 degrees with the saddle. I've popped a few deer like that and like the option. I like really getting in the middle of stuff in timber and trying new spots.

 

[bowhuntercoop]

You can leave the platform and shoot almost 360 degrees with the saddle. I've popped a few deer like that and like the option. I like really getting in the middle of stuff in timber and trying new spots.

I can do the same thing with a lwcg .5 stand and it’s lighter then a lot of platforms these days. There isn’t a tree in the southeast I can’t hang my .5 in that I could only saddle hunt.

I’m all for guys using them! I helped tethred from the beginning testing prototypes and giving feed back, designing, still good friends with those dudes.

For me, east coast and Midwest whitetail hunting there just is no use anymore with all the light weight stand and sticks imo. Plus with the trad bows the offside shot is terrible trying to get the recurve or longbow over the bridge. Movment is the worst thing for the saddles imo.

They work well once you dial in the system and have a lot of advantage over a bulky climber. I’ve found for me, running a hybrid system is literally bomb proof set up wise for anywhere in the country.

 

[Green-Up]

If weight is the number one priority, a ring-of-steps is king. I'm a sitter though, and I've never been a fan of the platform craze and standing up hanging way out away from the tree.

 

[jtg88]

I’ve got a Tethrd saddle, platform, and some hawk sticks. I hate the thing and only hunt out of it when I absolutely can’t get a climber or lock on in an area where I think I need to be to kill a buck such as a CRP thicket or fence row.

Between the rope on the steps, platform strap, tether rope, pull up rope, and lineman’s belt I feel like a mountain climber trying to summit Everest. Ropes everywhere!

Some guys love them but I’m not one of them. However, the saddle setup is a good tool to have in the toolbox when the situation calls for it.