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Private land saddle use??

A saddle lets me hunt places on my property that I wouldn't be able to access without it. That, and the comfort of a sling instead of a hard seat keeps me choosing the saddle every time.
 
100% private with multiple ladder stands on the property. I'm planning on using my Guido's web for longer sits on the back side of some of the ladder stands as the leaves fall and the cover diminishes. I plan to go in with helium's to hunt fresh sign or new areas before we commit to putting in a stand. My friend buys and sells property every year it seems so I am always trying to learn a new farm. This is the real reason I guess I got a saddle.
 
I switched to a saddle for private land use and public land use. Just last night I had a smaller 6/7 point buck creep into my area. I simply swung around the other side of the tree and he never knew I was there. He bedded about 15 yards from my tree for 20 minutes, chewed his cud and got up and left. Huge advantage vs a tree stand where he would have saw me instantly and there's nothing I could have done about it except be still.
 
I hunt multiple parcels of private land but only have ladder stands on my own property. My plan is to use the saddle on the other parcels instead of hauling in a heavy climber.
 
I hunt both private and public and have had pre-set ladder stands, hang ons, etc. for years on the private and just sold them this year. People tend to get lazy and if you're seeing deer in your stand why move them? Hunting the same stands year after year limits mobility and the amount of quality deer you'll see to an extent (I also realize this isnt always true and some stands are just natural producers). How safe is that ladder stand that's been out there for 5 years? Moving a dozen stands in and out of the woods every year just isn't practical either. Getting a slick mobile set up you're familiar with and comfortable with that can be done quickly and quietly is the only way to go in my opinion.
 
Its my first year in the saddle and I have all but abandoned my loc ons on my private. I usually hang 7 or 8 stands but this year I only have 1 and Im not really looking forward to putting on my harness. The saddle set just seems way less intrusive than going in with a loc on and a 20 foot ladder stick. Even if you do it in the summer. I could be wrong but I don't feel like Im leaving as much scent in woods by taking the set out with me. Not to mention if you need to move the loc on set mid season. I run decent stands, summit and millennium, and something always seems to get squeaky or poppy, whether its the ladder or the stand. I was able to get my jacket on the other day with 3 does inside 20 yards without getting busted because I was able to hide behind the tree. No way I would have attempted that in a loc on or climber. I also peed out of the same tree with a button buck at 20 yards. He looked for the noise but didn't get spooky and stayed around for awhile. No way I could have done that if I were not able to have the tree between the deer and I. I think every private land needs a few mobile sets around. A climber has always been a tool in my tool box. Now I have seen the saddle light and am trying to figure out how to make DIY platforms from some of my old stands.
 
I hunt both public and private, bought three new stands on sale at end of season sale last year, had planned to add them to my existing stands, but there they sit, still new in box in the barn. I actually went as far as pulling out a stand I had put up in July before I had a saddle. Saddle is so much quieter - I feel like the colder it gets the louder and more squeaky the ladder stands are, and by the time it gets down to 20 degrees they are super loud. I have also had quiet a few times over the years where deer pass on back side of stand with no decent shot, where as with saddle there is no blind spot. And its really nice when people have no idea where my "stand locations" are.
 
I'll hunt a mix of private and public (about 50/50 at this point) however I've got access to enough private to hunt private exclusively. One of the biggest advantages I see to hunting with a saddle on private (especially when you have non-saddle hunters hunting the same parcel) is that deer will pattern and learn to check the permanent stands while the saddle hunter can adjust and ambush.

Just the other day my dad was talking about how deer regularly come from behind his stand, hang a hard left on a separate trail and circle around him instead of stepping out into a shooting lane. If I wanted to hunt that spot all I would have to do is move my setup to a different tree 50 yards away. So when they're looking at his stand checking for movement I'm sitting 20 yards away at full draw and ready.

Over the years the age structure of the deer he sees has been getting younger and younger and he hasn't figured out why.
 
Private land saddle use? ABSOLUTELY! The saddle gives you the same advantages on private that it does public. Being mobile, the element of surprise and being in the right tree for that particular hunt is way more important to me than convenience
 
Preset all your trees with screw in steps. that is really the best option for private. then you can just climb up and hook on your platform and you are good to go. Benefit is you can also climb up and hang a stand there also if you like. There really is no better way then using screw in steps on private if you ask me.
 
The problem on private is deer learn where your stands are and look up at/into then. The saddle allows me to flip the script on them and not get picked off.
 
Replace the steps with bolts and I agree .... my tree "snake" type steps were starting to rust through in places so I discarded them all after last year. I was able to source bolts for $0.60 each and can do a pre-set for a stand or a saddle for about $8.

Im still getting to know my saddle and spent some time hanging in the yard this past weekend .... im still waiting on my Predator so I just had 4 bolts at height(spaced at 90* increments around the tree) and was amazed how comfortable it was.
 
DanO said:
90% private here too and won't use anything else now besides my saddle. Tonight I hunted 10-15' above one of my old ladder stands. It was nice to keep the tree between me and the deer in the field. I find saddles way more comfortable than ladder stands or hang ons. And rappelling down after dark is just a bonus that you can do easily while wearing a saddle.
Click to expand...
IMHO it also seem much safer rappelling down after dark vs climbing down on sticks, and WAY safer than trying to mess with WE steps or any combo or N/S or aider. It just simplifies things - and in the dark simple is nice.
 
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