I like to hunt in thick cover where there aren’t very many trees big enough or straight enough for most treestands. Trying to haul a climber through the thick brush is almost impossible. I’ve used fixed position hang-on stands but found I needed multiple stands for different wind directions and to prevent overhunting one spot. Then after the season I still had to take them all down and store them.

One day while at a hunting expo I saw someone in what looked like a tree sling of some sort about 15 feet off the expo floor. I was very skeptical. But after trying it out, I was amazed how much more comfortable it felt than it looked. I knew exactly which trees from which I was going to be able to hunt. Many of these were too small or crooked to get a stand hung.

Now for me the tree saddle is a must for hunting whitetails, especially mature whitetails on out of state hunts. My whole family uses the treesaddle, That includes my 3 daughters and their husbands.
With tree saddles you can hunt out of any tree that can support your weight. That means real small diameter trees that are not an option for fixed hang-on stands, climbers, or even ladder stands, can all be hunted with saddle trees. Have you ever gone into a thick area with lots of deer sign only to find that there aren’t any trees that will work for your setup? Imagine having several trees on every side of a thick “hot spot” to accommodate any wind direction, and having those trees prepped with steps and shooting lanes well before the season, preferably in the spring. Then when its time to hunt that spot in the fall, you can easily enter the area wearing your treesaddle (which only weighs 2 pounds), and create a true ambush situation.

Try doing that with a climber or ladder stand. Even if you have a light weight hang-on stand you have 2 options, take it in with you and hang it when you arrive to hunt, or hang it well before the season and risk the threat of someone stealing it even if its locked to the tree, or allow other hunters to see your hot spot and ruin for you. In either case, the element of an ambush is greatly reduced. Also, if you choose to leave your stand in your favorite tree because maybe you have your own large piece of property, are you only going to hunt that tree and risk burning out that spot? If not, that means you need another stand or two or three. How much are you willing to invest in stands? And after the season are you going to leave all those stands up?

With a wide tree saddle, you can prep an unlimited number of trees in multiple states and hunt all of them with just one treesaddle, slipping into your spot quietly, not giving away your position, not risking theft, and being able to shoot 360 degrees from your tree.

You may think that all these advantages comes with the price of not being a comfortable way to hunt. If you look at the pictures that the manufacturer uses in their advertising, I can see where you may assume that. However, what they don’t show is the ability to be comfortable in a sitting or standing position. Trust me, I was skeptical. I’m 6′5″ and weigh 230#. But when I put one on and got into a tree to test it, I was amazed. My family and I hunt  whitetails from our treesaddles all day 3-5 times every year spread out throughout the rut.

Many guys refuse to even consider using one because they think its not comfortable or the strap gets in the way or whatever. At least find someone who has one and give it a try before you dismiss it.