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All day sits

H

HuntfishskiVT

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2024
Messages
45
Hello everyone I'm new here, sorry if this had been covered already. I'm also new to saddle hunting. My state has a long archery season and I'm trying to take advantage of it. I've learned through years of still hunting and tracking thay deer move through out the day. At least on large tracks of public land here in the north east. I'm wondering of anyone has done and all day sits, dark to dark and if they have any advice for that. How do you keep from going nuts? I'm used to moving around all day. I've definitely spent plenty of time in a tree stand and taken a few deer that way, but usually just sit the morning or afternoon. But from tracking bucks through the same spots year after year I feel like in certain areas it's worth staying all day. Also has anyone used a rifle in their saddle. Sometimes we dont have snow during rifle and when ots loud and crunchy could be worth sitting. Im using the one stick method and love the run and gun possibilities. Thanks!
 
HuntfishskiVT said:
Hello everyone I'm new here, sorry if this had been covered already. I'm also new to saddle hunting. My state has a long archery season and I'm trying to take advantage of it. I've learned through years of still hunting and tracking thay deer move through out the day. At least on large tracks of public land here in the north east. I'm wondering of anyone has done and all day sits, dark to dark and if they have any advice for that. How do you keep from going nuts? I'm used to moving around all day. I've definitely spent plenty of time in a tree stand and taken a few deer that way, but usually just sit the morning or afternoon. But from tracking bucks through the same spots year after year I feel like in certain areas it's worth staying all day. Also has anyone used a rifle in their saddle. Sometimes we dont have snow during rifle and when ots loud and crunchy could be worth sitting. Im using the one stick method and love the run and gun possibilities. Thanks!
Click to expand...
All day sits suck no matter what your harness and platform combo are. Never believe anyone who tells you differently. Saddle is still better in my opinion. If you’re gunna sit all day, bring way more food than you thought you’d need, at least two liters of water but three is better, and make sure you have book(s) and enough phone charge to get you through the whole day PLUS a potential tracking job.
That said, sometimes (rarely) all day sits are actually necessary and sometimes people just want you to believe that they’re necessary to sell their brand of hunting “tactics”. Up to you to determine what your hunting style is and if all day sits fit in with your style and your herd’s dynamics.
I hate all day sits and I think they’re generally a waste of valuable hunting or scouting time UNLESS you know you’re gunna be in the deer ALL day. Which it sounds like you don’t know yet. I’d MUCH rather learn when the other hunters come and go, and try to be in the woods in those transition areas while those hunters are coming and going. Or hikers. Or whoever you share the public land with. If you’re on a rare tract that doesn’t see a lot of pressure, you “just” need to find those transition areas and be there at the “right” times, which could vary from tract to tract and herd to herd. Sometimes that means sitting all day and gaining intel, and sometimes (more often, I believe) you have to scout and sit sporadically during the day, bump deer, and then sit “all day” if needed when you think you’re catching onto them and in a really good spot.
Public or private, a good spot is a good spot and deer use it all day and all night. Individual deer probably keep their own loose schedules, but alter them for various stimuli and it’s your job to catch them whenever you can regardless of whether it’s routine behavior or a serendipitously timed encounter.
Haven’t used a rifle but I’ve used a crossbow and it’s probably more difficult to maneuver than a rifle. You’ll have no issues.
 
I think all day sits in one tree are a little over hyped and over romanticized. And it will suck. Being able to climb down and switch trees in anticipation of thermals switching and deer patterns shifting throughout the day are what make mobile hunting worthwhile to me. If you have the perfect tree, with the perfect terrain funnel and the right wind then I would pack in the most comfortable stand I can quietly set up and do a hybrid stand there.
 
Boredom is something you have to tackle on an individual basis. I enjoy watching everything else that's going on in the woods when there's not deer around, but that may not work for you. Worst case scenario I pull out my phone, but try to look up and scan every few minutes instead of getting too sucked in to the screen.

Physically managing an all day sit is a different beast, required some experimentation to find a saddle that's comfortable. I like my CGM cobra, paired with a one stick and squirrel steps. One stick platform has both an angle and a flat, and inset the squirrel steps slightly higher than the platform, this gives me multiple options for foot placement and ability to lean or sit (with knee pads) which helps manage the physical comfort angle

All that said, I'm coming around to agree that typically my time would likely be better spent getting down and doing some midday scouting or moving around. I've done a few all day sits and only one or two of them have I had deer come by at all hours, the rest had long periods of inactivity midday
 
HuntfishskiVT said:
Hello everyone I'm new here, sorry if this had been covered already. I'm also new to saddle hunting. My state has a long archery season and I'm trying to take advantage of it. I've learned through years of still hunting and tracking thay deer move through out the day. At least on large tracks of public land here in the north east. I'm wondering of anyone has done and all day sits, dark to dark and if they have any advice for that. How do you keep from going nuts? I'm used to moving around all day. I've definitely spent plenty of time in a tree stand and taken a few deer that way, but usually just sit the morning or afternoon. But from tracking bucks through the same spots year after year I feel like in certain areas it's worth staying all day. Also has anyone used a rifle in their saddle. Sometimes we dont have snow during rifle and when ots loud and crunchy could be worth sitting. Im using the one stick method and love the run and gun possibilities. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Little Debbies. They will get you through the day. Just take them out of the wrappers and drop them in a ziplock.
 
Come to the light, the JX3 tree saddle light..............
Don't be afraid, you will sit from dark to dark very comfortably, no fidgeting, be able to snooze when you want, no dreaded hip pinch, no back aches, you can shoot 360° around the tree with any weapon, bow or gun, no weak side shot.
No platform required, only a ROS, or a JX3 wide top climbing stick, no sore feet, no knee pads required, no sore knees, no tired legs from leaning as you can sit all day, built in pack frame for carrying all your needs. No getting into “saddle shape” as your Lazy Boy at home does it for you. Buy once, cry once.
Come to the light, the JX3 light...........
 
thedutchtouch said:
Boredom is something you have to tackle on an individual basis.
Click to expand...

This. Embrace the boredom and learn to enjoy it. Boredom is when your mind chews through problems and works on solutions. Lots of problems have been solved in this world because of boredom. The ability to be comfortable with being bored is something that todays constant distractions have stolen from us.

As far as the how productive all days sits are from a hunting standpoint. It depends on the time of the year. From late October to late November I get pics of buck movement all day long and have had the majority of my encounters with good bucks after 10:00 am.
 
  • Adjust your saddle/pleat/bridge/tether/back band to different positions every hour or two so that you do not have the same pressure points the entire sit.
  • Alternate between sitting/leaning/standing
  • Use a back band
  • Bring snacks, something to read
  • I use two platforms my EDP and my one stick with a UP so that I have 2 platforms which allows for shooting around the tree and different positioning to keep from getting stiff.
Screenshot_20241007_113826_Gallery.jpg



I will do all day sits or most of the day sits when the time is right. Deer definitely move all day.
If I am close to bedding on fresh sign and the wind cooperates I will sit all day, especially if I would be hunting the same area in the evening, why track through area 2 extra times. If I need to move adjust trees I will do that however I still consider that an all day sit. If I am doing a morning sit I will often sit until 1-2 as I often see them on their feet around noon. On Sunday I had to head out of the woods at noon. I had a .5 drive on a woods/logging road and saw a couple does in the middle of the road on my way out.

The other time I will do all day sits is during the rut. If I find fresh sign near bedding or rut funnels/pinches between bedding I will sit all day or if I have historical data the spot is good during the rut.

If you can't sit dark to dark during those prime times come in mid morning so you are set up 9-10 or leave early around 3pm.

I heard on the Wired To Hunt podcast that the Mississippi State Deer Lab is coming out with a new study on deer bedding based on GPS collar data and they are getting similar findings regarding all day movement. They indicated 3pm being the time of least deer movement.

Good luck!
 
I love all day sits, whether it is in the same tree or I move locations. When hunting public all day sits can pay off, when others get tired/ cold or give up to go back to their trucks they can push the deer around. It can definitely get boring at times. Things I do to pass the time I have a coffee or snack break, eat lunch, if I'm really out of it I have on occasion slipped an ear bud in and watched a movie or listen to a book. I hunt with all weapons out of my saddle, bow, X bow, rifle, muzzle loader. I also hunt public, so if your not set up in your spot theres a good chance someone else will be in the area before you and youll have to move on. I hunt dark to dark a lot. I mix up standing, leaning and sitting. I am thinking of pulling the trigger on a JX3 for the all day hunts.
 
I do about 6 to 8 all day sits a year. Sometimes they are intentional and sometimes they evolve naturally out of a morning sit that has a lot of activity. For the planned ones, I carry a little food and water. Maybe a small trail mix and a bottle of water. For the ones that evolve naturally, I rarely have any food or water. I just tough it out. All day sits are marathons not sprints. Luckily, I can just zone out and think of a lot of other things during the day.
 
I've done all day sits many times and usually I do when the deer are just erratic and it gives me my best chance.

In a climber the comfort is there but if there's not a lot of activity I can go a bit bonkers. I'm not gonna lie I will play games on my phone. I usually eat breakfast between 2:30-3AM everyday and don't eat lunch and then a big dinner so I don't bring food, maybe jerky once in a while. I do bring a lot of water, if I run out of water I might go home.

I've done all day sits in a saddle and it's doable but not as comfortable as a climber. I CAN NOT do an all day sit in a hang on. 2hrs is my limit in a hang on.

I LOVE hunting but an all day sit can be a chore whether you're comfortable or not. I'm not gonna do it unless my cameras show me a reason to. It helps if I'm seeing deer, even if they are too far away to shoot it gives me a bit of sanity.
 
Can't add much to all the great information provided. I will say some of my best bucks came as a result of an "all day sit." where I got in early with acceptable access during the rut in a scouted location that tends to funnel general overall deer movement or is downwind of good bedding cover on a consistent wind day. All were taken "or attempted to be taken" LOL at around from 11am through 1pm. The best comfort is a summit climber and the next is a good saddle setup. I agree with others that a loc-on or ladder are tough to set in all day just due to the angles of the tree etc. I find myself fidgeting more in a ladder or loc on than anything else and that's due mostly to comfort issues I believe because all of the angles on these stands are perfectly 90 degrees and our backs and the trees are not.
 
woodsdog2 said:
Can't add much to all the great information provided. I will say some of my best bucks came as a result of an "all day sit." where I got in early with acceptable access during the rut in a scouted location that tends to funnel general overall deer movement or is downwind of good bedding cover on a consistent wind day. All were taken "or attempted to be taken" LOL at around from 11am through 1pm. The best comfort is a summit climber and the next is a good saddle setup. I agree with others that a loc-on or ladder are tough to set in all day just due to the angles of the tree etc. I find myself fidgeting more in a ladder or loc on than anything else and that's due mostly to comfort issues I believe because all of the angles on these stands are perfectly 90 degrees and our backs and the trees are not.
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The thing about a hang on is you have a tiny uncomfortable seat and only ONE position to sit in and that's 90* with your back to the tree. You can't really doze off or get too comfortable because you'll fall.
 
I try to sit all day in November if possible. Days are shorter any way. JX3 works. I also will take two small platforms. It just opens up so much more for foot options and adjustments. I don't walk deep into public. So maybe that's not a good option for you.
But for me shooting a firearm out of a saddle, more platform is definitely helpful. Either a larger one, or two. Helps me steady.
 
MattMan81 said:
I try to sit all day in November if possible. Days are shorter any way. JX3 works. I also will take two small platforms. It just opens up so much more for foot options and adjustments. I don't walk deep into public. So maybe that's not a good option for you.
But for me shooting a firearm out of a saddle, more platform is definitely helpful. Either a larger one, or two. Helps me steady.
Click to expand...
Actually I like what you said about doing “all day” sits when the days are shorter. Usually the deer are a little more predictable as they get EVEN shorter in late December and January. An all-day jaunt in January might only be like 6-8 hours. And you’re almost guaranteed to see does on the move at some point if you’re already in a good spot.
I also think someone said they do an all-day but break it in two parts with a long lunch and/or siesta. That’s absolutely my preference if I have to be there all day BUT I’ll take that break at a weird time when I don’t expect much movement from deer.
 
HuntfishskiVT said:
Hello everyone I'm new here, sorry if this had been covered already. I'm also new to saddle hunting. My state has a long archery season and I'm trying to take advantage of it. I've learned through years of still hunting and tracking thay deer move through out the day. At least on large tracks of public land here in the north east. I'm wondering of anyone has done and all day sits, dark to dark and if they have any advice for that. How do you keep from going nuts? I'm used to moving around all day. I've definitely spent plenty of time in a tree stand and taken a few deer that way, but usually just sit the morning or afternoon. But from tracking bucks through the same spots year after year I feel like in certain areas it's worth staying all day. Also has anyone used a rifle in their saddle. Sometimes we dont have snow during rifle and when ots loud and crunchy could be worth sitting. Im using the one stick method and love the run and gun possibilities. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Iv done dark to dark sits in a saddle and it wasn’t bad. I’m 50 with a bad back and saddles are more comfortable than sitting in a seat for me. I hunt with a rifle almost all season.
 
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