You may be familiar with the traditional hunting style. However, there are many different methods of hunting that you also need to know about! This mainly concerns saddle hunting.
Saddle hunting has been around for over three decades and has completely taken the deer hunting community by storm. You’ve undoubtedly heard of this hunting style at some point in your life!
Ironically, it isn’t an entirely new thing. Yet it wasn’t until recently that equipment innovation and creative marketing truly brought it to the forefront. Nowadays, it is making its way directly into the mainstream hunting culture.
If you’d like to know more about saddle hunting, we’ve got you covered in this article!
Saddle Hunting: A Definition
Saddle hunting is a common deer hunting technique that is carried out from an elevated position while wearing a hunting saddle. This type of saddle is a swing/sling/seat that is usually either a lineman’s belt, a hunting saddle, or a rock climbing harness.
It usually has nylon straps and a mesh seat that wraps securely around your upper legs and waist. All you need to do is clip the rope on a tree and then lie back in the harness.
Once you run out of climbing sticks or reach your desired height on the tree, the saddle is anchored to a tree using a tether rope. It’s a perfect alternative to a tree stand for individuals who prefer to hunt from an elevated position.
Feel free to take a look at the Best Climbing Sticks.
Best Climbing Method
There isn’t one specific climbing method for saddling hunting, and the best style of climbing depends on you personally and your preferred style of hunting. You also need to consider the added weight depending on your chosen climbing method. You must select one that is both efficient and highly comfortable.
How Comfortable Is Saddle Hunting?
How comfortable your saddle hunting experience is will depend on the gear that you choose to hunt with. There are many tree saddles, climbing sticks, and saddle hunting platforms that will help you to make your experience as comfortable as possible.
Benefits Of Saddle Hunting
Many benefits of saddle hunting need to be spoken about. For example, they are a lot lighter when compared to hunting from a treestand.
They are also much quieter to install and use in the tree instead of a treestand. You will find fewer moving parts which make for a nearly silent tree setup after getting to your desired stand height.
Lightweight
You gain a lot of mobility by cutting the bulk and weight of the usual setup. If you hunt on public land or carry out any type of walking within your setup, using saddle hunting will make your life considerably easier than you may have ever imagined!
Increased Mobility
Mobility is arguably the most important advantage when it comes to saddle hunting. It’s a great way of remaining in action when hunting deer. With your saddle, you can easily move stand locations and maneuver yourself to different locations.
Easy
Saddle hunting isn’t difficult but it is certainly different! Learning how to saddle hunt is not rocket science and can be pretty easy to get the hang of at times. Much like any other activity, it requires patience, practice, and dedication to become the best at it.
Compatibility
A tree saddle is more compatible and much easier to carry out than a tree stand. It requires a lot of effort to carry a heavier tree stand (a minimum of 15 pounds) while also hiking.
Hunter Safety
A huge advantage of saddle hunting is safety. If it is used properly, you’re tethering yourself to the tree from the second your feet leave the ground to the second they return to the floor. This limits the risk of falling from the saddle. Make sure to always remain tethered!
Is Saddle Hunting Worth It?
This is something many people will debate for long periods. It may be in your best interest to try saddle hunting as it offers all of the advantages of using a tree stand with the added mobility and versatility of using a saddle.
To Saddle Up, Or Not?
Shooting while in a saddle is a unique practice that requires a lot of careful planning and consideration. Yet it allows you to experience new opportunities like no other type of hunting! This is because it allows you to achieve any shot angle or opening that you desire — giving you free rein of movement.
