1st year saddle review

[Ladys man]

So this is my first year in the saddle and have 8 sits, 4 bow, 4 muzzy.
Pros- 1. I like the visibility,2. it's pretty comfy once set up, feet start to hurt about hour 4 I have plantar fasciitis, 3. I like the idea of mobility.
Cons. 1. Hanging/take down of sticks kinda sucks, could just be me. I done the rope mod and not happy with it, next year I will go with and ams steel daisy chain due to ease of packing. 2. I haven't found a good way to steady myself with gun, unless using the tree but that's only limited shots. May go back the viper for gun. 3. It's really hard to take a leak from the saddle lol. 4. My bino harness keeps me from bear hugging the tree and gets in the way during climb up and down.

Question my accessory belt has small hooks not very good for shoulder straps on guns, better to change belt or straps?

Any comments on the above that may help with any of these?

 

[Iglow]

I made 7.5 foot daisy chains of 1/4 " amsteel wench line. 15k lbs worth of safety. Much better and faster than ropes or straps.

 

[Heath423]

Ascending and descending the tree: Have you looked at 2TC (2 tether climbing)? It looks strange at first but I found it to be my preferred method to climb and then repel from tree. Also feel it is a safer method due to being tied in all the way up. Climbing this way is a tad slower than other methods. This is my 3rd or 4th year climbing this way.

As far as hanging you weapon: You may want to consider using a Hero Clip on your accessory belt. They come in different sizes.
Good Luck

 

[Tn Joe]

Get a good one stick and shed the climbing sticks and platform. It's safer, lighter, and easier IMO

 

[knightrider]

Ditch the steps all together, several different methods spend a few days on YouTube researching them all and find one works fir you. Much safer than sticks

 

[Black Titan]

Regarding the sore feet - what kind of platform do you use? One with an angled front helps with this, as well as good boots with a steel shank.

The truckers hitch with an amsteel daisy chain is the way to go, in my opinion, when using multiple sticks. For the platform I like the trucker elite thing. I can't remember the exact name. It's amsteel with two prusiks (one may be a swabisch) and you loop through and put the one prusik on the button, pull back tight and put the end through the other prusik. It locks down super tight. I experimented with many different methods to attach my platform and this is the only one that came as close to being as tight as a cam strap. It's really rock solid and quick.

Trucker Elite Attachment Method

Tightest most secure way of attaching your sticks, stands and platforms to a tree. Utilizes the trucker daisy with an added swabish hitch and beast tender. These are 8ft long. Stick version is made with a 7/64 trucker daisy. Stand and platform version comes with a 1/8 trucker daisy

rdaoutdoors.com

Con #2 i cant help with as i haven't tried gun hunting from the saddle. Only bow.

Con 3- yeah it can be difficult to do it and not pee all over your boots or leg lol. I started carrying a big wide mouth collapsible pee jug, not because I care about peeing near deer or scent, but because its easier to um, stick it in and do your business, then empty the jug after you're done.

The Pisser Bottle

"There when you need it most!" * Wide secure opening (2.5” ) - you know why * Collapsable (2x3”) - stored anywhere inconspicuously * Large (28 oz) volume - heavy drinkers carry two * Scent Free management system - again you know why * Handle - easily hangs or attaches to anything * Hook - for...

www.md50gear.com

Con 4 - i haven't had this issue mostly because my belly sticks out futher than my bino harness lol. What you could try is putting your harness in your pack or even just the binos while climbing up or down, then putting them on when you're at height.

BT

 

[Coker]

I read about all these different accessories to make a saddle more comfortable, easier to climb up and down, multiple ways to hang everything etc. and I have to think to myself……..why even invest in something that will cost a small fortune to figure out? It's trial by error. The one thing in common with all saddle hunters is mobility. Think I will stick with my climber. Yes, it may be a little heavier, but it works out of the box.

 

[Bushape]

I read about all these different accessories to make a saddle more comfortable, easier to climb up and down, multiple ways to hang everything etc. and I have to think to myself……..why even invest in something that will cost a small fortune to figure out? It's trial by error. The one thing in common with all saddle hunters is mobility. Think I will stick with my climber. Yes, it may be a little heavier, but it works out of the box.

Yeah not going to say I never will try one but it sort of seems like $700 just gets your foot in the door so to speak. If you listen to everybody's recommendations (not saying it's a bad thing) you can easily get yourself north of $1200. I may be wrong though.

 

[Dumbluck]

I'm with some others here, find a good one stick and get rid of the sticks. I don't think I'd even still be saddle hunting if I didn't learn to one stick. I use a Shikar from out on a limb with a cam cleat. It had a learning curve like everything but now it's like second nature to me, I'm up the tree and hunting in less than 10 minutes now. I use a HYS strap from Tetherd to hang my bow and all my gear. My feet also hurt if I don't get pressure off of them, I use a dryad hammock for that. I have the hammock attached to the back of my saddle in a pouch and for long sits I'll deploy it and just sit in it sideways up against the tree. It helps tremendously for full day sits. Binoculars i just use the stock strap it came with. I throw the stap over my head and stick one arm through it, the binoculars end up sitting below my arm pit on my side, when I get to full height I just hang them on a hook to the HYS strap.

All the gear can be expensive but once you have it you can't beat it. I can get in any area quietly and get in the majority of trees. I can scout for hours with everything on and then hunt. You just can't do that with a big metal stand on your back. I also use an electric mountian bike a lot during the season. I have no idea how I'd even be able to use that with a climber, it would be almost impossible to carry it and my gear.

I'm trying to figure out the issue your having with the rifle, I think it's much easier to shoot from a saddle than a stand. The only thing I can think of is your tether to the tree is too short, you should be able to move virtually all the way around the tree to use it as a rest. On a back side shot I can use my bridge as a rest.

Hope this helps.