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    #76
    Originally posted by SFAbowhunter View Post
    Cool. I’m in Gunter. I’m sure we can setup a day here soon and we can try it out. I’ll show you everything I’m doing. This will be a learning year for the most part for me. Just need to get my system down and it’ll be easy.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    sounds good just let me know. Thanks

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      #77
      Got to hunt in my new saddle. I understand why most of y’all ditched the tree stands. Definitely very nice and comfy, just gotta get used to it.

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        #78
        Originally posted by SFAbowhunter View Post
        Cool. I’m in Gunter. I’m sure we can setup a day here soon and we can try it out. I’ll show you everything I’m doing. This will be a learning year for the most part for me. Just need to get my system down and it’ll be easy.


        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

        I want in on this meet up


        Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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          #79
          This is my 4th season in a saddle and it’s my favorite way to hunt. I use a ring of steps for a platform and my only complaint is it’s tough to get it tight quietly, but not impossible. Paired with a set of knee pads, I have sat MANY all day hunts comfortably. I rigged up an old bino strap to some small carabiners and a couple prusiks on my bridge for a back rest, very handy around hour 6

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            #80
            Originally posted by Arrowsmith View Post
            Yes !! All the THP guys live over in Albia which is about 30 minutes from me. Almost all the guys have moved from other states to Iowa as their home base. If you live in Iowa you can shoot a lot of deer here and hunt whitetails in almost any other state. I have also run into them at Casey's getting breakfast.....gas station donuts.



            You got a great rig. You will enjoy it.

            Get you a couple of Ropeman 1 ascenders and you will be set. They make using your lineman's rope and tether much easier.
            I got a Ropeman 1 to use on a linesman's belt, but I read that you're not supposed to use them on a tether. I don't have a saddle yet so I have no experience, but from what I read on saddle hunter.com they're not rated to handle the static shock caused by a fall (assuming your tether wasn't tight when you fell)

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              #81
              Originally posted by bigt6450 View Post
              I got a Ropeman 1 to use on a linesman's belt, but I read that you're not supposed to use them on a tether. I don't have a saddle yet so I have no experience, but from what I read on saddle hunter.com they're not rated to handle the static shock caused by a fall (assuming your tether wasn't tight when you fell)

              I have run a ropeman1 on my tether for 4 years, never had a problem.


              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                #82
                Originally posted by IkemanTX View Post
                I have run a ropeman1 on my tether for 4 years, never had a problem.


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                Same here. Actually, my lineman and tether are identical besides the color. That way I have 2 linemans while climbing so your never disconnected from the tree when you come to a branch.
                Last edited by bakin7005; 10-16-2020, 11:06 AM.

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                  #83
                  I was gonna say it was a young mans game, but then I see Arrowsmith with all that gray hair...kinda shot me down

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                    #84
                    Originally posted by lovemylegacy View Post
                    I was gonna say it was a young mans game, but then I see Arrowsmith with all that gray hair...kinda shot me down

                    I figure that if Warren Womack (73) and John Eberhart (mid 60’s) can hunt 50+ days in a saddle a season, I should have NO PROBLEM making it through an all day sit or two! [emoji23]


                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                      #85
                      Originally posted by IkemanTX View Post
                      I figure that if Warren Womack (73) and John Eberhart (mid 60’s) can hunt 50+ days in a saddle a season, I should have NO PROBLEM making it through an all day sit or two! [emoji23]


                      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                      I am 66. My journal from last years shows I did 46 sits. 92 times up and down trees. I am shooting for 50+ sits this season. I am going to start hunting around the 20th. The pre-rut is just starting to heat up, but I am still not getting daylight buck pictures. I dont want to booger my areas up and I dont want to get burned out before it gets good.

                      I have shifted some on my cameras to scrapes. There are new scrapes appearing daily. Here are a couple of pictures from the last couple of nights. Both of these cams are within 300 yards of our house. I included a picture of what the area looks like in daylight and then a buck picture at night.
                      Attached Files

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                        #86
                        Originally posted by bakin7005 View Post
                        Ya cause we all know real hunters sit in a barker lounger in a heated box with a thermos of coffee and a box of cinnamon rolls and stare at a feeder until straight up 9am.

                        Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

                        Well, yes, of course!

                        I am not going to switch to a saddle for my fat arse at my mature age, but I have a question. If the deer comes in at a direction that requires a swivel around the tree to get in position, it seems that there is a high risk of too much movement several feet away from the trunk, sticking out like a sore thumb. In a gametamer type, you simply and quietly swivel a chair, close to the trunk with less silouett.

                        So for a permanent stand, a hang on makes more sense to me, but I can see where it makes sense for portability.

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                          #87
                          This is my first year hunting out of a saddle. There’s a few things I should point out after watching countless hours of YouTube, trying out a few products and having hunted quite a few times in this year so far.

                          1.) dont get too crazy with the weight reduction. Don’t try to go super minimalist with your gear. There’s definitely a trade off when it comes to weight, packability, comfort, and safety. I went from 40 pounds of gear (bow, boots, stand, harness, ropes, binos, climbing sticks, and arrows) with a lock on. With the saddle, I’m at 26 pounds of gear. I could have that down to 19 or so pounds of total gear if I really spent a lot more money and skimped on comfort and safety.

                          2.) The saddle will make you feel a lot safer. I’m 315 pounds, and terrified of heights. Facing the tree, and being under constant tension with either a tether or lineman’s belt getting up the tree make me feel a lot safer. With a saddle, you’re using a fall restraint device. A traditional harness is a fall arrest device. There’s a huge difference in the two. Like in medicine, prevention is better and more feasible than a cure.

                          3.) Practice shooting out of the saddle and practice different angles and positioning your body to make the tough shots. Trust me when I say it’s more difficult and takes more strategy to shoot out of a saddle and keep good form of the deer don’t come in exactly as you plan for.

                          4) you do not need to get 25+ feet in the tree. Just get to where you’re concealed enough and can shoot about the brush, and through the canopy. Back cover isn’t as much of a factor, and you can rely on the tree in between you and where you expect the deer to come from as cover. Don’t get in too litttle, or too big of a tree. You want basketball size or so. I have had success so far hunting at 3 feet, all the way up to 14 feet.

                          5.) TrophyLine makes the most Lock-on to saddle convert friendly platform out there. It’s much roomier than the Predator, and allows greater stability when side loaded for around the tree shots. It’s 2 pounds heavier than the Predator, and 1 pound heavier than the Predator XL. It’s well worth it for comfort and familiarity. I wear size 13 boots and it offers plenty of room to shift around and change the angle of pressure if my feet fatigue.

                          6.) At ground level, play with bridge length and tether height. Different angles change pressure points and ability to draw back without hitting the bridge.

                          7.) Dont focus too heavily on gear. Watching all the videos and becoming a member of Saddle Hunter can have you constantly chasing new gear and more efficient ways to hunt. This is important, but remember - equipment is only part of the equation. Doing more scouting than hunting, and strategically playing the wind and mastering the entry/ exit will bring you more success than gear ever will.


                          8.) unless you’re a really athletic guy with lots of experience climbing, do not buy into the DRT/SRT or wild Edge Steps with naider/swaider. In my opinion, those have a much higher learning curve than traditional climbing sticks.

                          9.) Understand that mini sticks are more packable, and maybe a little lighter - but they’re inefficient as far as height. I would not put an aider on anything but the bottom stick. If you decide to buy double steps, understand that they are 3/8” and are very painful if you have big feet. If you are super weight conscious with your gear, check out the scout platform. It attaches to the top stick and eliminates about 2 pounds over the Predator platform. You will sacrifice comfort.

                          Overall, understand that with any system, there are always trade offs. Don’t switch over solely for 1 aspect. It’s a tool, but not the ultimate tool. It does have benefits, but downsides as well. Make the system work for you, your skills, comfort level, and your budget.

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                            #88
                            ^^^ Good advice and tips, TexasArchery27.

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                              #89
                              I have looked at these and the only thing I see is me hitting the ground

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                                #90
                                Originally posted by lovemylegacy View Post
                                I have looked at these and the only thing I see is me hitting the ground
                                I posted this above but its worth posting again. Take a look.

                                Also, as long as you're tether is connected you really cannot fall. I have seen some videos where guys have tried every way possible to fall (the one in the link below). You can basically flip completely upside down and not fall.

                                This video is pretty dang funny but it will answer your questions on tree saddle safety. Please watch you will enjoy.

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