Tree Saddles

[BigtineBowhunter]

I am bow hunter from MN. Been reading and seeing a lot of folks using the tree saddles. Anyone have any experience with them? Pros and cons of different manufacturer's? Looking from some feedback from folks that have tried them out. Thanks!

 

[TreeStandAthlete]

They're okay. I'm terrified of heights and the saddle is by far the most mentally/emotionally comfortable setup for me. Way lighter than a treestand but you have a bunch of ropes and crap to haul around that can be noisy. It's not cheap to get into and is absolutely harder to shoot from no matter what anyone might say. That said I still sold my climber and only use pre-set ladder stands on private and a mix of ground hunting and tree saddles on public. I have an aerohunter and I like it. Not a tethrd fan, there aggressive marketing makes me nervous and a little nauseous.

Pro tip: learn to rappel and carry the gear on your saddle. Nothing worse than having to have your wife drive an hour in the dark with a ladder to come get your ass out of the tree because you dropped a step. Plus it's fun and way faster than climbing down.

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[mikkel318]

I'm also from MN. I have an old Trophyline treesaddle and helium sticks. I've replaced quite a few things on the saddle itself like the shoulder straps with a cheap treestand harness, the tether with a climbing rope, carabiner, and prusik knot, and the lineman's belt with a lone wolf strap for their sticks. I like to dink around with that stuff and it makes it lighter. I climb with 3 or 4 hawk helium sticks. The bottom one has a two step aider from EWO outdoors.

I really like it and I agree it feels way more safe than a small hang on stand. It sucks in super cold weather, but I'm usually good through November.

Shooting is definitely different, but I feel like it opens more angles than a hang on. I practice by hanging off a post on my deck.

 

[buckwalleye]

Upstate NY whitetail guy here. I’ve been using a new tribe aerohunter kestrel saddle since 2018. It has its purpose - as does a hang on, ladder stand, ground blind, etc. I primarily hunt my own property and have a bunch of hang ons and ladder stands. I do still occasionally hunt some nearby public and I love the saddle for that. I use the saddle at my place sometimes too for a morning or evening sit in a different location. It wasn’t until last season where I got my climbing setup dialed into what works for me - I tried several different popular climbing methods. Muddy pro sticks are where it’s at for me. Then my top stick - I found a guy who makes these mini platforms to replace the top step. They all strap on nicely to the outside of my Kuiu venture 1800. It’s a learning curve, but can be a useful way to hunt

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[tbowers]

Find one to borrow to try out. I've used one about 4 years. Its nice if you have long walks as it does shed some weight and bulk although the weight savings isnt that large over something like the Beast or LWCG hang on stands- maybe just a couple lbs.

I like it but shooting to your 'weak' side(3 o'clock if you are right handed) is pretty difficult and takes a lot of movement to spin around or getting your bow over the bridge.