The Mobile Hunting Movement

Robert WellerFriends of ELO, Hunting Tips & Techniques, Product Guides and DIY Projects

Time and technology have a way of changing the way we do things. Well, at least for those willing to embrace change and learn something new that is. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with sticking with the tried and true, but what if you’re missing out? 

It seems that more and more deer hunters are going mobile these days and are migrating away from traditional methods like tree stands and blinds. In recent years, tree saddles have become very popular among a new generation of hunters, calling themselves “Mobile Hunters”. Now mobile hunting isn’t really a new thing; hunters have been doing this for decades. But tree saddles as well as other lighter weight equipment have made it more appealing to those of us who got tired of hauling heavy climbers or packable tree stands into the woods. The word generation in this case isn’t necessarily limited to a certain age group but rather a type of hunter, using a hunting method that is being adopted across a wide range of age groups. While yes, it is more likely that you will see the younger folks as the primary participants. Don’t be fooled; this is not just for youngsters. It was twenty years ago or more when I first heard of anyone using a tree saddle to hunt deer and I must admit, when that former co-worker of mine told me about it I thought he must be off his rocker. But time and technology have a tendency to influence a person’s opinion and mine too has changed. Just last year another co-worker mentioned using a tree saddle for hunting deer and he convinced me that I should look into it myself.

saddle (seat) used by the author

A lot has changed in twenty years, and I find the fastest way to learn about anything today is to search for it on YouTube. To my surprise, a quick search came back with an overwhelming amount of related content. I began watching videos of people explaining the concept of saddle hunting, how to use the saddle, different climbing methods, and a wide variety of different gear that can be used based on personal preference and operational needs. I was amazed at all the different options there were just for climbing the tree. There are still your traditional methods like tree spikes or screw in steps (as long as you’re on private land and have permission to use them of course) as well as the more modern methods which include climbing sticks, strap on tree steps, one-sticks, two-tether climbing and even rope or fabric type ladders . I purchased a set of lightweight aluminum climbing sticks twenty-five years ago, but they are longer, bulkier and heavier than what is on the market today. However, be prepared to pay for these newer light weight options because you can easily spend $400 to $500 or more on a set of 4 carbon fiber or modern aluminum sticks today.

The attachment methods for those sticks have changed too. No longer are they attached with a one-inch-wide nylon cinch strap, but rather a piece of small diameter rope called Amsteel. I will admit, at first glance I thought it looked pretty sketchy, but Amsteel is incredibly strong as well as light weight. Once you reach hunting height, you’ll need something to stand on such as a platform or a ring of steps and again, there are many options, and the prices go up as the weight goes down. You can spend as little as $50 on an Amazon special or just over $200 on something from one of the big names such as Latitude Outdoors or Tetherd. As for the saddle itself, well, if you have ever seen an arborist seat, it’s based on that idea. The easiest way I can describe it is to say it’s like wearing a seat from a swing set, only far more sophisticated. The saddle in its most basic configuration consists of a belt, a seat, a lineman’s rope or strap, and a tether. You use the lineman’s rope attached to two loops on the saddle (called lineman’s loops), to secure yourself to the tree so you can use both hands to climb and set climbing sticks as you ascend and then once at hunting height, the lineman’s rope allows for both hands to be free as you hang your platform or ring of steps and make final adjustments before you set your tether. Once your tether is attached to the tree, you attach it to the bridge on your saddle using a properly rated carabiner. The bridge can be another rope or strap that attaches to the saddle bridge loops which are separate from your lineman’s loops. Once securely attached to the tree tether, the lineman’s rope is removed and stored away leaving you attached to the tree by a single point and allowing you to essentially pivot all the way around the tree, depending on the tree itself as well as your choice of platform. While I was at first a skeptic, saddle systems have certainly come a long way, and it seemed I was certainly missing out on an opportunity. 

You will find that the vast majority of hunters today that are using tree saddles are part of a mobile hunting community. Meaning they are packing in the least amount of weight possible and moving around the hunting property in pursuit of a deer that they feel is worthy of harvesting. Another advantage of a saddle system over a more traditional tree stand is the fact that you can use the tree as cover and quite literally hide by keeping the tree between you and the deer. If and when you decide to take the shot, you can carefully slide around the side of the tree and shoot. I saw this as the biggest immediate benefit for the places I do most of my hunting. I have often found myself looking at a tree and wishing I could hunt a particular spot, but either the tree isn’t straight enough to get a tree stand in or there is no way to hang a stand and not get picked off by every single deer that walks by. 

So last year, I began purchasing equipment so I could switch over to using a saddle rather than a tree stand. My thought was perhaps a saddle would allow me to hunt from some locations I had always wanted to hunt before and couldn’t as well as allow me to do so behind the cover of the tree. I used to hunt from a climbing tree stand and was always fond of the idea of hunting a different tree from time to time or using it to explore a new property. To this day, I still think it’s my most comfortable stand to sit in, but it’s old, heavy and carrying it into the woods just doesn’t appeal to me the way it once did. The idea of a lighter weight setup such as a tree saddle opened me up to being willing to explore new properties again. My hunting partner Steve and I both ended up with saddles prior to the start of the 2025 archery season. We decided to prep five trees the way we usually would but this time, we did not hang a single tree stand. Instead, we used a series of screw-in steps to give us a ring of steps to stand on and use in conjunction with a tree saddle. We noticed one thing right away when we prepared our spots and it was an absolute game changer. Steve is left-handed and I’m right-handed, so hanging tree stands was always a challenge because we needed them to be hunt-able for a right- or left-handed shooter. By prepping the trees for use with saddles, we eliminated most of the issues of us being opposite shooting hands because we can simply set up on the side of the tree that works best for each of us now. This archery season we had deer get closer to us than ever before in a couple of locations and found that the saddles gave us the ability to get into areas we always thought were impossible to hunt. We can quite literally get into almost any tree we want to now.

Probably the most portable saddle hunting climbing method in existence is “one sticking”. Greg Staggs (Often called “The God Father of One Sticking”) demonstrates his one stick climbing method in great detail on his YouTube channel (Staggs in the Wild). He climbs the tree with the use of only one stick and a two-step aider (a fabric or rope ladder attached to the bottom of the stick) and literally plays leapfrog over his one-stick as he ascends the tree. His twelve inch one-stick is very customized and includes a platform top, thus eliminating the need for a separate platform. His one stick method uses a 40-foot rope tether to ascend and descend the tree with Mad Rock Safeguard (a special rope descender) made for the application of repelling. I was intrigued by this climb method and have already purchased the necessary equipment to repel, but the one stick itself will have to wait until next year’s hunting budget. Repelling from a tree is safer in my opinion than climbing down in the dark, so when I mobile hunt this is my preferred method to get down. Just the other night, I went on my first mobile hunt of the season on a piece of property I have not hunted in several years. It felt great to be in those woods again and even better to be able to carry everything I needed inside or strapped to my regular backpack. 

There is another name in the industry that you must know if you are interested in learning about hunting from a tree saddle, and that name is John Eberhart. John is pretty much known as the God Father of Saddle Hunting. A Michigan native and very successful whitetail hunter, John has killed 58 record book bucks (to date) on public or free permission private land in highly pressured areas. John has been saddle hunting since 1981 and today uses the combination of Scent Lok technology and a tree saddle to disappear not only from sight but also his prey’s keen sense of smell. You can check out John on his YouTube channel Eberhart Outdoors. John has a very strict and disciplined approach to hunting and killing deer and you’ll be hard pressed to find another to rival his success when it comes to killing older mature bucks in Michigan. Like anything, there are going to be differences in opinions on how you should or shouldn’t saddle hunt. If you lean towards following in John Eberhart’s footsteps and want to chase the biggest buck of your life, then you’ll want to follow his strict scent control regimen, get a ring of steps and to preplan your hunting locations. John puts an immense amount of effort into preparing for his season. He does lots of prep work and puts a great deal of time into studying and scouting the land he hunts. If exploring new areas on the fly, being mobile, light weight, portable, and E-scouting from a computer screen looking at online maps is more your style then you’ll find the guys at Latitude Outdoors and their YouTube content (Grit) right up your alley. Alex Chop and his team are also Michigan based and have spent a great deal of time developing and innovating so they can outfit you with quality gear built for mobile hunting. The folks at Latitude test and use all their own products so you can see them in action before you decide if you want to pull the trigger on a new setup. Their Grit episodes show examples of hunting well known private properties as well as public or asking permission to hunt lands that they have never seen before, making mobility their biggest asset. 

Author with his 2025 bow harvest utilizing the “saddle system”.

I’ve made some aggressive moves on deer with tree stands in past years that have rewarded me with a few nice bucks and very memorable hunts. I took my first deer for the 2025 season (a nice 2.5-year-old 10 point) from my saddle just before 7 PM October 24th while in a tree I have always wanted to hunt from but was afraid of getting picked off in a conventional tree stand. The saddle allowed me to keep most of myself hidden, and that buck never knew I was there; neither did the doe he was following. Then I shot my second buck for the 2025 season from the

same tree on November 6th. I look forward to even more adventures in the woods next year as I rekindle the fire in my own soul and start exploring new places again in pursuit of the biggest buck of my life! 

There’s nothing wrong with doing things the way you always have, and every hunter has his or her own reasons for spending time in the woods. But if you’re up for a new adventure and are open to trying something new, check out some of the content I mentioned above. If you have never heard of saddle hunting or maybe you have and just don’t know what it is, I assure you that you will, at the very least, be entertained. But, if you’re anything like me, you might just find yourself going shopping for some new hunting gear. 

Good luck out there, be safe, and most of all, have fun. 

God Bless

Robert Weller
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