Yep I remember that. No worries I ended up moving pretty quick. I figured out field hunting geese around here is a little more practical for me and I’m able to find birds and get permission. I need to figure out a way to duck hunt the Mississippi though Lol I don’t have a ton of guys that duck hunt here so a lot of times I’m solo. Especially with my work schedule it gives a lot of time to hunt but it’s during the week when everyone is working Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I almost became a firefighter myself lol. My cousin is a firefighter for st louis county. And another buddy of mine is one and pretty much gets almost the whole month of november off. Very good schedule for the hunter! I used to field hunt alot and we have had some barn burner hunts. Over the years we lost permission. Land changed hands and farmers kids got older and wanted to hunt etc. If you ever get back down this way let me know. We will fire up the airboats when the kaskaskia river freezes. If it floods out of its banks then watch out. Some of the best duck hunting known.
I’m always down for a road trip to kill some birds Lol even more so because my season will be closed down here soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Got it the new saddle in today and put the one stick on the tree for the first time. Both are awesome. The XL version of the saddle was a solid move for me. With the bigger bottom panel it is even more comfortable for me than the original. I have my 40 feet of rope, madrock , and carabiner in one pouch. Might be able to ditch the pouch that my lineman rope is in but we will see. Kinda like having it tucked into something and out of the way. The one stick is sweet! Rock solid on the tree and compact. It’s going to be nice. Being able to rappel down will be really nice. Using the mad rock safeguard makes it super easy. It will take a few practice runs to get it dialed in but I’m going to like this setup. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Im Very interested in the Latitude. My phantom is ok but i do have wider (corn fed) hips and i do get some hip pinch. The latitude just looks overall more comfy
Id make the move. I messed with the phantom a little bit and wasn’t a huge fan. Found my original method more comfortable and now the XL is even better. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is true. I messed with that one when they were at Vortex HQ. Still prefer the 2 panel. But that what’s nice about saddle hunting. Tons of different options to choose from and figure out what works best for you. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What is Vortex HQ? That is what i struggle with these days as the brick and mortar is becomming a thing of the past. I have a hard time finding outlets to get my hands on actual products. I find alot of times im ordering and hoping for the best when it arrives on the doorstep
The boys from Tethrd and THP did an event at the Vortex Optics office in WI this summer where they let people check out a bunch of saddle equipment and showed a one-sticking demonstration.
As Justin said it’s the vortex office. I live 15 minutes away from there. It’s nice having it close by. If I break something I can drop it off and usually they have it fixed and back to me in under a week. No shipping time waits. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Gotcha. Guess i need to pay attention to the when and where of these types of events. Anyhow, this is the new pack loaded with everything except extra layers in the large compartment and food. Went with the tan microsuede and saved some $ compared to camo. Picked it up on optics planet for $198. The mini beast sticks didnt fit great but they fit good enough. The full length sticks would have fit better. Definite improvement over the TimberHawk pack i had. Sorta packed it how justin did on the video he made. Now ill have to cuss while i root around through the pockets looking for stuff until i memorize where everything is. Thanks for the feedback fellas.
I like that pack a lot - but I'm still learning the best way to pack all my gear in it. I have a set of Novix mini sticks and they don't fit on the sides all that well, so I've been using a set of cut down Lone Wolf sticks when I go saddle hunting. They fit much better, but they're a touch too long for my taste. I think I'm going to shave another 2 inches off them during the off season and put some double steps on as well. My only gripe on the X2 pack is how dang loud that interior pocket is when it's cold out. It stiffens up and sounds like a frozen grocery bag when you touch it.
After phone calls and talks with experts that have used and test most saddle gear out today, I settled on and placed an order for a Cruzr XC saddle with all the upgrades. It came down to it or a TX5 saddle. I could get the Cruzr immediately shipped so I went that route. I'm working on getting things now, so I have the winter to play and all of next spring/summer to get really comfortable with it before heading to the woods in the dark. I need to now start figuring out a climbing method. I really, really want to go single stick with a Ultimate One Stick, but I can't bring myself to think I'm going to enjoy dangling off the tree as I climb. Haha. It's a mental thing I know... but thats where I am at the moment with this endeavor. Not to mention that at this point, I could probably buy a brick of cocaine easier and cheaper than a madrock. I am not sold on a platform at this point. I've been watching a lot of John Eberhart stuff regarding this. I feel like if anyone is going to be the best source of knowledge regarding saddle hunting, it's him. After all, he's been using one since the 70s or early 80s. He doesn't like platforms because it pins you to one side of the tree and doesn't allow you to move around the tree, with the deer, to keep it between you and the approaching deer, etc. This makes sense to me. Either way, I'm really excited about the prospect of being way more mobile with significantly less weight and bulk. The PA mountains have taken their toll on this old man over the years and I'm ready to ditch the climber or hang on and sticks for this setup. Weight savings is definitely a priority for me as I collect what I need to get going. I can sacrifice a little comfort if it I can cut my weight on my back going into the woods in half or more.
IMO the only way to really shave weight is in your climbing method. I'm running 3 cut down LW sticks with a couple of one-step aiders when needed, and a Predator XL platform. All of that plus my camera gear and clothing and I'm still carrying 30-40 lbs of crap on my back. And it sucks. LOL I plan on exploring one-sticking next year - as much as I don't want to. And I'm also going to prep a bunch of trees on my private land spots with cheap ladder sticks so I can bounce around between them when I need to. The days of leaving $500 worth of LW gear in a dozen trees are over for me.
A good friend of mine has about 550 acre farm up in Calhoun Co. IL . He does this same thing. Found a closeout on a bunch of muddy sticks and he probably has about 2-3 dozen trees on that property “pre-sticked”. Pretty nice to just throw a alpha platform on your back with a small backpack and go. Bounce around and have plenty of options for wind etc. My problem would be memorizing where i put the damn things.
We're not spring chickens anymore Justin... lol. I don't have the camera gear, which I imagine accounts for a great deal of your weight. I'm a minimalist and I might have 5lbs in weight for my pack, minus extra clothing layers in the colder days. By my calcs, three quality sticks like Beast, Shikars, etc, with aiders will be around 6-8lbs. If I add a platform another 3-4. So I would cut "treestand weight" in half. Huge win for me. I'm stoked to get into this deal. How do you like the aiders? I'm a bit weary just looking at them, but never tried them. I know the single step cable ones seem to be the most user friendly, but lots of guys love their 2 step aiders for gaining the height with little to no weight. I'm sure it will be just something I need to try, practice and find what works.
I noticed that…. That will make me irate in the moment . Ill probably end up buying a few more packs and just see what works. This one will do for now. Ill just tell my wife they are like purses for men if she asks why im ordering so many
I've learned to live with it and try not to let it bother me too much, but I'll probably explore options for another pack in the future.
The X2 pack I'm starting with is just under 5 lbs before you put anything in it, which accounts for a decent percentage of my overall weight. Add in camera base/shoulder, arm, fluid head, camera, extra batteries plus GoPros w/mounts and batteries and it's a good amount of weight. Earlier in the season when I'm not packing a heavy jacket, knit hats, gloves, face gaiter and other gear that requires the additional space I'll make due with my fanny pack, which is a lot more streamlined of a setup. I also tend to pack my saddle in rather than wear it. Especially if I have a longer walk. I hate all things aider. If I die in the woods and someone finds my corpse hanging upside down from a tree, it will 100% be because of those things.
