Project title: MEADOWHAWK- Tree Saddle Platform and Climbing Syste
Product name: MEADOWHAWK
Topic/problem description: Bowhunters are always looking for new ways to improve their odds of having a successful hunt, while the industry behind the products they use seems less interested in their customers’ needs. A major trend in bowhunting today is mobility. With increased popularity in public land hunting, and greater competition between hunters, many try to separate from the herd by traveling deep into the woods in search of unpolluted hunting spots. This has caused hunters to search for the lightest weight combination of products that allow them to be hunter safer, longer, and cover more ground.
Solution: The MEADOWHAWK platform and climbing system take the best of both worlds from the two most efficient mobile hunting solutions, the tree climber and the tree saddle. The tree climber is a two piece product that allows the user to self jack up the tree, and acts as the hunters platform once up the tree. This system was the first designed that allowed hunters to move their stand from tree to tree with ease as well as take it in and out of the woods each hunt. However, this product is quite bulky and heavy, making some hunters resistant to trying it. The tree saddle is a harness that works with a very small platform that allows the hunter to hang from the tree by a tether. It’s made mainly of fabric and weighs significantly less than other products. The platforms that work with tree saddles are a fraction the size of others because the saddle is the main support to the hunter’s weight while the platform is used to stabilize the hunter, allowing them to move around the tree. However, the tree saddle requires other products to get the hunter up the tree. This makes the overall weight the hunter brings into the woods similar to the tree climber. By taking the best of both worlds from these two products, you get the lightest combination of climbing and platform products on the market. Taking the mechanics from the tree climber platform, and incorporating it into the much smaller saddle platform, you get a product that you can use to climb the tree and act as your platform. The product also aims to increase safety and comfort for the user, all while weighing under two pounds.
