Saddle Hunting All Day | Pulling Off An All Day Sit in a Tree Saddle

By Jeremy Dinsmore
When it comes to hunting the whitetail rut, most hunters spend their November days in a tree all day long hoping for a mature buck to come walking by. In my previous article, How Comfortable Is It To Hunt From a Tree Saddle, I covered the basics of setting up your saddle correctly so you are comfortable while you hunt. In this article, I will cover how you can hunt from the saddle all day, any day. There are a few pieces of equipment that will make your all day sit more comfortable and we will dive into those now. 

Practice Makes Perfect - Get Ready For November Hunting

By this point of the whitetail season you most likely feel like a saddle hunting pro and ready for your first all day sit in the saddle. Up to this point you know where you like to place your tether height and how long you like to run your bridge on the saddle. To go along with this, you now feel comfortable maneuvering around on your platform. Most hunters combine sitting and leaning while hunting from the saddle. Let’s quickly break those two ways down.

• Leaning in the saddle: Literally, you are leaning back and into your saddle with your feet on the platform. Over time, however, you may get pressure on your legs.  

• Sitting in the saddle: To relieve the pressure from leaning, alternate by sitting. To sit, all you have to do is place your knees into the tree.  Another way to sit in your saddle is by turning sideways with the side of your legs on the tree. The Tethrd Knushion or Tethrd Knee Pads can help here too.

There is no wrong way or right way to complete either one of these, just ensure you practice them so you get a feel for what is comfortable for you. One of the aspects of saddle hunting that I love is how it places the tree between you and the animal.  This allows you to get away with slightly more movement. When making the transition from leaning to sitting, just make sure you make the moves slowly.  Look around too before you adjust your positions and try to avoid any sudden movements.

Sit All Day Comfortably with These Saddle Hunting Items

On the majority of my hunts I wear my Tethrd Knee Pads in the tree.  When it comes to sitting all day, knee pads or some form of a cushion for your knees will go a long way to keep you comfortable.  I personally find the knee pads easier just because it is one less thing to place on the tree. These knee pads play a huge role when you are sitting because now your knees are not digging into the tree. The Tethrd Knee Pads specifically have extra padding and are super lightweight. The second piece of equipment that is in my SYS Hauler at all times is the Tethrd Recliner. This piece of equipment is a back support band that is made of the same material as the Phantom. Because of this, the Tethrd Recliner really molds to wherever you place it. I switched the Tethrd Recliner as my back support piece to placing it under my hamstrings when I sit and found it to be more comfortable! With these two pieces of equipment, you just took your all day sit to a whole new level.

Having a platform also plays a major role in being able to hunt from the saddle all day. I know some hunters use a ring of steps, or even sticks to rest their feet on. These are all good options. However, having a platform really makes a difference because you are able to move around on the platform and this will allow you to distribute your leg pressure to different areas and not just get stagnant. A platform allows you to switch from sitting to leaning to standing quickly with very little movement.

I find it comfortable to hunt from a saddle whether hunting just an afternoon or putting in a full day hunting during the whitetail rut. Using the tools listed above and being able to easily reposition myself is what I believe makes it easier to sit all day in a saddle than in a treestand. As you hunt from the saddle, ultimately you can lean, sit or even stand straight up on your platform facing the tree or facing away from the tree. You can still adjust your saddle in a wide variety of ways to help you stay comfortable. Just don’t forget those snacks in your Half Rack Snack Pack! So, can you hunt comfortably all day from a saddle? Yes, you can!

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