Tree Saddles, Lock on and climber, I just don't get it.

I’ve been using my Lone Wolf setup for 10 years now and I’ve gotten pretty good at getting it set up quickly and quietly over that time. I always found climbers noisy too. I hunt mobile probably 75% of the time.

2 years ago me and buddy went to Kentucky to hunt some velvet bucks in September. Opening day I had scouted I ridge loaded with acorns and he went about 100 yards away with his climber. He was up his tree before me for sure, because I could hear every move his stand made against the bark. For me that’s too much noise.

I’m tempted to try a saddle out, but they just don’t seem comfortable to me, and they aren’t exactly cheap just to try to experiment with. I definitely see their value for those long treks on public land though.


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Yes, the initial cost on a saddle set up costs about as much as buying a Lone Wolf stand and stick set up. Which is fine if you only buy one stand set up. For the people that drop money on mulitple stand set ups, the cost saving of a saddle are astronomical. I only spent that money once, not multiple times. A saddle replaces the need for multiple stand set ups. That is where the money is saved.

 

I'm pretty much a lock on or ladder (if private) stand guy. Like a few mentioned above, very few tree's in my area would work with a climber. Using fixed type setups allows me to leave my sets in place so I simply show up to the field, park, walk to my stand and once at my tree in less than 30 seconds I've climbed up, clipped in and ready to hunt. One thing that has scared me off with the saddles is that in a good majority of the pics you see guys shooting from them - they are all twisted around or shooting from what looks like unnatural positions. I got zero interest in trying to make a 40 yard shot in a sitting position, shooting backwards. :-)

Attached is a pic of my best spot. Tree's are terrible and nothing is straight. I have to climb a crooked tree on the backside and then way up at the top (another 5-7 ft above the red arrow) it's straight for about 5ft - that's where my hang on is.

 

Im getting a saddle next year. I need some more versatility in these new swamps im hunting. I need to use the trees to hide.

 

Wish you were closer to me, I could let you try out one of mine. What size waist are you?

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Fitting size 37 to 38 pretty comfortably these days

 

Definitely go with a larger size saddle. I made the mistake of buying one that was right in the middle of two sizes. I went with the smaller one. Was getting alot of hip pinch when sitting in it. This year I bought the next size up and it was a huge difference. I can easily sit all day in it. Check out Aerohunter.us. great saddle fit and finish

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Question about saddles. How’s the longevity, do you need to replace them every so often like harnesses?


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Most manufacturers give there saddles a 5 year life span. But this is mostly a liability thing. If properly taken care of you can get double that. Keep it out of light, keep it clean and dry. Inspect the webbing and look for threads popping. If you have excessive wear or have a bad fall in it, I would replace it, just like a harness.

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Thanks for the info, saddles intrigue me. I normally use a climber but searching for a usable tree can sometime be quite a task in the areas I hunt. Saddles strike me as very adaptable.


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One of the distinct advantages of saddle hunting is the size of the tree you can be in. Tonight I needed to be in a tree bout 10 yards closer to the bedding. The picture is a size comparison of my hand to the trunk of the tree where I tied off my tether. I couldn’t be in this tree with a treestand. The trunk is too small for most stands.

 

A better picture of the tree trunk.

 

Had a climbing stand bout 20 years ago.
Clanking/ clumbsy thing.
Was even annoyed when it got stolen.

 

Ditto for me, finding a suitable tree for a climber in that just right spot in old strip mine ground is not easy!

 

I have a summit climber, that I love, but rarely use it anymore. hang on stands are my favorite, been using them for over 20 yrs. I hunt a lease, and I have hang on stands at several places around our 1200 acres. I leave them in place year round , I can slip in to them and hardley make any noise getting in and out of the tree. Most climbers are noisy.
I also have a couple of lean to's that work great and are safe getting in and out of. At 70 yrs old my climbing and hanging days are bout over! Lol