ambush saddle....

[yungbuck]

just heard about the ambush saddle in one of my hunting books...figured some of you have them or have tried them. I am very happy with my lone wolf setup, but wondered what others thought about these saddles that seem inexpensive, super lightweight, and almost too good to be true.

[Brad]

They are certainly interesting, I am considering buying one for public land. They are not cheap or easy to find though, most are $300 +. Trophyline is out of business but there is a new company called "New Tribe" that came out last year with a hunting saddle. They always designed arborist saddles prior to that, I know John Eberhart is helping design it. They are light and appear comfy, and you can shoot 360 degrees, thats what interests me.

[yungbuck]

i was reading johns book and when he claimed to have hunted in one for 20 years that told me they must be pretty comfy/effective. I found one for 200 online (but as mentioned it was by trophyline and unavailable)....does not seem to have a lot of pull in the mainstream community because i had few finds on google for it and ive never seen it in a hunting tapes. i just got my lone wolf so I will not be parting with it for some time.

[62kodiak]

I have hunted out of one for about 5 years, I really enjoy hunting out of my saddle most of the time. I like being attached to the tree from the ground all the way to your hunting height. You will never feel safer than you will in a saddle. If I can suggest one thing, GET KNEE PADS. They will help keep the pressure off your knees and keep your pants dry when the bark is damp(like every morning). I am going to make a rope to replace the tree strap though.

You have to have thick skin to hunt out of a saddle though. All my hunting buddies constantly give me grief about my "tree diaper", as they so kindly call it.

I am planning on getting a lone wolf setup for this season because there are limitations to the tree saddle.

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I have one. I hunted in mine for a couple seasons. I'm back to a lone wolf now....like all systems it has its strengths and weaknesses. I personally prefer a tree profile in a stand over the saddle. I got picked off more in the saddle. Yes, I hunted 25 feet plus just like john recommended. I also do not like the dead areas when you shoot from one. Yes you can move but it is difficult if the tree leans. The bottomline is that I flat out kill more from my lone wolf. I still like the saddle but it cost me a solid 145 this year.

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[Thermals]

I have been hunting out of a saddle for a few years now and love it, I have all the lone wolf products made but the assault and sold everything after getting used to the saddle, I would like to have a assault for some places now but the saddle is my go to other than the gillie suit I just got. I recommend as most guys will say it get the smaller size they run big. I am 6 foot 165 pounds and I use the small size, the thing I am still trying to prefect is the way to get into the tree. I have used the lone wolf sticks and the work good but are kinda a pain to carry I think I am currently using the climb paws an they work pretty good, I have used tree climbers which works ok.

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[Mario]

With a saddle on long sits do any of you experience problems with pressure points or pinching similar to what you experience with a Rock Climbing harness?

[62kodiak]

The longest sit I have made in my saddle is 6 hours and I was never uncomfortable.

[Thermals]

I have sat day light to dark many times and been just fine you can change positions with it very easy, I never have used the knee pads but I also hunt smaller trees, and I have never been busted in it yet. But I will say it is not for everyone.

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[Ack]

A Saddle is a tool, just like a hang on and a climber, and as mentioned each has its place and time. I used one off and on for several years and ended up going back to the LW hang on for all my hunts. Way too much movement involved to prepare for shots on our pressured public land deer here in Michigan, and the comfort is lacking for long sits. Lots of guys love them, but it's just that.....you either love the saddle or hate it.

[JakeJD]

I have used my saddle on and off for the last 5-6 years. The saddle has many pros (safest way to hunt, lightweight, very versatile, quietest / easiest setup, can hide in trees better than a hang-on IMO, etc.). But the saddle also has a few cons (not as comfortable as a nice hang-on, works better on crooked / leaning trees than straight trees IMO, non-straight trees can limit shooting, requires more movement to stay comfortable and prepare for shot, etc.).

If you buy a saddle, I would recommend going down one size. I am 5-10 180# and I hunt out of a small neoprene model (neoprene is the most comfortable saddle option).

[ozzz]

I had one for a while. I think I like my LW assault and sticks better.

[Dhurtubise]

The ambush saddle is part of the trophyline
Lineup. That model was the absolute lightest saddle they made at only 2 pounds. It's a very difficult product to get your hands on today. There aren't that many, and they usually cost over $300 as one of the posters has already said. I have a neoprene version of that saddle, and weighs about 7 pounds with all the gear to hang onto the tree and the platform. They also made a leather version called the road trip, and that one was pretty light as well. Apparently the leather saddle was the most comfortable, I think it weighed three or 4 pounds if I remember correctly.

There is another manufacturer of saddle (sling type stand) that has also gone by the roadside: The tree suit. It is quite comfortable in comparison to do the tree saddle. I have one of these as well, usually you can pick one up for about $100 when the show up on archery talk. They weighed a tiny bit more then the neopreen version of the tree saddle. I personally know another hunter who has hunted in both, and he always preferred his tree suit.

Another poster mentioned the aero hunter, made by New tribe. It cost somewhere around $350. And weighs about 5 pounds. It looks like a very good product, and I will probably be picking one up eventually.

Another $300 option that is available now is the Guido's web. I have one, and I personally love this stand. They weigh, a hair under 10 pounds, so they are heavier, but they are super comfy. The drawbacks are that they are little bit bulky while carrying it in. And it's a little tough carrying extra gear because the pockets are a little bit on the small side. I have also heard that people like this stand more for gun hunting then for bow hunting, but I don't know why yet. But these stands are awesome for long sits because they are so comfortable, warm in cold weather, and personally I have never been as comfortable in any other stand so far.

One last alternative is to make your own version of what ends up being something close to the tree suit. Another member made one last year and posted the link on the do it yourself page. If you're any good with your hands, it'll cost you something like $25 in materials to build one. viewtopic.php?f=22&t=19327&view=unread#unread


Once you decide on a sling stand, there are a bunch of different attachments you can start using to improve them. I use a setup called a prussic knot instead of the normal attachment that comes with any of these stands. You can find that on YouTube. There are giant threads about the tree saddle on archery talk because of Boudreaux, ( that's his handle not his real name).

To be comfortable in the stands, you also need a platform of sorts that you must Carry in. This can be as simple as a few screw in steps if they're legal in your area, or a bunch of America steps (no longer made but available on the used market) On a ratchet strap type set up. You can do this with climb paws as well and Cranford steps. There are other alternatives that you can find on archery talk as well, such as the Lonewolf assassin platform which I sometimes find in online stores even though they don't make it anymore, and some people use the platform of the original tree suit, (this also allows you to climb up like a sit and climb but you are limited to limbless trees or slowed down from trees that have limbs).

As for hunting in the stand, I can't tell you I have a lot of experience because I only started this season hunting out of trees. But I definitely like The ability of getting behind a few trees with the forest in the background, and hiding behind the trunk the tree you are hunting I think it would work great when you know the likely direction of travel of the deer you're hunting. In my opinion, they are the safest tree stands to hunt from because you're always attached to the tree while you're hunting out of it and if you do slip you just fall with your stomach to the tree as opposed to having your back to it. All you have to do is put your foot back on the platform and step yourself back up.

As for the ambush saddle. This is still on my bucket list of things to buy because of how light it is.

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[redsquirrel]

For starters, anyone interested in saddle style hunting should come over and visit my new website/forum, http://www.saddlehunter.com. I just started the site a few weeks ago but quite a few people have expressed interest in it already. I am hoping it fills a niche for this unique style of hunting.

I hunt almost exclusively out of my ambush saddle. I will probably only take my hand climber out a couple times a year and sit in one of my dad's hang on stands once or twice.

I love hunting in my saddle! I find the biggest limiting factor to be the individual tree that I am in. For whatever reason some trees are super comfortable for me and some trees it takes me quite a bit of adjustments in my strap height and steps to get comfortable. I typically hunt in my saddle between 65-75 hunts per season, with 5-7 of those being all day sits. The all day sits can get tough with pinch points occasionally but the advantages outweigh that for me.

I prefer to hunt out of trees that I have set up in the past or the previous spring. I use the ameristep screw in tree steps and I currently have about 40 trees set up throughout my state. I try to buy the steps when they are on sale because the retail at $1.99 and I use about 25-30 to set up 1 tree. It adds up quick. For mobile hunting I have a few methods that I use. I am still trying to workout a system that I am really happy with. I will use either lone wolf sticks, cranford rope steps, or cranford screw in ez steps.

I love how light my saddle is. Before I need to pack clothing in during the early season i just wear my saddle, have a small backpack and my bow and I'm good to go.

Depending on the tree that I am in I can shoot 360 degrees. Some tree's I can only shoot 270. There is a compromise between using a large tree to hide behind and how much mobility you have.

As Jeremy said, the saddle is not for everyone, but if you are willing to give it a try it can be a great tool for you.

If you need any more information please feel free to reach out to me and stop over at my site

[JoeRE]

You have to have thick skin to hunt out of a saddle though. All my hunting buddies constantly give me grief about my "tree diaper", as they so kindly call it.

I have had that thrown at me a few times too


I have hunted with a tree saddle three years now. I like it a lot, use it for most of my "pack in" spots. My take-away's on it are:

- Knee-pads - very good idea for longer sits, or using it day after day!
- I find saddles comfortable for 4 hours or so, then slowly less comfortable. I have done all day sits, they are not bad but for an all day sit I prefer a platform. From what I have seen people who are in good shape find them comfortable, people who are not in good shape find them increasingly uncomfortable.
- I usually use three tree steps to stand on 90 degrees apart to put my feet on - with three I can rotate and shoot 360 degrees on most trees, like was mentioned, really big trees make this more difficult.