It’s ok, you may not of had the time to tell everyone that you’re a saddle hunter with all your masters work. Ooooooooooooooooooo.....you can do a mental study in saddle hunters!
Good, then you will be able to swing around the tree and shoot them in the ass when they aren’t looking! Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Might do the sit drag mod to start and use the bottom portion of my Viper, or buy a LW hand climber top section. I'm okay with only being able to use straight trees. It's all about lightening my load to make the 2+ mile trek doable for me without all the extra weight.
I used the sit drag last year. It’s comfortable . My only complaint was about the rock climbing harness I bought. It was bulky and the leg straps would fall down walking in. It was sort of tough to get on in the dark due to all the straps, but it was comfy once in the tree
That would be an easy way to try it out this season without investing a ton of money. You will need to practice a lot of shooting. Start a few feet off the ground just to get used to sitting in it and shooting before trying to shoot from height.
Apparently it did not come with the memo that you are supposed to tell everyone you use a saddle.... Well, you kind of just did....disregard
I've only told the 6 people reading this thread so it doesn't count. I ended up with the Kestrel Flex from AeroHunter. So far I like it a lot, but admittedly have very little experience with it. I'll likely pick up a platform of some sort before the season rolls around. Maybe I can pull a few strings and get one of those Novix ones. I also need to get a ropeman ascender as I'm not a huge fan of the standard prussic knot on the tree tether. I'm sure it will end up in the show this fall. I plan on using it during the Todd vs Justin public land challenge and I'm trying to get Todd to try one as well. We'll see how it goes. Now I just need to get jacked on Mtn Ops and finish my 800 grain arrow build.
Try a distel hitch knot instead of the prussic. It binds just as tight with downward pressure but is easier to release to adjust the rope position. That knot will slide even easier if you use a Kong mini-fig 8 as a knot tender. Personally, I have more confidence in knots that mechanical pieces in life support applications. Metal moving parts have tenancy to break.
Justin, the flex is a great saddle, that's what I'm using. Built like a tank! You might find yourself using it over a safety harness when hunting from a preset, it's that comfortable to wear. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
It's never been an issue, once you get your setup right, you won't have to move it around very much. It did take a little time to trust that connection though, you'll get it figured out.
Definitely doing it!! Joined the saddle hunter forum a few days ago and have been absorbing all the info I can. I've been talking (pm'ing) to a few people who are sharing their experience as they are a bit bigger like me, and have tried every saddle on the market. They are steering me towards the Kestral Flex, used on the SH's classifieds. For going up the tree, I'll be using a modified bottom portion of my summit climber, which now will weigh maybe 6 pounds. I know, I know,,,,modifying a stand ruins the integrity of the stand. I get it, but will be tethered to the tree the entire time (See video below). In case of stand failure, I"ll have a 30' rope on my saddle bag to rappel down the tree to safety. I don't care about only being able to use straight trees, for me its all about cutting down the weight for my 2+ mile walk in. Now I'm Just waiting for a few things to sell on ebay to make this happen!!!!
Let me know if you have questions. The biggest challenge is learning to trust your ropes to move into all the new shots positions you will have that do not work in a traditional treestand. Spend a lot of time practicing at ground level.
SADDLE BOUGHT!!!!!!! I bought a used Cruzr XC from the SH forums!! Now I need to remember to address all my new bretheren as "Bruh", and inform anyone I talk to that I saddle hunt.
