The popularity of saddle hunting has grown among hunters in search of mobility, flexibility and overall versatility when it comes to their elevated archery hunting game.
For decades, light weight hang-on stands and climbers controlled the mobile hunting division. Yet, every year, it seems the hype for saddle hunting gets higher, and more hunters are finding themselves in one each season.
The fall of 2025 will mark my 6th season of hunting whitetails from a saddle. In that time, I have been fortunate enough to tag at least one buck per year from one. I can attest that it has elevated my hunting game. However, has it lived up to all the hype?
Today, with the help of myself and 3 well known whitetail gurus, I want to discuss what we think about saddle hunting, the advantages and disadvantages of this method and situations in which they work best.
The Advantages of Saddle Hunting
1. Mobility
When it comes to the saddle hunting hype, mobility is often first on the list of advantages over conventional stand setups. Personally, I believe that’s the biggest incentive to saddle hunting; the increased mobility it provides. At the end of the day, mobility allows you to push in further, with less energy expended, which could offer you a better opportunity at filling a tag.
I spoke with P.J. Reilly, the Pennsylvanian poster child of Lancaster Archery Supply gear reviews, to discuss his thoughts on the saddle hunting hype. Year after year, P.J. finds himself hunting all across North America and is no stranger to the saddle hunting game. With his background in archery gear reviews, who better to interview than an honest, unbiased bowhunting machine like himself. Here is what P.J. had to say about the mobility of the saddle.
“I like to think of saddle hunting as one tool in the whitetail hunter’s toolbox,” said P.J. “If you have to hike a long way to hunt or you want to be able to move from one spot to another, a saddle setup is great.”
Tyler Barron, fellow Bowhunt or Die team member and whitetail hunting fanatic from Texas, had similar thoughts on the increased mobility saddle hunting provides. As a traveling bowhunter from state to state, Tyler often finds himself utilizing a saddle in a variety of situations each fall.
“For the mobile hunter, a finely-tuned saddle setup can be an absolute advantage in the whitetail woods in allowing them to hunt virtually any location that has suitable trees for climbing,” Tyler mentioned.
2. Versatility
When it comes to being a successful bowhunter, being versatile is a necessity. Being able to adapt to changing conditions and move on to fresh sign can make or break a hunt. Versatile gear allows you to be more adaptable.
My good friend Erik Barber, Content Manager at Vortex Optics, is a Wisconsin Native who is well known for being a public land tag puncher. When asked about the benefit of saddle setups, here is what he had to say.
“There’s no such thing as the “perfect tool” for every scenario,” Erik stated. “However, generally speaking, saddle gear is more versatile than a treestand – especially for public land hunters.”
Tyler added, “A saddle’s versatility allows you to adapt to changing conditions, varying winds, and hunting pressure quickly and efficiently, which could mean the difference in getting that buck you’re after. I’m personally way more likely to make a quick move if I’m using the saddle vs. pulling down a more permanent treestand.”
On November 2, 2021, I did just that. With a versatile saddle setup I was able to adapt to a wind shift the morning of my hunt and successfully punch a tag at first light. When I arrived that morning to hunt a pre-hung stand overlooking a mock scrape with a north wind, I was disappointed to find a west wind blowing strongly along the ridgeline.
I quickly shifted gears, gathered my saddle setup and moved over to a small hickory 30 yards from my pre-hung set. No sooner did I get up the tree, than I heard a deep grunt followed by an aggressive snort wheeze just over the ridge.
After tossing a few grunts in return, I was face to face with a 150 inch, 6 year old bruiser who would have most definitely smelled me had I been sitting in my pre-hung set. A well placed arrow and short blood track later provided me with a great trophy and all the proof I needed to see the advantage of a saddle setup’s versatility.
3. Compact and Easy To Hang
I remember my first hang-on treestand that I carried onto public land as a teen. It was a cumbersome, Walmart-bought hang-on stand with a bulky four section climbing stick that weighed half as much as me at the time.
I’m sure every deer within earshot of me could hear the heavy breathing as I lugged that mammoth stand up the slopes. I do not miss those days.
My Tethrd saddle hunting equipment today, however, is designed to be significantly lighter in weight, much more compact and easier to hang– huge advantages over previously owned stands of the past.
Erik also agrees on the compact capability of saddle setups.
“The ability to decrease your overall elevated hunting footprint with saddle gear is well worth the hype. Even the smallest treestands can get hung up on brush while you’re walking in and are more difficult to hang than a small saddle platform,” Erik says. “In my opinion, this is the greatest benefit to saddle hunting.”
The Disadvantages of Saddle Hunting
1. Comfort
Saddle comfort can vary from hunter to hunter and saddle to saddle. Generally speaking, however, these setups lack the comforts of big platform stands, reclined seat cushions and flip up foot rests. I personally find comfort in my saddle and spend an overwhelming amount of my autumn sitting in one. However, I recognize that not everyone is a 30 year old without aching joints.
P.J. on the other hand does not find as much comfort in the saddle as I do.
“Something negative that I have noticed when I hunt from a saddle is that I move around a lot more once I’m set up,” says P.J. “I’m sure it’s because I can’t get as comfortable as I can in a climber or hang-on, but I fidget a lot more in a saddle.”
Typically, more fidgeting up in the tree equals less deer sightings so it is understandable that the lack of comfort comes with a cost.
2. Intimidating Learning Curve
Another disadvantage of saddle hunting is the intimidating learning curve when coming from a traditional stand setup. Saddles, ropes, ascenders, prusik knots, carabiners…it can admittedly be a bit overwhelming at first.
“Pre-set stands have less of a learning curve than a saddle,” Tyler said. “With a saddle, you really need to take the time to learn to use them safely and effectively as a system that is really dialed in to your personal style. This isn’t to knock on hunters that don’t spend a lot of time practicing during the off-season, but if your personal style of hunting is to dust off your bow or crossbow two days before the opener, then the odds of you being dialed in enough to benefit from a saddle system is unlikely. In order to have a great experience with a saddle setup, it takes a bit more practice to get your routine down and to make the setup and take-down process as smooth as butter.”
Erik echoed Tyler’s remarks by saying, “The learning curve can be intimidating, although it isn’t as difficult as you think.” Giving hope to those who are unsure if it is right for them.
Situations Where Saddles Shine
Now that we have listed the pros and cons of saddle hunting setups, let’s look at where saddle setups excel.
“Saddle gear shines in hang and hunt scenarios on public land, specifically when you’re hunting far from the parking lot,” Erik explained. “Especially if you’re going in blind and don’t have a tree picked out, saddle gear is a great option.”
Tyler said, “If you’re someone like me who hunts multiple properties across multiple states including public land, saddle hunting is incredibly valuable, and can actually be more cost-effective, as a single saddle setup allows me to hunt many locations vs. having to buy multiple stands and sticks for different trees.”
Whether hunting public or private, if mobility and versatility are priorities to you, than it is hard to find a setup better suited for that than a saddle.
Where Other Methods Make More Sense
Like previously mentioned, there is no “perfect tool” in the bowhunters toolbox. There are times when the saddle should stay on the shelf and another tactic be implemented.
When asked where other methods make more sense, P.J. said, “I personally don’t find hunting from a saddle to be comfortable. If I don’t have a far walk, or if I’m planning to hunt all day, I’ll carry a climber or a hang-on and sticks to be comfortable.”
“Despite using a saddle more and more each season, I still have many permanent treestand setups that I don’t plan on abandoning anytime soon,” Tyler stated. “If you primarily hunt a single property, or you have limited stand location options, a more permanent traditional stand may make more sense for you. The benefit and comfort of being able to slip quietly into a pre-set stand that has proven results over many years can’t be understated.”
Lastly, Erik shared his thoughts.
“I don’t understand why folks that hunt private land use saddle gear,” he said. “If I was in that situation, I’d have several pre-hung treestands for different wind directions. I’d use a saddle if I wanted to do a hang and hunt in a new area, but I wouldn’t depend on it for the majority of my hunts.”
Final Thoughts
Whether saddle hunting is overrated or underrated is subject for debate. Like many things in the hunting community, it is all a personal preference.
“In my opinion, I still believe it’s an underrated tool for many applications, but not all,” Tyler concluded.
P.J., on the other hand, summarized his thoughts on the saddle hunting hype with, “It can’t be cool if Justin Zarr does it!”
In conclusion, saddle setups increase your mobility, allow you to be more versatile in the field, all while maintaining their small, lightweight, compact design at the cost of some comfort and bit of a learning curve (a couple sacrifices I was willing to make and am sure glad that I did).
Because of that, I believe that saddles are an underrated tool as well and undoubtably have a place in a whitetail hunters toolbox.
