Safety of Saddle vs. Tree Stands

[kyler1945]

You can wrap it around the base of the tree and move it up as you climb (sort of like one-sticking), or you can climb up with a linemen’s belt and hang it at height. Both are no less safe than climbing with a saddle, Mr. Smarty Britches.

Kind of my point though! Climbing trees is dangerous. Sitting on your butt hanging from strong stuff, or sitting on stuff while hooked up to strong stuff, is still dangerous, but much less so.

The more we separate climbing from the rest of a hunt in thought, conversation, and in gear, the safer we’ll be. That conflation is going to kill someone.

 

[bj139]

Kind of my point though! Climbing trees is dangerous. Sitting on your butt hanging from strong stuff, or sitting on stuff while hooked up to strong stuff, is still dangerous, but much less so.

The more we separate climbing from the rest of a hunt in thought, conversation, and in gear, the safer we’ll be. That conflation is going to kill someone.

Isn't standing on a single 1/2" wide step 20 feet up a tree with a linesman rope that is not even attached to the tree, more dangerous? This is not as bad when you are young and strong but when you are a senior citizen with weaker legs it is more dangerous than sitting in a strong seat, IMHO. I don't think conflation ever killed anyone. Now, flatulation, that's a different story.

 

[dlist777]

I've heard lots of saddle hunters say, "Saddles are safer than tree stands because you're always attached to the tree." But, I think that's only a partial truth. Many tree stand hunters hunt with no safety harness at all, and many more don't connect their harness until they're at hunting height. For those folks, the saying holds true, as climbing with a saddle and linemen's belt would be safer. But for the tree stand guys wearing a full harness that's connected to an HSS tether from the ground up (the long ones you preset), how could that be less safe than climbing with a linemen's belt, which is definitely not as effective of a "fall restraint" as a tether? Just a little thing that's bugged me lately, and would love to hear others' thoughts.

I agree. I am a full time saddle hunter now. But when I hunted tree stands, I hunted from lock ons with a HSS and I used an RC harness instead of a traditional treestand harness. Once at height both stand and harness would have to fail for me to fall. I love saddle hunting. But there are alot of overblown claims associated with them. This one you point out....you can get into "any tree"....alot of weight claims that arent apples to apples....

 

[DB4x4]

I would argue that a ladder stand with a lifeline and harnesses is probably the safest setup.

The problem is hanging them and taking them down. I've done some REAL sketchy things hanging ladder stands in a past life. If I hang one for a friend or family member nowadays, I have them hold it against the tree while I one-stick climb the back side of the tree and connect the ratchet straps. (Safely tethered into my saddle the whole time)

It does make me laugh when I can climb to their ladder stand platform level almost as fast as they can climb the ladder itself and with 1/10 of the weight and bulk.