In recent years the demand for highly mobile saddle hunting equipment has exploded.

Hunters want to go deeper into the woods, but not be burdened by the weight and noise associated with hang-on and climber tree stands. That's where saddle hunting comes in...

Enter the Hunting Saddle

Three seasons ago I picked up my first tree saddle hunting pack setup and have been through an entirely new iteration of my setup each year based on changing personal preferences and advancements in the equipment coming to market. It seems like each year, somebody comes out with the best hunting saddle kit!

Once I tried out the hunting saddle, I never went back to a typical, old school tree stand. It allowed me to sit longer, stay concealed, and swivle around the tree depending on wind and deer movement.

It's also an absolute game changer when it comes to hunting public land deer and avoiding any other hunter in the woods.

Where I have landed today is what I would consider my “ultimate tree saddle hunting setup”.

Here’s a Quick Overview:

The Saddle

The foundation of any saddle hunting system is obviously the tree saddles, and my tree saddle brand of choice is the TrophyLine Covert Lite. I have tried other brands and models, but the Covert Lite tree saddles have checked all of the boxes, being light, highly adjustable, comfortable and silent.

The adjustable leg and waist straps, gear ties, and frame pack with independent closures allow the tree saddle to be synched down and silent for the hike in, and easy to find comfort with when in the tree stand.

Some other perks of the Covert Lite that I’ve really come to appreciate are the adjustable (and removable for customization) bridge and two rows of molle loops for hanging accessories on like bags or a bow hoist.

Ropes

For ropes, I am running TrophyLine’s standard tree tether and lineman’s ropes with the included Black Diamond carabiners, but have added a Wild Country Ropeman 1 Ascender to my tree saddle tether.

This little tool is a godsend helping me to avoid having to fight with prusik knots that can often be difficult to loosen, especially in cold weather or when wearing gloves.

With the Ropeman 1, you simply take pressure off of the rope, pull the cable and adjust your tether height.

One other trick I have learned to trim down on gear is to repurpose my lineman’s belt into a bow and backpack hanger once tethered in by carrying along an extra large Hero Clip. This can be a game changer for tree saddle hunters.

Climbing Sticks

When it comes to climbing sticks, I feel it is important to find the right balance of height you can climb and portability needed for your saddle hunting style. My recent preference has been the TrophyLine Mini Climbing Sticks.

These climbing sticks are extremely small, but with the addition of a BlackDiamond Alpine Aider on my first stick I can gain about an additional five to six feet of climbing height.

These webbing style steps weigh next to nothing and stow easily in the rope bag on my tree saddle, making my climbing method much, much easier.

One of the other tweaks I have made to my sticks is replacing the standard cam straps with Amsteel daisy chains.

I’ve found that this helps to significantly reduce both noise and weight while keeping it simple.

Platform

For a platform, I most often use the TrophyLine EDP due to its compact size. I have found it to be extremely easy to install, stable, and provide just enough surface area for most saddle hunting.

There are a few modifications that I would recommend making to this platform however in the way of sound dampening and camouflage, which can make or break a saddle hunters day.

First, the cam strap buckle is heavy and makes a lot of noise if it comes into contact with the platform, so I have put a sleeve made of bicycle intertube around it.

The standing surface of the platform is also raw aluminum and could use both some sound dampening and camouflage in the way of either hockey tape or spray on bed liner.

That rounds out just about everything I use in my ultimate tree saddle hunting setup. So much of choosing the right gear comes down to your own personal needs and preferences, so do your research, try out as many options as you can and go with what feels right for you for your saddle hunting.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully a more efficient saddle hunting setup will allow you to hunt places you had never considered before and ultimately lead you to success!

Want to learn more about saddle hunting or how to best use a tree saddle?

Check out our 5 Reasons Why Tree Saddles are Better

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The Ultimate Saddle Hunting Setup for Whitetail