Honestly, besides my rifles/ammo, bows/arrows, and a folding chair to sit on, probably the best money I've spent is on a Stoney Point Polecat collapsible bipod. It turns this Marginal Marksman into Dead Eye Dick, and the venison is in the freezer to prove it!
Good flashlights & headlamps are worth their price, too. I like a headlamp with a low light setting to get in without spooking, and a VERY powerful flashlight in my fanny pack, to cut through the woods in the early season on the way out, when it's easier to get lost in the thicker flora. I panic pretty quickly when I get lost.
Also, I've got two giant fanny packs that I like a lot. One is by Gerber, and one is by Badlands. I can then wear the fanny pack in front with huntin gear (like ammo, lights, compasses/gps/iphone, knives, folding saw, food, water, scents, calls, earplugs, head and hand coverings, bug spray/thermacell, wind direction bottle, wallet, keys, chemical hand warmers, .22 kit gun, etc.) -- and still be able to wear a small or medium sized backpack on my back which holds my shed clothing layers, emergency/first aid gear, more water, stoney point bipod, and little bitty folding chair. [No, I've never quite been able to grasp the concept of 'travel light'.]
Oh, another thing - my I-phone with its aerial view maps is really really helpful if you have a signal.
I had a Tree Saddle, but sold it before I ever used it. Great concept, and I was initially very excited, but I had several issues. First one was it was literally too complicated (or me too stupid, or some combination thereof), for me to figure it out solely from the directions, and I don't have a tree at my house with a long enough limbless portion to practice with, to figure it out from hands-on.
Second problem is that I bought a large or extra large, and it was too big for me (think I need a medium).
Third problem was/is that I *thought* when I bought it that it was gonna be a self-contained hanging AND climbing apparatus - I thought it was touted as something you could use to somehow shimmy or inchworm up the tree trunk with it using alternating belts to hold you, one at a time. When I found out that I *still* would need to climb the tree, or use screw-in steps or climbing sticks, it was much less appealing to me.
The last and probably biggest problem is, I couldn't figure out how I was gonna take a whiz in that thing without cutting a hole in the bottom mesh part and lettin' fly, and even then I might be too 'squished' and wrapped up in that thing to be able to unzip and make it work, if that makes sense.... sure as heck ain't gonna climb down and empty the bladder once an hour after morning coffee like I would in a ladder stand - too much hassle. Can't just let er rip into the air (or a container if you prefer) like you would in a hang-on or climbing stand.
However, DD, should I re-think this, and get one in the right size? How do you handle the urination issue?
Good flashlights & headlamps are worth their price, too. I like a headlamp with a low light setting to get in without spooking, and a VERY powerful flashlight in my fanny pack, to cut through the woods in the early season on the way out, when it's easier to get lost in the thicker flora. I panic pretty quickly when I get lost.
Also, I've got two giant fanny packs that I like a lot. One is by Gerber, and one is by Badlands. I can then wear the fanny pack in front with huntin gear (like ammo, lights, compasses/gps/iphone, knives, folding saw, food, water, scents, calls, earplugs, head and hand coverings, bug spray/thermacell, wind direction bottle, wallet, keys, chemical hand warmers, .22 kit gun, etc.) -- and still be able to wear a small or medium sized backpack on my back which holds my shed clothing layers, emergency/first aid gear, more water, stoney point bipod, and little bitty folding chair. [No, I've never quite been able to grasp the concept of 'travel light'.]
Oh, another thing - my I-phone with its aerial view maps is really really helpful if you have a signal.
I had a Tree Saddle, but sold it before I ever used it. Great concept, and I was initially very excited, but I had several issues. First one was it was literally too complicated (or me too stupid, or some combination thereof), for me to figure it out solely from the directions, and I don't have a tree at my house with a long enough limbless portion to practice with, to figure it out from hands-on.
Second problem is that I bought a large or extra large, and it was too big for me (think I need a medium).
Third problem was/is that I *thought* when I bought it that it was gonna be a self-contained hanging AND climbing apparatus - I thought it was touted as something you could use to somehow shimmy or inchworm up the tree trunk with it using alternating belts to hold you, one at a time. When I found out that I *still* would need to climb the tree, or use screw-in steps or climbing sticks, it was much less appealing to me.
The last and probably biggest problem is, I couldn't figure out how I was gonna take a whiz in that thing without cutting a hole in the bottom mesh part and lettin' fly, and even then I might be too 'squished' and wrapped up in that thing to be able to unzip and make it work, if that makes sense.... sure as heck ain't gonna climb down and empty the bladder once an hour after morning coffee like I would in a ladder stand - too much hassle. Can't just let er rip into the air (or a container if you prefer) like you would in a hang-on or climbing stand.
However, DD, should I re-think this, and get one in the right size? How do you handle the urination issue?
I still have several ladder stands and hang-ons that are comfortable as well. I like to sit for a minimum of 3-4 hours and I just don't see sitting in a tree saddle for that amount of time. Oh well.. to each their own.
