Pig Saddle by Shadow Tech???

losthelegend

New member
Anyone utilizing the Pig Saddle or Hog Saddle by Shadow Tech? I came across them on another forum and curious if anyone has a field reviews on them. They come with a hefty price tag and would like some feedback before I decide to purchase. Thanks in advance for your feedback!
 
I've used both in shooting competitions. They are very nice, but so is the price. If your planing on throwing that on a nice tripod for coyote hunting it's going to be heavy and expensive.

They are a very sturdy platform to shoot from. I bought a manfrotto tripod ,and mounted the camera adapter to my game scout stock. It clips right in, works great. It's extra weight to carry around but I don't mind too much.

I guess it all depends what you want to use it for. I personally like the rifle connected to the tripod, it takes out a little of the slop.

Here is my setup with out the Hog saddle.
 
The Frottos are the ticket, just got a nice price tag on them. I run a pig saddle on a bog pod. It works well enough for me, and far more stable then my alternate until I can afford manfrotto.

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I've got a less expensive Triclawps. Have tried it on coyote stand, kinda hated it for that - the whole tripod deal, not so much the rifle attachment.

Dig it for walk and pop 'chuck shooting though!

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But... I think I'm going to go with the direct attach method like tugboat is using. Just too much simpler and more clean to eliminate the middle man.

I really could not stand using that setup on coyote stand though. Tried it for half a day, did kill a few, but just way too much fuss, too much to carry, way too awkward to make big moves etc. I know it works great for some, but I didn't like it at all.

Still might try it again, to hold a rifle while I sit with a shotgun in my lap, maybe. I keep saying that, but when I start to look at how much crap I'd have to carry, plus dead coyotes on the way back, I keep saying "maybe some other time...".

- DAA
 
I took a 4" piece of PVC pipe, cut it in half and glued in some foam. Epoxy a 1/4 x 20 nut in the bottom and you have a cheap alternative. Non-clamping, of course...

I have used it for woodchucks, in combo with a turkey chair. works real well for watching fence lines for an hour or two.
 
Originally Posted By: DAAI've got a less expensive Triclawps. Have tried it on coyote stand, kinda hated it for that - the whole tripod deal, not so much the rifle attachment.

Dig it for walk and pop 'chuck shooting though!

20160513_Chuck%20Hunt-60W.jpg


But... I think I'm going to go with the direct attach method like tugboat is using. Just too much simpler and more clean to eliminate the middle man.

I really could not stand using that setup on coyote stand though. Tried it for half a day, did kill a few, but just way too much fuss, too much to carry, way too awkward to make big moves etc. I know it works great for some, but I didn't like it at all.

Still might try it again, to hold a rifle while I sit with a shotgun in my lap, maybe. I keep saying that, but when I start to look at how much crap I'd have to carry, plus dead coyotes on the way back, I keep saying "maybe some other time...".

- DAA





I like your style DAA!

Your right, it's a lot of junk to carry! It's hard try to figure out how to carry all this gear on long walks. But... it seems I carry the tripod set up more often than not. I attach it to a back pack and deploy the hole stup as one.

I keep all the adjustments of the ball head on my left side on the count of being right handed. It's very quick to adjust and pan. I also keep the mount lever on my left, in case I need to pop the rifle out real quick.

There is very little slop in the setup, especially if you grab the sling and a leg of the tripod.
 
To each his own. I'm sure the tripods add stability for the long shots....no doubt. A lot depends on one's shooting style, terrain, etc.

For the brush country, I don't want anything attached to the rifle. I tried bipods years ago (when I was still able to get up and down from sitting or prone within the same 24 hour period
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) I can no longer shoot from the prone position, even in the rare instances where grass, weeds and bushes would not block the view, and thick brush limits range on most shots. The brush also dictates quick target acquisition and shots since most of the time the coyote pops out of the brush into a narrow two track or sendero and doesn't spend much time admiring the scenery. Bipods hang up on grass, bushes, etc. and slow target acquisition due to weight and bulk on the rifle for my use.

Sticks seem to fit my style much better as they restrict movement of the rifle less and fall away quickly when necessary. Have taken a few coyotes out to 300 or so off of sticks, but most are much closer so the sticks, especially with a low chair to hasten entry and egress, are a good fit.



I would, however consider one change in my chair, at this stage of my life, does anyone know of a source for a lightweight, folding chair with rockers on it?
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Regards,
hm
 
You want to talk about something that's heavy and hard to carry. The Caldwell Magnum Deadshot FieldPod weights 13 lbs. and is bulky to carry around. Try carrying that with all your other hunting supplies. IE Gun, Ammo, Binoculars, Caller, etc.

I personally like the Primos bipod that can be adjusted for height quickly.
 
If I am day hunting I prefer my shooting sticks like HM, as I am sitting typically. If a stand calls for standing, or I am night hunting its tripod all the way. Way to much going at night for me to worry about fumbling around with my rifle. Its always where I want it....now if I could just get it to shoot for me id be set.
 
My son swears by a tripod, but I find it difficult to maneuver the rifle from one. Guess I'm just clumsy, but that third leg on a tripod is always in the way standing and sitting the rifle always pointed the wrong way.
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Regards,
hm
 
Originally Posted By: Smokin250The Frottos are the ticket, just got a nice price tag on them. I run a pig saddle on a bog pod. It works well enough for me, and far more stable then my alternate until I can afford manfrotto.

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How did you attach the Pig Saddle to the Bog Pod? I just bought the Bog Pod tripod kit with the XSR rest and it works pretty good just like the idea of "less going on" with the pig saddle mounted to the Bog-Pod
 
My tripod set up is fairly easy to pick up and change positions when they come in the opposite direction the rifle is pointed. I try and move when there moving when possible. I plop it down with a bit of a lead so I can bark and they are were they need to be. Doesn't always work out that way
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I've definitely botched a few that came in to fast or came in under my nose that I didn't see till it was to late! But...! I'm getting better
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Grant,

If you pull the "Y" Shaped piece off the head of bog pod, it should have a stude threaded into it that slides into the bog pod head. It will unscrew, with some force, and screws into the back of the hog saddle.

Ill be honest, I do feel like I carry a lot into the field when I night hunt. Nothing quick about it, nor do I want it to be. Between a gun that weighs close to 18-20lbs, bog pod, FoxPro, and PVS on head, I have some gear im packing in. But really it doesn't bother me. I have system of how I carry everything and it works out just fine for how I hunt. Once im in and set up, im comfortable.
 
I'm typically sitting on a sidehill in sagebrush. One leg has to be longer so big side moves are just a pain even when possible. But then the whole mess just isn't very easy to pick up and move when there is sage brush in the way either. Then too, it's just way more fuss getting setup than I like to dic with. Every stand, by the time I had the legs adjusted and rifle strapped in, my partner had been sitting there looking at me like [beeep] is wrong over there, why are you making so much gawdam movement and why haven't you started the caller yet? Felt like a beginner that can't get down and get calling without wasting time with a bunch of useless flopping around for awhile first.

I'm probably exaggerating just a bit, or at least painting the worst picture, but on a couple stands it really felt just about that bad for me. Just doesn't suit the way I like to roll the way plain old sticks do. No muss, no fuss, big side moves, plant right in the brush if needed, jump up for a kamikaze and they just fall out of the way. Lot easier to carry. Just suits me better.

- DAA
 
I just recently purchased a Pig Saddle. I already had an older Manfrotto tripod and ball head to use with it. My tripod and ball head are the medium size and not the large size that most recommend, but they seem to be working just fine so far. The tripod I am using it with is the 3205, and the ball head is the 3262 (not QD model). You could probably get that combination on ebay for around $100 or so. Both are rated around 10-11 lbs. I was concerned they might be a little light, but since I already had them from a previous camera hobby, I decided they were for sure worth a try before I dropped more cash. At this point I have no plans to upgrade them. 95% of my shooting will be from a sitting position, and they are fine for that. If you plan to use it much from a standing position, then you would probably need a heavier tripod/ball setup.

As far as planned usage, it for sure is not my normal coyote stand setup. For me it is "too much" for that. For normal coyote calling I use the BPS Redhead knockoff version of the Bogpod 2 leg shooting sticks. They work just fine out to 250-300 yards, and are very light and fast.

What I plan to use the Pig setup for is shooting steel at long range, for my young daughter to use deer hunting in some fixed position type setups, and for me to use out deer hunting in very open country where shots can get pretty long. Basically sitting on overlooks with wide vistas, just looking and glassing. There will probably be a few times I use it calling as well. Like maybe when I have a problem animal that is call shy, or a particular setup that I feel may be long range, or something like that I will carry it in. But normal run and gun it will get left in the truck.

For my uses I could not justify the extra cost of the Hog over the Pig. If I were a very serious LR hunter, a competition shooter, or military then I would get the Hog. But the Pig is plenty stout too, I have no problem recommending it.



 
Originally Posted By: Smokin250Grant,

If you pull the "Y" Shaped piece off the head of bog pod, it should have a stude threaded into it that slides into the bog pod head. It will unscrew, with some force, and screws into the back of the hog saddle.

Ill be honest, I do feel like I carry a lot into the field when I night hunt. Nothing quick about it, nor do I want it to be. Between a gun that weighs close to 18-20lbs, bog pod, FoxPro, and PVS on head, I have some gear im packing in. But really it doesn't bother me. I have system of how I carry everything and it works out just fine for how I hunt. Once im in and set up, im comfortable.

Thanks for the response! I like the idea of the Pig Saddle because the XSR rest for the Big-Pod to me really only works good if you leave it strapped to your gun and insert everything into the Bog-Pod when you get setup. It is a pain in the butt if you try to strap it around the gun while holding everything and it is already mounted in the Bog Pod. The Pig Saddle could be left in the Bog Pod while walking around already attached to the Bog Pod.
 
Originally Posted By: DAAI'm typically sitting on a sidehill in sagebrush. One leg has to be longer so big side moves are just a pain even when possible. But then the whole mess just isn't very easy to pick up and move when there is sage brush in the way either. Then too, it's just way more fuss getting setup than I like to dic with. Every stand, by the time I had the legs adjusted and rifle strapped in, my partner had been sitting there looking at me like [beeep] is wrong over there, why are you making so much gawdam movement and why haven't you started the caller yet? Felt like a beginner that can't get down and get calling without wasting time with a bunch of useless flopping around for awhile first.

I'm probably exaggerating just a bit, or at least painting the worst picture, but on a couple stands it really felt just about that bad for me. Just doesn't suit the way I like to roll the way plain old sticks do. No muss, no fuss, big side moves, plant right in the brush if needed, jump up for a kamikaze and they just fall out of the way. Lot easier to carry. Just suits me better.

- DAA . Dave is right tripod setups are just too much hassle. We hunt too much varied terrain. Coyotes tend to come from directions we don't expect. I don't have time to move around the tripod I just want one fluid motion up with the sticks and gun at the same time and I can pivot totally to one side or the other instantly even if I am sitting on a side hill. If the ground was more flat like back east I could see doing.

What I have done for extra stability is make a custom shortened set of the folding shooting sticks and when needed put those in to support the rear of the gun in addition to the regular sticks in my case Stoney point sticks in the front. I have connected on my 12" gong eveytime at 550 yards doing that. It really steadies the gun and is fairly quick to put into action.
 
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