Tactical Tuesday Week 1: Tips and tricks for run and gun, saddle hunting, hang and bangers.

​Welcome to the very first Tactical Tuesday from Wild Edge Inc.  Here’s what you can expect…
 
Tuesday evenings at 8:00 PM EST, a representative from the WEI team will host an Instagram live video.  This week we were joined by one of our favorite podcasters, Walter of Chasing Tales Outdoors.  As the weeks progress, we’ll be hanging out with experts from across the industry.
 
Later in the week, we will post a quick and dirty, written recap of what you missed.  So, here’s what you missed on our very first Tactical Tuesday…

The Run and Gun Set UP

Q: @rhienhart: “How do you attach [the Steppladder] to your pack for transport?”
A: Andrew: My system changes drastically depending on how I am accessing the piece and what kind of topography I am walking in to.  Often times I’ll be strapping a set of stepps directly to my kayak and throwing them over my shoulder when I access public land by water. 
 
On short hikes they’re always right around my shoulder.  I’m a big proponent of keeping things simple.  When I walk into the woods, I want to be able to start my climb immediately.  This means I don’t have to pause to take my backpack off.  My sling is already on, my Bowhanger is in my pocket, my lineman’s line is tucked into my sling and my bow is clipped to the other side of my sling.
 
If I have a long hike, I’ll often attach the stepps to the outside of my pack.  This way, I can move through the woods more effectively.
 
 
Q: @topnockbowhunting: “How long does it take you to get up and ready to shoot? And how long to get down and all packed up?”
A: Andrew: My motto has always been, slow is smooth, smooth is fast.  We’re not fighting to be the fastest system on the market because I don’t see the advantage to sprinting into the woods and blasting up into the tree.  This isn’t a reflection of the stepps either; it’s my personal style.  I can throw up a set and climb 30 feet in 3 minutes, but I think we all need to remember to slow down, take our time and hunt on the way in.
 
Walter: It’s important to note that the faster you move, the hotter you’re going to get. No matter what the temperature is outside, you’ll have to manage your core temperature and your layers.  It is also extremely situational.  It took me 17 minutes to climb 16 feet into a cedar, but it was littered with branches. 
 
It’s best to approach this from a woodsmanship mentality, and I think the true answer to this question is, it does not take too long to climb.  It depends on where, when and how you’re hunting, and how much you’ve practiced.
 
My goal is to be in the woods, quiet an hour before I want to be hunting. I’ve gotten up into a tree an hour before sunrise and decided that it wasn’t perfect.  I had the option to get down and choose a new tree because I gave myself enough time to slow down and think.
 
 
Q: @Ugly_step_kid: “How heavy is your set up?”
A: Andrew: This is another one of those questions that is not an easy answer.  Each step weighs 11.7 ounces, so you’ll have to do some math. The tough part is the fact that my set up is always super specific to the piece of land that I’m hunting.
 
So many guys are so weight conscious down to the ounce. And honestly, they’re overestimating how far they’re traveling.  In Connecticut we can’t walk a mile without leaving a property!
 
 
Q: @whitetail_legacy_podcast: What is the comfort level for all day sits?
A: Walter: I like the way my platform relieves some stress on my ankles during long sits.
If you’re using a ring of stepps, you need to increase your angle from the tree to relieve some of that pressure.
 
Andrew: I’ve never sat all day in my life!  I’ve hunted all day.  I’ve never sat all day.  For a couple hours I’m super comfortable!
 
Walter
When you kill deer as efficiently as Andrew you don’t have to sit all day!
 
 
Q: How many do you personally use?
A: Andrew: The only way to answer this is by saying that I never use the same amount of stepps, ever. If I’m setting up a spot for my family to use all season I might use 18 of them spaced one foot apart.  If I’m run and gunning and going in blind I might grab 5 stepps and an aider.  It really depends on the situation.
 
The one thing that is a definite is a preseason set up.  I will always walk out with no less than a set of 16.  Of those 16, 3 of them will have 8-foot ropes.  I would much rather not use them all than be a few short.
 
 
Q: Walter: Okay, you’re on a brand-new piece of property and you’re going in blind, how many stepps are you taking?
A: Andrew: Depends on the topography.  Let’s say it’s a swamp. I may only need 3-5 get above cattails and phragmites.  If I accessed by boat I would definitely have an additional 10-12 stepps in the boat that I could go back for after my hunt to create a better future set up.
 
 
Q: @bowhunterchronicles_podcast: “Are you using a knaider, swaider etc. what’s your preferred setup personally?
A: Walter: I use the Etrier, which is a rock-climbing aider.
 
Andrew: I use the Wild Edge Aider. It’s easy to use and adjustable.  Plus, I’d rather do a pull up before I start attaching ropes to my feet. All that knaider, swaider stuff gets clumsy and complicated.
 
 
Q: @Louis_bowhuntingnz: What bows are you guys shooting?
A: Andrew and Walter: Matthews Triax and New Breed respectively.

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