Saddle Systems

[Ggarrett]

I am considering getting a saddle system, I know little to nothing about them. What are some affordable options? I do not plan to live out of it, I do a lot of ground hunting considering the type of terrain and vegetation around me. Most of the time when I am elevated I have a tripod or ladder stand in a permanent location, would like to add a saddle due to their versatility. What are some affordable options? I don’t need the best just good enough. Will be used primarily in small mesquites.

 

[Bogner24]

Small mesquites might be hard to get into depending on their strength to hold you (I've never hunted out of them). Cheap option for saddle would be hawk, but I have heard some complaints about them. Check around for people selling used ones on FB and other forums (like here) to get a deal. Do you have sticks? To get the benefit of a saddle you will need to get some hang on sticks to be mobile. I recommend shorter sticks compared to full size sticks as you can add aiders for more height.

 

[Jsmalls273]

Tagged

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[Long Cut]

How much time do y’all have?

This is such a rabbit hole of a topic, we can go back and fourth for hours. Saddles are very user specific, no saddle will fit everyone. Different body shapes, sizes and even hunting style will dictate saddle choice. That’s why places like Archery Talk and Saddle Hunter Classifieds are always full of saddles for sale and trade.

Saddle hunting is a different beast, especially if you’re a bow hunter. It took me some time learning how to draw and shoot from a saddle; especially off hand on my “weak” side. I found that I was getting seen by deer more often while saddle hunting than out of loc on’s.

I ended up going back to a loc on and got The Hunting Beast stand and haven’t looked back. I have owned and/or tried Lone Wolf Alpha, Assault, OG 8# Assault, Windwalker, XOP Air Raid, Tethrd Predator I & II, Trophy Line Mission stands & platforms.

IMO it’s totally personal preference. I am biased to tree stands but know guys that prefer saddles. There’s a lot of trial & error involved, but once you get it dialed in your ability to kill mature bucks will begin to improve drastically.

 

[Bogner24]

Long Cut makes a good point. I've had friends that like some saddles but not others just due to how it fits the body. I'm pro saddle. It keeps my hang and hunt set up below a hang on stand and gives me more shooting options. If you have friends or access to a hunting page (FB) in your area, I'd ask if anyone has one they would let you try on by meeting up at a park or something. Reaching out to your local BHA chapter might be a good option too.

 

[Ggarrett]

Small mesquites might be hard to get into depending on their strength to hold you (I've never hunted out of them). Cheap option for saddle would be hawk, but I have heard some complaints about them. Check around for people selling used ones on FB and other forums (like here) to get a deal. Do you have sticks? To get the benefit of a saddle you will need to get some hang on sticks to be mobile. I recommend shorter sticks compared to full size sticks as you can add aiders for more height.

Well I’m sure hanging any stand in a mesquite isn’t recommended but I haven’t fell out yet. While I may want to have a stick or two handy I’ll probably just rely on climbing them, only need to get up to 6-8ft. All I need is to get out of their line of sight. Im definitely considering used, what are some options to keep an eye out for?

 

[Bogner24]

For sticks? Novix, lone wolf, tethed skeletons. Really any will work if you are only going up a little bit.

Keep in mind that if you are climbing up the tree you will need to use your tether to tie to the tree so you can undo and reset your climbing rope.

 

[plebe]

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[Long Cut]

Climbing stick wise:
Hunting Beast Sticks or Tethrd One sticks.

Hunting Beast will bite literally any tree and not kick out, no moving parts, double steps, extremely durable, good stand-off distance, Grade 8 hardware. Cons; “heavy” at 1.4# per stick, don’t pack the greatest

Tethrd One: Extremely light at 1# per stick, pack very very well, double steps. Cons; Expensive, little foot room due to stand-off size, durability issues in the past, don’t bite trees very well

Climbing stick wise, I personally wouldn’t buy anything else but the above two. Beast will have the durability & tree “bite” for sketchy, hard barked trees; and the Tethrd One’s will be the ultimate lightweight run & gun stick for guys really getting mobile.

 

[Bogner24]

I forgot to mention Out on a limb makes good stuff. Really spendy but their sticks will bite in a tree without a strap.

All options are fairly spendy but resale prices are about the same as new so you can recoup your money. Same for saddle systems.

I should add you can get a tree climbing harness cheap on Amazon and add a sling seat to it (I think it's called like the frog hopper). Total cost would be like 100 dollars for all that not including a tether or climbing rope.

 

[Whip]

I'm in a similar situation. The majority of my whitetail hunting is done here on my own property. I have ladders or hang ons pretty much everywhere I need them plus some ground brush blinds in strategic spots. I really looked in to saddles primarily for the occasional out of state hunt where it seems like they woukd be ideal. But the learning curve seems steep if you don't use them all the time. I ultimately decided that the sticks and hang on stands that I already own are a better answer for me. You need the sticks to get up the tree anyway, so no savings there unless you really go whole hog and lean how to climb with one stick. For the little bit of weight savings a saddle offers over a lightweight stand I think I'm better off with a system I'm already very confortable with.

 

[VA Ridgerunner]

I have about 8 hunts in a saddle and I've developed a few thoughts about how it works for me.

First, I find it easier to sit still in a stand than in a saddle but that may just be me. Connection to the tree is alot more dynamic in a saddle. I think I'm also more comfortable in a stand but that seems different for each person.

Second, I'm not saving as much weight as I thought I would over a light stand since you still need sticks, ropes, etc. I found the saddle system easier to pack and quieter to carry than a stand though.

Third, I think alot of folks would find climbing with anything other than sticks or a similar approach would be quite a show and a real sweat-fest. They make it look quick and easy in videos to climb with one stick or even no sticks but I bet that isn't generally the case.

Fourth, unless you just like to tinker, I'd just buy a saddle and avoid the DIY approach. If you value your time I'm not sure you will really save very much and you won't have much resale value if you decide it isn't for you.

Finally, even if I didn't ever saddle hunt again I think the saddle is a great fall restraint. I think I feel more comfortable in the saddle than any vest or harness I've used.

 

[Btaylor]

I have about 8 hunts in a saddle and I've developed a few thoughts about how it works for me.

First, I find it easier to sit still in a stand than in a saddle but that may just be me. Connection to the tree is alot more dynamic in a saddle. I think I'm also more comfortable in a stand but that seems different for each person.

Second, I'm not saving as much weight as I thought I would over a light stand since you still need sticks, ropes, etc. I found the saddle system easier to pack and quieter to carry than a stand though.

Third, I think alot of folks would find climbing with anything other than sticks or a similar approach would be quite a show and a real sweat-fest. They make it look quick and easy in videos to climb with one stick or even no sticks but I bet that isn't generally the case.

Fourth, unless you just like to tinker, I'd just buy a saddle and avoid the DIY approach. If you value your time I'm not sure you will really save very much and you won't have much resale value if you decide it isn't for you.

Finally, even if I didn't ever saddle hunt again I think the saddle is a great fall restraint. I think I feel more comfortable in the saddle than any vest or harness I've used.

I will occasionally rope climb or 2TC (2 tethers, no sticks) but primarily I use a mission platform I modded into a one stick and I have seen no appreciable difference in how hot I get with any of those methods compared to using a set of sticks which I did for lots of years. The heat issues comes in at the start when someone is first trying a new climbing system and they are fighting it because they havent figured out how to use a method efficiently. If you put in the time to learn to use any of the systems efficiently, for me at least, the heat up difference is a wash.

 

[chanson_roland]

Here you go...

Saddlehunter website

Suggest you bring snacks for the rabbit hole you're about to go down....ask me how I know....

Also, you might want to attend the Mobile Hunter Expo. I'm going for my first year but friends who have gone raved about it. It's an opportunity to try on different saddles and compare.

Mobile Hunter Expo

 

[VA Ridgerunner]

I will occasionally rope climb or 2TC (2 tethers, no sticks) but primarily I use a mission platform I modded into a one stick and I have seen no appreciable difference in how hot I get with any of those methods compared to using a set of sticks which I did for lots of years. The heat issues comes in at the start when someone is first trying a new climbing system and they are fighting it because they havent figured out how to use a method efficiently. If you put in the time to learn to use any of the systems efficiently, for me at least, the heat up difference is a wash.

Glad it works well for you. I certainly struggled but I'm not as athletic and limber as I used to be!

 

[fatlander]

Lonewolf custom gear sticks are really hard to beat imo. The minis with aiders are my favorite.

Saddles and platforms are a rabbit hole. Personally, I think XOP CAST or Novix (original lone wolf) CAST stands can’t be beat. They’re a fraction of the price of water jet cut aluminum, within 2 pounds of comparable sized water jet cut, and they’re much quieter. Something about the properties of the water jet cut aluminum just reverberates an unnatural sound when cam locking the stand, especially on cold, still mornings.

I finally figured out kiffy’s inspiration for naming their whitetail pack manimal. This what you saddle boys look like:

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[Btaylor]

Here you go...

Saddlehunter website

Suggest you bring snacks for the rabbit hole you're about to go down....ask me how I know....

Also, you might want to attend the Mobile Hunter Expo. I'm going for my first year but friends who have gone raved about it. It's an opportunity to try on different saddles and compare.

Mobile Hunter Expo

Went to the one in Chattanooga last year. Great show, esp. for folks looking for gear because of how much of it you can try at the event.

 

[Btaylor]

Glad it works well for you. I certainly struggled but I'm not as athletic and limber as I used to be!

At 55, I hear you on the not as limber, lol. Saddle setups are just another tool at the end of the day. If I primarily hunted private or seldom ventured out a mile or more, I would stay with a hang on and sticks. The real advantage and disadvantage to saddle hunting is how much it can be customized to the user. Once dialed it can be a super light and efficient method but it may take some trial and tribulation to find your sweet spot. Not everyone wants to deal with that and that's understandable.

 

[Mcribs]

Out on a limb is what I run and I’ve been pleased

 

[Luked]

I started saddle hunting last year. Hunted out of it here at home all year.
I really like it a lot.
It is a bit expensive to get into I will say that with everything you need to do it well.
I am running a Tetherd setup with the Phantom and use Hawk Helium sticks with a single step aider i made.

I also hunt a lot more private ground than public. So I put in screw in steps in trees I know ill hunt often, then just take the saddle and platform back and forth to each stand.

The sticks only get used for public ground hunting.
took me a bit to find a bow holder system i liked, but finally did find one that works well.

It takes a bit of time to learn how you best want to do it. Everyone is a little different.

The saddle stuff is also very.....gimicky i would say.
There are all kinds of small things that are for sale that in my opinion aren't needed.
You just have to figure out what you want.
For me I have the saddle with pockets, platform, bow/gear holder, and knee pads..yea the knee pads are a must in my opinion.