I elected not to hunt tonight. It was 85° at 7pm. Spent the night with my wife and kids instead. I’ll be out in a good spot tomorrow morning. And then again Saturday night. Got a good chance at a doe...and a decent chance at a buck. We shall see. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Went out and filled feeders and pulled cards today. I'm not seeing any decent bucks on my Hamilton County property - tons of 1-teens and 120-something two and three year olds. I am however seeing huge numbers of does (I knew this already) - but they are now coming to the feeder under my stand - so they must have used up the acorns. I think I'll be there first thing in the morning and attempt to stick a doe. That one will go to the food bank to feed some of the needy folks in my county - I like to do that with my first deer of the season. I'm also now pretty sure that I'm going to try to hold out for that massive double droptine in Mills County and that I won't take a buck at all otherwise ... at least until the first of November. If I don't have him by then a rifle hunter is fairly well bound to collect him pretty quickly. I now have two neighbors on either side of me who are gunning for him once rifle season comes. They are rooting for me to get him with the bow (both are church members), but if he shows up when they are out with a gun he's going to drop. I'm repositioning some cameras around the property to see if I can get him on film and try to figure out where I might best locate a stand or blind to intercept him ... I have not personally seen him or captured him on film to this point.
Beautiful morning. It’s a .9 mile hike back here. I think elk hunting made that easier. Climbed the tree I was in last year where I saw a nice 10 point. So far I’ve just seen a doe and would’ve shot her had she given me the chance. O and I’ve seen about 15 squirrels. Might night to bring some judo tips next time. Can’t beat time out in the woods on a cold front morning. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
How do you like that saddle? I've been seeing them in tons of youtube vids here lately. They've got me interested for sure.
I like it a lot. It certainly comes with a learning curve and take a while to figure out how it’s going to work for you. I sat in it from sunrise til 9:30 this morning and felt pretty comfy. Had to shift my weight a few times and adjust my tether height. (That affects hip pinch). I use climbing spurs to get up the tree. So I’m very lightweight. I used to pack an 18lb climber to this spot. I’d be covered I. Sweat and hating life by the time I got set up. My saddle weighs 2lbs. My spurs weight about 3-5lbs I’m guessing. If I didn’t have the camera gear I’d be extremely lightweight. Now that I’ve got my system down I think filming will be pretty easy. Drawbacks: I’m not great at getting up a tree fast with a lot of limbs. I need to invest in a second lineman’s belt and then I’d be quicker. The safe way to do it is attach your tether above the limb you want to go to, unattach your line mans belt (which you attach at the base of the tree so it’s extremely safe) and move on up. But if you have more than 3-4 limbs to navigate that’ll take some time. So I end up looking for trees that I would’ve been looking for when I had the climber. Climbing down the tree with spurs is tricky and slow. But it beats carrying in sticks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Interesting. I've never thought about the spurs. I bet it does take time to get use to them. I have like 7 or 8 sets of 20 foot sticks. I thought about next year sitting them up down at our cabin in places I'd like to hunt then just bringing a saddle up the tree instead of hanging all of those stands.
Nice set up, good luck, I’m hunting the week of 21st, possibly all week, can’t wait. . Sent from my iPad using Bowhunting .com Forums
A lot of saddle hunters prep trees prior to season. It wouldnt be a bad idea. Some put up cheap steps or even tree bolts. They have 10-20 trees ready to go. So all they have to do is climb up and tether in. That would be the bees knees. I just didn’t take the time to do it. I’ll blame that on elk hunting. Honestly though, if I give myself time and don’t rush it. I can make it up in most trees. Where it outperforms a climber (besides weight and noise) is I can get up in a leaning tree with no problems. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
The footage is awesome i think! I haven't got time to attempt to edit it lol thinking I might do a video on my year kinda like a movie maybe...still have to get some money together to get a decent editor and see if I can even do it on my wife's laptop. Its a chromebook and it's almost pointless...headed out now! Taking the kids to the zoo tomorrow so might hold off on a buck tonight unless a big nanny gives me a shot too good to pass up haha Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
What brand is the one you're using? I'm going to check them out. Sounds like something I could use down south.
I use the Aero Kestrel. I’d recommend it. Very well built. The Aero Kestrel Flex is another good option from what I’ve heard. A lot of guys like the Tetherd Mantis. It’s even lighter than my kestrel. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If i can swing it I'll be in the saddle game next year. Fits my style of hunting for sure. My buddy just started and loves his mantis but by the time he was said and done he had a ridiculous amount of money in it Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Yea it’s expensive to get into. Not sure that it’s much more though than if you were going to hunt a lone wolf stand with sticks? You need a good safety harness with that. So for a saddle kit you’ll spend about $325. Then you’ll need your way up the tree. Lone wolf sticks or Hawk Helium’s are what most guys use. If you know an old retired lineman and he happens to be your wife’s grandpa, you can get spurs for free (don’t ask me how I know). Then once you get up the tree you need something anti stand on. You can drop some cash on a Terthrd platform. This are expensive but nice. You can use Wild Edge Stepps (3 of them for around $50-$75 I think). Or do a ring of steps (also around $50-$75) Then there’s all the mods and extras you can add on. I bought a Doyle Retractable Gear Hoist. That thing is awesome. O and knee pads...gotta have knee pads. So...yea. It is expensive. But...once you have it, you have it. Unless you are gun and running with lone wolfs, you have to buy multiple hang ins and steps for multiple locations. If you were like me you left them out all season. So they don’t last long. And then there’s the pain of moving them if you find another good spot. For me the saddle makes more sense. Pay up front, only cry once. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I bought thw xop vanish and hawk heliums this year and everything was around $250. But i already have sticks now at least lol from what I gathered from my buddy he had $400+ in a saddle kit and a platform. I use the harness from treestands i buy hahahaha they're actually not bad and they're light....plus they're labeled these days ha! And congrats Tony on your deer!!! Team 8 is rolling! Sent from my LML212VL using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
50 points fellas.... first sit of the season... I posted it in the score thread last night Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Beautiful morning but really slow. I've only seen a couple of yearlings and a few fawns without their momma. Another half an hour or so and I've got to head home. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
Went an checked cams today. Still no bucks at the lease. I’m itching to go hunt but I try to stay out of there until the bucks show up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
