Tree Saddle

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  • bgoodsoil

    Member
    Aug 24, 2020
    76
    Has anyone ever used one of these in this region?

    bowhunter-tree-saddle.jpg
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    Never used one and wouldnt for deer hunting but did many, many, many times before I started my line apprenticeship. Still have my old arborist saddle and tools as a matter of fact. Hard to get in them but I still have em'.

    Theirs a better way to skin that cat..... just get a climber with a fall restraint system and save yourself the hassle and unnecessary risk.
     

    bgoodsoil

    Member
    Aug 24, 2020
    76
    The comfort is what worries me. I've been rock climbing for over a decade. Getting up a tree safely wouldn't be a challenge for me at this point. Sitting in it for 8 hours though? I don't know about that.

    I've been anchoring a guard rail for my roof deck in my climbing harness this summer. A ladder wouldn't be safe because of the terrain. I feel completely safe in my harness running the hammer drill....... and completely miserable :D These saddles have a lot more surface area contact than my rock climbing harness though. I'm not sure how much difference that would make.

    The main benefit seems to be the weight. I haven't hunted in Maryland before. I'm going to try Myrtle Grove this Winter. I'm not sure how far I'll be walking in. Have ya'll been there? Are there many through-roads or does everyone walk out of one parking lot?

    I'm riding down to do some shooting there on Sunday on my dirt bike. I'm planning to do some exploring.

    It sure looks cool hanging out of a tree like archery Batman but the youtubers haven't convinced me to give up the climber yet.
     

    slsc98

    Ultimate Member
    May 24, 2012
    6,746
    Escaped MD-stan to WNC Smokies
    This is first I’ve seen of them but, that promo shot photo sure appears to have “Farmer’s Insurance commercial fodder” written all over it!
     

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    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,810
    The Drury brothers used to use them, but no longer do.

    Personally, I would not. Once I start my bow season in late October, I'm almost always stand hunting all day. Sometimes from the same tree. Sometimes I'll move around noon to another tree for the late day hunt.

    Look up Suspension Trauma before you consider harness hunting, just as a precautionary measure.
     

    willtill

    The Dude Abides
    MDS Supporter
    May 15, 2007
    24,312
    Yes, I have.

    I have used that Tree Saddle before, like 10 years or so ago. I got rid of it after the foot portion fell away (rope broke on the umbilical) and it skittered down the tree trunk. I was left about 20 feet or so in the saddle. No way for me to come down except to bear hug the tree as best as I could and slide down. Tore up the insides of my arms. I had to drop my compound bow too and landed on it in my half uncontrolled fall down the tree. :sad20:

    The bolts that hold the lower portion together are questionable. The foot portion really has too much flex in it. It's a great idea but I think it's unsafe.

    I do have and have used other climbers in the past. I still have my Rescue 1 which I'll wear if I ever go back up in a climber...
     

    gwchem

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 18, 2014
    3,434
    SoMD
    I've done a ton of rock climbing as well, including multiple times up El Capitan. There's no way I'm hunting from a saddle. It just can't be as comfortable as a climber, so I'll deal with the climber's drawbacks.
     

    AlphabetSoup

    Member
    Oct 28, 2019
    67
    I use one on public land here in central and southern MD. I like it, but have never used a climber so I don't have the point of comparison.

    I've found it to be comfortable but ymmv. I'm still in decent shape and fairly athletic so climbing with wild edge steps is doable and can get me up pretty high pretty easily.

    I am adding a platform step this year,because that was my main complaint last year. for reference, my other hunting was all Alaska so any single day hunt where I'm not soaking wet, hungry, cold, or getting killed by mosquitos is pretty comfortable.

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
     

    Alea Jacta Est

    Extinguished member
    MDS Supporter
    I use one on public land here in central and southern MD. I like it, but have never used a climber so I don't have the point of comparison.

    I've found it to be comfortable but ymmv. I'm still in decent shape and fairly athletic so climbing with wild edge steps is doable and can get me up pretty high pretty easily.

    I am adding a platform step this year,because that was my main complaint last year. for reference, my other hunting was all Alaska so any single day hunt where I'm not soaking wet, hungry, cold, or getting killed by mosquitos is pretty comfortable.

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
    Post more Carl. Please...
     

    bgoodsoil

    Member
    Aug 24, 2020
    76
    so any single day hunt where I'm not soaking wet, hungry, cold, or getting killed by mosquitos is pretty comfortable.

    Misery is a down payment on happiness for sure!

    Where were you hunting in AK? I lived in Sitka for several years. That place was crawling with black-tail deer. They're smaller than white tail but you could take a dozen per-family-member on a subsistence license. I didn't have one of those but a buddy did and he always ran out of freezer space. I'm sure we weren't the only ones taking advantage of that :D
     

    bgoodsoil

    Member
    Aug 24, 2020
    76
    I have a bit of an ulterior motive for wanting the tree saddle. I have some limbs hanging over my roof and with tree spikes I could take care of them myself. They're so expensive though. I wouldn't want to buy them for this one job....but I also don't want to pay a fortune to a tree company. I did tree work for a short while. They ain't cheap!

    Is there a local place that sells tree saddles where I could try one out? Of course, sitting in one for a few minutes isn't the same as 4-5 hours but it would at least give me some idea.

    I'm leaning away from getting one after hearing everyone else here. The lack of a backrest sounds exhausting. I think that a bit of comfort from a lighter rig on the walk out won't come close to balancing out the loss of comfort from having to hold my upper body up for hours. I guess I could rig a shoulder harness like I do for kids when they're climbing but that seems a bit much when the climber tree stands aren't that much heavier.
     

    TAstro

    Active Member
    Dec 8, 2015
    329
    I use a tree saddle.
    It’s pretty comfortable if done right. You can adjust your tether to take weight off your knees, off your butt, you can stand up, etc.
    For me, it’s a game changer. I exclusively hunt public land so my options were a climber stand (used for years) or a set of stick and a hang on. The problem I had before with a climber was first size and weight. It’s pretty big and heavy, even the 22# model I had. It made going through brush hard and noisy. Second, I could only climb a straight tree.
    Now with the saddle, I have a set of cut hawk helium’s with double aiders, and a saddle. I can carry the sticks in a backpack and get 25’ up in a tree quietly.
    The biggest thing is I can climb any tree regardless of having any branches, I can climb any size that will support my weight, and I can shoot 360* around a tree and keep the tree between me and the deer for cover.

    Sad for safety, it’s pretty safe. You are either on a linesman belt attached to the tree, or a tether. I could flip upside down and not fall out.

    I either use a predator platform or ring of steps, and have rope steps in addition to the sticks, so I can be pretty versatile in my setup if I know what tree I’ll use
     

    TAstro

    Active Member
    Dec 8, 2015
    329
    I have a bit of an ulterior motive for wanting the tree saddle. I have some limbs hanging over my roof and with tree spikes I could take care of them myself. They're so expensive though. I wouldn't want to buy them for this one job....but I also don't want to pay a fortune to a tree company. I did tree work for a short while. They ain't cheap!

    Is there a local place that sells tree saddles where I could try one out? Of course, sitting in one for a few minutes isn't the same as 4-5 hours but it would at least give me some idea.

    I'm leaning away from getting one after hearing everyone else here. The lack of a backrest sounds exhausting. I think that a bit of comfort from a lighter rig on the walk out won't come close to balancing out the loss of comfort from having to hold my upper body up for hours. I guess I could rig a shoulder harness like I do for kids when they're climbing but that seems a bit much when the climber tree stands aren't that much heavier.

    You can get recliner straps for the saddles, something to lean back into. I think Tethrd sells them
     

    AlphabetSoup

    Member
    Oct 28, 2019
    67
    What TAstro said... Except I can't claim game changer since I haven't used climbers.

    One other thing to add is that a set of knee pads can help for putting legs up against the tree.

    With 8 wild edge steps and an aider I can get 20' up pretty easily, without using the aider on every step. Some flexibility helps if using the aider, but it is not required.

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
     

    TrappedinMD

    Active Member
    Dec 15, 2011
    856
    Western MD
    I use to use a climber but last year switched to a saddle. I am very impressed with it, I use a knaider and swaider with the wild edge steps. 5 steps gets me roughly 22 feet up and it all fits In my back pack which is a huge deal cuz I walk over a mile on public land each time. It’s safer in my way of working because your in a lineman’s belt going up as opposed to the climber.
     

    bgoodsoil

    Member
    Aug 24, 2020
    76
    I use to use a climber but last year switched to a saddle. I am very impressed with it, I use a knaider and swaider with the wild edge steps. 5 steps gets me roughly 22 feet up and it all fits In my back pack which is a huge deal cuz I walk over a mile on public land each time. It’s safer in my way of working because your in a lineman’s belt going up as opposed to the climber.

    Why use a knaider/swaider over climbing spurs?
     

    bgoodsoil

    Member
    Aug 24, 2020
    76
    Are there regulations against using something that penetrates the bark (like climbing spurs) on public land in Maryland?
     

    BDWMS

    Active Member
    Feb 21, 2013
    403
    Howard County
    Another saddle hunter here. I've done it for a couple of years. The system (saddle, platform, climbing sticks) is more compact going through the woods than my climber. I'm always attached to the tree (i.e. safe) and it's pretty dang comfortable. I shoot my bow really well from the saddle (probably better than standing on a stand), too. There are plenty of videos on YouTube for more info. Check out G2outdoors. Or go over to saddlehunter.com. Lots of info out there.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,810
    Are there regulations against using something that penetrates the bark (like climbing spurs) on public land in Maryland?

    I know that tree surgeons don't hook up trees unless they're taking them down.
    I've spent the best part of 40 years of my life in treestands. I usually sit from sun up to sun down. There's no F'ing way a saddle is more comfortable than a tree stand. No way. My stand, along with pack and weapon, probably weigh 50#. I'm 62. You telling me you can't hump that ?
     

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