Here you’ll find 12 advantages tree saddle hunting has to offer. If you’ve never tried tree saddle hunting for yourself, perhaps some of these points will help you decide to give it a go.
Hunting from a tree saddle isn’t just for those who are agile enough to do so. There’s actually plenty of advantages that make it worth trying at least once, if not more.
Here are 12 of them:
1. Safety
According to the University of Wisconsin, 55% of falls from treestands resulted in one or more spinal injuries.
“Entering and exiting the tree stand is a very frequent time for people to fall because you’re in that transition period … We had a couple people who made it all the way into the tree stand and had a loss of consciousness,” said Dr. Kimberly Hamilton
Source: http://wismed.org/wisconsin
Basically, you’re tethered to a tree the entire time when saddle hunting. From the moment you leave the ground to when you come back down. It’s impossible for you to fall. You can use saddles as climbing harnesses to prepare trees. The adjustable lineman safety rope lets you place steps or sticks and cut branches with both hands-free.
2. Less Noise
You’re gonna make some noise when you set up a tree stand. It’s gonna happen. Not when you are saddle hunting. There’s no need to pull up a stand, and your climbing stand won’t scratch the bark. No creaking platform when you’re getting into position for a shot. So there’s hardly any noise. (At least not from you.)
3. Easy to Carry
The main advantage of saddle hunting is weight and bulk reduction. The saddle systems weigh anywhere from 2 to 4 pounds and are easy to pack. It’s also helpful when you’re traveling through dense cover and you don’t want to get tangled with a bulky stand.
4. 360-degree Shooting Mobility
Traditional stands are on the backside of big trees. It limits your shooting mobility a lot. If you’re a tree saddle hunter, you’ll get 360-degree shooting mobility. Sometimes deer don’t follow the path you expect. When that happens, deer can slip through your shooting lane. Saddles make it easy to change shooting positions.
5. Less Expensive
Most hunters stand on the market today costs a lot more than these saddle systems. Treestands can cost anywhere from $90 to $1,000 – and you’ll probably need more than one.
read.. saddle hunting systems
5. Hiding
You can be tethered on the opposite side of the tree, hiding from the deer while they are eating and lingering around. All it takes is a slight swing to the side to make a shot.
It also keeps the hunter’s profile from sticking out of the tree and getting seen. The issue is more common with conventional stands since you can’t shoot from the opposite side of the tree.
6. A Wider Range of Trees
Saddles allow you to hunt from trees of any size, while conventional hang-on and climbers require specific trees. You don’t need trees to hunt from to be straight or bare of branches like when you use a climber. You can also use tree branches to hide.
7. Pre-Set Locations
A saddle can be set up in as many pre-determined places as desired while you only have to own one saddle to hunt from all locations. Since you always have your saddle with you, you can hunt whenever you want.
A stand is traditionally needed for every set location, or else you’d have to carry it with the rest of your gear, and buying stands for 15 or more locations would be expensive.
8. Theft
Saddles are always with you, so you never have to worry about stolen stands. There are a lot of treestands being stolen in private and public areas that are heavily pressured.
9. Hide your Location from Others
You’re hidden from other hunters because your saddle isn’t in a tree. With a saddle, you eliminate the risk of leaving a visible sign in a tree for hunters you don’t know to set up next to if they are on public or free-permission properties. There is a lot of difficulty in identifying saddle setups.
10. Better Comfort
The problem with standing and sitting on a regular stand is you have to stand and sit in an insulated environment, which can be uncomfortable for hours while you wait to hear or spot game. Saddles are way more comfortable than conventional stands for all-day hunting.
It’s easy to change your seating position with adjustable drapes, making waiting more comfortable.
When you hunt from a saddle, you don’t have a safety harness or vest attached to the tree behind you. While using a saddle, you can easily add or remove upper body layering clothing to adapt to changing weather conditions.
read.. which treestand should I choose?
11. Perfect for Freelance hunting
Definition of freelance hunting by John Eberhart:
“Freelance hunting is defined in two ways: The first is to head into a new piece of property (such as on an out-of-state hunt) with your hunting gear in search of the best available deer sign, set-up a location at that sign, and immediately hunt. The second is to sense your current hunting location is not going to produce so you climb down pulling your stand, steps, climbing sticks or whatever, and take off in search of a new location. The second scenario would be after sitting on stand for a while, or like the previously described hunt where the sign when you get to your location doesn’t warrant a hunt.”
Source: https://woods-n-waternews.com/2008/08/01/articles-i-2008-08-01-182096-112113-freelance-hunting-html/
Tree stands aren’t practical for freelance hunting, even the lighter ones, since they weigh several pounds. Saddles are great for freelance hunting. Lightweight, easy to set up, and don’t take a lot of time to get into hunting position (read.. how to get up the tree)
12. The Perfect Location
Tree diameters and leans don’t limit your choice of location. You can hunt on trees of all sizes, short or tall, and even leaning ones – and the best part is, most of them are fine for saddle hunting.
Summary
There are many benefits to hunting from a saddle. Here are some reasons why: Saddles allow you to hunt from trees of any size, while conventional hang-on and climbers require specific trees. You don’t need trees to hunt from to be straight or bare of branches like when you use a climber. You can also use tree branches to hide.
Pre-Set Locations as desired while you only have one saddle that can be set up in all premeditated places – no need for additional stands if you’re out on. And lastly, you are not giving away your locations when you have a saddle that is always with you.
Saddle hunting is a great way to take your hunting to the next level.
