I only hunt public, and a lot of these places have 72 hour limits on stands along with restrictions to damaging trees. As such, I have been trying to reduce the amount of weight I carry in. Last season I got to 41lbs of stand, sticks, safety harness, and cold weather clothing NOT including my bow.
I decided a change was necessary, so I gave saddle hunting a try. I put together my own saddle out of two Molle waist bands and some nylon webbing. I have never felt more comfortable or safe in a tree in my life. I can't believe I didn't do this before. I plan on making a very minimal saddle next year to further reduce my weight and bulk.
Anyhow, here is what I am using this season
The two waist bands are sewn together using a heavy weight waxed thread, but the sewing is NOT wight bearing
The curves are different radius, which causes a cupping shape, adding comfort
The saddle as it hooks to the tree
And a platform I put together with the seat of a Lone Wolf stand (based on someone else's design)
For climbing, I use 3 Hawk Helium sticks with a 2 step aider each (homemade, of course) this gets me to 20 feet, if I have that much space before the tree canopy gets in the way.
Anyone else hunt out of a saddle or playing a game of ounces? Show me your setups!
I decided a change was necessary, so I gave saddle hunting a try. I put together my own saddle out of two Molle waist bands and some nylon webbing. I have never felt more comfortable or safe in a tree in my life. I can't believe I didn't do this before. I plan on making a very minimal saddle next year to further reduce my weight and bulk.
Anyhow, here is what I am using this season
The two waist bands are sewn together using a heavy weight waxed thread, but the sewing is NOT wight bearing
The curves are different radius, which causes a cupping shape, adding comfort
The saddle as it hooks to the tree
And a platform I put together with the seat of a Lone Wolf stand (based on someone else's design)
For climbing, I use 3 Hawk Helium sticks with a 2 step aider each (homemade, of course) this gets me to 20 feet, if I have that much space before the tree canopy gets in the way.
Anyone else hunt out of a saddle or playing a game of ounces? Show me your setups!
Comment