Mistakes saddle hunters make
With so many hunters trying out saddle hunting year after year, I thought I would piece together a list of mistakes most people make when taking the saddle hunting plunge.
- Not making sure gear is the right fit.
- Forgetting to practice before hunting.
- Getting skylined.
- Not staying organized in the tree.
- Neglecting to shoot multiple positions in practice.
- Not internet scouting enough.
Not trying out your gear before purchasing.
I know… Not exactly the easiest thing to accomplish. But, with the help of online forums, local archery clubs, trade shows, various saddle hunting meetups across the country. There actually are ways to accomplish this and test out the latest and greatest the industry has to offer.
You spend hours in the saddle or stand every year. When November hits, the last thing you want is to find how uncomfortable your platform, climbing sticks, or saddle are.
Using one of the methods above odds are you can try just about everything out.
Forgetting to practice with your gear.
Practice makes perfect. Right? While everything you do may not be perfect, the more you practice the better you’ll be. Fumbling around to get in a tree could mean busting out the buck you’ve been after. Become efficient with your saddle hunting kit. If you aren’t efficient with your gear you may as well be hunting in a stand.
Getting skylined.
No matter how good the tree or location of it, if you’re getting skylined odds are you are getting busted. Make sure that you pick a good tree with a canopy far enough behind you so that you can extend your legs fully to shoot and rotate if needed.
Not bringing a gear hanger.
While keeping things as minimalistic as possible is always best. The few extra ounces you gain from bring some sort of gear hanger and staying organized can be the difference between shooting a deer, missing an opportunity or even a shot.
Get a saddle hunting gear hanger, stay organized.
Not getting comfortable shooting in all positions.
The saddle was designed to give you the opportunity to swing and shoot virtually any shot in all directions. Not practicing shooting from your saddle, getting used to the tree saddles bridge and learning the different positions can be costly when it comes time to make the shot that counts.
Not E-Scouting enough.
E-Scouting for whitetails with ONX Maps has become increasingly popular over the last few years. With a simple tool saddle hunters can now make a game plan on their smart phones with numerous back up plans a few taps away.
While some may not like utilizing any electronics for that matter in the woods, it is a useful tool that can greatly benefit new and novice saddle hunters alike.
Tip for new saddle hunters.
If you are getting into one-sticking or just saving weight you should check out how climbing stick aiders can help get you higher up the tree with less of a weight penalty. You can read more on how you can benefit from climbing aiders here.
If you have any questions about saddle hunting gear, our products or hunting in general, shoot us an email at info@outonalimbmfg.com.