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Saddle hunting vs ladder stands

J

Junibravo

New Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2021
Messages
10
I recently got permission to hunt in a couple of properties. I am planning to start scouting and put out some trail cams.
lastyear i exclusively hunted from ladder stands and a summit climber (which was not my favorite). This year i have a saddle hunting/one sticking set up ready to go.
As i scout, should be i thinking of putting up ladder stands in any particular situations or keep tagging trees that i can climb with my saddle set up come hunting season.
 
It’s all personal preference really, although some tree are easier to hunt out of a saddle and vice versa. You could always use the ladder stand to get up the tree and then saddle hunt above the ladder stand if you felt like it. I’ve done that a few times when I knew I was going to sweat like crazy trying to set up my steps and platform early season
 
Personally, I would look for trees to use the saddle out of. But i would go with what is the more comfortable and easiest to set up for you. I like to preset some trees with my steps ( wild edge steps) and just carry my platform with me to whatever suits my fancy that day.

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If you have ladder stands sitting around, its way easier to have a preset ladder and hook into your saddle above it than it is to haul all the saddle stuff with a couple sticks or single stick. But with a saddle when you notice from your ladder stand that you should be 50 yards east, you can just go 50 yards east. Best of both worlds.

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Ladders are great for spots that dont change much. Saddle for spots that require a move or where you cant physically get a ladder or traditional climber to.
 
Sounds like an excellent hunting opportunity and If I had that option I’d run ladder stands and find spots that would better suit the saddle.
 
go out now with 100 6" grade 8 bolts, a cordless drill, a few batteries, and a treehopper bit. Identify the best ambush sites for where deer will be when you'll be hunting. Preset trees in those locations. Start with your Farthest walk, best spots. When you run out of bolts, as you get closer to your access, start throwing up your ladder stands, and identifying trees for your climber. Use your tools on hand. Add a couple to the belt. But do it all now, and don't touch the property again until it's killin time.
 
All of our suggestions are dependent on the type of property that it is.
With some properties it's a no brainer as to where stands will work. Pinch points, terrain, funnels, etc can make it easy to decide where to set up. In those cases, ladders might be obvious where they need to go. In some cases it's the ONLY place you can set up.
And on other properties, deer patterns are not so obvious. In those cases, I think saddles are the better choice.

Summer is not the best time to learn a property for a lot of reasons. Late winter, early spring is the best time to pattern deer.

Like @kyler1945 said...
Get a bunch of bolts and a cordless drill. Bolt as many trees as you can and be willing to adjust where you need to be as you hunt it.
The only decision is platform or ROS. Once you learn the patterns, it will be easier to decide if/where to set ladders.
 
Here’s my thought, and how I hunt. On the main farm I hunt I have 4 permanent stands that are there all the time. 2 are over consistent food sources that are present during early to mid October. The other 2 are in funnels and draws that you can see a ton of deer at during the rut. I hunt them according to wind and pressure and camera pics and just whatever mood I’m in. My saddle is reserved for any time that I want to be mobile on that farm, hunt public land, hunt another farm, or if the conditions aren’t right for those stands.

anyone who tells you to throw your ladder stands in the scrap pile and only hunt with a saddle is probably trying to sell you something. I’ve got to where now I’ll just carry a platform, aider, rappel and saddle and might end up huntin on the ground if I can find a good spot. I love being mobile!
 
Thank you so much guys. I appreciate the thoughts.
i dont think the owners of either property will appreciate bolts in their trees so tree stands it is.
I scouted one of the properties yesterday nad luckily i found a couple stands left behind by people who used to hunt there but are not there anymore. That helps some, and who knows, maybe i will find some old stands in the second property too. Otherwise i have at least one stand laying around my garage, ready to be hung
 
If this was pre-Covix, I would say bunch of ladder stands or even building them from treated lumber for maybe.....$20-30 each worth of material. But consider SRT with preset. I agree with the bolts suggestion but if that is not allowed. I think presetting with paracord and SRTing is the safest and cheapest method when it come to private property if you don't already have a supply of unused ladder stands around.
 
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