• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Rifle hunting in a saddle

G

GBRHEL

New Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2018
Messages
29
Location
Eau Claire, WI
I am curious to know if anyone rifle hunts from their saddle. I am still trying to figure out where to hang my rifle. I was hanging it to my left as I do my bow, but realized I had to lift the rifle up over the tether to get into shooting position. Way too much movement when deer show up close. Any suggestions?
 
Hang my gun on the right side ( lefthanded) use the JX3 tethers for a solid rest.
 
I put mine on the side I think deer are going to come in on, I use jab-in hooks to hang the rifle and then they act as a rest when it is killing time.
 
I hang it on a low hook on my left that serves as a rest. So I set up for a shot bracing the gun on the left side of the tree while sitting in the saddle so this is very stable. Ideal deer presentation is 9-12 o clock, outside that window I take the gun off the hook/rest and brace it on the tree. All the movement required is to pick the stock up with your left hand and move it to your right shoulder. It's less movement than drawing a bow. If i have something come in towards my right I just walk around the tree till I can see them. If they come in from behind fast then it can be hard because you have to turn and freehand the shot.

I wouldn't recommend this with a metal platform but JRB uses a tether and hangs both a gun and a crossbow off his bridge so the pistol grip is right by his right hand. I think that sets up for a shot braced leaning into the tether on the right side, so you'd want deer from like 12-3 ideally.

I also practice shooting left handed and will swap shoulders if it's less movement.

If you are worried about this take a BB gun with a sling and go target shoot things until you are comfortable.
 
dhoff545 said:
I hang it on a low hook on my left that serves as a rest.
Click to expand...
Take a look at loop slings, https://gundigest.com/more/how-to/rifle-shooting-basics-loop-sling for example, but there are plenty of other resources. I think it would probably help stabilize a rifle in awkward saddle positions. Unfortunately my air gun doesn't have a forward sling loop and there isn't a safe way for me to practice with .22s in a saddle. I might put one on my crossbow, though; I like the adjustable sling I have on it but it's no good for bracing a shooting position.
 
Iron_llama said:
Take a look at loop slings, https://gundigest.com/more/how-to/rifle-shooting-basics-loop-sling for example, but there are plenty of other resources.
Click to expand...
That's an excellent point. This is what I use: https://www.thewilderness.com/langlois-rhodesian-sling/
Awhile ago I got really into scout rifles and was looking for a 3-point "Ching" sling and ended up with that puppy. It's not as fast as a 3 pt but doesn't require an extra swivel.

For this you could just improvise a sling out of Paracord for your BB gun. Heck you could use a nerf gun. It's not really about the gun it's about the walkthrough.
 
I actually think a saddle works almost better during rifle season. If you are on private, you can use a couple of screw in steps as a rifle rest. If you are on public use some strap on steps. Short early season hunts, just lay it across the bridge or hang it off to the side of the tree. I often use a lock on during early bow season, when its thick, as I can just lay it across my lap.
 
I hang my muzzleloader & rifle on the right side of the tree. I do use the hanger as a rest on longer shots, was pretty steady for 290 & 310 yrds DRT shots a couple years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm about to be coyote hunting with a rifle from a stand/saddle here next week. They've gotten pretty brave and are hanging around the horse pens at night on the farm I hunt. They seem to be following the deer herd around looking for opportunities to take fawns according to the game and security cameras we have all around. They've adopted a very regular schedule of movement since they're following the deer so I'm going to setup a hundred yards out from a trail hub and see what I can do when the wind is favorable.
 
GBRHEL said:
I am curious to know if anyone rifle hunts from their saddle. I am still trying to figure out where to hang my rifle. I was hanging it to my left as I do my bow, but realized I had to lift the rifle up over the tether to get into shooting position. Way too much movement when deer show up close. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
When i rifle or shotgun hunt with a saddle, i have an adjustable length "tether", made out of para cord, which is attached around the pistol grip and the other end is attached to my bridge carabiner. It stays on my right hip such that when my right hand falls down to a comfortable position near my butt, it's right on the pistol grip and goes right up onto my shoulder. It moves with me as I move.

JrbTreeClimbing.com, w/JRB15 Coupon at ApeCanyon.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top