I bought my last fall haven't got it on a tree yet. Been a really tough year thank goodness I beat cancer this year I'm 64 and I'm about to start giving it a go again I appreciate your video and I'm subscribing

I used to always be in a hurry to get in and start hunting but the older I get I try to slow down be safe and observe what's going on around you more. After a year of using hawk sticks I climbed a hard barked maple and had a stick drop. Luckily I was practicing at my in laws and not 2 miles in where I was in archery season. I went back to the pull straps and feel much safer. Great video thanks for sharing

That was a good video & a nice platform to start with. A couple of years ago I bought some pants that u don't get burrs or nettles in. All the public land I hunt is loaded with it. They were the Kings Camo pants. The outside liner & inside liner has a pair of knee pads sewn into them. They r outstanding & the Desert Camo pattern works well in most conditions. I have a small waist & was able to find a pair for half price. If I am doing a cold weather & need an extra layer I usually add a pair of moleskin style pants to them & make them quieter. I have an custom made early season mesh saddle & a late season saddle for colder hunts here in MN which is the Aerohunter Kestrel Flex which is in the Predator camo. During the rut I'm wearing the mesh for longer sits. I was scouting a public area way back in late February. I found a set of 4 of those sticks that were identical to them on a 🌳. It was in a spot which was between 2 areas I hunt. The reason I never hunted there was cuz it's way too close to where deer bed. But with opposite winds I can hunt that area with 1 spot or the other. I returned to that area a month later & the sticks were gone. I knew I was @ the same 🌳 since I took a pic of it & sent it to a friend states away that uses sticks. 1 thing I do is climb with a rope system. I hope u r using a rope system to take down your sticks after a hunt in the dark. It's by far the best as far as being quiet & safe on your way down. I've been able to avoid deer coming down & I know how to get out so being Clean coming down is by far giving me more opportunities in the future. The thief that took those sticks was undoubtedly looking for antlers. Antler hunting is way down on my list of priorities. Getting spots setup when there's no bugs or hot weather is priority #1. The tether which was much higher than that top stick so I took that down with my rope climbing system. It looked like some package deal. It was too heavy, bright & the prusik was pretty much too heavy. It had a Hawk carabiner on it so when I watched your video I made the connection. Make sure u r staying safe out there. Hope your system has evolved with time to fine tune it in the off-season. P.S. I ride a bike & cart back 2 to 3 miles to hunt this public land. Only 1 access to it with a parking lot clear on the other side like I like it. I'm pretty sure the guy who left that equipment there took a shortcut from a park across from that area not too far away. There's water in that direction which was dried up last fall when i didn't hunt there all of last season due to a long summer drought. I'm sure he took the shortcut through a park where there is no hunting allowed. Hope your plots look great 👍.

The production of the vid is really nice. Liked the music, the camera angles, the explanation along with cost of the setup. Great job man

For me, time is not a factor. I always go in at least two hours before I expect to see a target. Saddle is very comfortable. Good video. Thanks.

A little tip with the stick daisy chains, if you can't quite get it over the button turn your stick on a 45 degree and it'll give you the little extra you need to get it over

I've been watching saddle videos all off-seaaon, looking to finally pull the trigger on a setup this summer... your video perspective was really helpful to this soon to be first- timer. I appreciate your time.

I’ve been saddle hunting 3 years now. You did really good better and faster than my first few times 😂. The daisy chain on the sticks will help. New subscriber 👍👍

Dude Second time in the system and 12 minutes ! I'm really leaning towards getting one and if it takes me 12 minutes to get up and set/ so be it. Get in early enough and the 12 minutes is a mute point. Stay safe and thanks for the video man I like it with time you will get it down better for sure. We all do

This is probably the one video that I needed to see, someone new at it who is just a couple of steps ahead of me. I think I'm going to pull the trigger on package/kit and get some practice time in for next season back home in Michigan. Great job on the video and fantastic job getting the point across of what it takes if your new at it. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work. John.

First off welcome to the saddle hunting family my friend .just found your channel.,subscribed.ive saddle hunted for 2 years.ive saw more deer and harvested 4 nice bucks in 4 states.ill never hunt out of a treestand again. This is the safest way to hunt because your always attached to the tree.great video and you did a awesome job. You will get better as time goes by.

Good vid! Thanks for sharing. For attaching the platform to the tree, I have a gear tie on top post of the platform and wrap that around my lineman rope so I can use 2 hands to attach the platform.

I would look at getting some suspenders and attach it to your saddle to hold it up. I wear my saddle all day and find when I am walking around it slides down. Now I don't even know I am wearing it. I also put anti slip tape on the platform. I got it from Amazon. Be safe...and good luck.

New sub here. Looking forward to following along with the journeys that lie ahead. Hey, I just got into saddle hunting myself (still waiting to receive everything). Great video man. I think you did great man. Appreciate the content brother.

I've been ladder stand hunting for the past 10 years which isn't the greatest but to think that when I get to my tree it's going to take me 20 minutes to get up there using the stick climbing method. Well that's just not going to happen. Great video and thanks for being honest in your demonstration.

You created a practical video from the rookie perspective; and IMHO this should help folks who may be on the fence about deciding to saddle hunt. Two points that I would suggest are: 1) For safety, back up your Ropeman 1 with a prusik fastened into your carabiner on the tether 2) For convenience, try a Nite Ize S-Biner size 6, on your 6:00 o’clock, to hang your platform. The S-Biner gives me reassurance that the platform will stay with me. Thanks for posting. Looking forward to more.

This video is put together so well! As someone who isn't in the hunting world, I can still appreciate the innovation and efficiency a setup like this lends itself to. Good work👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼

First time I climbed up with Bullman steps took me over 45 minutes. I was grunting and sweaty. Great job on the video and your climb time!

Thanks great video! I’m looking To purchase a saddle system and this was very helpful.

Great video!

Thanks for the video been thinking about finally breaking done for one this fall now I gotta forsure

Good job

Thats pretty awesome really!

Keep up the good work buddy

just subscribed. Looking at getting my first saddle for next season and really appreciate seeing another beginner doing it! Like you I was looking at tethered but definitely was not expecting that price :(

Great video, I'm in this boat this season and starting to prep, should have started earlier. I subscribed because your content delivery is great. You essentially have the exact products I purchased except my steps came with ratchet straps so not sure when they modified that. It's certainly an expensive purchase for us for not having tried it and believing the hype, but if you are a hunter who has used traditional methods you already know the benefits and it will simply be whether you enjoy the saddle and if you are comfortable for long periods. The big test will be if I can put the same hours in the tethrd as my treestands.

great video subbed

It's definitely a learning curve! I almost gave up on my first year, I had the mantis, my second year I switched to the phantom and loved it. Also, it's always better to have trees already prepped with screws, spikes, or some sort of steps.

i like you have watch tons of video s on saddle hunting and finally this spring started purchasing sticks then the saddle and then add more accessories as the summer went on. i haven t added up the cost like you did but i am close to that ball park... until 6 year ago i was ground hunter.. purchasing my first lonewolf assault which i love but i hunt in the adirondack park and something walk 3 to 4 miles before finding good sign to sit on . hoping to lighten my load with a saddle... great video... bought the identical set up

I bought the eberhart signature saddle kit and the predator stand in the middle of the season at the beginning of the rut. I shot two bucks, one on monday, the other on saturday. They both showed up behind me and I killed them both. Took three sits to kill a deer, and ive killed three this year out of it. Killed zero out of my pre hung stands and old fashioned lock on stands this year, one last year. Biggest bow buck i ever shot showed up ten mins after i was in the tree. I wouldn’t have made it into the stand before he showed up if i used my lock on and sticks. Saddle hunter from here on out. Dont think about it just hit the woods

awesome video. If I can make one small suggestion. Put your safety rope on the tree and attach yourself to it before you step on the platform. If you have a failure in the platform, you can avoid a serious injury. Great content though! Keep it up.

Nice video. My 2tc climbs are easily under 3 minutes, and no loud metallic noises. Good hunting

Not a bad time and what's the big rush in the first place? Always take your time and be safe. Luckily for me I've purchased my fair share of Millennium tree stands so I have bookoo ladder steps already that I can pre-set as I'm not a run-and-gun guy on public land. I'm blessed to have private family land so I have no need to go in predawn with all this gear on my back. Great filming and good info. Good luck to you this deer season!

I'm getting better.. I am not "hating" it anymore lol it just takes me a long time to do what used to be easy (physical issues - heart). So I just take my time. Once I get all settled in up in the tree I ALWAYS say "This is great!".

Might want to try single sticking. Much faster and get get to any height. I use to use hawk sticks but strictly single stick now.

Awesome video and thanks for the info. Looking at a saddle system myself. I have 3@3-step heliums and get just as high as most with the 2 steps. Curious as why run 4 and not 3? Seems like one less to set up and more steps at once. Also I like the ease of the buckle straps over weight savings of a couple ounces with daisy chains. New sub also.

Next step: ultimate one stick from eastern woods outdoors and ditch the heliums. Great video and welcome to the saddle.

Hawk website is always going to the most expensive. Hit up the other online retail stores like sportsmans warehouse or something like that. Usually $140 for the sticks.

After coming out of the tree at night for the first time. You’re gonna wanna to repel vs climbing down. The Mad Rock safe guard is a devise I use. Again, there are mass videos on how too.

950.00 insanity. I could climb that tree with my climber in less than 4 minutes and be way more comfortable. To each their own.

Alright bud, go to genesis 3d printing and get the j hooks that go in your molle. Attach a little paracord loop around your sticks and hang them that way from your saddle. Much much easier and faster than the gear ties. Keep it up partner!

The fact that there are so many videos, where people timing them selves climbing with saddles or treestands, fascinates me. Does everyone get to their tree 5 minutes before end of legal hunting light? I'm not bashing your video, it is well done and informative. I've saddle hunted for years and watching you go over the barrier to entry costs and the initial climb brought back lots of memories. I just don't understand the emphasis on the speed of climbing techniques. Safety and stealth should be top two concerns. Going slow, methodically and stealthy will outweigh 2 minute dart up a tree any day. Once again, not bashing you or your video, it may be the youtube algo that is messing with me, but I keep being fed these "timed climbing" videos on my screen.

Pretty much sounds like me almost exactly Bro! I just upgraded the ropes and went with Kong Ducks instead of lineman ropes... I did pretty much exactly what you did... Except I didn't order the versa links... I also got the Hawk sticks... I got the Predator XL platform... Jesus Mary and Joseph... We got our gear about the same time too! This is weird as shit!

Do yourself a favor, get some suspenders/straps to attach to the saddle, have the same saddle, Tethrd is great, the suspenders will hold up the saddle, allowing you even easier climbing the sticks. just my 2cents

What’s the music? Nice job!

Do you normally walk in already saddled?

I'm so interested but my climber was $350 and it's so comfortable I can sleep in it if i want