The Predator allows you to shoot 360 degrees around any tree, with maximum comfort and ease. “It’s the public-land thing, and it’s mobile hunting,” Walter said. Walter said it has gotten to the point where it’s amusing. It does that without unnecessary weight and bulk. I leaned back and slowly started loosening my lineman’s belt, which allowed my weight to transfer to the tether. Understanding wind drift is a critical skill that requires practice. To a seasoned treestand hunter, it all seemed a bit much. I am thinking of making me one of these fleece saddles as an entry level saddle although i hear nothing but good things about it as a full time saddle not just as an entry level. Throwing it around the tree trunk at head height, I threaded its length back through the loop on the end, bringing with it the ascender and carabiner so it hung directly in front of my chest. Rider weight is a real concern for flex tree riders. I think it blew up and stemmed from that.”, Few folks know more about mobile hunting on public land than the young men who created The Hunting Public on YouTube. New for 2021 are several hunter-defined products, such as the Excalibur TwinStrike Crossbow, BowTech Solution and Solution SS Bows, TightSpot Pivot 2.5 Quiver, Ripcord Cage and Code Red X arrowrests, and Black Gold Pro FX and Pro Hunter HD sights. (If you noticed this is also listed as a benefit too.) We currently have another model in the works that could revolutionize saddle-hunting comfort.”, Greg Godfrey and Ernie Powers, diehard saddle hunters who met via the online forum saddlehunter.com, had watched closely over the years as saddle hunters modified various products to suit their purposes. Continuing to experiment, I could see the “weak-side shot” presenting some challenges, and the “top shot” was going to require some bridge-length adjustment so it wouldn’t interfere with my bowstring at full draw. From new binoculars and rangefinders to a fresh batch of trail cameras, there's no shortage of... Don't just hunt food plot — get out and plant some with this strategy! I then weaved two ropes, one in each end, in and out of the rivets and tied a water knot in each rope rope. Tree saddles are arguably as safe, or even safer, than traditional treestands because a saddle hunter is connected to the tree at all times — via a lineman’s belt while climbing and via the tree tether while hunting. This often causes people looking at saddle hunting for the first time to ask how safe such a system is. A month later, I was hanging in my saddle for probably the 20th time in a completely new tree as darkness began enveloping me. I do have thick synthetic fleece pads as well as a gel pad I use under all saddles … I was now connected to the tree twice — both with my lineman’s belt and with my bridge tied into the tether above my head. Sort by. Almost all can be broken down into two categories — either a platform or a ring of steps. Sounds like Synthetic Sheepskin is the cheapest solution. Great stand sites aren't born; they're made. Relevance New products first Name, A to Z Name, Z to A Price, low to high Price, high to low In stock 12 48 96 Show all. Once I could see the lineman’s belt wasn’t supporting me at all, I removed it and placed it in the same pouch that had just held my tether. I consider myself a pretty hardcore bowhunter, and I take pride in going deep into places most people wouldn’t consider. Shop all the patterns & colors here. Not only was he telling me how comfortable it was, he was talking about things that mattered a whole lot to me, such as reduced pack weight and bulk and being able to get into virtually any tree he wanted. |   The saddle is what cradles your posterior and supports your weight while you’re in the tree. We’re all about hunting a new spot, almost every day if we can.”. See more ideas about fleece, slouchy, slouchy beanie. Sitting in a conventional stand, I’m pushing it if I can get three hours,” he said. Give a Gift   Bracing my right foot on the trunk of the tree and leaning out, I eased my bow back to full draw before bleating the doe to a stop. I shifted my weight from my left to my right, observing closely as my bridge slid through the carabiner with my movements. A carabiner is affixed to the tether on either a Prusik knot or a commercially made ascender. New for 2021: Hoyt RX-5, RX-5 Ultra, Ventum 30 and Ventum 33. “They took a 275-pound log and tied it into a saddle, hooked it up to a tether and then pulled it up and allowed it to free fall six feet, and the saddle stopped it. Where Do I Put My Feet When Tree Saddle Hunting? And, as Eberhart notes, investing the time and effort to get comfortable in a saddle is well worth it. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. Get it as soon as Fri, Feb 12. In fact, saddles and related accessories, such as high-end climbing sticks, are often on back order for several weeks or more. The SH Membership has gone live. They can be made of either synthetic or natural fleece, which is visible at the front and back, or they may be made of a quilted or thick synthetic material, with rolls of fleece at the front or back. It offered no adjustments, and the bridge and tether, or “lead,” as Eberhart calls it, were all sewn together as one piece. Sold as a set or individually. The combination of the two factors makes for slight variations in the saddle industry. I got my Tethrd Mantis saddle and Predator platform combo toward the early part of the [2018] season and had multiple all-day sits — my average sit was around six hours. So, bowhunters looking to get in the saddle-hunting game are advised to plan accordingly. Sometimes referred to as “hang and hunt” or “running and gunning,” savvy bowhunters have come to realize deer pattern them just as quickly as they are able to pattern the deer — if not faster. 1 – it allows the hunter a place to rest their feet and take some weight off the Saddle if necessary. “We had no clue it was going to turn into a real business. Honestly, it was as though I already had a blind brushed in somewhere and I was merely walking to get in it — not as if I were carrying all the necessary gear to go 20 feet up a tree! Before you finalize your kit, make sure you browse around and look at all the different saddles, platforms, and accessories. Going from field tips to broadheads requires arrow tuning on a higher plane. “Obviously, if it wasn’t comfortable, I wouldn’t be hunting out of it!”, The recent spike in saddle hunting’s popularity is not without good reason. For more tips on saddle hunting, check out: Comfort plays a vital role in successful hunts. He’d purchased an Anderson Tree Sling off the rack at a hunting store in Michigan. “Everybody in our group has kind of a different approach,” said Aaron Warbritton, one of the hosts of the popular channel, “but there’s one key area where we find common ground, and that’s mobile hunting. Minnesota bowhunter Chad Goethe believes switching to a saddle vastly extended the amount of time he is able to spend in a tree. I think I looked at the pictures of his saddle and skipped over the chapters detailing his setup, which he labeled an “ambush hunting sling.”. The tether is a length of rope with a loop at one end that’s wrapped around the tree, usually about head height, and threaded through itself. Since the “stand” and safety harness are integrated as one unit, it was incredibly nice after getting down out of the tree to simply unhook my lineman’s belt, pick up my bow and start walking back to my vehicle. The bridge is usually a piece of climbing rope, Amsteel or heavy-duty nylon webbing on some DIY setups, and connects to the loops on each side of the hip, serving as the connection point to the tether. On the other hand, the saddle itself was very comfortable — I sat (leaned, really) for nearly three hours my first night with absolutely no pain or discomfort. Accessories can also be added a-la-carte from the shop. And nobody’s going to hunt my spots when I’m not there.”, Eberhart said another big plus is being able to easily shoot 360 degrees around the tree, as well as being able to use the tree itself as a shield from deer, since saddle hunters set up on the back side of a tree. Nock Travel Could Be Your Problem, New for 2021: Excalibur Crossbow, BowTech Bows, TightSpot Quiver, Ripcord Rests, Black Gold Sights, New for 2021: Bear Redemption EKO, Legit RTH Compound Bows, Shooting in the Wind: How To Be More Accurate, Finding the Best Deer Stand Locations Over Time, How to Mentally Prepare for Bowhunting Pressure, BOWHUNTING's Guide to Tree Saddle Hunting, Resources to Get Started with Tree Saddle Hunting. See what Kristin Bush (kris10bush) has discovered on Pinterest, the world's biggest collection of ideas. Absolutely. We're biased...but we think it's PERFECT. I have a diy saddle made very similar to yours. Make a warm, fuzzy blanket, quilt, or other craft with some of this fleece fabric available by the yard at JOANN. I attach both. Aero Hunter tree hunting equipment allows a hunter to suspend safely from a tree strap on the trunk, wearing a super lightweight and comfortable tree saddle ideal for long hours of sitting. “We started thinking from just a weight perspective how much we were saving when we were taking a saddle and platform in versus a stand,” Warbritton explained. Hey bud, looks like you are absolutely killing it this year on these public land Florida bucks. The tether is not any different than the tree ropes traditional treestand hunters use; the difference is that instead of hooking your treestand safety harness into the tether at the top of your shoulders and facing away from the tree, saddle hunters are facing the tree and their bridge clips into the tether at waist height. 2 – It allows the hunter to pivot or move around the tree … Add to that the fact that almost all treestand falls happen when the hunter is transitioning in or out of the stand. Saddles also eliminate another important element that probably saves more mature deer than anything else: the cringe-worthy clink of metal contacting metal. I've been saddle hunting in something since the Anderson TreeSling days and the fleece saddle is my favorite. “The Kestrel and Kite are the finest of these so far, but it’s not the end of the line. Since saddle hunters are suspended from a tether in the tree, it is important to have a platform. Trophyline entered the saddle market in the mid-80s and launched several saddles, including one Eberhart helped design with a mesh seat that became its most popular model.