It was an odd feeling as I slipped along the edge of the fallow field where two years before, I laid eyes on the biggest wild whitetail buck I had ever seen. He eased out of the woods heading for some persimmon trees that were dropping their delicious fruit. Darkness fell before he made it to my stand.
Regardless of how hard I hunted him, scouted, and searched, this giant old buck had eluded me and my setup in the past, but this year would be different. I decided that I would climb a twisted, knurly, and limb-filled tree close to where he emerged the two previous years. The only way I could do this was to alter my climbing gear and access the lone tree that would provide a shot with my bow.
The fascination and sudden surge in the popularity of saddle hunting has intrigued me. While it has been around for more than 40 years, the popularity of hunting out of a saddle has just now gained popularity among the masses. The reason behind the sudden popularity, as well as the tactics and equipment used, are new arenas for many of us.
Chris Taylor of Glasgow, Kentucky has been hunting out of a saddle for several years and enjoys the experience. I spoke with him to get a feel of why saddle hunting has gained popularity and what it is about saddles that are all the rage.
Why so popular?
The need to travel deep into the forest has grown. Carrying a 20-pound lock-on stand and climbing sticks on your back along with your gear can be taxing to many folks. Saddles offer a solution.
“Saddles allow you to hike much further with a lot less weight,” said Taylor.
Being a big guy, Taylor stands 6-foot, 4-inches and carries his 250-pound frame well. Still, it is a load when packing heavy gear.
“The ability to carry everything I need to hunt elevated in less than 15 pounds was a big draw for me,” Taylor said.
Add to that the ability to sneak into a place quietly and quickly to get into a tree close to where you want to hunt is a big advantage.
What’s changed?
Taylor said one thing that has changed is the evolution of the equipment. In the old days, you had mostly converted arborist gear that was being used by hunters. Today, several companies specialize in saddle gear for hunters. Many of these companies still use technology from the arborist community, but they are designed with hunters in mind rather than arborists. As the technology has improved, so has the popularity of saddle hunting. Even some traditional treestand companies are adding saddles to their gear lineup. Hawk, for one, has added a popular saddle system to their lineup. Taylor said he believes the extreme popularity of some YouTube hunters who use saddles has added to the trend.
“When I watched people actually using it in the field, it made me want to try it,” Taylor said.
Seeing some of the most successful hunters traveling across the country and using saddles to access remote and difficult terrain is appealing to many hunters.
“The ability to climb basically any tree — straight, twisted, limbs, no limbs — and being able to adjust to any wind direction is a big advantage for me personally,” Taylor said.
Is it for me?
It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. How mobile do you want to be? Do you want to hunt anywhere you want to hunt? Do you want to pack in light? Do you want to be able to adjust on the fly to wind directions? Are you willing to learn a new method? If you answer yes to most of these, then you probably need to try saddle hunting.
Granted, saddle hunting isn’t for everyone. Some have completely converted and use it exclusively. Others see a place for it and use it when needed. If you want to be able to go to a new place, pack in everything you need quietly and quickly, and still be able to hunt elevated, saddle hunting is the best method I have tried so far.
Easy access:
Saddle hunting allows archery hunters to travel long distances with very little weight, giving them access to areas that are difficult to hunt with any other type of deer stand, most of which are too heavy and impractical to hike in to remote areas.
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