I'm heading into my 3rd season in the saddle. Last season things began to come together as far as seeing better how to set up for the best possible shot ans use the tree as a cover for passing deer
This gets debated here a lot. There’s a video from average jack archery on how to set up the saddle I watched that made it super comfortable and I was able to use it all day with no issues. I like my saddle bc I can go into any tree and hunt whereever. I hate climbers. Lock on stands are fine. Saddle hunters tend to be like vegans, hardcore2A guys, and the LGBTQ… crowd… everything is about the saddle. That being said I love my saddle, but I don’t do saddle selfies. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Complete disclaimer!--- I bring this up to simply get my post count up, lol. Guilty of of "saddle selfie." It became my go to because of the packability verses the cost of everything else. It just makes sense to me.
There are plenty of saddle hunters on here. I started back in 2016. About 2019, I started doing the hybrid system of using saddle and lock on in combo. I had to because of wounding deer. My form just went to crap while shooting from the saddle alone. I just need my feet under me while shooting. I shot quite a few deer out of saddle only, but also wounded quite a few deer. Including a big buck that i ended up losing. Which saddle you using? Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
My problem with shooting last year wasn't the saddle, it was the range finder. Missed bucks back to back days before j realized I was on the wrong setting. Oops!!
Loved mine when I used it, a back saver and leg as well. As I aged the sitting would cause huge issues in leg cramping after the hunt. The leaning back in saddle avoided those issues. I actually used it in a lot of my stands just using the stand seat as my platform and rigged the saddle above it. I sewed my own saddle and made it so it had a higher Back. I did 2 rows of machine stitching, then did a special 2 rows of 'safety' stitching. It took a while to make and find the correct webbing , thread, buckles and belt system. A fun project though
Dont like saddles .. period ... I want something more substantial under me/lousy lower back and knees plus I feel it is easier to 'get on' a critter/aim/shoot ... I'll take my lone wolf Alpha II any day for ease of set up (I use the hook/strap, no batwing) and packing in ... I'll walk in anywhere from 1/4 to over 1 mile depending on setup.. I use 4 Skeletor sticks, an aider and get 18-20ft ... I can also get into some pretty knarly trees and those that climbers cant including some large dia. tree's as I use a longer Amsteel ropes on the sticks and I use a Hawk back support which is a back saver for me and a must to use for me ........ I'm not investing another penny into different climbing methods, I am truly satisfied with my set up ... hell, I have almost 30 portables and 2 climbers and all I use is the LW now, since 2013 ... use what works for you ..... you wanted an opinion, this is mine ..
Just got the last of my replacement ropes in. Went with Wild Line Ropes tether and linesman. Super easy 1 hand adjustments.
I love my saddle. This will be my third season with it and just keeps getting better. One thing that I realized last year when I took my climber out one time (because I used to love it so much) was that I felt like I was going to fall out of the tree because I didn't have the constant tightness of the tether and the harness just doesn't feel the same. To me, the saddle just feels better and safer because you are always connected in some way.
I have a beast stand and sticks and I really like them. I haven’t tried a saddle I’m about 240 idk for some reason I don’t like the idea of them. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I dont have the beast stand, but have held one. Its really a great stand. I do have the sticks and i haven't found anything close to how good they are. Best sticks i have ever used. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
I got my Alpha II in 2013 and 4 LW sticks (cant remember the $$, but waaay less than todays $$), went to ropes on the sticks which are better than straps.. went to the lighter Skeletors a few yrs back to save some weight and I put on longer Amsteel rope for larger trees ... plus the two step aider really helps since the 4 Skeletors are shorter than the LW's .. if I was younger and saddles were a 'thing' back in the late '80's/early '90's I'd have used 'em.. maybe... but even back then the Lock -On brand were superlight (I still have some with the china mans rope) safer than many climbers back then ..
Have been looking at tethered new sticks as a possibility, but am probably sticking with the Ole Hawk minis again for this year. They're still getting the job done with a 2 step moveable aider
A saddle is a tool for a specific job, and just like any tool, it has the right time and place to be used. For me, if I'm mobile hunting I'm in a saddle 100% of the time. I did run-and-gun hunting for many years from a Lone Wolf Assault and set of 4 full-sized Lone Wolf sticks, and switching to a saddle was one of the best things I ever did for mobile hunting. On occasion, I will also prep a few different trees before the season starts and then bounce around them with my saddle during the season. So it's not a new tree/setup every time, but it's close. In some spots, I will leave sticks or screw-in steps in the trees, so all I need to do is climb up, hang my platform, and hunt. That has been handy for checking out new spots I'm going to hunt more than once. That said, I still love the comfort of a fixed stand for my all-day sits and for spots I'm hunting year in and year out. Being mobile is cool, fun, and exciting and can be a very effective way to hunt. But there's something to be said for climbing up into a pre-trimmed stand and not having to worry about shooting lanes or putting climbing sticks up and taking them down in the dark when you're done.
If you get a chance to pick up a set of Tethrd One sticks at some point, I would highly recommend. They're game changers for real.
