Go farther, hunt deeper, and trek lighter while enjoying all-day comfort with today's newest saddle-hunting gear tactics. Visit our website to learn more: www.bowhunter.com/editorial/t...
I bought a second, identical climber for a different property...it is that good of a product! ru-vid.comUgkxlQ7TDIrnnSXXbRgFFaxqwullRJJIuYAs I have had the first one for 10 years and only have had to replace the plastic chain covers when they wear out from climbing pine trees. I don't use the climbing harness and strap that comes with this product since I already have upgraded that for comfort. I do save it for a guest though. It works fine, but takes a lot of work to strap in compared to aftermarket harnesses. I will buy this climber again when my daughter is old enough to climb. It is a very safe product and well designed.
One of the best saddle and stick climb I’ve ever seen. Very precise, methodical and well planned and thought out. A very thorough step by step progress! Thank you!
This by far THE BEST saddle hunting video on RU-vid! Thank you for taking the time to really show how this all done. Each time I watch this video I learn more! Thank you very much for producing this and sharing it!
I’ve been a lock on guy for only a few years now but I can’t stop watching videos about saddles and lightweight, quiet packs. I will be in a saddle next fall, awesome video!
Nice video. Another quick tip I've started doing is attaching my bow hoist rope to the bottom limb of the bow. That way when you are raising lowering the bow to ground, the nocks dont hit the ground first and get dirt in them.
There are a ton of Saddle videos out there now, but this is still by far the best system of products put together. I've adjusted it a little bit to quiet things down a bit and make things a bit easier for me. That said, this is the most well thought out system ever! I am a fool for doing things the absolute best/most efficient and you have it here Sir!
It is amazing how much the overall saddle equipment has evolved and improved in the few short years since we published this Tbowie13. Saddles, ropes, safety mechanisms, sticks, aiders, platforms, storage devices, carrying systems -- all lighter, quieter and more convenient. The fundamentals demonstrated here are just that, the blueprint to get people started. Glad you enjoyed it and good luck on your saddle hunting journey!
@Mike Carney I hear ya Mike. I spent a small fortune on everything a few years back, so I'll wait a few more years before I upgrade. The system you made was/is awesome. Between keeping up on long range shooting and all the new fishing gear and so on, my saddle equip is good for now. 🤣
Great video, Mike! This is a definitive piece that will answer MANY questions for those new to saddle hunting and also has lots of tips for experienced saddle users too. Well done!
I'm a new hunter with rope rescue experience and someone who is very conscience of the amount of gear weight I want to take with me. I absolutely love this video and appreciate you taking the time to demonstrate and provide the gear you use
I just wanted to say I have watched a ton of videos and I really like how you have explained each step with so much detail. For someone like me looking to get started into saddle hunting I really like how you show the complete setup and explaining all the options. Well done.
I was given a Trophyline saddle and sticks. I made a platform stand from a lockon stand. I patterned an ader just like you did. This is the best all around saddle climbing video out there and I have watched many. The others are good but your videography, sound and content is awesome. Thanks for the education.
39 years old and bought a crossbow so I can start hunting. All of this seems so daunting but I can’t wait to get out and get my first year. Hopefully I don’t fall out of the tree 😅
This will be my second season saddle hunting. I think I had about 25 days in the saddle last year and really enjoyed it for the most part. I made my own saddle, so that was fun to build. I can tell you from all the tedious work involved with making your own, it was a chore, they have them priced to sale in my opinion. I have seen Dan's sticks, they look like they would be great to have. I hope you have a blessed upcoming season. Off to mod my climbing sticks. Keep up the fun videos. Dale
This video is fantastic. I got in to archery in August 2020 and constantly practiced and set goals throughout the season to get out and scout land and formulate plans. December 22nd I was successful in placing an arrow through the heart of an 8 point buck on public land in east Texas. I was using a Tethrd saddle and platform along with Hawk Helium sticks. This video right here is the number one video that I went back to and re watched to study over and over. It was such a fun process getting out in the woods and making some mistakes, learning, adapting, and changing my plan to constantly improve. I always refer people to this video if they’re interested in saddle hunting, or want to know what it is. Thank you so much for making such a thorough video!!!
I have watched allot and I mean allot of saddle hunting videos on youtube now....I must say your method is one of the best I have seen thus far! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks a heap! Your tips and tricks will help this old bowhunter out trying to learn the ropes! Really enjoyed the way this was professionally filmed and executed. Well done!
Great video. Concerned for your safety on one practice though. I'm a 20 year journeyman lineman. Placing anything around your neck is extremely dangerous when climbing. A lineman's belt doesn't guarantee you won't fall, you just won't fall smoothly. If you slip, even with a lineman's style belt, you will fall far enough to cause an injury, possibly fatal if the strap gets caught. It takes very little movement for your shock loaded body weight to cause a neck injury. Please reconsider hanging things around your neck. Good hunting! Stay safe.
Thanks for the advice J Apples. Do you have a suggestion on how/where to put a Carry As You Climb aider? I sling mine as you see in the video over the shoulder and neck, so I suppose I could just put it over the shoulder on one side or clip it into a carabiner or some type of clip? At the end of the day, everything we do in life has some risk associated with it, from walking down the street to getting in a car. I get that we we want to limit risk/bad outcomes to the best of our ability, so I'm all ears on what you guys have been doing in the lineman's business to help guide our decisions. Appreciate the input.
@@mikecarney1449 You're welcome Mike. You're correct. Limiting risk is all we can really do. However it's much more important during the times in which we've recognized an increased risk and have decided we'll continue on. Such as climbing trees like primates to gain an advantage on an animal we're addicted to hunting! Obviously climbing to a height is an activity of increased risk. When things go bad here, they go really bad. It stands to reason that slung over the shoulder or tied around your safety with a simple overhand knot, even in your teeth as we'll use quite often on the pole for temporary relief would all be far better than around the neck. If God forbid that strap around your neck arrests your fall before your safety it could be "too wet to plow" as my father would say.
Just saw this video and use the same method. I just use the aider different. I have a carabiner on the end of my aider and a castrations band on the other end with the same modification that goes under my boot. This keeps the aider in place on my boot as I climb. I have cloth tape on the carabiner and as I climb I put the carabiner over the top left rung of the step and step up then take the carabiner off and hook it to my saddle go up the next step and repeat. I leave the aider on my boot with the carabiner attached to my saddle while hunting then repeat to come down. Works fantastic.
@@japples6852 If only the lineman I've worked with had this much common sense. Most point out others flaws but constantly continue to do the stupid things they judge others for.
Very helpful video. You did a good job of addessing almost all of the issues/problems I was trying to figure out (like how to carry your sticks and platform up the tree).
After reading through all the comments I’m reminded of the phrase “the devil you know”. Climber stand lovers have forgotten about the first few times they used a climber and how they must have looked like the proverbial “monkey f::~king a football”, not to mention the clinking and clanking echoing through the woods. It is obvious that many uninformed insults to the saddle are made without watching the whole video, or weren’t paying attention. I’m always astounded at know-it-alls who “know” certain “facts” about things they have never tried or touched. Decades ago I bought a quality climber and tried two others during one season. The next season I bought a hang-on stand and some rope-on steps and wondered why anyone would prefer wrestling with a heavy, clumsy, oversized clanking circus. As you stated many times in response to the insulters, you have used the different methods. That’s how an intelligent person makes a choice. When people insult things they have had no experience with, they don’t realize they are lighting up a sign on their forehead that says “MORON”
buy a bike lock and leave it at the base of the tree eliminates all that non sense, I was unlocked and up the tree with my summit viper before he was half way done messing around lol. as long as you leave it locked to base of the tree all year round deer are non the wiser and use to it
@@coreypotter1193 Missing the point and big picture, Corey. I don't want to hunt the same tree every time. That should be part of the point of a climber -- MOBILITY. Why leave it strapped to the same tree all year? Because you don't ever move your stand regardless of wind, sign and changing seasonal patterns? Good grief. With that logic why not just erect an elevated shooting house and put a lock on the door... Best of luck to you.
banging and clanging? summit climbers stack together and with a simple strap you tie them down and they don't budge, also you can use stealth strips to make things quieter just like they do with climbing sticks. climbers aren't really that heavy either, just bulky which can def. be annoying. That being said, I still think I may try a saddle setup with just 3 sticks and and an aider for the bottom stick to get high. 15 to 20 feet is good for me. That dude is WAY to high if you ask me. You go from hurting yourself bad from falling to probably dying at the height he is lol
My saddle set up weighs about 12-14lbs with my wild edge steps and ropes and saddle. It’s a breeze walking through the woods now compared to carrying in a big heavy tree stand. I also can hunt waaaaay skinnier trees/leaning trees/trees with branches, with a saddle vs a summit viper and I don’t have to worry about theft. So these hot shots that want to dick around with climbers, they can go ahead! I’ll be in the remote areas that you tried to huff and puff your way to and gave up.
corey potter Nonsense? Your review and opinion is respected. There are dozens of videos by experienced saddle hunters, in which every detail of every single piece of equipment and technique that Mike used is explained in depth. Anyone that has taken the time to learn from those videos can appreciate the quality of what Mike does in THIS video. I refer you back to Mike’s reply to Bill Smith. I’ve climbed with Summit Vipers and hunt Lone Wolf stands - on trees that were available but seldom the trees that I really wanted to ascend. Mikes’ method, along with my MRT/SRT Kit will get me into virtually any tree in the woods. At 70, I feel safer and more comfortable in a saddle than any stand in my life. Rather than criticize the time it takes Mike to get to his platform in this “instructional” video, watch those saddle videos that show just how quick, quiet, and safely you can ascend a tree - in the dark! I think you have much to learn and enjoy about saddle hunting.
Fascinating.... I can see the benefits of this system. Two high on my list would be lightweight and quiet... added to more tree choices than with a regular climber... Thanks for the video...
Thank for this video. my first season in a saddle and not using a climbing stand, and i climb using the exact same method. modeled my whole setup after this video.
Well, Mike, I really appreciate your video, I have probably watched this video at least 25 times. Studying your technique and methods. I have largely copied what you show in the video. In Jan of this year, I wouldn't stand on a stool to change a light bulb, now I'm regularly 21+ feet in a tree almost every weekend. Have 2 weeks until our bow season here in Texas, am so excited for this season, already have videos of deer all around me while in the tree, and they never knew I was there. Hope to have better success this season. Thank you for the help.
I love saddle hunting. Have been doing it for 5 years now and will never look back. More importantly, I love the haters saying they’ll stick with their climbers. More woods for me to hunt. I used to lug a noisy and cumbersome climber around the woods with me and the saddle is by far quieter and more efficient. I don’t care that it takes 3 minutes to climb. It will take you longer to find a tree, you will make more noise walking through the woods, and my saddle is safer. We all have been in the woods on public in the dark and heard a hunter with a climber come through, with every twig making that metallic ping, then start climbing a tree. Clunk-clunk, clunk-clunk, clunk-clunk. Saddle hunting is simply superior. There is certainly a learning curve, but once you do it, you will wonder why it is not THE go-to choice
Great video, this capture why i saddle hunt. Im gonna borrow some of your ideas. i have separate aiders on each of my Helium Hawks which are cut down to two steps. I remove one of each of the steps so I only have one side except for the very top which has two. about four pounds lighter. I love your idea hanging your equipment. wish I had that platform too,lol. Im almost sixty and have a terrible back and this style of hunting is the easiest I have found. kudos great video
You make it look so easy, I’ve got to get my system very similar to yours working more smoothly. My first time up I felt like I was all thumbs and 2 left feet. I imagine it improves with practice.
Steve: it does indeed become much easier after you've practiced some climbs in the yard, and that's where I refined my process until it became natural. It becomes almost second nature after you been through a few hunts, and you'll refine your personal system and what works best for YOU the more practice and experience you get. It's a very effective and fun way of ambushing game. Good luck this Fall!
Glad you enjoyed it Matthew. More to come shortly on the subject, so make sure to subscribe and click the notification button for some cool techniques and products introduced this Spring!
Thanks for the video that goes into the fine details. I preset 🌳 with paracord b4 turkey season starts in the spring to attach to a climbing rope. I'm sure glad I waited & bought the Kestrel Flex. I wear it when I ride my 🚲 a few miles out & in & didn't mind it @ all spring. Do u have a special piece of equipment that u hook your bow & backpack to? I had an old Myles Keller pack that looks new that I never had a reason 2 use b4. I took the belt loop & put a night ize rubber cord through to attach to my Molly webbing on the back. I also took the thigh strap off the pack. It hangs off the back of the flex likes it's custom made for it & it makes a great dump pouch. Even has a mesh drink holder on the side of it. I look forward to watching more of your instructional videos in the future.
New subscriber. You should show how to utilize the S.M.A.R.T. one stix method. There's a lot to unpack here. You've got to see this all new, never been done before, technique. It's SAFE and effective. About a half a dozen new techniques and gear ideas. They all rock! Plz leave a comment. Thank you.
Very nicely done, one, if not the best, I have watched on the topic. I like your methodical/checklist approach to building muscle memory for risk reduction and safety. As an former Naval Aviator, I am very familiar with that approach. May have to give this a shot....those climbers are just getting too heavy for an old man that still likes to get to the “way back” to hunt, not to mention the noise factor. I also like to hunt high!
Your system is awesome, very organized and systematized. Only thing I don’t like is hanging anything around my neck ie aider. That’s purely personal preference. I’ve been looking into saddle/platform hunting for this year or next and I really like your gear and method. Nice job.
Hey great video man our messages are almost identical except I have three Hawk helium’s with the same type of Aider I think the stick an aider is the best out there. Good luck this season
Absolutely the best video I've seen on them and of course I found it just after I got a brand-new climber well I'm 62 maybe next year I'll go that route
Thanks for the comments Steve. You can modulate the stretch required by the system by choosing sticks that don't require as much stretch between rungs, and the new commercial aiders on the market blow what I'm using in this video away in terms of ease-of-use. We will be publishing a comprehensive new stick and aider review in a week, so please subscribe and ding the notification bell so you don't miss them. 63 is the perfect age to add something new to the arsenal! Good luck this fall and thanks for the comments
This might help some of you. I have a silicone gear tie on my platform which I can hang from my linemans belt when hanging the platform. Use can use both hands this way without holding the platform. I would also recommend attaching and hooking into your tether before stepping on the platform.
Man, I'm still using your way of doing things, from when this video first came out. This is by far the best saddle gear compilation and process that I have found on the internet. I use all the exact same gear as you. Had a Kestral flex made in solid olive drab instead of a pattern. Use your aider idea, hoist, Beast sticks, Tethered predator platform, etc etc. I think so many other guys suggest certain items because of sponsorship or brand loyalty. Like the Tethered platform is great, but I don't like their saddles as well as Kestrals, so again you item selection and the way they work together is top knotch! The only change I've made is instead of the big wire ties around my Beast Sticks, I use their new screw that goes through the sticks instead. ALSO Tethered has the dynema woven stick straps tjat I like better than the ropes. Get the wide gap rather than the small gap, even though the small is recommended for Beast button...your cold fingers will thank you, my arthritis learned me fast...lol. I know I commented a few yrs ago, but thanks again for the great ideas, and the pleasurable hunts I've had the last 3 years because of it! BTW, you had said last time we talked you were looking into shorter sticks for cold weather...have you tried the mini Beast sticks yet? I may grab some for Indiana hunting...Im in NC, but have a lifetime IN license so I make my way home as much as possible. It's alot colder there, those minis would be nice!
No need to give up the portable, MLL, a saddle setup just adds extra versatility to your hunting options -- especially when you want/need to go lighter, further and farther. Give it a try and enjoy the process!
Good point I hunt climbers all the time but for the longer walks up 2 miles and more the tree saddle sounds like a dream like 9 pounds in total seems like a nice walk
Man brother, I can’t thank you for this video enough. This has been more influential on system I’m hunting with this year than you could ever know. I see you had Aero Hunter do a different fabric on your flex too. I didn’t care for the options, so I got it in Olive Drab, Debbie is awesome to deal with…I can’t say enough about their customer service. I wish dealing with Tethrd had been a quarter as easy, it was not, but thats another story. How are you lashing your sticks to your pack, and what pack is it your using? Thanks again for doing this video, I really appreciateall the figuring you did, so I didn’t have to…you were very thorough and didn’t leave much to question at all. Hell, the editing and background music were even done professionally!
Tbowie13: thanks for the feedback, glad you enjoyed video. The pack I'm using is an Alps Crossbuck, as it is exceptionally lightweight and has all the storage I need for stand hunts. I generally carry my sticks in on my shoulders, but occasionally will strap them on one of the side lashing straps that are on the pack above the water bottle holders. The Crossbuck is a very economical and lightweight solution. Thanks for you comments and good luck this fall!
I'm sure the saddle is a great climbing tool,but @ 71 years of age ,I have no problem walking 3 or 4 miles with a Summit Goliath stand on my back to bow hunt public land .I was deer hunting before the Baker climber was on the market in my area ,you hugged the tree and pulled your feet up,many of the old timers thought they were widow makers and wouldn't use those contraptions .
Hey Mike, I'm back visiting this video again...lol. God this is about the end all be all of tutorials on how to best get into the tree. I pass this on to everyone who asks me about/how to saddle hunt. The one thing I found that I did differently, that I really like, is use a Nite eyes tie (18inches) on my predator platform so I can wrap it on my lineman's rope when hanging the platform. It made it where I could control the metal buckle better and not get any clanking. As I've said before, thanks for this video, I have mimicked your setup almost to a T. Even down to the proper boots to climb with, toes to the tree, and not tear them up...I use Crispis rather than Kenetreks, anything with large rubber guards over the leather, but you have seriously thought of about everything 😃. Anyhow, seasons over...good scouting to ya and have a good Turkey season as well. It will be on us before we know it. Till next season Mike...
Interesting note on the Nite Ize application, TB! I've made a few refinements to the process, like tying in my tree tether BEFORE stepping onto the platform, and I've been experimenting with a lot of the new climbing sticks with 18-20" step spacing, for use when the temps get low and the amount of clothing layers get high, so that climbing is easier and more confident, so stay tuned for a few follow up vids directly. Good luck with the birds this Spring!
@@mikecarney1449 Hey Mike, that's funny you say that about the tree steps, I have a set of Heliums for when the temp drops and I'm in Bibs. The Beast sticks are great, but that gap can be a bit much at times. I tie in as well before stepping on my platform. The lineman rope would stop you, but it wouldn't be comfortable...lol. Catch ya on the video update Mike.
Mike, thanks for a great intro video to saddle hunting. I knew with your voice and professionally done video that you were a in the media profession. Sorry, I never knew who you were before, but my interest in hunting took a back seat to all of my other interests over the years. Haven't hunted for over 40 yrs., but now I have an itch to deer hunt that just won't go away. I'm now 64, so my years of hunting are numbered. I've ordered sticks and a saddle, but both won't be available until late January or February and I'll have to wait until next season to use them although I can use them for scouting for next season. That's my only complaint about your video. I think so many people have watched it, that they've all ordered the associated gear, thus my 2-3 month wait for 'Beast sticks' and the Aero Hunter Saddle & gear. I've ordered a ground blind just to get out there for Iowa's 2nd musket season which allows crossbows of which I'll be using. Your voice and professionalism caught my attention and reminded me of a relative and friend of mine in the business too. Ron Schara. You may have heard of him. Thanks for the great intro to saddle hunting. Of all the countless videos I've watched, your set up seems the best suited for an 'old geezer' like me. I'll have to track down your ventures on Bowhunter TV so I can view more of your work. All the best to you. Kim Schutte
Glad you enjoyed the video, Kim, and delighted to hear you've got your system ordered. Yes, the back order situation has been an issue, but this will give you time to get completely familiar with your specific set up procedure to be safe and quiet. Incidentally, I do know Ron back from his days on ESPN Outdoors. You can find all 15 years of Bowhunter TV (and I believe a lot of Ron's programs) on www.myoutdoortv.com/. Best of luck in Iowa's late season and learning the "ropes" on your new saddle system!
Thanks for your reply and for the link to view your past episodes of Bowhunter TV. I'm sure I'll be able to pick up numerous hunting tips and more. Kim
Before stepping on to the platform I would of attached the safety line than removed the linemans line , there's always the chance of the platform failing. Great video though !!
Thanks for the comments Pierre. See this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WNhSVhPllKs.html by G2 Outdoors. I used my saddle last year through the end of January in Central IL with no problems at all.
I liked this video and tried the loop aider method. I saw good comments here that mention not having anything around your neck and also not dropping the loop. I took an 8 foot length of paracord and tied a tight fixed 8 loop around the top of aider loop on one end of the paracord and then another open fixed 8 loop on the other end of the paracord .. then clip a small caribineer from there to my belt. Then you can't drop the loop by accident and you dont have to sling it around your neck.
Ken, thanks for the constructive comments. I'd love to see a video on your solution. We will be posting a video in the next couple weeks on the latest aider options. Check out the products from customamsteelproducts.com and backwoodsmobilegear.com as well. Good luck this Fall!
Great video the only thing I seen that was not safe to me was before stepping on to predator platform I would have used my tether not linemans belt in case platform was to break or give out I love the idea of using ozonics to cover scent to and from stand
Agreed, last season I got on a platform on a rainy cold day. The platform had a little ice on it and my foot slipped off the side. I fell around the other side of the tree and down about 6 feet before my linesmen belt stopped me by hitting the platform, but it caused me to hit my head very hard lucky I didnt get knocked out. I attached my tether (really wish i did it before I got on the platform) and worked back around the front side of the tree and made it down safe, but injured. Now I tether up even while im climbing up my sticks it takes an extra 2 min to get up, but having fell once I never want it to happen again. Stay safe hunters!
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