Serious bowhunters know that competition — particularly on crowded public land — is stiffer than ever, and that means a hunter has to be willing to change up the game plan on a moment’s notice. It also sometimes means that you might have to go deeper afield than you’d planned in order to find that isolated honeyhole. Being flexible and mobile is the name of the game.

The trouble is, traditional stands, even climbers and hang-ons, are bulky and time-consuming — though they might technically be mobile, how much hunting time do you lose fussing with cables and hauling your heavy climbing stand two more miles away from the roads and the other hunters?

It’s no wonder why saddle hunting has become the fastest-growing market in the hunting industry. Whether you are a die hard public land hunter or you love hunting your own private land, saddle hunting is for EVERYONE.

 

Why Try a Saddle?

First, saddles are super lightweight, which makes them a breeze to pack into the woods. Need to move midday when the wind shifts? No problem — a saddle is hands-down the most mobile elevated hunting option you’ve ever had.

Second, saddles are quick to deploy and incredible versatile, letting you climb just about any tree. Regardless of tree diameter, straightness or number of branches, it’s just a matter of climbing the tree and positioning to whichever direction you want to face. Even limbs aren’t a problem.

Once you’re set up in the tree in your saddle, you’ve got true 360-degree shooting capability because you can pivot around either side of the tree safely for a shot at nearly any angle.

Sound complicated? It’s not. There are a few pieces of associated gear you’ll need — more on that in a second — and it can take a bit of adjusting to find your sweet spot, but once you get used to saddle hunting, you might never go back to bulky climbers again.

 

What You Need

Leading the charge in the world of saddle hunting is Tethrd, a company dedicated to this market. This isn’t a treestand company that just decided to jump on the hot new trend — saddle hunting is all they do, and they’re specialists at it. With a robust prostaff that includes some of the best hunters in the industry, including Chris Bee, Seek One and The Hunting Public team, Tethrd is dedicated to making you lighter, better, faster and stronger in the deer woods. Their website is packed with informative how-to videos that answer every question you might have about why saddles are such a powerful hunting tool, how to pick out the gear that’s right for you, how to use it most effectively, and more.

So what do you need to get started? There are five essential pieces of gear that’ll keep you safe and comfortable:

 

1. The Saddle

Of course, the saddle itself is the backbone of the system. Early tree saddles were less than comfortable, particularly when worn while walking from one spot to another (if you could even walk in them at all), but Tethrd has solved all of those problems and more with the Ultralock Saddle, created with maximum comfort in mind. It’s expandable for total comfort while walking or sitting, and Ultralock Links let you easily dial in your specific comfort setting. The Internal Frame Structure (IFS) helps you haul the rest of your gear comfortably, and the UtiliBridge and patented Comfort Channels offer all-day comfort and durability. The Ultralock Modular Yoke helps the saddle stay put exactly where you want it, but it’s removable if you want to go a more minimalist route.

 

2. Platform

You’ll need somewhere to put your feet, and the ultra-lightweight carbon fiber Predator CFX Platform is just the ticket. It’s easy to pack through the woods and supports up to 300 pounds, with a 12 x 15.5-inch platform — large enough for comfort, but not so large that it becomes a pain to carry around. Tethrd calls it the lightest fully featured mobile saddle platform on the market.

3. Climbing Sticks

Once you’ve selected a tree, you’ll need a way to climb it, and climbing sticks are a perfect portable solution. Tethrd’s ONE Stick is designed to be lightweight, corrosion-resistant and super sturdy, with a quiet, strong, intuitive StickLoc stacking system that makes it easy to quickly and efficiently align and stack sticks for easy transport — no straps needed. It’s a simple multi-step system that you move with you while you climb, so you’ll never run out of steps, no matter how high you go. Self-illuminating GLO-tabs allow for easier and safer climbing and descending in low-light conditions. And talk about mobile: It weighs only a pound, including the rope attachment.

4. Lineman’s Belt

A lineman’s belt keeps you connected to the tree while you climb — and because many treestand falls happen during ascent and descent, this is a vital piece of gear. Tethrd’s Lineman Belt comes in 8mm and 11mm depending on your chosen ascender (an optional tool that makes rope adjustments simpler while climbing). When you’re settled in and tethered using the next piece of gear we’ll talk about, you can remove and stow your lineman’s belt.

 

5. Tether

When you’re at your chosen height, a tether safely connects you to the tree and enables you to maneuver around it for a shot — this is a serious piece of safety gear that you should not cheap out on. Tethrd recommends its Tree Tether, which features factory-spliced eyes that are much stronger than knots. Like the Lineman Belt, it’s available in 8mm or 11mm depending on your needs.

 

Does being more flexible, mobile and comfortable afield sound irresistible? A tree saddle is your solution to saying goodbye to heavy, slow-to-move stands and getting into and out of nearly any tree quickly and safely — and hunting comfortably all day. The team at Tethrd is dedicated to helping you be more successful in your hunting pursuits, and they’ve put a lot of thought into engineering products that just plain work, down to the smallest detail. To learn more about saddle hunting, visit www.tethrd.com.