tree saddle

Subject: tree saddle Mon 07 Jun 2010, 12:03 am

Anyone ever used a treesaddle or anything similar? I really dig the idea behind them but I dont personally know anyone who has used them. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks. Oklahoma Jason

Subject: Re: tree saddle Mon 07 Jun 2010, 5:00 am

I was seriously going to buy one about 4 years ago, but just don't think it would work as well for filming, but I could be wrong. Otherwise, they look great.

Check this out.
http://www.guidosoutdoors.com/

Posts : 27 Join date : 2009-07-27

It's all I hunt out of now if I'm in the trees. My wife made me get one a few years ago for the safety factor. I buy screw in tree steps in bulk and don't have to worry about my stands getting stolen. I can get in a new tree in under 15 minutes. Because you pretty much have to use the safety strap in order to hook yourself into the tree, it removes the temptation to climb into a stand unconnected before hooking yourself up. As I wrote in another post, climbing into a treestand without being connected to the tree is stupid for a number of different reasons: https://theaccuracyfactory.forumotion.net/bowhunting-f6/treestand-bowhunters-please-read-t96.htm. It also eliminates the temptation to leave a stand in a tree "until next week." You wear it out to the woods, you wear it back to your truck.

Second, it's absolutely silent. No creaking, no hitting your boots against the metal. With practice, you're a ghost in the tree. The first time I took it out was the day before bow season. I was testing it out in a really low tree and tied off to see whether I could reach a branch that would be in my way if I was higher up. I might have been 9 feet in the air. A group of doe suddenly decided to show up and camp out right underneath me. They never knew I was there. This leads to the 3d point.

Third, movement is smooth. As you move around the tree, there's no jerking or stopping. You're in complete control of where you move and how quickly you move. The tree saddle actually works pretty well with Rick's method because you have to position yourself between the target and the tree. Your feet are at the tree and your body is at a 30 degree angle away from the tree. This has plusses and minuses. At that angle, your body is straight -- you can shoot at a target on the ground without having to bend your torso. On the other hand, even with your obliques in great shape, you can only bend your torso by a few degrees. In my experience, I have a hard time hitting targets right below me and more than 25 yards out in the tree saddle with a traditional bow. With Rick's method out of a treestand, those limits are pretty much gone since you can bend your torso as needed. The other minus is a shot that Rick showed me for ground hunting - on the ground or in a stand and with your back to the tree, you can keep the tree mostly between you and the animal. You really can't do this in the tree saddle. I can and do use it to get behind the tree when does are walking by but you have to expose yourself to take the shot. This isn't actually as bad as it sounds since if you have a decent size tree behind you then you're still camoflaged even if you're right in front of the animal.

Fourth, getting out is fast. On the last day of bowseason last year, the yahoo who lives across the field that I was hunting decided to come out and start banging away with his shotgun on his one day of practice per year. At some point (I'm not sure when because I was looking away from him into the woods), he rehung his paper target from a tree about 3 feet off the ground. Then he proned out. Apparently he was thinking that bullets just disintegrate into the air when they pass through a paper target with no backstop. Unfortunately, they don't and one wizzed about 2 feet from my head. I popped the release and was on the ground in about a second without having to expose myself from behind the tree.

Fifth, it's incredibly comfortable. I like to hunt on Sunday afternoons after church. This cuts into my Sunday afternoon nap. In a traditional treestand I do fall asleep, but it is low quality sleep because I'm constantly aware that I could slump to the side and wake up hanging from the tree. You cannot fall out of the tree saddle. Consequently, I get a much higher grade of nap.

Hope that helps.

Posts : 46 Join date : 2010-06-01

I have a tree saddle and love it. I hardly ever us a treestand any more

Subject: Re: tree saddle Tue 08 Jun 2010, 9:56 am

my concern was im a right handed shooter so the left side of the tree is fair game but what do you do to shoot across your body to the right side of the tree? How hard is that?

Posts : 46 Join date : 2010-06-01

magicman wrote:: my concern was im a right handed shooter so the left side of the tree is fair game but what do you do to shoot across your body to the right side of the tree? How hard is that?

You don't shoot across your body. You pivot on your left foot which swings you around kinda like rick teaches you to stand and shoot behind you. It is easier for me to shoot to the right then to the left.

There is a learning curve to the tree saddle.. If you get one get out in the yard 2 or 3 feet off the ground and pratice.. I will be 57 years old this year and if I can use them anybody can. It just takes some getting use to.

For a platform I took 6 strap on steps...cut them off the straps, and put all 6 on one rarchet strap. I spread all 6 around the tree and tighten them down. There is no weight on the feet, It is on your butt as it is in kinda like a sling. You can move all around this way

Believe it or not, but I was in a truck wreck one time and broke my back in 3 places. I wore a body cast for over a year.. I have sit in the tree saddle for 6 to 7 hours plenty of times and never had it bother my back. I can't say that about a treestand.

If a tree will hold your weight you can hunt out off it. I killed a turkey out of mine this fall. I don't think I would of got the shot out of a treestand. I hope this helped

Subject: Re: tree saddle Tue 08 Jun 2010, 1:26 pm

thanks so much i believe im going to try one.

Posts : 46 Join date : 2010-06-01

anytime..that's what it's all about

Posts : 27 Join date : 2009-07-27

Lil" Okie wrote:: There is a learning curve to the tree saddle.. If you get one get out in the yard 2 or 3 feet off the ground and pratice.. I will be 57 years old this year and if I can use them anybody can. It just takes some getting use to.

For a platform I took 6 strap on steps...cut them off the straps, and put all 6 on one rarchet strap. I spread all 6 around the tree and tighten them down. There is no weight on the feet, It is on your butt as it is in kinda like a sling. You can move all around this way

Ditto on the practice. Once you get the feel for it, you'll realize that the tree saddle supports you in all the right places and that shooting is easy. But you have to get the feel for it. The first time my wife tried using one for real -- as opposed to practicing right off the ground -- she froze to the tree because she didn't feel confident letting go and swinging in the dark at 4am. You have to practice both just off the ground and out of your hunting height. Practicing at height also lets you know where you are shooting given the angle.

Okie - I tried the same thing with the ameristeps and was dissatisfied. I can't get the ratchet tight enough to stop them from shifting as I move around the tree. Have you managed to overcome this problem? I was thinking of putting some eye screws in at the base of each one and running a second ratchet around the base, but I've been a little busy this year.

Posts : 46 Join date : 2010-06-01

I just use the one heavy duty strap. ratchet it as tight as you can.

when you step on them they will slip 1/2 inch or so then they stop slipping

when you don't think you can get the strap any tighter.. tighten it some more..LOL

gorilla seat that ratchets to the tree is an awesome platform.. On bigger trees I like the strap and steps the best.

Use a big strap with a big ratchet handle.. Getting it super tight is the secret.

Subject: Re: tree saddle Fri 30 Jul 2010, 4:09 pm

well i got my tree saddle. I havent got a chance to try it yet but im hoping it will be a great tool. thanks for the imput from everybody.

Posts : 46 Join date : 2010-06-01

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine.

Posts : 8 Join date : 2012-07-22

Lil" Okie wrote:: I just use the one heavy duty strap. ratchet it as tight as you can.

when you step on them they will slip 1/2 inch or so then they stop slipping

when you don't think you can get the strap any tighter.. tighten it some more..LOL

gorilla seat that ratchets to the tree is an awesome platform.. On bigger trees I like the strap and steps the best.

Use a big strap with a big ratchet handle.. Getting it super tight is the secret.

I've got a Tree Saddle and you just solved the biggest problem that I had with it. This step will save a lot of time and trouble. Thanks for the terrific idea! I'll get mine rigged up as you suggested.