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Asking for advice as the season approaches

NWPA22

NWPA22

Active Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2018
Messages
108
Location
Pennsylvania
This will be my first year hunting out of a saddle and I am awash with different emotions. From excitement and anticipation to holy cow am I forgetting something. This forum has been a tool with immeasurable value and I would like to start this post off by saying thanks to each and every one of you who has posted on SaddleHunter forums. I spent hours pouring over different topics, and asking questions to help me on this journey and your help has been greatly appreciated.

I have been hanging in my saddle in the yard getting comfortable with my setup and ROS. The next step is going to be pulling the bow up for some practice shots getting used to the different shot angles. (I have been shooting from the ground this summer but not from an elevated position yet) I have tried to cover all my bases, and there is a lot, from climbing methods and platforms to little things like how to carry my other sticks up the tree and considering how and on what side of the tree to hang my gear. After all this I keep thinking oh man I may be forgetting something! So I wanted to ask 2 really broad open ended questions to everyone out there

1. Was there any one thing that when you started saddle hunting you did not account for? (A piece of gear, practice scenario, etc..)
2. Can you recall a change that you made in your setup, not necessarily just saddle comfort related, that improved your overall hunting experience?
 
NWPA22 said:
This will be my first year hunting out of a saddle and I am awash with different emotions. From excitement and anticipation to holy cow am I forgetting something. This forum has been a tool with immeasurable value and I would like to start this post off by saying thanks to each and every one of you who has posted on SaddleHunter forums. I spent hours pouring over different topics, and asking questions to help me on this journey and your help has been greatly appreciated.

I have been hanging in my saddle in the yard getting comfortable with my setup and ROS. The next step is going to be pulling the bow up for some practice shots getting used to the different shot angles. (I have been shooting from the ground this summer but not from an elevated position yet) I have tried to cover all my bases, and there is a lot, from climbing methods and platforms to little things like how to carry my other sticks up the tree and considering how and on what side of the tree to hang my gear. After all this I keep thinking oh man I may be forgetting something! So I wanted to ask 2 really broad open ended questions to everyone out there

1. Was there any one thing that when you started saddle hunting you did not account for? (A piece of gear, practice scenario, etc..)
2. Can you recall a change that you made in your setup, not necessarily just saddle comfort related, that improved your overall hunting experience?
Click to expand...

I like to have the tree between me and where I suspect deer will be in a saddle. All my life I hung stands facing where deer would be. Breaking the habit of ending up on same side of tree as deer was hard. It affected my tree selection and location in the tree early on.

Learning how to layer properly, and wear as little clothes as possible walking in and being cool and dry before dressing was a big one. It’s not necessarily saddle related, but it’s effect was even greater saddle because of the increased difficulty in adding/removing clothes in tree.
 
Not specifically answering the questions you asked, but the most helpful thing I did before last season (my first in a saddle) was a hunting dry run. I went out to some public land with all my gear excluding bow, walking in in the dark and completely mimicking a hunt- trying to keep quiet and efficient. Doing that just a couple times revealed a lot of issues and improvements in my setup before it’d impact a real hunt.
 
Best advice I can give is get out there and do it. Just like anything in life... when you try something new you will make adjustments and changes along the way. Saddle hunting is very personal so there is a lot of different ways to do the same thing. I would concentrate on the basics. Climbing method, platform, and ropes. I know that isn't anything specific but I hope it helps.
 
Saddle hunting is so unique in that what works for me may not work for you in terms of gear. However, I would also highly recommend a couple of dry run hunts before you do the real thing. Go and sit for at least 3 hours if you can. That helped me figure out what was comfortable and what wasn’t. You’ll also learn a lot just by hunting this fall. By the end of the season I bet you’ll be pretty dialed in
 
Just practice shooting from your ring of steps. I think the goal for any ring of steps hunter is to setup for that 7-10:00 shot or have time to reposition for that shot. Practice other angles also because it isn’t always going to work out that way. It’ll be much easier to take that weak side shot if you’re practicing from that position and don’t have to think about where you have to step and which way to turn when your heart is beating and you are already having a difficult time staying focused. At some point you’ll be fatigued climbing or spook a deer and you’ll wonder why you’re even in a saddle but just remember you will have similar difficulties regardless of hunting method. If you’re hunting near me just remember your saddle, your bow, and your thermacell. Everything else is optional.
 
KYHunter said:
Saddle hunting is so unique in that what works for me may not work for you in terms of gear. However, I would also highly recommend a couple of dry run hunts before you do the real thing. Go and sit for at least 3 hours if you can. That helped me figure out what was comfortable and what wasn’t. You’ll also learn a lot just by hunting this fall. By the end of the season I bet you’ll be pretty dialed in
Click to expand...
That 3 hour mark is where small adjustments have a big effect on comfort. That’s when your climbing methods and even your boots have an effect.
 
When I made the switch last season, I underestimated the importance of having my pack dialed in. I was disorganized and changing things most of the year. Hoping to rectify that this year. Figure out a packing system that works for you and stick with it. Also, don’t get caught up thinking you have to find the perfect pack. I don’t have the money to scour the web for the perfect pack so I’ve made my $30 academy pack work. Is it as nice as a $150 pack? No. But I’m still married. :)
 
Make sure you have your hanging items readily available.
Once you climb, tether in, its time to hang the bow and pack make sure you have that system whatever it is ready and accessible
I know it seems negligible but try having that in your pack on the ground, having your bow in hand and trying to pull your pack up hold all this crap dig out the bow hanger.
Have your climbing method down “in the dark look ma no hands” type of confidence.
It’s the little things that will make the difference between frustration and happiness.
When things go wrong don’t get frustrated the first two or three hunts it will get better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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