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Stand versus saddle

Hall17 said:
I will be using both. For me I hunt some very easy spots and I also hunt some areas where its a long/steep walk in and wanted to shed some weight to make that walk easier. Also, some of my easier spots don't have great trees for a climber. I think having multiple tools helps get the job done. There are multiple ways to get the job done so for me its per application so to speak
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I think elevation isn't in the conversation nearly enough. I can manage shifty weight for deep spots reasonably well on gentle terrain, but if weight shifts on an assent or descent big trouble can result.

Going in deep and busting brush get a lot of attention, but I think just simply hunting elevation begs for careful gear selection.
 
I was just thinking about making this thread as im watching it now.....It is definitely one sided. Im actually surprised he even made this video. The guy using the saddle clearly isn't well versed since he couldn't even turn around. I use saddles, millenium m7 and ladderstands depending where im at. But the saddle is my go to. Its just easier and more comfortable for me since i scout in and hunt new areas constantly. And i don't know if its because i haven't had enough coffee yet, but that little portly fella is aggravating me with his little grin lol.
 
Ked84 said:
I was just thinking about making this thread as im watching it now.....It is definitely one sided. Im actually surprised he even made this video. The guy using the saddle clearly isn't well versed since he couldn't even turn around. I use saddles, millenium m7 and ladderstands depending where im at. But the saddle is my go to. Its just easier and more comfortable for me since i scout in and hunt new areas constantly. And i don't know if its because i haven't had enough coffee yet, but that little portly fella is aggravating me with his little grin lol.
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lol, but finish your coffee. he's alright.

I find the M7 to be a pretty good piece of kit. I picked up a .5 for hunting hybrid, but I'm going to help my brother get his M7 dialed in. The seat comfort is worth a weight penalty for a sitter. Another few inches of platform and guys who stand hunt would be all over it. Metal skeleton seats just suck to sit on.
 
Hlzr said:
Release date 2025 lol
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I had a similar thought, but now that he's been through the process of creating a platform, if indeed they are working on a saddle platform, he should at least be able to keep up with production timelines of, say, a saddle company with the majority market share. Yeah...I'm not holding my breath.

By then Dan will have learned that saddlehunting is way better than stand hunting. :)
 
Use what works for you.
As Dan uses what works for him.
Just cause something doesn’t work for one doesnt mean it won’t work for you and vise versa.
When someone is selling tree stands for a living thier probably gonna have not much good to push about using a saddle.
So ya gotta kind of look farther into whats being said.
the motive
 
splatek said:
New video from infalt/hunting beast YouTube comparing. Curious what some on here think, because I’ve been finding myself leaning more and more towards moving back to stand or ground hunting


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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That video was a hit job, pure and simple. Bet he had to look for a while to find the perfect “saddle hunter” patsy that couldn’t stand up for himself if he wanted to. A pure “yes-man”. Big takeaway was that “stands are better because I’m willing to do stupid $hit that no one else in their right mind would do, stand or saddle. You see that leaning tree? could you hunt that with a saddle? No. Of course not, no one in thier right mind would hunt that with a stand or a saddle. You see that cedar tree? Yeah, I cut some limbs back with my saw and put my stand in there. You couldn’t do that with a saddle huh? Well no, because saddle hunters aren’t allowed to carry saws and cut limbs. See all those vines on that tree, you can’t use your linesman’s belt, so you can’t climb the tree to saddle hunt. I just won’t use a linesman’s belt, so therefore stands are better. Then the best part “all these people putting out these biased videos”....as he puts out his own biased video. No biggie, it was so blatant, it was obvious, which just made him look bad in the end.

I hunted in a Summit Viper last season. Most comfortable stand in existence....except don’t sit in it. I stand from the crack of dawn until I climb down, so I can’t see any downside to standing in a saddle....and I don’t have to hump 15lbs in and out over a mile everyday. Sounds like win win to me.
 
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2Sloe said:
That video was a hit job, pure and simple. Bet he had to look for a while to find the perfect “saddle hunter” patsy that couldn’t stand up for himself if he wanted to. A pure “yes-man”. Big takeaway was that “stands are better because I’m willing to stupid $hit that no one else in their right mind would do, stand or saddle. You see that leaning tree? could you hunt that with a saddle? No. Of course not, no one in thier right mind would hunt that with a stand or a saddle. You see that cedar tree? Yeah, I cut some limbs back with my saw and put my stand in there. You couldn’t do that with a saddle huh? Well no, because saddle hunters aren’t allowed to carry saws and cut limbs. See all those vines on that tree, you can’t use your linesman’s belt, so you can’t climb the tree to saddle hunt. I just won’t use a linesman’s belt, so therefore stands are better. Then the best part “all these people putting out these biased videos”....as he puts out his own biased video. No biggie, it was so blatant, it was obvious, which just made him look bad in the end.

I hunted in a Summit Viper last season. Most comfortable stand in existence....except don’t sit in it. I stand from the crack of dawn until I climb down, so I can’t see any downside to standing in a saddle....and I don’t have to hump 15lbs in and out over a mile everyday. Sounds like win win to me.
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Nailed it bro.
Look at my response above yours. Lol
 
I'm not gonna bash on Dan I like his style and his channel and he makes some good observations. That being said, it wasn't really a fair comparison but at least the guy in the saddle was honest about it. I would have been more skeptical if he wasn't. I agree that multiple options are the best for maximizing your harvests. Use what gets the job done for that particular location or situation. It allows one to improvise a plan when other constraints present themselves. I do think saddles afford you a bit quicker and certainly more nimble audibles in the woods even in your locations where you may have great stand locations. The deer begin to pattern you. Having a saddle capability allows a super quick change set up which may throw the deer off just enough to make a mistake and walk under your saddle. On public, if I find stands in locations where I know guys are hunting and all I have is to go in on weekend too, I'll setup down wind of those stands 150 to 300 yards on a heavy cover strip or where I find rubs and other sign. The deer will gravitate to those areas as the pressure increases and you can get an opportunity. Also move in when others are moving out for the day. If everyone's going in at first light or before, go in at 8 or 9 and be ready to hunt while the others are pushing the bucks around as they are freezing out and heading out for awhile. The saddle allows for these quick setups.
 
woodsdog2 said:
I'm not gonna bash on Dan I like his style and his channel and he makes some good observations. That being said, it wasn't really a fair comparison but at least the guy in the saddle was honest about it. I would have been more skeptical if he wasn't. I agree that multiple options are the best for maximizing your harvests. Use what gets the job done for that particular location or situation. It allows one to improvise a plan when other constraints present themselves. I do think saddles afford you a bit quicker and certainly more nimble audibles in the woods even in your locations where you may have great stand locations. The deer begin to pattern you. Having a saddle capability allows a super quick change set up which may throw the deer off just enough to make a mistake and walk under your saddle. On public, if I find stands in locations where I know guys are hunting and all I have is to go in on weekend too, I'll setup down wind of those stands 150 to 300 yards on a heavy cover strip or where I find rubs and other sign. The deer will gravitate to those areas as the pressure increases and you can get an opportunity. Also move in when others are moving out for the day. If everyone's going in at first light or before, go in at 8 or 9 and be ready to hunt while the others are pushing the bucks around as they are freezing out and heading out for awhile. The saddle allows for these quick setups.
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I dont think anyone was really bashing Dan.
Dan is just marketing a brand that is selling products. Theres nothing wrong with that
The point is Dan has told me himself he has never tried a saddle and never will so it was a bit bias to judge saddles like he did.
Then one of his own staff members is in the video. Do you really think he can be honest with his boss sitting there?
He hesitates alot when Dan asks him few questions. They are all good guys and very knowledgeable but thet are selling products.
Ive been saddle hunting off and on since 2007. Doesnt matter what you really use to get on deer it really depends on the tree.
No trimming at all here so its more difficult.
saddles or stands have no bearing on getting on high pressured deer. they are tools.
To me knowing the deer and how they use a certain area especially when pressured is what needs to be known.
The tools hide you that’s about it.
Guys lets not let this post get into a bunch of fanboy arguments.
 
Robert loper said:
. . . .
Guys lets not let this post get into a bunch of fanboy arguments.
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Thank you Robert, I was thinking exactly the same thing and you beat me to it.

The topic at hand is Stand versus Saddle. Let's not let this degrade into taking personal shots at some of the most prominent users of either.
 
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boyne bowhunter said:
Thank you Robert, I was thinking exactly the same thing and you beat me to it.

The topic at hand is Stand versus Saddle. Let's not let this degrade into taking personal shots at some of the most prominent users of either.
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No problem my brotha.
Its very easy to read words wrong
Especially nowadays.
I myself have been accused recently of bashing a certain guy because of a disappointing disagreement we have recently had.
i love the guy and support him 100%
but i admit I think people took alot of my words in the past about him the wrong way and i probably should have worded things a bit differently.
 
Let’s just say most of the saddle hunters out there bought a saddle for the hype. Never took the time to really dial in a system for them. I’ve been using a saddle for years and still making tweaks. I’ve also hunted a tree with my friends loc-on on it and pushed it out the way for my ROS.

Why do people want a seat if they have a saddle? (I’ve sat in my saddle all day and was more comfortable than most loc-on seats.) Probably because they bought a saddle that isn’t made to sit in. Or their platform, tether, and bridge is set up for a leaner. Some saddles have gotten away from making a saddle sitter friendly. Then created all kinds of improvements and platforms or should we say “fixes” to make their saddle more comfortable and useable.

I must say, I’ve never wore knee pads. Sure they would help but it’s not that bad that I want them. I do wear pants with a built in knee pad but it’s more like a patch than a pad.

There are definitely places where a stand is a better fit. There are places where a 10ft ladder is better than any stand. But a very high percentage of the time, I take my saddle.

A guy who is very proficient hunting from a loc-on and a guy who is very proficient hunting from a saddle will find very little cans and can’t do’s when compared side by side. So then you are left with weight, bulk, and ease of installation. And that’s why I choose a saddle.
 
swampsnyper said:
Let’s just say most of the saddle hunters out there bought a saddle for the hype. Never took the time to really dial in a system for them. I’ve been using a saddle for years and still making tweaks. I’ve also hunted a tree with my friends loc-on on it and pushed it out the way for my ROS.

Why do people want a seat if they have a saddle? (I’ve sat in my saddle all day and was more comfortable than most loc-on seats.) Probably because they bought a saddle that isn’t made to sit in. Or their platform, tether, and bridge is set up for a leaner. Some saddles have gotten away from making a saddle sitter friendly. Then created all kinds of improvements and platforms or should we say “fixes” to make their saddle more comfortable and useable.

I must say, I’ve never wore knee pads. Sure they would help but it’s not that bad that I want them. I do wear pants with a built in knee pad but it’s more like a patch than a pad.

There are definitely places where a stand is a better fit. There are places where a 10ft ladder is better than any stand. But a very high percentage of the time, I take my saddle.

A guy who is very proficient hunting from a loc-on and a guy who is very proficient hunting from a saddle will find very little cans and can’t do’s when compared side by side. So then you are left with weight, bulk, and ease of installation. And that’s why I choose a saddle.
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Basically what works for you may not work another and vise versa
 
boyne bowhunter said:
Thank you Robert, I was thinking exactly the same thing and you beat me to it.

The topic at hand is Stand versus Saddle. Let's not let this degrade into taking personal shots at some of the most prominent users of either.
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I refuse! I will never forgive @Nutterbuster for selling out and doing a review on the Tethrd Phantom...like a common streetwalker. You should feel dirty!

You were the reason I got a Recon! I believed you. You told me I didnt have to live the life of a climber....
 
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