I have two hang on stands, two ladder stands and a summit climber collecting dust. I only really used the climber when hunting in Missouri but it's been a couple of years. As for my favorite, ladder stands. I have done a few modifications to the seating to make them comfy, they're easy to get in and out of and it doesn't take a "perfect" tree. Personally, I like putting my ladder stands in red cedars and it has always worked out well for me. I also have a really nice redneck ground blind but it's only for those really, really cold mornings but I cant stand the limited view or being on the ground.
Tree Saddle all the way. I wear it in. It weighs under 2lbs. When I get to the tree I put on tree spurs and I can climb just about any tree I want. The spurs weigh under 5 lbs total. 7lbs plus my bow would be my total weight if I didn’t have camera gear. It’s very comfortable. It’s super safe. And I am very quiet going up and down. Had a spike bed 20 yards in front of my stand the other day. I packed up and climbed down without him hearing me. Love it. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
The more I think about it the more I want my primary stand to be a hang on. Due to my hit list bucks aren’t showing their faces at all at my ground blind. But 1/4 mile away where I don’t have a stand yet just camera, I’m getting a lot of big bucks. Deer where I hunt get big for a reason, they’re smart. Still gonna build the box stand to put over a plot just for my daughter when she’s old enough and for me during the doe season. Merry Christmas to all. Jesus is the reason for the season
None of the listed stand options. I've exclusively hunted from a saddle since 1981 (now using a Mantis saddle by Tethrd Nation) and have never since considered going back to any form of conventional metal stand and here's why. Advantages of using a saddle 1. Unlike conventional stands which tens of thousands of hunter have fallen from, when properly using a saddle you are 100% of the time tethered to the tree and can't fall. 2. They're made of fabric so there is no noise associated with; pulling up stands, setting them up or ascending a tree with a climber. 3. There are no metal bolts or joints as with conventional stands so possible creaking noises at crunch time when you may have to shift your weight for a shot are a non-issue. 4. Extremely lightweight (2 pounds or less) and easily fits in any backpack with other gear. 5. Unlike conventional stands with limited shooting mobility, with a saddle there are no missed opportunities because you can shoot 360 degrees around any tree. 6. You can keep the tree trunk between you and the deer until you want to shoot. This huge advantage eliminates getting visually picked when hanging out to the side of the tree when in a conventional stand. 7. Large and small diameter trees are now open to hunting whereas with conventional hang-on’s and climber stands, trees diameter must fir into a particular category to accommodate them. I’ve taken bucks from trees that were 4 inches in diameter and from trees that were over 30 inches in diameter. 8. Unlike with a climber, the tree doesn’t have to be devoid of branches in order to hunt it. 9. Trees leaning up to 15 degrees can be hunted comfortably from. 10. Unlike shooting from a conventional stand with only your 2 feet on a platform, from a saddle you always have 3 solid points of body contact with both feet being on steps and your upper body weight being securely supported by the hammock like seat. Having 3 points of body contact gives you a much more solid and comfortable base when shooting which will equate to better accuracy. 11. You can have as many pre-set locations prepared as desired while owning only one saddle to hunt all of them. Having many options increases the element of surprise and decreases human intrusions and contamination of each site. Because your saddle is always with you, you simply hunt the locations when and where the sign is hot. 12. With conventional stands you need one for each pre-set location or have to carry a cumbersome stand with your pack and bow to each location and then make the noise of setting it up. Just imagine having to purchase conventional stands for 20 or more locations, the cost would be astronomical and even then the hunter wouldn’t have all the other many advantages of a saddle. 13. I exclusively hunt public and knock on doors for free permission properties and in Michigan with its 320,000 plus bowhunters, trestand theft is ramped. You never have to worry it with a saddle because it's always with you. 14. Other hunters can’t hunt your location because your saddle isn't in the tree. 15. Once you learn how to use a saddle, they are extremely comfortable to sit in on all day hunts. Saddles have drape adjustments so you can adjust your seating position within seconds at any time adding to the overall comfort for long sits. 16. When hunting from a saddle your upper body is not constricted within a shoulder safety harness that’s tethered to the tree behind you. While hunting in a modern saddle your upper body from the waist up is non-encumbered with straps. 17. A saddle doubles as a hands free safety harness system for preparing new locations. 18. Saddles are perfect for freelance (bivy) hunting as your saddle is in your backpack. When freelancing in heavily pressured areas, hunters don’t have the luxury of walking down 2 tracks or through open timber as seen on TV and in videos, they have to freelance scout and oftentimes transition through cover where toting cumbersome stands and sticks would be difficult and not very feasible. Conventional hang-on stand users would also need to carry a climbing harness setting up the tree whereas a saddle also doubles as a climbing harness. 19. With a saddles versatility it's perfect for finding a good location and making a tree within shooting distance of all the sign work. No more having to set up conventional stands in trees away from the destination site because there are no suitable trees at the site. Having to set up away from a destination location such as a mast or fruit tree or scrape area for example, will put some of the runways feeding the site and sign out of range and possibly out of sight. 20. A major advantage is that at destination locations such as preferred fruit and mast trees and or a scrape area where there may be multiple deer standing and lingering for several to 20 minutes at a time, being tethered on the opposite side of the tree trunk from the destination site will be a huge advantage because you won’t get visually picked by the deer looking around and listening while eating. With conventional stands you have no option but to set up somewhat on the side of the tree which makes your body silhouette visible to the lingering deer which greatly increases the likelihood of getting visually picked. Saddle hunting is not another me to hunting concept and it definitely flies against the grain of conventional tree stand manufacturers that want to sell hunters a stand for every location. Saddle hunting also flies against TMA (Treestand Manufacturers Association) as they are controlled by tree stand manufacturers. These are my personal qualifications for offering these saddle advantages over hunting from any conventional metal style stands. -I doubt anyone in the country has spent more hours perched in a saddle than me. I’ve exclusively hunted from a saddle since 1981 when hunting from trees. -Have 31 bucks listed in the Michigan record book and they were taken from 19 different properties in 10 different counties and in 1981 took a state record buck from public land. I’ve also taken 19 P&Y bucks from 13 different properties on my 23 out of state bowhunts in 5 different states. -What separates my accomplishment of having an accumulative total of 50 record book bucks from 32 different properties from any other hunter in the country is that they have all came from either public lands or knock-on-doors for free permission properties. I’ve never owned, leased or hunted on a relative’s property or paid a dime to hunt anywhere, and never will. -Of those 50 record class bucks 44 of them were taken from a saddle and I attribute the taking of more than half of those bucks to the many aforementioned advantages of hunting from a saddle. There is absolutely no way using any conventional stand that I would have been able to take those 44 bucks due to their limitations.
