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Tree Saddle

I think if you need portability and change setups often or hunt deep and want to hang and hunt. They are good for scouting and hunting same day if you have good portable steps like trophy tree steps or wild edge steps that are quick and portable, that can be carried in.

For the guy that travels and has to climb its a great setup

Guess you need kneepads with them too

For a guy that has one or two setups and
Wants to sit all day comfort. NFW.
 
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That's what I was thinking. It's handy and very maneuverable. But it's gonna be damned near standing the entire time. Your legs are doing some work at all times versus sitting in a traditional stand. Not that it's bad, but its something you have to plan for. I suspect a lot more adjusting of position too as your legs get fatigued more quickly than your backside.
 
This will be my second season using it. Can't imagine hunting any other way. My spots are a ways in, in most cases. I wear my saddle and my method of climbing is neatly tucked away in my backpack. I can get through the nastiest thickest growth. I hunt only public land with lots of pressure so I need to get away from the masses as much as possible.
 
peterk123 said:
This will be my second season using it. Can't imagine hunting any other way. My spots are a ways in, in most cases. I wear my saddle and my method of climbing is neatly tucked away in my backpack. I can get through the nastiest thickest growth. I hunt only public land with lots of pressure so I need to get away from the masses as much as possible.
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What are you using for climbing?
 
pupchow said:
What are you using for climbing?
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Okay, so you are gonna think I'm a bit not right once I explain this but it works very, very well. Keep in mind I am 52 years old too and find it easy peasy . So here goes.

I use five Wild Edge Steps. Four to get to height and the fifth is set beside my fourth for a "platform". I get about 22 feet high with this setup. Now, I use aiders to accomplish this. These aiders are called the knaider and the swaider. I am very comfortable with this method because I developed it. I am up in a tree in minutes, it weighs five pounds, tiny to pack up and is very quiet. It just works. Here is a vid explaining how I use it.

 
Very slick.

Ive used three lone wolf type steps with a hand made long aider to get 20 feet to a regular hang on treestand. There is a good demo on catman outdoors how to do that. If im not going to far ill use a summit climber as you can fall asleep in that thing.

Ive yet to try a saddle, and at this point in my hunting career, not sure I want to. But its a great way to walk in find the freshest spot and hunt over it quickly without carrying too much junk. I worry about the aiders getting all messed up or tied all together in my pack in the dark or something like that. The more straps and lines I have things can become a fiasco.
 
I just bought the new hawk helium steps and may give this saddle thing a try. It will be a light and easy way to hunt when I travel.

Ill likely use one removable aider off of the steps to get higher but theres no way im doing it peterk’s way, more power to him.

I may try one stick climbing but likely that maybe more than I want to deal with unless im climbing up to a hemlock with climbing branches. Definitely not one stick climbing a telephone pole tree
 
Im in central Ma. A good friend has a saddle hes offered me to use. But thank you anyway.

I also have a very old and small light lone wolf that is in good shape. I need to mod it with a versa button. So im putting together a run and gun setup with that and the sticks. I can fit it all in my travel bag and fly with it if I need to. Last year having to hunt out of landowners stands out of state were not ideal.

Id like to try before I buy and right now most saddles are 6 weeks out. Im thinking if I like it ill get everything and by a tetherd when they catch up in production next year.
 
Woodsy said:
Why does it always say for Bowhunting. Why can’t you use it with a rifle?
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I think its the thought that a lot less gun hunters use or climb trees than bowhunters do.

But it can be used in any season for any weapon. Probably easier to use with a rifle or shotgun than a bow.
 
Mark from MA said:
I think its the thought that a lot less gun hunters use or climb trees than bowhunters do.

But it can be used in any season for any weapon. Probably easier to use with a rifle or shotgun than a bow.
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I have been looking at them because I have some areas of my land that do not lend themselves to me hauling a stand down and I despise climbers
 
I’ve been thinking of one of these for run & gun. There are some public land spots near me that don’t permit tree stands.
 
Fixxah said:
I have one for sale. They are nice and quiet. And you won't fall out if you snooze.
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Haha yes that could be disasters. Monday I fell asleep in my stand. Never happened before. I took some cough medicine because I didn't want to be hacking in the woods ( I'm sick). I was also in the woods an hour before I usually even wake up. The wind and swaying tree put me to sleep. Probably only 15 second but it scared the s*** out of me.
 
01906 said:
Haha yes that could be disasters. Monday I fell asleep in my stand. Never happened before. I took some cough medicine because I didn't want to be hacking in the woods ( I'm sick). I was also in the woods an hour before I usually even wake up. The wind and swaying tree put me to sleep. Probably only 15 second but it scared the s*** out of me.
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Hopefully you are wearing a harness, not that you cant get hurt with one on, But if I start to get sleepy in a tree I pull the teather up high and tight so if I slipped off im not falling anywhere.

Use a good harness with a prussic or ropeman and you can adjust tether accordingly. Like when im sitting in the dark its high and tight, then as it comes to hunting time I just let slack out in the ropeman so I can move for hunting

If you hunt the SAME fixed treestand all the time, a climbing rope from ground to stand with a prussic or ropeman as you ascend is a great idea.

If you hunt different sets a linesmans harness is a good idea while you climb.
 
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Mark from MA said:
Hopefully you are wearing a harness, not that you cant get hurt with one on, But if I start to get sleepy in a tree I pull the teather up high and tight so if I slipped off im not falling anywhere.

Use a good harness with a prussic or ropeman and you can adjust tether accordingly. Like when im sitting in the dark its high and tight, then as it comes to hunting time I just let slack out in the ropeman so I can move for hunting

If you hunt the SAME fixed treestand all the time, a climbing rope from ground to stand with a prussic or ropeman as you ascend is a great idea.

If you hunt different sets a linesmans harness is a good idea while you climb.
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No harness I'm in a ladder stand. I just bought one though, it was delivered today. I want to try to get a little more mobile. So I'm going to try sticks and hang on. There's a lot of hunters in there now. Initially I was the only one. The ladder stands are too much how about pain in the ass to move.
 
I have ladder stands I never move. But I still use a tether on them. Dont risk it.

Summit climber is ok but bulky.

Look into a lightweight millenium m7 or lone wolf assault , and a set of hawk helium sticks. I can get 18 feet with an aider and 3 sticks.

Pretty light weight setup folds flat you can pack anywhere. It works really nice with a set of molle straps. Feels like your not carrying anything

I use a belt with a couple mag dump bags to store my haul rope, lineman and tether, saw pruner and everything I need while climbing so I can do one climb setup.
Also in a side pouch is a hme strap so I can hang stuff at height without piercing the tree. And I can hang my pack while I work on hanging the stand

The saddle would be something id use in a tree with branches. I may buy a sit drag as I already have the rock harness. The price and availability of these saddles is retarded.
 
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One thing you'll notice with those saddle guys, they're always in straight trees. Usually limbless at hunting height too because they have to swing around for different shots. Get in a tree that you would normally use the outter claw tooth of a Lone Wolf batwing to set up in and I'll be impressed. (tree with a lean to either side) That's the thing about them. They say the main advantage is that you can swing around the tree. But if the tree leans then you'll fall to the low side and end up hanging there. I see them in the same way as climbers in that regard. They are limited as to the tree you can get in.

It can not be argued that they're lighter than a stand. But you still need to climb the tree. So whatever your climbing method, be it sticks, strap on steps, etc. you're still bringing them. So the real weight delta is just the stand vs saddle and platform. That usually ends up only being just a couple of pounds. With some of the ultra-lightweight stand on the market, like the Lone Wolf Custom Gear stand, it may even be less then that.

The next thing to consider with them is that they have a limited useful life. Much like a safety harness, the materials degrade over time and they have expiration dates. Stands last a lifetime if you maintain them with just really basic maintenance.

Weakside shots are a chore in them as well. You have to bring your bow over your bridge and tether (lots of movement) and then contort your body by rolling it over so you're facing almost away from the tree. In this position, your body weight is fighting you and wants to return you to the position of hanging from the bridge. The other option is swinging 180 around the tree which requires multiple footholds. So screw-in steps or a ring of steps kind of thing. But you can't do it with a platform.

They have their advantages - that being weight and less bulk. They have their disadvantages. Crooked trees, weak side shots. There's also the issue of adding/removing layers of clothing as weather changes. You can do that in a stand. You also can't get at anything in your pants pockets. Everything has to be carried in a gear pouch on the saddle.

If you absolutely had to have one right now for this season, the Trophyline is "in stock and ready to ship"

Trophyline

I think you would have to be nuts to order a Tethered or Aero Hunter considering the lead times. They're close to 2 months or more. Most credit card companies only let you dispute charges for 30 days from the date of the transaction. They could bork you and you have no recourse.
 
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ThePreBanMan said:
One thing you'll notice with those saddle guys, they're always in straight trees. Usually limbless at hunting height too because they have to swing around for different shots. Get in a tree that you would normally use the outter claw tooth of a Lone Wolf batwing to set up in and I'll be impressed. (tree with a lean to either side) That's the thing about them. They say the main advantage is that you can swing around the tree. But if the tree leans then you'll fall to the low side and end up hanging there. I see them in the same way as climbers in that regard. They are limited as to the tree you can get in.

It can not be argued that they're lighter than a stand. But you still need to climb the tree. So whatever your climbing method, be it sticks, strap on steps, etc. you're still bringing them. So the real weight delta is just the stand vs saddle and platform. That usually ends up only being just a couple of pounds. With some of the ultra-lightweight stand on the market, like the Lone Wolf Custom Gear stand, it may even be less then that.

The next thing to consider with them is that they have a limited useful life. Much like a safety harness, the materials degrade over time and they have expiration dates. Stands last a lifetime if you maintain them with just really basic maintenance.

Weakside shots are a chore in them as well. You have to bring your bow over your bridge and tether (lots of movement) and then contort your body by rolling it over so you're facing almost away from the tree. In this position, your body weight is fighting you and wants to return you to the position of hanging from the bridge. The other option is swinging 180 around the tree which requires multiple footholds. So screw-in steps or a ring of steps kind of thing. But you can't do it with a platform.

They have their advantages - that being weight and less bulk. They have their disadvantages. Crooked trees, weak side shots. There's also the issue of adding/removing layers of clothing as weather changes. You can do that in a stand. You also can't get at anything in your pants pockets. Everything has to be carried in a gear pouch on the saddle.

If you absolutely had to have one right now for this season, the Trophyline is "in stock and ready to ship"

Trophyline

I think you would have to be nuts to order a Tethered or Aero Hunter considering the lead times. They're close to 2 months or more. Most credit card companies only let you dispute charges for 30 days from the date of the transaction. They could bork you and you have no recourse.
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I am much better with my climbing system these days, usually getting up any treein five minutes. But here is a couple example of not so straight trees. The second video below was probably my third time trying this thing ever. I am not sure you can do that tree with a climber. Pete



 
peterk123 said:
I am much better with my climbing system these days, usually getting up any treein five minutes. But here is a couple example of not so straight trees. The second video below was probably my third time trying this thing ever. I am not sure you can do that tree with a climber. Pete



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I've had my Viper in trees with a lean like that. HAve to climb on the high side though. So the direction you face is limited. Kind of like a saddle. Cant be on the side. You end up fighting gravity and your own weight. Obviously you're not getting past the split Y in the trunks. I use a hang on and sticks these days 100% of the time. It's not as comfortable but it's far more versatile. I have one of the older 8.5 pound assaults that you can't buy anymore.
 
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Mark from MA said:
Summit climber is ok but bulky.
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I miss my Summit climber. That stand by far was the most comfortable I have ever been hunting.

I had to give up the trees years ago do to a back injury. I lost most of the feeling in one leg below the knee and a good portion in the other. I ground pound now when I can.

There is never a good reason not to use a tether. It’s not just about the hunter it’s about your family.

This is the first fatality I have seen this season. This was in Michigan. These are always sad as they are so preventable.

.........Rogers' wife said he had planned on returning home by midnight.

MSP said that while they were gathering information about Rogers' last known location and vehicle description, his brother had gone to the hunting property and located his truck.

A short time later, the brother found Rogers deceased in the woods.

MSP said it is believed that Rogers died after falling twenty feet from a tree stand.
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Man reported missing by wife found dead in woods
 
ThePreBanMan said:
A problem with the summit viper is I wind up doing more sleeping than hunting..
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This. Ive shot a lot of deer out of the summit on state land hunts in Ct. woods are not super thick so carrying it in and out is easy and there are lots of straight white oaks around so finding a tree is not that hard. Setup and climb is easier and faster than setting sticks.

In a weird spot with little or no good trees, I have a light old lone wolf that is 7 pounds. And with my hawk sticks and full pack. Im around 25 pounds and it backpacks like a dream.
 

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