Properly taking shots from a saddle
*When referring to shot locations as times on a clock, from your hunting position, directly behind you is 6-oclock, 90-degrees to your left is 9-oclock, 180 degree to the backside of the tree is 12-oclock and 90-degrees to your right is 3-oclock. All other hours will be between them as if on a clock.
-When hunting trees 16 inches or less in diameter you should have 4 steps placed at 3, 6, 9 and 12-oclock and your legs should be somewhat straddling the trunk with your body in the 6-oclok position, your right foot on the 3-oclock step and your left on the 9-oclock step. The 6-oclock step will be between your feet and the 12-oclock step on the backside of the tree.
If in a larger diameter tree, you will need additional steps and they should be close to the same distance apart so you can easily move around the tree. I like my steps to be gapped about 8 to 10 inches apart and there should always be an empty step between the 2 you are standing on during the hunt.
If using a platform to stand on at your 6 o’clock hunting position, ALWAYS place additional steps level with the platform at 9, 12 and 3-oclock so you can easily move around the tree when necessary.
-When setting up for your 6-oclock hanging position, you want to set-up so that your most opportune shot opportunities will be at your 9 to 1-oclock positions. This set-up will allow you to use the tree trunk as a blocker to hide your body profile.
-If right-handed and in trees under 16 inches in diameter, any shot from your 6-oclock to 1-oclock positions should require no additional foot movements to other steps for the shot. For 6 to 10-oclock shots you either twist at the waist to shoot behind you or shoot directly to your left. For 10 to 1-oclock shots you simply lean out to the left.
If you see a shot opportunity beginning to present itself in the 1 to 5-oclock area, grab your bow and step around the tree to your left and wait for the opportunity to happen. This will keep the tree trunk between you and the deer, so you don’t get picked. It is always advised to move around the tree in a manner to keep the tree trunk between you and the target animal, to keep from getting picked.
When moving around the tree to your left, put your right foot to the empty step between your feet and then move your left foot to the next step to its left. On trees under 16 inches in diameter with 4 steps, this 90-degree move will give you the 1 to 3 or 4-oclock shot opportunities.
For shot opportunities to the 3 or 4 to 6-oclock areas, I recommend adjusting out an additional 2 inches of tree tether and then moving 2 steps to your left which will put you in the 12-oclock position. From the 12-oclock position, 3 to 6-oclock shots are very simple and youi will have kept the tree as a hiding buffer so you don’t get picked.
Another option for a 3 to 6-oclock shot is to move to the 9-oclock position and lift your bow over the tree tether and twist hard to the right to make those shots. This will severely contort your body and make drawing your bow difficult. That move should only be made when you do not have time to properly move around the tree to the left. When practicing from trees, I suggest practicing that awkward shot from time to time just in case you ever need it.
When hunting from a platform I strongly do not recommend standing up on the platform and turning your body around 180-degrees to make that shot because that is way too much body movement on the same side of the tree as the deer and at some point, even in lightly hunted areas, this movement will cost you an opportunity. Utilize the purpose the saddle was designed for and always try to keep the tree trunk as a hiding buffer between you and the deer.
-When hunting you should have your bow hanging at 9-oclock and have another hanger at 12-oclock. For shots where you need to move your body to the 9-oclock position, move your bow to the 12-oclock hanger first and then make the move. Your bow will then be hanging in the ready position when needed.
There are videos, pictures and advertisements of hunters in saddles with their bodies; hanging straight out from the tree to shoot below them, badly contorted for shots as if you need to be a gymnast, and with a leg up on the side of the tree trunk (not on a step or platform) when taking shots. While these positions may look cool for an ad, I’m here to tell you that I’ve taken well over 200 deer (bucks and does combined) from a saddle and have NEVER taken a shot where both feet were not on steps or where my body was contorted in any of those manners. The most awkward shot I ever took was on a 21-inch wide 10-point positioned at 3-oclock. It happened so fast that I had no option but to lift my bow over the tree tether to take the shot and kill him, which I did.
*Note for longbow and recurve shooters: I get quite a few questions about whether a saddle is conducive for long bows and recurves and they absolutely are. In fact, with near straight down shots, unlike all conventional platform stands where the platform or your legs are in the way, there is nothing to get in the way when using a saddle and your lower body is angled towards the tree making your legs a non-issue as well. The length of bow you can shoot is totally dependent on how well you trim the area in the tree where you’re hunting for limb clearance.
*Note for gun hunters: When gun hunting there are 2 advantages when using a saddle. You can use the tree trunk in front of you as the most solid rest you could ever have and use the tree trunk to hide behind so as not to get picked.
When cupping the front of the gun stock in your hand, just put your hand against the tree for a solid rest. The tree is solid and with both feet solidly on steps, your butt planted in the saddle, and your guns against the tree, you have 4 solid points of body contact as well giving you nearly the same rest as you would have on a shooting bench. I know because I gun hunted from a saddle for 10 years, reloaded rifle cartridges, sighted in hunter’s rifles (for deer season) for the largest sporting goods store in the state on my 200-yard range with shooting bench, and took 30+ deer with a rifle during the 10 years I gun hunted from a saddle.