When does a saddle become useful to a buck?

[shedder]

When does a saddle become useful to a buck?

How much elevation drop does it need?

In the example above, the NE running brook has cover and acts as a minor cover funnel but is the saddle significant enough to matter?

I don't know if it is used. I haven't checked it. The blue top right is a 40 acre alder swamp. There are wild apples near there, too.


The contours are metric but they equal 15 feet.

 

[OkieKubota]

Here a saddle would not have any creeks or brooks running through it because a saddle is just that...drops on both sides so since water typically doesn't run uphill doesn't have any creeks over it. A saddle in my mind is a ridge with a lower section in the top of it at some point just like a saddle for a horse. Elevation change doesn't need to be much with one of the best saddles I ever hunted only having about 6 feet of elevation change. I also like a saddle near where 3 ridges come together if at all possible and when hunting public land look for that feature. Saddles work because deer will travel across the ridge in these areas...makes them feel more hidden instead of crossing across an open ridge top.

Looking at your map it looks more like a drainage to me if I am looking at it correctly...

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

I am seeing the same thing as Okie. You are looking at a drain or a draw. That being said draws or drains can work the same way. In my part of the world an old buck will cross an open field if there is an elevation change to where he feels he is crossing out of sight. In this instance it does not take much of a depression to hide a deer or at least make him feel hidden. If it works in a wide open field I would have to think it would work the same in deep timber.

 

[shedder]

Per http://www.hillmap.com/

The arrows point to roughly the same spot, ie the saddle.
I think of a saddle as any dip in a ridge. The saddle in the pic is at the head of the brook mentioned not the one labelled in the pic. I am talking about travel SW to NE and back through the saddle.

If 6 feet will work the 100 in the pic should, too. No guarantees but it is a place to check.

 

[OkieKubota]

Excellent looking place to check for sure. Has everything I like... An arrow on the first map would have been of great use. Is the 100' you speak of from the saddle dropping into that creek/brook/drainage. If so I just call that the head of a hollow. Same situation I hunt on our 80 acres. I have a deep E/W hollow that heads on one side of me and a meandering N/S creek bottom on the other side of me and it creates a funnel on the ridge I hunt. I end up seeing every deer that uses the property from this one vantage point because the terrain dictates the travel...

 

[shedder]

Excellent looking place to check for sure. Has everything I like... An arrow on the first map would have been of great use. Is the 100' you speak of from the saddle dropping into that creek/brook/drainage. If so I just call that the head of a hollow. Same situation I hunt on our 80 acres. I have a deep E/W hollow that heads on one side of me and a meandering N/S creek bottom on the other side of me and it creates a funnel on the ridge I hunt. I end up seeing every deer that uses the property from this one vantage point because the terrain dictates the travel...

I was in a hurry to post last time.

PROFILE ACROSS SADDLE

PROFILE along SADDLE

The elevation is in meters here. 3.2 X meters for feet.

The terminology differs I guess but in the PROFILE along SADDLE the low spot is the saddle to me.

In the first profile, the steep drop on the right is "the head of the hollow" in your terms?

 

[OkieKubota]

Yes sir, Head of the hollow is where that dry creek runs off the right. your spot looks like a classic crossing point...Is it your land or public land. If it is yours you have an absolute goldmine. If it is public you will probably have company...

 

[shedder]

Yes sir, Head of the hollow is where that dry creek runs off the right. your spot looks like a classic crossing point...Is it your land or public land. If it is yours you have an absolute goldmine. If it is public you will probably have company...

A possibility, anyway. Deer numbers are low here and a lot of what is seen elsewhere I don't see here. Tracks on the road will be a good clue. Hopefully, this one which I found 0.5 miles away.

Private land but woodland gives legal access. I doubt anyone even noticed it before. It is subtle and everything is bait driven here.

 

[OkieKubota]

A possibility, anyway. Deer numbers are low here and a lot of what is seen elsewhere I don't see here. Tracks on the road will be a good clue. Hopefully, this one which I found 0.5 miles away.

Private land but woodland gives legal access. I doubt anyone even noticed it before. It is subtle and everything is bait driven here.

What does "Private land but woodland gives legal access" mean?

 

[shedder]

Wow how it looks on the the lidar image is unexpected.

 

[shedder]

What does "Private land but woodland gives legal access" mean?

You can hunt unposted woodland, ie not ag or urban, here private or public with legal access.

 

[OkieKubota]

Wow how it looks on the the lidar image is unexpected.

Looking like a drainage again...

 

[OkieKubota]

You can hunt unposted woodland, ie not ag or urban, here private or public with legal access.

So if you post your land do you have any teeth with the law or just slap on the wrist stuff? Here you have to have written land owner permission on your person whether posted or not...

 

[shedder]

So if you post your land do you have any teeth with the law or just slap on the wrist stuff? Here you have to have written land owner permission on your person whether posted or not...

Yes but the posting regs required posting around the perimeter every 200? feet which no one does. It is like Maine or northern Maine here. Big woods, corporate forest land, etc. although most is private it is still woods.

 

[shedder]

Looking like a drainage again...

It is wet here. Any crease in the land is going to drain water.

It also had a 0.5 mile of ice on it 15,000 years ago and that makes for some odd results.

 

[j-bird]

I see what I would call a saddle - even if it does create the head of a drainage - I marked in red. I also see an area I marked in green that I would want to investigate as well. This looks like an ideal bedding location where deer could have a view and air currents as well to their advantage. I would want to go take a look - just to see if anything got my attention.....you may be surprised. Based on what I see I think deer will certainly use this low area to move thru this area.

 

[shedder]

I see what I would call a saddle - even if it does create the head of a drainage - I marked in red. I also see an area I marked in green that I would want to investigate as well. This looks like an ideal bedding location where deer could have a view and air currents as well to their advantage. I would want to go take a look - just to see if anything got my attention.....you may be surprised. Based on what I see I think deer will certainly use this low area to move thru this area.
View attachment 5104

The profile runs top to bottom on the topo but I get your drift. Those little bumps I doubt would be relevant. They are only 15 feet per the profile and may be a false positive besides.

However, given the feedback here I am going to put this spot in the top ten to scout out of the 100's I have. I will report when I do. I don't have huge hopes for it as I have been burned on most spots I have that look good on paper. You scout and see no sign, you hunt on faith and see nothing. The only funnels I trust now are water ones but good ones are scarce and even those don't show a lot.

I will admit this one looks good though, especially on the lidar. Lidar is deceptive because it shows more than you can see on the ground but this looks good. Also, on a wider scale it looks like the terrain may funnel a mile or more of woods to this funnel.

 

[j-bird]

The profile runs top to bottom on the topo but I get your drift. Those little bumps I doubt would be relevant. They are only 15 feet per the profile and may be a false positive besides.

However, given the feedback here I am going to put this spot in the top ten to scout out of the 100's I have. I will report when I do. I don't have huge hopes for it as I have been burned on most spots I have that look good on paper. You scout and see no sign, you hunt on faith and see nothing. The only funnels I trust now are water ones but good ones are scarce and even those don't show a lot.

I will admit this one looks good though, especially on the lidar. Lidar is deceptive because it shows more than you can see on the ground but this looks good. Also, on a wider scale it looks like the terrain may funnel a mile or more of woods to this funnel.

Maps and the like are great tools for how you are using them. They help narrow down the places to investigate. You still have to put boots on the ground but by selecting locations ahead of time like this it can make your efforts more efficient and maybe allow you to investigate more locations as well. Good luck.

 

[Rickey]

I have found saddles good spots to hunt. It seems as though deer will use them as to not have to be open on either side of the hill tops. It lets them slip over without cresting. When hunting areas like this I try to find a narrow shelf leading to the saddle and position myself above it. These are good morning spots because once the air starts to warm it rises taking scent with it. Afternoons can be rough because as the air cools the scent will drop into the bottom. For an afternoon hunt you have to be on the opposite side of the saddle from which they are traveling so that the air does not drop I to their path. All this info is for bow but can be used for rifle also. I have to pick spots that are top of the trail (30 yards or so). Good luck.

 

[timrod]

Per http://www.hillmap.com/

The arrows point to roughly the same spot, ie the saddle.
I think of a saddle as any dip in a ridge. The saddle in the pic is at the head of the brook mentioned not the one labelled in the pic. I am talking about travel SW to NE and back through the saddle.

If 6 feet will work the 100 in the pic should, too. No guarantees but it is a place to check.

That spot looks awesome to me too... perfect funnel. I agree with everything you suggested