Hunting style questioned by others?

[redsquirrel]

Great idea. I'm in the same boat, my oldest daughter will be ready to hunt next year and that sounds like a great way to hunt together and can be done with all kinds of different stands.

My father used to hang behind me for years in his Anderson sling when I was a kid. I did the same for a family member and was there when he got his first deer

 

[Scoutman]

Been saddle hunting since 08, wish I would have started sooner ! Very few understand it but that's ok. I embraced it fully and will hunt other ways if I have to but not if I have a choice. The physicality of it keeps me pushing ahead. I'm only 53 but I have less days in front of me than behind me and it requires a more physical effort than blind or stand hunting. It's like elk hunting in a way the preparation is harder than the hunting. I can only hope that God above blesses me to see many more sunrises out of my saddle. We only get to see so many .

 

[brydan]

My father used to hang behind me for years in his Anderson sling when I was a kid. I did the same for a family member and was there when he got his first deer

Wow you got exposed to saddle hunting early. I had never even seen a tree stand until I moved 10 yrs ago.

 

[redsquirrel]

Wow you got exposed to saddle hunting early. I had never even seen a tree stand until I moved 10 yrs ago.

Yes, I'm fortunate in that regard. Although we hunted out of tree stands for a long time, both wooden ones and portables, it was something that was never foreign to me so it didn't take much for me to make the switch completely.

 

[Bogle]

Play dumb and keep quiet. If not theyll leave their box blinds and start following you. Hauling stands is what makes a lot of guys hunt the first transition they come to. Thats why most dont kill the big bucks they get on camera. Dony get me wrong theyll still get some good ones early season and during the rut, corn does that. However, most wont get that big buck they been getting photos of.

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[noxninja]

I love trying to explaining to people and the blank stares I get....you can read their minds...."he's a complete babbling idiot that is going to kill himself"


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[Prill87]

I love trying to explaining to people and the blank stares I get....you can read their minds...."he's a complete babbling idiot that is going to kill himself"


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I tried to explain to my father in law that it was safer than his tree stands that have hung for 20 years and never been checked again and he didn't believe me.


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[hickstick]

I've been 'different' all of my life....from being one of a couple kids in my town with long cheesy metal hair in my early teens to a 1 foot tall Mohawk when I discovered punk in my 20s....to actually think it's fun to crawl through mud and freezing water and swinging from monkey bars at Obstacle Course Races today... why stop now? lol

Seriously, I grew up in Massachusetts, and had to teach myself how to hunt...mass isn't the easiest state to hunt whitetails in (between the ever shrinking woods, to a generous estimate of 9 deer per square mile (it's way less than that))....in amongst all of that I fell in love with bowhunting. I've gone from recurve of ther late 70s, to the early compounds of the 80s, to complete primitive setups with self made bows arrows even broadheads & knives. now I use modern recurve & longbow, compound bow,and occasionally a black powder rifle.

I answer to no one (but my wife lol), nor do I pass judgement on anyone else's methods. I've hunted over bait on urban hunts but it's not my preference. I've NEVER killed a deer with a firearm...not that I haven't tried. I just feel comfortable, sitting in a tree stand (& now a saddle) in the quiet, with my bow.

 

[John Eberhart]

Everyone is different and no matter what it is in life, depending on their desire and dedication to whatever it is, people will put in varying degrees of effort.

Crossbows for instance are taking over (in Michigan anyway) and it's simply because they are easier, more accurate, shoot farther, take bow torque out of the equation, require literally no practice other than sighting in like a gun, and they are a one size fits all. Basically they are easier and require minimal work effort to use and become proficient with and I have many friends that I thought were avid vertical bow users that have converted to crossbows for all the reasons I mentioned. To each their own, however I mentally place an asterisk next to their kills when looking at their pictures or mounts. Hey, that's just the way I think.

Hunting methods and location set-ups are no different. It's relatively easy to bait and kill deer. It's relatively easy to sit in a box blind with possibly heat, definitely with more comfort, definitely a much lower likelihood of getting picked as you might in a leafless tree, and a lower probability of getting winded if the blind has windows. I've never hunted in one but have several friends that do. I view hunters using box blinds as having only 1 or a few options to hunt from and there is no doubt that is a drawback unless their baiting or over a food plot (neither of which I do).


Box blinds are also common along field edges. During winter (with snow on the ground) a couple years back I had the Dead Downwind sales manager with me to visit some retail customers and in a 2 mile stretch along Old US 27 in central Michigan we counted 37 box blinds. In one spot where several fields met, there were 3 box blinds close enough to the corners that all 3 hunters could have a conversation while hunting. I asked him if he would like to come to bowhunt and his exact words were, "are you nuts, no way".

To each their own and that's what makes hunting so great. Extremely diverse; qualities of properties, weapons, hunting methods, as we all know - types of stands, terrain features across the country, and the list goes on.....

I'm sure I will get some negative feedback on these views and that's OK..

 

[huck72412]

I tell my buddies that crossbows are just short range rifles and though their success cannot be denied, the effort and difficulty involved must be viewed differently than a compound/ traditional. To that they reply " it's still a bow". And then the back and forth begins and ends the same way. I have my views and they have theirs. Lol, just thankful that I can freely walk in the woods, saddle-up and do arguably the greatest thing there is to do in this lifetime...... " bow hunt"

 

[Ontariofarmer]

Everyone is different and no matter what it is in life, depending on their desire and dedication to whatever it is, people will put in varying degrees of effort.

Crossbows for instance are taking over (in Michigan anyway) and it's simply because they are easier, more accurate, shoot farther, take bow torque out of the equation, require literally no practice other than sighting in like a gun, and they are a one size fits all. Basically they are easier and require minimal work effort to use and become proficient with and I have many friends that I thought were avid vertical bow users that have converted to crossbows for all the reasons I mentioned. To each their own, however I mentally place an asterisk next to their kills when looking at their pictures or mounts. Hey, that's just the way I think.

Hunting methods and location set-ups are no different. It's relatively easy to bait and kill deer. It's relatively easy to sit in a box blind with possibly heat, definitely with more comfort, definitely a much lower likelihood of getting picked as you might in a leafless tree, and a lower probability of getting winded if the blind has windows. I've never hunted in one but have several friends that do. I view hunters using box blinds as having only 1 or a few options to hunt from and there is no doubt that is a drawback unless their baiting or over a food plot (neither of which I do).


Box blinds are also common along field edges. During winter (with snow on the ground) a couple years back I had the Dead Downwind sales manager with me to visit some retail customers and in a 2 mile stretch along Old US 27 in central Michigan we counted 37 box blinds. In one spot where several fields met, there were 3 box blinds close enough to the corners that all 3 hunters could have a conversation while hunting. I asked him if he would like to come to bowhunt and his exact words were, "are you nuts, no way".

To each their own and that's what makes hunting so great. Extremely diverse; qualities of properties, weapons, hunting methods, as we all know - types of stands, terrain features across the country, and the list goes on.....

I'm sure I will get some negative feedback on these views and that's OK..

I completely agree with your comments about cross bows except my shoulder will not allow me to use a compound or any other bow. I wrecked my shoulder playing hockey. Crossbows are easy to use and require less skill. I would love to use an alternative but cannot.
I still have to be close to deer I hunt from a saddle watch my scent, scout for spots to hunt,
prep trees. I do find a crossbow awkward to use in a tree and would love to use a compound . I have thoroughly enjoyed your books.


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[John Eberhart]

Amen Huck

To Ontario farmer:

I apologize as I forgot to mention that to me, crossbows are exactly for your situation (health issues) and for older hunters that can no longer draw enough weight with a vertical bow to consider themselves as ethical hunters. Personally I would never want to keep anyone out of our beautiful deer woods due to their age or health issues.

One thing that's changing the hunting landscape is that many states are eliminating age restrictions to deer hunt and therefore kids starting out in bow season have no option but to begin with a crossbow as they can't draw a sufficient poundage with a vertical bow for the parents to deem them ethical. Of course then why would they ever want to convert backwards to a vertical bow that limits them beyond what they could do with a crossbow.

I have sporting goods distributor and retail sales stats from Ohio that are staggering as Ohio began full inclusion crossbow hunting back in the late 70's. I gathered these stats when I was fighting the Michigan DNR from implementing full inclusion crossbow hunting during bow season. I was petitioning for 55 years and older to use a crossbow if they wanted, and obviously for health issues if a doctor deemed it.

 

[DIYSaddler]

Missouri just deregulated crossbows for archery season. I can't say I've had may good interactions with crossbow hunters lately. I wish the would have just legalised them for children and left it a doctors note for the disabled and elderly.

 

[Johnboy80]

Play dumb and keep quiet. If not theyll leave their box blinds and start following you. Hauling stands is what makes a lot of guys hunt the first transition they come to. Thats why most dont kill the big bucks they get on camera. Dony get me wrong theyll still get some good ones early season and during the rut, corn does that. However, most wont get that big buck they been getting photos of.

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I like the way you think brother

 

[Johnboy80]

Everyone is different and no matter what it is in life, depending on their desire and dedication to whatever it is, people will put in varying degrees of effort.

Crossbows for instance are taking over (in Michigan anyway) and it's simply because they are easier, more accurate, shoot farther, take bow torque out of the equation, require literally no practice other than sighting in like a gun, and they are a one size fits all. Basically they are easier and require minimal work effort to use and become proficient with and I have many friends that I thought were avid vertical bow users that have converted to crossbows for all the reasons I mentioned. To each their own, however I mentally place an asterisk next to their kills when looking at their pictures or mounts. Hey, that's just the way I think.

Hunting methods and location set-ups are no different. It's relatively easy to bait and kill deer. It's relatively easy to sit in a box blind with possibly heat, definitely with more comfort, definitely a much lower likelihood of getting picked as you might in a leafless tree, and a lower probability of getting winded if the blind has windows. I've never hunted in one but have several friends that do. I view hunters using box blinds as having only 1 or a few options to hunt from and there is no doubt that is a drawback unless their baiting or over a food plot (neither of which I do).


Box blinds are also common along field edges. During winter (with snow on the ground) a couple years back I had the Dead Downwind sales manager with me to visit some retail customers and in a 2 mile stretch along Old US 27 in central Michigan we counted 37 box blinds. In one spot where several fields met, there were 3 box blinds close enough to the corners that all 3 hunters could have a conversation while hunting. I asked him if he would like to come to bowhunt and his exact words were, "are you nuts, no way".

To each their own and that's what makes hunting so great. Extremely diverse; qualities of properties, weapons, hunting methods, as we all know - types of stands, terrain features across the country, and the list goes on.....

I'm sure I will get some negative feedback on these views and that's OK..

W

Everyone is different and no matter what it is in life, depending on their desire and dedication to whatever it is, people will put in varying degrees of effort.

Crossbows for instance are taking over (in Michigan anyway) and it's simply because they are easier, more accurate, shoot farther, take bow torque out of the equation, require literally no practice other than sighting in like a gun, and they are a one size fits all. Basically they are easier and require minimal work effort to use and become proficient with and I have many friends that I thought were avid vertical bow users that have converted to crossbows for all the reasons I mentioned. To each their own, however I mentally place an asterisk next to their kills when looking at their pictures or mounts. Hey, that's just the way I think.

Hunting methods and location set-ups are no different. It's relatively easy to bait and kill deer. It's relatively easy to sit in a box blind with possibly heat, definitely with more comfort, definitely a much lower likelihood of getting picked as you might in a leafless tree, and a lower probability of getting winded if the blind has windows. I've never hunted in one but have several friends that do. I view hunters using box blinds as having only 1 or a few options to hunt from and there is no doubt that is a drawback unless their baiting or over a food plot (neither of which I do).


Box blinds are also common along field edges. During winter (with snow on the ground) a couple years back I had the Dead Downwind sales manager with me to visit some retail customers and in a 2 mile stretch along Old US 27 in central Michigan we counted 37 box blinds. In one spot where several fields met, there were 3 box blinds close enough to the corners that all 3 hunters could have a conversation while hunting. I asked him if he would like to come to bowhunt and his exact words were, "are you nuts, no way".

To each their own and that's what makes hunting so great. Extremely diverse; qualities of properties, weapons, hunting methods, as we all know - types of stands, terrain features across the country, and the list goes on.....

I'm sure I will get some negative feedback on these views and that's OK..

Well said John

 

[John Eberhart]

Prill87's golf analogy as related to hunting is SPOT-ON, PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!

I began bowhunting in 1963 at the age of 12 and nobody in my immediate or extended family bowhunted (had an uncle that gun hunted public land). I had a strange 35 year old acquaintance that did however and he had a Root recurve and had taken a few deer on public lands. He was basically my way of getting to the field as he was married and had a truck. My first bow was a Ben Pierson 45 pound recurve which I could only draw back about 3/4 draw at age 12.

Even then, before it was legal to hunt from trees in Michigan, we did. He's dead now but we (never hunted together in the same tree) would sit in crotches of apple trees, maples, oaks, and my favorite trees were white pines because they offered cover and typically had branches close enough that I could sit on one (sat close to trunk of tree) and have my feet on another below me. The trees also had to have enough branches to be climbable because screw in steps or any type of climbing apparatuses were not available at the time and because apple trees, maples, and pines are easy to climb due to lots of branches, that's why they were our favorites.

In the early 70's when I got a vehicle I began bowhunting alone on public land about 45 minutes from home and even though it was illegal, would nail short pieces of 2X6's in tree crotches to stand on and would nail spikes in trees with a 3# sledge hammer to climb up. I began doing that in the late winter/early spring so that the spikes would rust and the boards would turn color so that they would blend in with the tree better and be more difficult for others to see during season. I guess that's when and why my post season scouting began.

Even in the mid to late 70's when I was an archery buyer/retail floor salesman at Michigan's largest sporting goods store, even though conventional treestands and the old death trap climbers were available, I still chose to stand on tiny blocks of wood as they were harder for other hunters to notice. I did start using screw in steps instead of spikes on state lands and would remove at least the bottom 6 after each hunt so that other hunters would not notice the tree unless they actually chose it to hunt from at which point they would see the higher steps and board.

In 1981 everything changed for me when I bought an Anderson Treesling. It was extremely strange, and at first very uncomfortable and to say the least, awkward. I have always been the type of person that looks at all the positive aspects of an item before dwelling and giving up because of the negative aspects of it. This dam sling thing had so many positives, and other than it being strange, different, and a bit awkward, no real negatives that couldn't be altered out with a little thought.

Here are some of the positives:
-The more adept, and expedient you are at responding to changing deer movement, the better your chances and the sling made mobility rather easy.
-Not only can you easily freelance adjust to ever changing sign during the season, you can have as many trees prepared as necessary prior to season, because you only need one sling to hunt from all of your prepared trees.
-Having many options ready to hunt is a huge advantage.
-You can prepare locations for every potential situation, you do not have to limit yourself to a handful of spots due to the costs of stands.
-Having so many options allows you to rotate sites, which increases your element of surprise and reduces both scent contamination and general human presence at a hunting location.
-A huge advantage is “specific” mobility, making it possible to shoot a full 360° around most trees. Considering that mature bucks often come in (especially during the rut phases) from unexpected directions this is a monstrous advantage. In pressured areas a second chance at a mature buck is rare, so you have to make your sparse opportunities count.
-Another major advantage is general mobility, or the ability to hunt almost any tree in the woods (once your harness system has been altered to do so). It is no longer a question of finding a tree to hunt out of, but finding the right spot and making a nearby tree work.
-With an altered harness system (many alteration ideas on this site) there are few limitations to tree diameter, branches (as with climber limitations), and tree straightness (although trees leaning more than fifteen degrees will not give you the full 360 degree shooting circumference).
-Another form of mobility is the ability to adjust to current circumstances. If you find a hot scrape area or fresh rub line it is no problem to quietly set up and hunt in a matter of minutes as harness systems are made of fabric, not cumbersome metal.
-Weight and stand frames (cumbersome) are also factors when freelancing for fresh sign. Harnesses are lightweight and can be worn in or carried in a pack. This eases opportunities to scout through brush and set up on the spur of the moment.
-Another major advantage when hunting pressured areas (especially public lands) with unknown other hunters is the fact that you can be sure that your stand will be there when you arrive because it is always with you. Stolen treestands are unfortunately a sad fact of life for anyone who hunts state land, or even private property in states with extremely fragmented hunting properties. You can also be guaranteed that no one will hunt your location while you are elsewhere.
-Another big plus is that you can keep the trunk of the tree that you are in between you and the deer. As a non-targeted deer approaches you just slowly ease your way around the trunk, out of sight of the deer. This keeps your silhouette from sticking out from the tree. This is especially important in pressured areas where deer tend to look for hunters in trees. On targeted deer you still remain behind the tree and slightly move to the side when taking the shot.
-Height is another big advantage, especially once the hunting gets good and the foliage is gone from the trees. With a harness system the only height constraint is your ability to get up the tree. There should never be the fear of heights as there is with conventional stands because when used properly you are at all times, tethered to the tree and you can't fall.
-Because harnesses are made from fabric there is no noise concerns with the set-up. This is very important when setting up near or within a bedding area.
-As good as harnesses are, they have one drawback for the dealer that sells them. They are a one-time purchase, no additional harnesses are required to hunt all your locations. Dealers like selling multiple treestands to hunters because they make more profit when they do. They also make money selling a safety system and oftentimes a rope climbing safety system with each stand and with a harness, the safety system is included.
-As with everything that has to do with hunting, the type of hunting system you use is ultimately based on your own hunting situation, abilities, goals, and personal preference. Harnesses are ultimate tools that can be added to a hunters arsenal to increase their element of surprise and dramatically increase their success rate.

Over the years I've made many alterations to my sling and in my opinion have perfected it for my body style.

I have no doubt that well over half of the bucks I've taken since using a sling, would have been taken later by other hunters (likely during gun season) had I not been using a sling harness system.

I also feel very confident stating that if there were 2 hunters of equal hunting skillset and one was adept at using a harness system and the other had to use any form of conventional stand, and they both hunted the same property for the same amount of hunts for a 5 year period, the harness user would kick the stand users you know what, concerning deer kills.

Hunting is an egotistical activity and hunters that knock on harness users, do so because they are intimidated by them and the only way they can react without taking a hit on their ego, is to knock them.

 

[g2outdoors]

John dropping some knowledge bombs!

 

[IkemanTX]

Hunting is an egotistical activity and hunters that knock on harness users, do so because they are intimidated by them and the only way they can react without taking a hit on their ego, is to knock them.

This, right here is why we get knocked on the most.

I ran into a duck hunter while I was scouting this weekend who was absolutely fascinated by my saddle setup though. He said if deer hunting could ever get his blood going like duck hunting he'd have to do it like that.


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[redsquirrel]

Last week I stopped in ****'s to get my 2017 license. The guy behind the counter was on facebook posting a climber for sale. He asked if I had any interest in a climber? I said no thanks, I hunt out of a saddle style stand. He looked at me like I had 2 heads. I said, a tree saddle? He nodded like he had heard of them but I wasn't convinced. He had no interest in it so I didn't bother explaining.

 

[John Eberhart]

As Jim Carey said in Liar Liar (Jim Carey is an anti gun guy so I'm not endorsing him personally).

And the truth will set you free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!