Saddles aren’t for everyone, I would say try someone’s just for the heck of it. If it sux, keep toting that climber or whatever suits your hunting style. I’m gonna keep my viper, my old wind walker loc-on and my saddle. I’ve got a few spots that each works well in.

I'm on my 1st full season saddle hunting. I used my cousins set up for the last part of last season just to see how I would like it before buying everything. I have a tethered phantom and have zero issues being comfortable in it. I use 4 hawk 20 inch sticks and I have a predator xl platform. I hunt public land at skyline and I can tell you it's way easier carrying my saddle set up in those mountains than it is a summit climber. There's more of a learning curve to saddle hunting than using a climber but its all about getting a routine in place that works for you and practicing it.

Been hunting from a tree saddle since 2007. Definate learning curve to using one, and you'll figure out various refinements to your personal technique as you go.

I have the original Green's Tree Saddle leather version. The biggest PITA to using it was the factory tether and lineman's belt. I finally broke down this year, doing away with the factory tether and just using a climbers rope with a Ropeman & Carabineer. I also cut the factory lineman's belt off the treesaddle (the original Tree Saddles linemans belt is an integral part of the saddle) and use a Rollercam strap, which works just like a Ropeman & rope, but easier to manipulate.

For getting up the tree I started out with 3 full size Lone Wolf sticks and ended up going with 6 Lone Wolf mini sticks (easier to transport). I bought a set of 12 Silent Approach strap on steps this year, but they were a PITA on my one & only climb with them and shelved them for this year, to try them again later. My next approach will be to use 4 of my mini sticks with a CAYG aider.

For my platform I started out with a ring of 4 Ameristeps on a ratchet strap until I found a certain type of cam buckle that had a latching mechanism, and had some straps made for them, in which I use 2 steps on 2 straps, and position them as needed on the tree.

I have hunted out of Old Man, Summit, and API climbers, and will never go back to using them. Some day, someone may walk by me, and find a skeleton hanging up in the tree.

No one should even consider using a saddle..... uncomfortable and aggravating. You will not like it!!! 😁

Actually I have 4 saddles (Kestral, Flex, Quidos Web and the JX3. I sold all my climbers and lockon stands except for my tree lounge for gun hunting cutovers. The reason I wish less people saddle hunted is because when I hunt Kentucky public land and some public in Bama I have way more company in the areas further away from the roads and parking spots. If these guys would use their climbers I would have these spots more to myself for the most part because they are to big and heavy to want to carry in and out a mile or 2.

So again you will not want to use one!!!!!

Good info, and thanks for sharing. Just by looking at the picture, I feel like that would give you the right amount of room to do what you needed without having to attach the platform too. I am going to look into that for next season.

I feel like the freedom of movement allows you to always obstruct the deer's view. If you needed to, you could rotate and always keep the tree in-between you and the deer. I use to think the same way about the quickness of the set up, but after using it, I would disagree with you. You may not be as quick with it at first, but once you figure out your setup, it is way quicker/easier in my opinion.

What happens when your start to descend and drop your tether or linemans rope (life line)?

I don't know anything about tree saddles, but I work with a guy that uses one. Something came loose last year and he fell 22 feet and landed facedown, before daylight. Busted him up perty bad. He had a can of buck bomb in his shirt pocket, and it was as flat as a beer can. He still has soreness in both wrists and ribs.

You have a tether and a lineman’s rope. You hook up your lineman’s belt before unhooking you’re tether after a hunt. For me, the tether goes straight clipped on the saddle after taking off the tree. So you’re connected to the lineman’s belt now as you climb down your sticks. Climb down. If you need to go around a limb, detach the tether and use It as a second lineman’s belt.

I’ve hunted out of a saddle 2 years and haven’t once dropped a lineman’s belt or a tether. I’m not saying it’s I’m possible but it would be very hard.

When you’re in the tree you always have weight on your tether so it’s not like it’s going anywhere.

For us guys that 1-stick climb, we use a rappel rope to descend after a hunt.

That’s awful and hope your buddy is ok. Something coming loose sounds like an incorrectly tied knot or user error, not the fault of the saddle.

guy at work uses them and man it looks dangerous as hell watching him set it up. He damn near cut his tether line while screwing around with a knife one time too. Screw that.

I’ve cut tether lines intentionally with a knife and trust me, it takes some sawing and effort even with a super sharp knife.

How’s shooting a bow out of the JX3?

Terrible. I used one 2 hunts and sold it. I drew back on a doe 3x before I got the right angle to avoid the bridge. Then I missed her by about 5 feet. The only thing I can figure is my form was so jacked up, that I torqued the bow something terrible. My fault for not practicing before hand, but I’ve spent a lot of time in a standard saddle and a jx3 is way more limiting with a bow. After that, I practiced out of it for about 20 shots, and got rid of it. You have to position your left side completely perpendicular to your target, which means walking around the tree.

As he mentioned it is a little different than using a regular saddle but I do not have any issues shooting a bow out of mine .it's worth it to me due to the comfort. Just have to practice and know how to position for the different shots and learn to setup correctly