Saddle Hunting... after one season

I know there has been some discussions here and several people reached out to me in PM's with questions about saddle hunting, etc. I wanted to do a post about my experiences with it after one full season, my likes and dislikes and what I will change before next fall.

Just quickly, I have a Cruzr XC saddle, I went with one sticking right from the start with the EWO Ultimate One stick, madrock safeguard, etc. I didn't cut any corners here, I bought what was deemed the best of the best in this realm. Buy once, cry once right?

The saddle. The Cruzr is insanely comfortable, but, I struggled initially. I struggled right to the point where I contacted Cruzr about my issues. I was getting bad pressure on the back of my thighs. I ordered a size 3 and it turns out, this saddle is so deep that I really should have been in a size 2. Cruzr was outstanding in every way and fixed me right up, even though I was months outside of their one month return/exchange policy. Awesome company and group of folks there. The short story is, your saddle needs to fit and feel like its part of you, not feel like your sitting in it. I had way more saddle under me and it just wasn't working or adjustable.

It took me the better part of 10 or so sits to find that sweet spot that my body/butt liked in terms of configuration. I learned that tether height was extremely important for my comfort. I have settled on a neck high tether when I'm standing on the platform and made all the difference in the world, combined with a saddle that fits me. Playing with the bridge length and bridge loop adjustments further fine tuned my feel and comfort.

With that said, I am finding that every tree is a little bit different in terms of how you set up. Leaners, tree diameter, etc all play a big role. I'm not good at knowing where to start on a given tree yet, so it usually takes me a couple of adjustments of the tether height per sit to get it right.

Larger diameter trees with a platform are a challenge. I don't care what the tethrd bro's or any other saddle hunting company tells you. A platform by itself on a bit bigger tree is challenging to get around. I found that I don't like doing all the goofy knee in the tree, pivoting around, bracing this and that and such. To me, its too much movement on the same side of the tree as the deer and if you make a slip with your knee/foot, game over. I am going to be adding a ring of steps with maybe 4 steps to my one stick. This will enable me to quietly and easily step around to the sides of the tree without doing any of these crazy maneuvers you see on Youtube. The whole point of the saddle is the ability to keep yourself hidden behind the tree.

I killed my buck this year out of this setup and the shot was "interesting". He came to my six o'clock, so turning and pushing off the tree was easy. Problem was, if you have to hold that position for a while, like he made me do. Adrenaline and your legs being a bit shaky to begin with, then holding that position was wild. But it worked. Being in saddle shape, is definitely a thing. My legs got stronger and more used to it as the season went on.

One more thing. KNEE PADS. I started without them and my knees got pounded on the tree. I found that I'm more of a sitter than a leaner. I can stay motionless for hours this way but my needs are against the tree and it hurts like hell. A good set of knee pads fixed that. Also, sitting gives you a lower profile on the tree and your not sticking out like a sore thumb as you would leaning. Leaning looks cool for all the saddle company photo ops, but its not practical in my opinion until you have to move or setup for a shot.

Overall, i'm still fine tuning how I setup in the tree. I use the Tethrd HYS strap to hang my pack and bow. I made a hook out of kydex plastic to mount on my bow and it fits perfectly in the loops of the strap. (I see now Tethrd stole my design and is offering the exact same thing. haha.)

One sticking. Its stupid easy, but also challenging at times. The biggest challenge for me is aider length. I'm still monkeying with step number and distance, but I climbed all year on a 3 12" steps. It was an easy controlled climb this way. Not counting the intial set from the ground, two additional moves put me in that 16-18ft range rather easily. I have big feet, so the aider got a little tight to the tree on the last step before I hit the stick. I am planning on upgrading my one stick with their Ultimate Lower step, that pushes the aider off the tree an additional 2".

I use my linemans belt, in conjuction with my 40ft rappel rope to climb. I'm connected twice to the tree the whole way up. The linemans gives me more stability on the aider and allows me to lean back a bit to get up the tree easier and safer. Its a bit of a PITA once I'm on the stick and moving my tether up, but I got into a groove with it as the season went on and I keep getting better each time up. When I first started climbing, I was a sweaty mess. A combination of nerves and making things too hard were the causes. As I began to trust everything more and get smoother, the sweat went away. Now, I love this method.

Rappelling down. I wont' say much here other than its the easiest and safest way back to earth. End of story.

I chose one sticking to be as light and as safe as I could be. From a weight perspective, it never made sense to me to carry 3-4 climbing sticks and a platform. Doing some simple math, Most climbing sticks are around that 2lb mark, so there is 6-8lbs. Most platforms are in the 3-4lb range as well. So at the end of the day, 10-12lbs worth of sticks and a tiny platform. Right now, there are high end hang ons from Lone Wolf and Beast Gear in the 6lb range. May as well go that route in my opinion. And, with Tethrd's ONE sticks, you can be right around the same weight. My one sticking setup in total weighs in at 6.4lbs. That is the rope, one stick, madrock. Thats all I need. And I'm not limited on height in any tree I need to get into.

The fact that I'm connected to the tree with my tether, which is the safest rope to be connected to, from the time I leave the ground, until I return, is also great. At any point, I can get back on the ground safely if needed. And, combined with the linemans while climbing, albeit not as fast or efficient, I feel totally safe.

A couple words on safety with these things. I spend a great deal of time researching arborist and rock/mt climbing techniques and gear. One thing that everyone says, and its an old adage in both realms, one is none, and two is one. Basically, backup your system where feasible and reasonable. Never trust a mechanical device by itself. This doesn't matter if its a Madrock Safeguard, Kong Duck, etc, if you can back it up somehow, do it. I added a prussic above my madrock when I get to height and before I disconnect my linemans. It takes a few seconds to wrap my rope, and clip it into my bridge biner. I suggest everyone does this with their mechanicals.

Another thing, slow down when climbing or descending. Seriously. All these Youtube "stars" want to promote is speed. Its not a race. I even found that by slowing myself down, I was actually smoother and quieter and the whole thing was easier.

I committed myself to exclusively hunting out of the saddle, one sticking for the whole season. I wanted to be good at it. I'm getting there and get better every climb. One sticking in particular absolutely takes practice and a lot of fine tuning to you're climbing style, etc. Everyone is different. I think too many give up on it because it was "hard" the first time. The first 5 climbs I made I was half terrified until I began to understand the gear and how strong it is and how I really can't fall out of this thing. I spent time a foot or two off the ground hanging, twisting, turning and doing all kinds of crazy stuff to understand it. I won't lie, I still get a bit of a pucker factor at times. Windy days are a good time... lol. Overall, I absolutely loves hunting out of the saddle and will continue to use it exclusively. I'm extremely light weight, can climb and hide in almost any tree and the comfort level is outstanding once you get it adjusted for you.

Feel free to ask any questions and I hope it helps someone. Thanks everyone. As always, sorry for the lengthy read....

 

Awesome post!! I found myself relating with a lot of what you said, while also finding it interesting how different our styles are. That's the cool thing about saddle hunting - you can make it work for you any way that you want. There's no "right" way to do it.

• 100% agree on saddle fitment and tether height being the most significant driving factors in comfort. Tether height was my biggest issue in the beginning since I was dumb and didn't bother trying to learn before I went out. I treated it like a tether for a safety harness and put it a foot above my head, which was not smart at all. I, too, have settled on a neck-high tether as the most comfortable position. It also lowers my bridge and gives me more clearance for my bino harness, which is awesome.
• I have tried "sitting" with knee pads, and I cannot get comfortable in that position for more than a few minutes. I'm a leaner, through and through. If I need to give my legs a break, I will spin around 180 degrees, put my bridge/tether up over my shoulder and lean against the tree like I was in a treestand. Super simple and works great for me.
• IMO, "saddle shape" is simply being "in shape" and not skipping leg day at the gym. I' try to work legs 1-2 times as week and hit the stair master a lot, so I never really went through that soreness that a lot of people report. If I had to guess, it's the same soreness you get after doing a leg workout for the first time in months (or years). It sucks, but you get through it. And never skip leg day.
• Since I'm hunting mostly private land, I've pre-hung sticks in a bunch of trees so that I don't have to monkey with putting them up and down every time I go out, which has worked awesome for me. I only run and gun with a full set of sticks and platform a couple of times a year, and don't mind doing it. Between my sticks and 4 lb platform I have about 8 pounds of gear, which is significantly less than the 20+ lbs I used to carry with a LW Assault and 4 full-length LW sticks. I carry four Tethrd ONE sticks and use two one-step aiders on the bottom sticks. I'm not sure how high up I get, but it's plenty high for what I'm doing. I've found that when I'm saddle hunting, I generally don't feel the need to be quite as high as I do in a stand. Not sure why.
• Greg at Tethrd made a DIY version of that bow hook from Kydex years ago - so it's not your idea.
• Hunting out of a saddle in a big tree sucks. There are no two ways about it. I avoid them entirely if I can. That "basketball" sized tree is definitely my sweet spot for the saddle.
• Good call on the secondary connection point while at hunting height! I've often sat and wondered how much my death will hurt with any one of my single points of failure gives out. Whether it's the tether rope, saddle bridge, or Ropeman ascender. The added prussic will help in the case of mechanical failure of my ascender, but if the tether rope or bridge gives out for some reason, the next stop is Earth. That still makes me a little nervous.

 

Good post.

 

Thanks man! I am not a gym rat but definitely not a potato. But I just found the saddle harder on my legs and especially my feet, especially when I was leaning a lot. I wear Crispi boots, which are very stiff soled and do help a great deal however. I did find that once I realized sitting was better for me from a motion standpoint and also comfort, the sore feet went away.

I still think Tethrd stole my idea... don't care what Greg said... lmao.

I think once i have a ring of steps in conjunction with my little one stick platform, big trees will be much better. Just having the options to move around for shots easier is huge.

One thing I forgot to mention about tether height is the tradeoffs with one or the other that I am still trying to get just right. Higher tethers allow for much more movement around the tree because you have more tether to work with. Lowering the tether, in order to get more tether for moving around the tree, I shortened my bridge up significantly. Otherwise, I would almost have to monkey with my safeguard to leave slack out. I ended up shortening my bridge up a lot until I started feeling it in my hips, then gave myself a bit more bridge.

As for the backups, etc. I view it like this. The least likely to fail things on your setup is the tether rope and your saddle/bridge. My saddle in particular, uses a 3/16" full bury amsteel bridge and I don't ever see it failing. My tether/rappel rope is canyon elite climbing rope that is trusted and used by rock and canyoneering folks. I think we're good there. The only place I have yet to backup is when rappelling. I plan to get a hollowblock to throw on when I get ready to rappel down to cover my butt if things go sideways there.

But yeah, saddles are so individual and that in my opinion is what makes them so good. You can tailor your system to be exactly what you want it to be. Not once this year did I say I wish I was in my Lone Wolf. I had a ton of fun doing this too.

 

Great thoughts! In my third season of saddle hunting, I think you hit it spot on.

Couple of things I will add:

1. I do not like the idea of relying on a mechanical device to hold me from slipping at all. I use distel hitch knots instead of prussic because they slide better on the rope.
2. I always double tether in trees smaller than basketball size. Smaller trees will sway more in a gust of wind. Practically speaking, there is little safety benefit from this, but it makes me have more peace of mine. Inspect ropes before every climb and replace when needed.
3. If you really nervous about rope breaking, leave the line man's rope attached. Just loosen it a little so your weight is held by the tether instead of the lineman's rope. This will allow for maneuverability while having a back up rope in place that should catch you instead of going all the way to the ground if a fall does happen. It will catch on the platform if using one. This is the only realize disadvantage to using a ring of steps that I can see.
4. If you are going to use multiple sticks to climb, invest in this clip system from Genesis 3d printing to attach extra sticks to the saddle for the climb. I tried using Molle clips and paracord, that was PITA in comparision. https://genesis3dprinting.com/products/stick-clip-climbing-stick-hanger
5. Carry a small backpack or fanny pack unless going in deep enough that you are going to quarter and pack out a deer. Having a big back pack hanging on the tree next to you can get in the way and potentially mess up a shot opportunity.

 

One more thing... leaners, even if they seem subtle... can catch you by surprise... ask me how I know...

 

Good stuff man! The one thing anyone who wants to saddle hunt needs to understand right from the start is that you have to learn to trust your gear. Otherwise, you're going to be wreck in the tree. It took me the better part of the summer of climbing to gain the confidence I needed. I am one of those people that needs to learn and understand every piece of something, how it works and what its capabilities are. Once I started learning how strong all of these connections are, the ropes, how amsteel bridges are made, etc., I really started getting confident that this stuff is up to task of saddle hunting with ease. I mean, all of these ropes and such are strong enough to lift my truck off the ground... haha.

You bring up another good point about inspection of gear. Its a very good habit to get into before every hunt. Its simple enough to run your hands the entire length of your rope feeling for wear/damage, checking for functioning biners, etc...

 

I looked over the Ropeman ascender a dozen times before I ever used it, and I'm not sure that it's possible for something to go wrong with it mechanically. It's about as simple as it gets and there isn't much (or anything) to fail. Unless the entire housing somehow cracks in half, I feel pretty safe using it on my tether. And it's infinitely easier to adjust tether length than trying to loosen and slide a prussic knot.

I picked up the stick stack stow clips for my ONE sticks from G3D and they work great. Since the sticks are so light I can attach the innermost stick to my saddle with a piece of gear tie, then pop off the outer stick as I climb up. Works awesome.

A lot of my setups aren't meant to shoot 360 degrees simply because there are no shot opportunities with the thick cover, so this isn't often a concern of mine. If there are more shooting opportunities I can always hang my pack lower on the tree (below knee level) so it's out of the way. So far it hasn't been an issue and I'm using a fairly large Eberlestock X2 pack.

 

Sorry I keep chiming in, I love discussions on this stuff.

With regards to the backpack in the tree, I had initially struggled with this as well on where to stick it and not be in the way. I use the HYS strap and it gives me a bunch of flexibility there. I find that if I put it around my 2 o'clock on my left side, that seems to be the least likely place i'd ever end up for a shot. I'm like Justin in that i'm finding many setups I purposely try to setup to give me easy shots on my left (right handed shooter) anyway so what I was worried about really isn't much concern.

As for the Ropeman or Kong Duck. I've seen a couple Ducks now that the spring failed. Can't verify if there was some kind of user error there however.. I've also seen some test by climbing companies in which if you fell and shock loaded it, the teeth on those things rip the sheath right off the rope. But there again, in our use cases, its highly unlikely to ever fall far enough to induce that sort of load on this stuff. If you do, you're doing it wrong to begin with. One thing I do like about the Madrock is that it doesn't have any teeth and operates purely off pressure. The more pressure, the tighter it clamps down on the rope. I haven't been in wet conditions yet to see how it does however.

 

Always check your gear and remember it's not rigged for 2 people!

 

How to do like that pack? I have heard a lot about them being great for saddle hunting. Seems like a great design for it from a few youtube reviews I have watched. Does it have an internal frame? The pack I use the most is a great size at 1800cc, but it does not have an internal frame, so it feels a little flimsy with sticks and a platform attached.

 

I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, and now I've fallen in love with it. Yes, it has a light-weight aluminum internal frame, which makes a huge difference in how it feels and rides when you have a lot of gear in it. Since I'm carrying all of my camera gear, my pack tends to be a little heavier than most people, and the frame really does make a difference.

My ONLY gripe on this pack is that the material the center compartment is made from gets LOUD when it's really cold. It tightens up and gets really crunchy. So if you're a sound freak, this pack may not be for you. It makes Todd's skin crawl because he's a lunatic. Personally, I don't mind it and have learned to work around that.

I've adopted it as my go-to pack even when I'm stand hunting, and have used it several times while hunting on the ground with my son. It actually works really well leaned up against a tree as a back support. Again, the frame makes a huge difference.

 

I have used Badland packs for years and love them, but, they don't really have one specifically designed for saddle hunting.

 

There aren't many saddle-specific packs out there to be honest. The X2 isn't necessarily a saddle pack, it just happens to work really well as one.

I do plan on trying out the new Tethrd FAS pack as well. I really like how modular it is.

 

In terms of packs. I have been rolling with a Sitka Toolbox. I don't need a very big pack at all... 1500 cu in at most. My biggest need is just lashing straps all over it to strap my stick and extra clothing on it. But with me hunting a bunch of public land in the mountains here, I"m sort of thinking of looking for a frame pack that I can pack a deer out on. The Mystery Ranch Popup 28 really has my attention right now. Pricey, but might be the ticket for my needs.

I love the Badlands packs.. they're tough as nails and the company stands behind them better than anyone. I have a Monster fanny pack still but it doesn't work well for my saddle stuff. My only gripe with badlands stuff is that the packs are heavy.

Kuiu has a couple of packs, one is the divide, that looks like it might be a solid saddle hunting pack too.

 

I asked for the Badlands Monster pack for quick hunts in spots close to parking, less than 1/2 mile. I am trying to scale down what I take in for short hunts. Some of my spots, I can leave the kill kit in the car and take less space up in the pack. I would only need something bigger for all day sits during the rut or extra layers when it gets cold.

 

Its a phenominal little pack, but if you take a ton of stuff with you, its tight. I've hunted all day with that pack for years but then again, I'm a minimalist. I prefer lashing any layers to the outside of the pack so when I get into the tree and cooled down, I can easily throw on those layers.

Literally every hunt, regardless of length, its binos, bottle of water, knife, license, a couple calls, extra hanger hooks, limb saw, headlamp and tactlight.. maybe a snack or two. I'm hunting for a day... i'll survive.. lol. I like one pack for everything so I know i have it all for an evening or an all dayer.

Kill kit.. a knife. all i need...

 

I agree with all of the above. Next year will be my 3rd season so i will probably replace my ropes and look really hard at the saddle. Cant remember how may years they are good for but i use mine hard so i dont mind replacing it. Looking at the latitude as opposed to tethrd. And the cruzr platform. I use the ropeman2 (i think) orange one not blue. I like them a lot and hopefully if a failure happens with the teeth the end knot would hold. On the tether.

Couple new items i used this year are
1. Titan straps as opposed to gear ties. They are a rubber buckle type strap. I still use gear ties for other things like cinching my rattling antlers together. Always have a couple extra in my pack. The titan straps are just a tighter and more squared away securing method imo.

2. I used eberlestock x2 last year and i really do like it but wanted something a tad smaller for early season. @Holt recommended the Trophyline Platow. Its a fannypack style with shoulder straps that have a plethora of accessory straps to secure sticks, platform etc. if there was a pack geared for saddle hunting this would be it. There are a few annoyances i have with it though. The zippers have the annoying flap covers over them that the zipper snags on almost every friggin time you zip/unzip. The pockets are a tad confusing. Im always searching for stuff. Thats probably more me than the pack. Its also flimsy so we will see how it holds up. Seems to be decent quality. I paid $120-ish for it i think. Late season hunts i will use the eberlestock for sure to have the extra room for clothing.

 

I may be wrong but I think I read that saddles and ropes, so long as there is no visible signs of wear or damage and are taken care of will last about 10 years. The thinking was the straps and such the saddles are usually made from are made out of the same material that car seat belts are made from. We don't replace those so they should be good. I may get into a routine of replacing my main rope every 5 or so years for peace of mind, but they certainly don't need to be. Reading various rock climbing forums, the ropes should have a service life of 10 years as well unless they are visibly damaged.

I think you'll like the Latitude saddle, everyone who owns one does. IMO, you can do much better than the Tethrd saddles.

 

This past Saturday night I decided to do a run-and-gun setup on a fresh-cut cornfield. An hour before dark, I had a lone doe come out and feed in front of me. After I confirmed there were no fawns with her, I decided it was go time. So I got the camera on her, double-checked the range, and leaned out to shoot. The trouble was I was leaning a bit too far around the tree, which was slightly crooked, and I couldn't get a stable base under me, so I didn't feel comfortable shooting. I felt like I was going to tip over and wing around the tree with the way I was leaning.

For a second, I considered passing the shot, but somewhere in the back of my brain, a little voice said, "Put your knee into the tree to stabilize yourself." I'm sure I've seen this in a Youtube video or heard it in a Forum post somewhere at some point in time but never actually executed that move. So I crouched down a bit, put my left knee into the tree, and voila! Just like that, I was super stable, and seconds later, she was dead.

The more I hunt out of the saddle, the more I enjoy it.