Saddle Hunting: Expectations vs. Reality

Saddle Hunting: Expectations vs. Reality

Over the past few seasons, the saddle hunting craze has swept the hunting world. Initially tree saddles were only used by a small group of dedicated hunters. Now, tons of people looking for a viable mobile solution had flocked to tree saddle hunting, finding it easy, safe and comfortable. 

As we’ve written before, we are big fans of saddle hunting. But today we’ll review the expectations we had going in versus the reality we experienced saddle hunting.

Expectations

I first heard of saddle hunting in college. From what I could tell at the time, saddle hunting didn’t make any sense. Straps hung everywhere, one wrong move and you’d fall out of the tree and there was no way hanging in what looked to be a tree diaper could be comfortable at all.

I had tried a few different tree climbing methods, and decided to stick with my 20lb steel climber. Sure I couldn’t use it on a ton of trees and yes it was loud. But it was safe…

I spent several years hauling that heavy climber around while deer hunting. I’d strap extra clothes to it with bungee cords when it got cold and lugged it all over the place.

One evening, I walked out to a spot I had scouted and had saved for a perfect wind to hunt. It had been raining and things were slippery. I had climbed about half way up when, suddenly, the base slipped and I ended up falling backward out of the tree. It wasn’t a terrible fall but I smacked my arm on a branch, leaving me with what looked to be a golf ball attached to my arm underneath my sleeve. 

I spent the next few deer seasons hunting from the ground. That fall left a bad taste in my mouth. Although it had limitations of its own (restricted view and easier to get picked off) ground hunting seemed simpler, safer and more comfortable.

Reality

When we started recording podcasts, I had began to hear rumblings about tree saddles again. Jared had been hounding me to try it - supposedly it was light and comfortable, safe and you could climb into virtually any tree.

Finally he convinced me to give it a try. I geared up with saddle, climbing sticks and a platform and took to the woods. The entire set up weighed around 5lb and fit right into my backpack. I remember walking into a new area and being able to pick pretty much any tree that I wanted.

Several times, over the course of that year, conditions changed and I was forced to move trees in the middle of the hunt. With a climber this would have been a loud ordeal and would have taken a bunch of work. With a saddle, it took only a few minutes and it was extremely quiet. Getting up and down was a breeze.

I also found it to be much safer. Aside from the fact that I stayed tethered to the tree on the ascent, I couldn’t fall out when I was settled in. Prior to hunting in it, I had tested the harness a ton, trying to find ways to fall out. I’d get only a foot or so off the ground and swing around or go upside down to find weak points. I found none and went into the season with a confidence that I didn’t have before.

Read more about Climbing Sticks & Saddle Hunting here

When I did find a great spot and had the right conditions, I was able to stay in the tree much longer than I had in the past. Because I always had a tree in front of me, I had more margin for movement. I could also easily shift my weight from one leg to another or kneel without my stand creaking. With very little movement, I also found that I could shoot comfortably in almost any direction around the tree. I was also able to hunt way more deer on public land due to the mobility of the tree saddle.

That season made me a believer and a full-time saddle hunter.

I’ve been hunting out of one ever since. I’ve found it to be easy to learn, very safe, and allowed me to stay comfortable. Though it might not be for everybody, saddle hunting is worth trying out this fall!

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SADDLE HUNTING?

Check out our Ultimate Saddle Hunting Setup Here

Or Read Why Tree Saddles are Better than Hunting Stands Here