What’s going on guys? This is Collin. Today I’m going to talk to you about my setup and saddle hunting gear. It's what I've used for a couple years now.
When we're out in the field filming with SKRE we go to many places. We film here in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, all over the place. And this saddle setup really allows me to be the most efficient that I possibly can in the tree. It allows me to get up and down really quick. Sometimes we're going to places where we have to hang and hunt. Sometimes we’re going to places where there's already a set hung. And it just allows me, as a cameraman most of the time, to take my platform and get up in the tree really quick. And just have a lot of flexibility going through the woods, not having to worry about finding the perfect tree. This thing has allowed me to get into some pretty gnarly trees.
So today I'm going to go over each and every little thing that I like to use for my system and how it makes me be more efficient in the woods.
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Saddle Hunting Gear
The first piece of saddle hunting gear is the Tethrd Mantis. This is a tree saddle. This is basically what connects me to the tree. And I want to go into the couple of the mods that I've done to my saddle to make it more user-friendly for me.
On each side, I have a little Nite Ize Gear Tie. Basically, what I use this for is if I'm using more than two or three sticks. I'll attach a stick to this and it'll help me have one on each side when I go up the tree. They won't be clanging around or in my way or anything like that.
Next up, I have a SYS Hauler pouch on one side. In this SYS Hauler, I keep my tree tether, which is what I'll attach myself to when I'm at hunting height.
Next up, this is a gear strap. This is from Latitude Outdoors. I'm trying it out this year. I really like it. Then I keep a couple of miscellaneous things in here. I keep a daisy chain for emergencies, I keep a hero clip - this is what I catch my bow with, a couple carabiners and different things like that.
Moving around to the very back-center of my saddle. This is 3D printed from Genesis 3D. This is what I take my platform up. It clips in on my back, out of the way. I take it up and when I get to a hunting height, I pop it off. It's right there ready to go.
Moving around, I have about 30 foot of paracord. Pull my bow up, pull my bag up, anything like that. And then on the left side, another SYS Hauler. I keep my lineman's rope in here with the Ropeman 1. In my opinion, this is an absolute must. It's so much faster, so much easier, adjusting your lineman rope in and out when you're going up and down the tree. I wouldn't be caught without it.
And then lastly is the Tethrd Recliner. This is the back band that goes around. It just makes those longer sits a little bit more comfortable and it takes away some of that pressure points on your back and hips and things like that.
Up next is the Predator Platform from Tethrd. This is the only platform I've ever used, but I absolutely love it. It bites down really, really good. It doesn't budge. It doesn't kick out. It's pretty lightweight. It's big enough for my feet. I know some people like the XL. This one's just fine for me.
And then lastly, the way I get up the tree is with these Muddy Pro Climbing Sticks. They've been out for a while. They're not the lightest, but to me, they're the easiest. They're the most efficient. The cam cleat that you pull the rope through, I think it's like the most genius idea. I really like it.
And then as you'll see in a little bit, I run these AmSteel Daisy chains on all of my sticks. Most of the year I'll run two sticks which will get me about 15 or so feet. It's plenty high enough for me early season. There's a lot of vegetation still in the limbs so you can't really go too high anyway. But I really like these.
These AmSteel Aiders help me get up the tree quicker, less sticks, less weight. No, they're not for everybody, but I feel pretty comfortable using these up and down the tree.
So that's pretty much all the saddle hunting gear I have that you really need to get up and down the tree. So here in a second, I'm going to show you exactly how I get up the tree, set up, everything like that.
Setting Up
When I get to the base of the tree, I'll take one stick, lay it down right up against the tree and I'll go ahead and get the first stick on the tree. Then we start climbing.
This is everything you need to get up and down a tree for a mobile saddle setup like this. I think this setup pairs very well with the SKRE layering system. Much like this saddle set-up, the layering system has no bulk and is extremely lightweight. So it allows me to hunt in a variety of weather conditions all across the country. Get yourself the best base layers for hunting on the market. And with a little bit of time, a little bit of patience, I think you'll be able to hone in on very big buck this year.