Short story long - we own 72 acres of hunting land but haven't had much time to manage it or hunt it the last couple years. Going back to college so money is tight, decided to sell the land as it sounds like we could get 3500-3800/acre(paid 2700).  

I love hunting public land but even with my hang-on stands, it can be a bit of a chore.  Usually I find some decent spots and toss a hang-on there and leave it for a majority of the season, rotating between spots on public and my permanent stands on private.

As a "sucks about having to sell your land" gift to myself, I was looking at getting into saddle hunting.

Couple questions about it:

It doesn't seem to be terribly faster to setup than a hang-on, but quite a bit less labor.  It does seem very good at minimizing those "Fuck, this really isn't setting up the way I planned" situations (branches in the wrong spots, tree leaning a bit more than you thought causing the stand to sit poorly etc.).  Accurate?

What are some good climbing stick/platform options?  Including best ways to transport them?  I see Tethrd has a purpose built backpack for their platform but I haven't yet found any great solutions for transporting a set of sticks.

Best saddles out there, in your opinion?  Did you opt for lower weight or greater comfort and how do you feel about that after some use?

And any neat tricks or tools you would recommend outside of the standard equipment?

I had no idea what your are asking, so I looked it up.  Essentially, you tie yourself to a tree.

I'd like to point out, that's what everybody did before platform stands were invented.

Not a saddle hunter but do subscribe to the “run and gun” theory. I understand the light weight argument of saddles and the appeal of basically hang anywhere you’re comfortable.

I hunt out of an XOP Vanish, not the lightest @ 10.5 lbs but it’s compact.

Climbing sticks:

Kind of subjective. Personally, I don’t like single sided steps, and prefer compact 20” sticks vs something in the 30” range. I think they pack easier. I own the XOP X2 (20”), and have used Lone Wolf 30” single step (now Novix), Hawk Helium (20”), and Beast Gear sticks.

Personally if I were to start over there’s no question in my mind I’d buy the Beast Gear sticks right from the get go. They are expensive but they’re on a completely different level of quality than anything I’ve ever used, they make ZERO noise when it’s 18 degrees and you make that last push off the stick to your platform. Dan is a machinist by trade and you can tell when you see the fit, precision, and thought that went into his sticks. You’re also buying American made from a fellow Wisconsin fella. If you’re on a budget the Hawk Helium sticks are decent when on sale.

I love saddle hunting.  Once you get some practice done, its faster than a climber plus it offers a wider range of shooting options.   A full 360°

I use a single rope and a hand ascender with a foot loop.  An eastly.trick is to take a small weighted bag and attack 25' of paracord, throw it over the limb you want, tie off your climbing rope and pull it over, with practice you can be in the tree and hunting in less than 5 minutes.  Or, if you.know where you.wanna hunt, place your ropes in advance.   I use a ropeman to rappel down

How quick is that to get back in/out of position if you need to quite expediently get down to go to the bathroom?  I was blessed with ulcerative colitis so I need a setup that will let me make a trip down and back up the tree efficiently.

I went full bore with a Tethrd setup a few years ago. I ran it for two seasons, and sold the full setup..... It was great for public land but I hated how many parts I had to deal with. Different ropes, three sticks (I never roped or tried one stick) and then the spare lines to hold gear or my bag. I sold the setup and have converted to just ground hunting in a turkey vest. I have Crohns and a saddle setup WAS NOT fast to exit from for those oh shit moments. Hence the reason I am all about ground hunting now!

I’m currently using a Cruzr XC, (3) Out on a Limb Shikar sticks and an Out on a Limb Ridge Runner platform. Bought a Mission platform to try this year.  Neither platform is light but I like having the ability to stand on them if needed.

Single biggest game changer for me was ditching the prussic knots on my lineman’s rope and tether and using Ropeman ascenders.

Once you get the hang of it you can get set up very fast. With my (3) 17” sticks and an aider I can be situated 20’ up a tree in a minute or two.  Not sure how that would compare to a hang on cause I never used one but it’s a lot less weight and you have a the advantage of being able to use the tree for cover / hide behind it vs a traditional stand where you’re generally facing the area you anticipate activity in.

I’m a big fan of Out On a Limb sticks and platforms. They’re made in the USA and the company owner is active on forums/ social media. If you want custom stuff he’s known to oblige (I got my Shikars made with fixed steps before they were offering them that way).

My Cruzr saddle was my first and it’s comfortable enough for all day sits so I never played with anything else. I use a Trophyline Cays 2.0 pack to haul everything. Probably overkill but I like having extra water / snacks cause I’m usually a mile+ from the truck.

I want to like Tethrd cause I feel like they’ve done a lot for the sport but I’ve never bought any of their products. Being mostly made in China is a huge turn off for me. Their titanium One sticks seemed like a game changer but they took forever to come to market after they teased them. Glad I went a different way cause the first batch had some QC issues.  One of the guys I hunt with has the whole Tethrd catalog as he demos stuff locally for them and he loves it. At the end of the day you really just have to do some trial and error and see what works for you, that’s the main reason there’s always so much second hand stuff for sale.

Saddle hunted for the first year last season. Over all I liked it as it gave me quicker access into trees as well as getting into trees a climber couldn’t. With that said it takes some practice to get the hang of (no pun)and getting comfortable with hanging. Once you do nail it life is good.

Cruzr saddle w/ 2 haulers and back band
Cruzr platform (I appreciate the angled ends)
Cruzer knee cushion
Tethrd ropes and ascender
Tethrd skelator sticks with an aider
Tethrd FAS pack. I needed a good back pack and this one rocks and US made.
Using a tree strap for hammocks for a gear strap. Will be replacing it with a Tethrd HSE strap because it looks like less fuss.

I'm gonna risk it.  If I die shit myself, I die shit myself.

We're on a bit of a budget right now as I'm not 100% on selling the land.  It's listed but if we don't get a solid offer we're gonna sit on it.

Had to grab a couple ladder stands because our neighbors are trying to elbow us deep into our own property behind the house.  Once they saw us cutting trees down to put in a big food plot, two ladder stands mysteriously appeared right on the property line.

So I'm tossing a couple treestands up in a few spots to make sure they're aware they can sit right on the property line if they want but they're going to have company...  300 dollars for a couple Big Game Hunter 1.5's isn't bad... but cut into my saddle budget so I went with the cheap XOP combo setup.

Honestly it doesn't look like it's much more work to climb out of in case of emergency than my hang on's were.  Just toss the lineman's around the tree, unclip and scoot down.  A little more shit to unbuckle than my harness but hopefully not too much extra work.

I'll be running

XOP Platform
XOP Saddle
XOP ropes
30" Hawk Helium Sticks
Horn Hunter G3 backpack

Everything should strap up nicely to the backpack.  Current plan is to just leave everything on the backpack and see if I'm flexible enough to reach around and pull the sticks/platform off the pack as I climb.

Researching ropemans now to see what would work best, I'll most likely upgrade that on the lineman's before even trying it.

@towely

Look into amsteel daisy chains for your climbing sticks. I’ve used them on Hawks and I use them now on my Shikars.  Faster, lighter and more secure than using straps as your attachment method.  

Eastern Woods Outdoors

Was going to warn you away from tethrd, they are the Sig of hunting saddles. Congrats.

Hauling sticks up the trees as you climb is kind of sketch. If going up climbing stand style is ok for you check out the bongo method, should be able to find it on YouTube

By Bongo Method, do you mean one of the single stick climbing methods?  That's not an option for me.  I need a way to get down out of the tree FAST and be able to get back up in position without too much fuss due to my colitis.

I've never had a problem hauling sticks up as I go.  For my XOP and LW hang-ons I would drape one on each side like a purse with the stand on my back so I could get everything set in one climb.

Now instead of draping them, hopefully I will be able to reach behind and grab them off of the backpack as I go, then grab the platform from the backpack once I'm at height.

I tried the saddle on today but didn't have time to climb.  I did modify it some.  I know some guys entirely cut the shoulder straps off but I left them on, along with the tether.  I did take the two extra leg straps and trim them down, then loop them back through the buckle so I now have two small loops hanging on each side I can attach pouches to.  I also noticed the buckle the extra leg straps would have attached to can be used to bucke together in front to hold the harness in place better.  That and I cut a shitload of rope off the bridge instead of leaving it hanging.

Honestly, aside from maybe a difference in comfort, with a little modifying and swapping out gear I'm not sure I see how the big-name saddles are worth the extra money.  I haven't spent a day sitting in it yet, though so maybe that will answer my question.

Ropeman devices are in the mail.  I forgot how god-aweful miserable the XOP ropes are to slide a prusik knot up and down.

I'm stupid excited to get out and try this thing out.  Last year I was on the fence between getting a second hang-on or a saddle and decided on the XOP hang-on.  After fucking around with this a bit I'm fairly confident that was the wrong move.

If I sell my land I'll now have a XOP and LW hang-on sitting around collecting dust...  or just tossed up somewhere as permanent stands.

Nice! Thank you for that

Here is the Bongo method

I climb with my back pack on and a length of paracord attached to my bow to haul up once situated. My Cruzr has MOLLE loops and I bought these kydex clips (I believe they also came from Eastern Woods Outdoors I linked earlier). With a small loop of paracord on each stick and my platform I climb with them hanging off my backside.  They’re easy enough to reach around and grab one handed.
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That's one thing I really wish the XOP saddle had, MOLLE...  I did rig up two loops on each side with the extra straps that I won't be using.

I see the Hawks now come with a similar design to the daisy chain, just straps sewn into loops instead of a cord.  I'm going to try the straps first but right away I noticed that it can be a pain to get the loops to open up so you can attach them.

I could never get the hawk straps tight enough when I was using 4 of the 20” sticks. Also the 4 straps were surprisingly heavy.

Right now I'm regretting going with the 30" sticks.  They don't pack very well.

I've got 20's on my XOP hang on stand I might swap out for, but I'm not sure there's a great way to strap the 30" Hawks to the XOP stand.

Not that it's a huge issue, the hang-on will likely get put somewhere and left for the duration of the season.  Probably going to stick with the saddle for all my mobile hunting.  Couldn't give it a try tonight for opening day, forgot we're working 12's on weekends now.  

30” sticks are insane to pack in on public land. If you want to use sticks look into using short sticks with an aider. My Shikars are 17” and with an aider I can get 20’+ up a tree with only 3 of them.

Used my Mission platform for the first time yesterday
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Thing is huge in the tree but packs well.  Like it enough that when I got home I listed my Ridge Runner in the EE. I’ll probably end up buying a small / minimalist platform for a long hike / lightweight setup but there’s no reason to have 2 big ones.

Yeah I immediately put an order in for 20" Muddy Pro's.  This is getting more expensive than I planned so I couldn't go premium on the sticks but shaving 10" off should keep the sticks below head level or I may try strapping them horizontal under the pack.

Saddle hunting is minimalist in weight, not price.

True. I don't always hunt from a saddle but usually do during bow season. Sitting in a ladder stand tonight.

I use a phantom with a predator platform. Climb with backpack, set up platform and strap to hang pack and bow, pull up bow on rope behind me. I use the DRT method, no sticks.

Finally got around to trying this thing out.  Oh it's good... really good.

Wish I had popped for one of these years ago.

It definitely beats any portable in comfort, versatility and maneuverability.

Filled a tag two nights ago hunting a spot you would never be able to get any other kind of stand in.

Really opens up a ton of opportunities to hunt new areas and get set up in the right spot based on the wind instead of settling for a less than ideal location just because the only suitable treed are upwind of the trails.

I thought the hang ons were versatile but this blows them out of the water.

I use tethered one sticks and dryad mini drey,good system.

Also a older lone wolf assault.I plan to get a new lwcg stand next year.