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Two years ago, I was ready to throw hands at the next person to tell me to go mobile. I had only recently ditched ladder stands for climbing stands, which I considered mobile enough. The last thing I wanted to do was learn a new hunting system.
I put up a brave fight against peer pressure, but ultimately caved. I’m in my second season of stacking up deer from saddles and ultralight hang-on stands while my climbing stands collect dust. I hate to admit it, but the masses were right. Mobile hunting is undeniably deadly for whitetails, but it can be an enormous pain in the ass. Literally.
Comfortable…Enough
The saddle movement is the wildest trend I’ve seen so far in my hunting career. It put the entire whitetail world in a chokehold overnight. Saddles are unbeatable for dialing in on deer movement, especially on public land when you just need to cover ground efficiently and adjust your setup on the fly.
I love my saddle for the strategic advantage it gives me–I just don’t love how it feels. Even in a perfect tree, I often find myself fidgeting after an hour or two in an attempt to shift weight off of an aching hip, knee, or ankle. And in mobile hunting, the trees are rarely perfect.
Lightweight stands offer some relief for longer-duration sits or volume hunting a hot location, but even the best mobile hang-ons sacrifice comfort for packability. Tiny platforms and seats don’t leave much room for movement if you need a good stretch during an all-day sit, and standard seat cushions can leave a lot to be desired.
Investing in a more adjustable saddle and a larger platform made saddle hunting much more tolerable for me. Knee pads are a popular solution for periodically relieving your leg joints. Although I prefer my redneck life hack of strapping my turkey hunting seat cushion to my tree to rest my knees on. I add that same cushion to the rock-hard factor- issue seat on my hang-on stand, and it makes a world of difference. There are plenty of adjustments you can make to improve your mobile experience, but you have to accept that you won’t be box-blind-with-an-office-chair comfortable while you punch your tags.
Too Much Freedom
Box blinds and ladder stands aren’t just easier on your butt—they’re easier on your brain. When I started mobile hunting, I found myself yearning for the old days when I could just run on autopilot because once my stands were set, they were set for the season. All I had to do was show up.
Adjusting to constant decision-making was the hardest part of going mobile for me. It’s a struggle to make the right choice and not second-guess yourself when you have so many options available to you. And it’s especially tough to sit tight when you have the power to move.
I often have the urge to move 50 yards down to the next creek crossing, or bail on a property after one quiet sit. The ability to make quick adjustments is a net benefit of mobile hunting, but bouncing around too much is guaranteed to cost you deer.
Uncertainty is uncomfortable when you’re waiting on a whitetail. But, to be consistently successful as a mobile hunter, you have to learn to ignore your wandering eye and let every setup play out before you make a new plan.
Setting Up Will Wear You Down
If potentially blowing out a good spot isn’t enough encouragement for you to stay put, you’ll eventually find yourself burned out on playing musical trees. Mobile hunting gives you the freedom to move around, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do.
Every setup is a significant investment of time and energy, and few things will wear you down quite like pulling everything in the dark for the fifth night in a row. Even the lightest platforms and climbing sticks on the market start to feel heavy two miles in, and there’s so much more a mobile hunter needs to account for.
All the things that are set-it-and-forget-it for the non-mobile crowd–like bow hangers, backpack hooks, haul lines, and lineman belts–have to be top-of-mind with every move. I can’t tell you how much profanity I whispered the first time I pulled my climbing sticks and looked up to see my bow hanger stranded 20 feet overhead. Or the frustration I’ve felt digging around for my haul line because I got lazy and didn’t put it back in its designated backpack pocket.
The gear management side of mobile hunting comes with a significant learning curve. A lot of it requires trial and error. But, if you stay organized and develop a good system, you’ll save yourself a lot of headache and learn that it might just be worth all the trouble.
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22 Comments
The point about mobile hunting requiring a different mindset and approach than traditional hunting methods is well-taken, and I think it’s essential for hunters to be aware of these differences before making the switch.
What do you think are some key mindset shifts that hunters need to make when transitioning to mobile hunting?
I’m interested in hearing more about the author’s experiences with different types of mobile hunting gear, such as saddles and ultralight hang-on stands, and how they’ve found them to perform in various hunting scenarios.
The article raises an important point about the potential for overthinking and analysis paralysis in mobile hunting, and I think it’s essential for hunters to be aware of this pitfall and to develop strategies to mitigate it.
I’ve also experienced the issue of comfort with mobile hunting, especially with saddles, and I’ve found that investing in a more adjustable saddle and a larger platform has made a big difference, as the author suggests.
What specific adjustments did you make to your saddle to improve comfort?
The comparison between the comfort of box blinds and ladder stands versus mobile hunting setups is a good one, and it highlights the trade-offs that hunters need to consider when choosing their approach.
Do you think that the benefits of mobile hunting outweigh the drawbacks, or is it a matter of personal preference?
The comparison between box blinds and ladder stands being easier on the brain due to the lack of constant decision-making is an interesting one, and I think it’s something that many hunters can relate to, especially those who are new to mobile hunting.
The author’s mention of the need to accept that you won’t be as comfortable during mobile hunting as you would be in a box blind or ladder stand is a realistic assessment, and it’s something that hunters should be prepared for.
The article highlights the importance of finding ways to improve comfort during mobile hunting, such as using knee pads or a turkey hunting seat cushion, which can make a big difference in the overall experience.
The author’s statement that adjusting to constant decision-making was the hardest part of going mobile for them makes me wonder if there are any strategies or techniques that can help hunters develop the mental discipline to stay focused and avoid overthinking during mobile hunts.
One strategy that might help is to set clear goals and priorities before each hunt, and to establish a pre-hunt routine to help stay focused.
The author’s point about too much freedom being a problem in mobile hunting resonates with me, as I’ve found myself overthinking and second-guessing my decisions when I have too many options available, which can lead to analysis paralysis.
The author mentions that mobile hunting is undeniably deadly for whitetails, but it can be an enormous pain, literally, due to the discomfort of saddles and ultralight hang-on stands, which is a trade-off I’m willing to consider for the strategic advantage it provides.
I’m curious about the author’s experience with knee pads as a solution for relieving leg joint pain during mobile hunting, and whether they’ve tried other alternatives like the turkey hunting seat cushion hack mentioned in the article.
I’m intrigued by the author’s mention of the saddle movement being the wildest trend they’ve seen in their hunting career, and I’d like to know more about how this trend has impacted the hunting community and the industry as a whole.
The idea that uncertainty is uncomfortable when you’re mobile hunting is a valid point, and I think it’s something that many hunters struggle with, especially when they’re used to having a fixed stand or blind.
Do you think that experience and practice can help reduce this uncertainty, or are there other factors at play?
I appreciate the author’s emphasis on the importance of strategic advantage in mobile hunting, and how it can make a big difference in terms of success, especially on public land where adaptability is key.
The author’s experience with climbing stands collecting dust since switching to mobile hunting is relatable, as I’ve also found that mobile hunting has become my preferred method, despite the challenges and discomfort it presents.
I appreciate the author’s honesty about the challenges of mobile hunting, particularly the physical discomfort and mental fatigue, as it’s not often discussed in hunting communities, and it’s refreshing to see a more nuanced perspective on the topic.