13 Reasons to Become a Saddle Hunter (2023)

Hunters have a wide variety of tools and equipment to help them pursue game virtually anywhere.  The pursuit of white-tailed deer fuels hunters across the nation.  Whether you’re hunting from ground blinds, treestands, or saddles, the goal is the same.  To kill a buck!  Saddle hunting is quite popular right now and for good reason.  Saddles give hunters the ability to hunt virtually anywhere there’s a decently sized tree with ease.

Below are five reasons to become a saddle hunter.  Check out our first review of Tethrd Mantis Saddle.

Mobile Hunting Perfected

The most popular reason for becoming a saddle hunter is having the ability to be mobile.  Mobile hunting has increased in popularity due to the increase in public land hunting.  No longer needing to carry heavy hunting treestands and bulky climbers through the woods has revolutionalized the way many hunters hunt.

All you need is a backpack large enough to hold a platform and a few lightweight climbing sticks, then you can wear your saddle around your waist as you walk toward your next hunting destination.  You’ll find this hunting technique very beneficial when scouting new properties and while traversing public land on an out-of-state hunting adventure.  You don’t have to wear the saddle around your waist as most are small enough to roll up and fit into your backpack, along with the necessary ropes and carabiners.

Safety

As someone who has been a safety guy in multiple industries throughout my professional career, I have to mention the safety benefits of wearing a saddle vs treestand hunting.  Treestands hunters should be wearing a safety harness in the treestand.  If you don’t, you’re just playing with fire.  It’s not if you’re going to have a treestand accident one day, but when.  Hopefully, you’ve got a harness on if it happens to you.

Most treestands hunters wear a safety harness but don’t clip in until they’re in the treestand.  Unfortunately, most treestand-related incidents occur when transitioning from climbing sticks to the treestand, and the hunter isn’t clipped in yet.  There are safety measures that you can take to protect yourself from the moment you leave the ground, but most treestand hunters fail to do so.  Keep in mind, a safety harness doesn’t keep you from falling, it only keeps you from falling to the ground.

However, saddle hunters can stay tethered to the tree at all times when climbing up and down the tree.  It actually makes it easier to hang climbing sticks and your platform if you’re clipped in as you can use the leverage of the tether to hold yourself in position, freeing your hands to help you hang the sticks and platform.  A properly worn saddle and tether will actually keep you from falling, which is much different than a traditional treestand harness.

Lightweight

The reason I started saddle hunting was that I was tired of lugging in 25+ pounds worth of climbing sticks and treestands on out-of-state hunting trips.  I was out in Missouri running and gunning in public when I came to realization that I was punishing myself by not making the switch. While on the trip, I reached out to my buddy Jared Schafer from Tethrd and I quickly had a new saddle, platform, and sticks on the way.

Reducing the weight of your mobile hunting gear has been all the rage in recent years.  Treestand prices go up as the weight is reduced, but they fail to compare to the weight of a saddle.  A saddle hunting set-up can weigh as little as one-third the price of some mobile hunting treestand and climbing stick sets.

The more weight you’re carrying, the more effort you have to put into the hike.  The more effort, the more you sweat.  The more you sweat, the more you stink.  The more you stink, the less likely your chances of killing a buck!  Many saddle-hunting companies offer lightweight climbing sticks that weigh approximately one pound each.  Combining this with a saddle that weighs just a couple of pounds and you’ll have the lightest mobile hunting set-up money can buy.

Ability to Change Hunting Locations in Minutes

Mobile hunting should be just that, mobile hunting.  If you notice that deer are crossing on a trail just out of bow range, you should probably pack up and slip in closer to that trail.  Saddle hunting allows that to happen quickly and easily.

Tearing down my saddle hunting set-up, platform and sticks, only takes a few minutes.  Once you have a good routine down, you can become just as efficient.  Imagine watching a hot doe walk being trailed by a buck cross the ridge just out of range, then shortly after another buck cold trails the same doe on the same trail.

Saddle hunting provides you the option of relocating within shooting distance of that trail in just a few minutes.

Quiet

Saddles are very quiet compared to treestands.  Whether you’re walking through the brush on your way to your hunting spot, or in the process of tearing down your set-up as the evening hunt comes to a close, being quiet is essential.  Saddle hunters offer the ability for the hunter to be quiet and stealthy.  Most hunting saddles have very little metal, unlike a treestand.  Granted, you still need a metal platform and climbing sticks, but each of those items can be managed for excess noise.

Personally, I tend to make a lot more noise carrying a heavy “mobile” treestand and climbing sticks through the woods than I’d like to admit.  Switching to a saddle hunting kit has reduced the noise levels that I generate on the way to and from the stand.

All Day Sits (and the Ability to Take a Nap)

Once you’ve spent some time in a saddle, you’ll figure out how to adjust your tether and set up for all-day comfort.  I’ve seen tons of photos online where hunters were caught dozing off while in a saddle.  I’m notorious for taking naps, so passing the time on evening hunt by napping until primetime is a benefit.  I’m not recommending that you should be sleeping 20 feet up in a tree but it is possible to be comfortable enough to do so while in a saddle.

360 Degree Shooting Ability

One of the best advantages of saddle hunting is having the ability to shoot 360 degrees around the tree.  It takes some getting used to though as you have to learn how to position your body on the platform.  Learning how to lean around the tree and drawing your bow in new positions takes practice.  You can utilize the tether on your saddle to adjust yourself around the tree with ease.

Treestands do not allow you the opportunity to shoot 360 degrees.  We’ve probably all been there, a buck comes in from behind you and doesn’t give you the shot opportunity that you need.  With a saddle, you should be able to make the adjustments to take the shot.  I recall an eight-point buck walking under my stand in southern West Virginia during a hang and hunt.  Everything worked as planned until I drew my bow back and my safety harness tether stopped my arm from coming to full-draw.  Tried as I might, the buck slipped away without me taking a shot.  Had I been in a saddle, it wouldn’t have been an issue.

Keep Your Hunting Spot a Secret

Do you have issues with people hunting you?  Where I’m from, a lot of “hunters” follow other hunters around trying to find their spots. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people checking my trail cameras trying to figure out what deer I’m hunting.  Last year, I had a guy hang a ladder stand and check my trail camera on his way to the stand every day.  When something like this happens, you have no choice but to back out and find a new spot.

Saddle hunting allows you to take your hunting set-up down after each hunt, making you nearly invisible to other hunters.  Climbing stands often scar a tree, allowing savvy hunters to identify trees that are being frequently utilized.

Nothing Left Behind – Theft Isn’t an Issue

Another issue that I’ve had in the past is the theft of pre-hunt treestand locations.  For my area, the early season is notorious for trespassers in search of wild ginseng.  Ginseng season brings out the worst people and nothing is safe.  I’ve had tons of treestands and trail cameras stolen through the years.

Since saddle hunting allows you to quickly and quietly take your set-up with you, you no longer need to leave it behind for someone to steal.

Comfortable

Once you put some time in a saddle, you’ll find the most comfortable way to position yourself for the day’s hunt.  Adjusting your tether is key, as well as wearing knee pads or utilizing a tree pad to rest your knees.  Cheap hang-on stands aren’t comfortable, but there are some high-quality stands on the market like the Millennium m100 that are super comfortable.  More so than most saddles.  Saddle hunting can be comfortable and there are several options on the market that are designed for all-day comfort.

Scout Your Way to Your Hunting Destination

This is one of my favorite reasons to saddle hunt.  I can throw my saddle around my waist, grab a backpack with sticks and a platform and cover a lot of ground with minimal effort.  There’s no heavy treestand to pack around.  Once I get to an area with fresh signs, I pick a tree with good cover and settle in for the hunt.  Sometimes I’ll carry my saddle hunting gear with me only to hunt from the ground, using my saddle as a seat.  The ability to be extremely mobile is a super power in the whitetail woods.

Able to Hunt From Small Diameter Trees

With a saddle, you are able to hunt large and small-diameter trees, whereas with conventional hang-ons and climber stands, trees must be a specific size to accommodate them. It’s possible to hunt from trees as small as 4 inches in diameter and from trees that were over 30 inches in diameter.

Limbs and Brush Are No Longer An Issue

Have you ever hunted from a self-climbing treestand?  If so, you probably know the struggle of trying to find the perfectly straight tree.  I recall waking up hours before daylight and hiking into a new spot that I had been drooling over to hunt, picking the straightest tree in the area in the dark, only to stop 10 feet off the ground because of a limb that wouldn’t let the climber pass.  Issues like this are not an issue when you’re saddle hunting!

The History of Saddle Hunting

Hunting slings and saddles have been around since the early 1980s.  In fact, the Anderson Treesling debuted around 1981 and it helped a few dedicated hunters harvest more bucks than you could could.  One famous hunter, John Eberhart, has keilled more Pope and Young bucks from a saddle than you and I will in our lifetime combined.  He’s the original OG of saddle hunting and has a wealth of whitetail experience from a saddle.

Several other companies have offered saddles with different features and designs throughout the years but it wasn’t until 2018 that Greg Godfrey and Ernie Powers began Tethrd Nation and introduced the Mantis saddle.  The timing was perfect, as hunters were starting to hunt public land more and more, and wanted a lightweight mobile set-up to help them in the process.  Since then, we’ve seen brands like Trophyline reemerge and new companies like Cruzr and Latitude Outdoors introduce innovative products for saddle hunting.

Saddle Hunting Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Saddle?

•  Saddles are made of fabric, similar to a lineman’s belt that utilizes tree tethers to help keep you in the tree.  Similar products have been utilized in other industries to keep hunters safe.  Saddles are like miniature hammocks for your butt that you can’t fall out of.  While hunting from a saddle, your feet rest on a platform or tree steps placed around the tree and you can relax in a seated position until it’s time to make the shot of a lifetime!

AUTHOR BIO

Hi, I’m Camron the owner of Hunting Gear Deals. I’m an avid bowhunter with a knack for finding good deals on hunting gear and love to help you save money on hunting gear.  I’m also the owner of the popular Bucks, Bulls, & Bears email newsletter that’s built to educate and entertain hunters.  If you haven’t subscribed, you’re missing out!  Last but not least, I’m proud to say that I work for Whitetail Properties as a Land Specialist in Ohio.  If you’re in the market for hunting property, shoot me an email and I’d love to help you find your dream property.  

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