The Best Tree Saddle and Stand Options for Florida Hunting

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Hunting from a treestand offers advantages; enabling a hunter to see approaching animals sooner while concurrently being less likely to be detected by vision or olfaction. This is particularly true for the thick woods and level ground of Florida. Early hunters on the peninsula recognized the benefit and climbed trees to target deer. In fact, anyone who has read The Yearling (set in the Big Scrub area near Ocala) probably remembers Jody’s father passing on that knowledge to his son. Trees that offer limbs for climbing are not always available where sign indicates the best ambush locale. Also, it is easier for a hunter to remain still when he or she is comfortable. Hence the development of treestands. Four primary types are readily available, differing greatly but each with its own distinct advantages.

Ladder Stands

Ladder stands, or leaners as they are sometimes called, are essentially ladders with a platform or a platform and a seat on top. They are somewhat heavy and cumbersome to set up, so they are seldom used when the tote is long and the hunt period a single morning or afternoon. However, for places where multiple hunts are expected they boast exceptional ease and safety. Climbing up or down is silent so game is less likely spooked upon entry or exit. This means hunters can easily and quietly leave the stand to stalk distantly sighted game. Another advantage of a leaner is that it can be temporarily placed on nearby trees so limbs and foliage that interfere with shooting lanes can be trimmed. Also, tree selection is not as critical as it is for some types of stands. Ladders are forgiving of angles and irregularities in a tree, not requiring a straight trunk, and, since their legs support some of the hunter’s weight, they can be used on trees too slender for other stands.

Ladder stands come in many heights. Taller ones typically are composed of sections that slide into each other, facilitating their fit in vehicles and making them easier to lug through the woods. Personally, as a traditional bowhunter, I prefer short stands that allow a better angle through an animal’s chest. For me, six to eight feet is ideal and ten borders on being too tall. This equates to lighter and more easily placed stands as well.

Many of the manufactured stands are fabricated from steel. When I travel to Kansas or Nebraska and I’m amazed by stands set decades ago looking basically new. Here in Florida, the steel stands rust substantially within three years and many rust enough to be deemed unsafe within five or six if left in the woods. Our daily dews and salty air wreak havoc on the steel. For hunters who want to place and leave a stand, aluminum is better. I haven’t seen manufactured aluminum stands, but they can be made from simple aluminum ladders by adding a platform. If stainless steel hardware is used, they hold up indefinitely. Several I fashioned for my dad in the eighties are still solid and serviceable.

Chain-on or Strap-on Stands

Many stands are light-weight and portable, designed to be fastened to a tree by a strap (or in the old days, a chain). Straps are quieter and lighter but need to be checked regularly for wear. I once had a nocturnal rodent chew nearly through one on a tree! I can’t fathom the creature’s motivation but am thankful it chose the bottom strap of a two-strap stand. These stands are much more easily carried than ladders. Noiseless set-up of climbing apparatus and stand is achievable but requires attention and care.

Some strap-on models offer a leveling system but, even so, a relatively straight trunk is desirable for their deployment. A way to climb the tree is also necessary. Tree-steps or climbing sticks are most often utilized. I have seen linesmen spikes or separate ladders used. Some hunters rely on finding a tree with limbs that render it climbable. I have tried that technique a few times but found myself hunting in suitable trees rather than where game frequented.

Strap-on stands vary considerably. Factors to consider are weight, platform size, ease of set-up, and whether the seat can be moved to facilitate drawing a bow near the tree trunk. The lightest models are easiest to tote. Large platforms allow jockeying for open shot windows when limbs and brush intervene.

Like with the leaner, distant game sighted from a strap-on stand can be stalked although the climb down is usually slower and undertaken carefully.

Climbing Stands

Climbing stands allow hunters to climb trees without carrying additional steps, sticks, or ladders. Fastened around the base of the tree with adjustable blades, belts, or cables, the base and seat can alternately be raised, enabling the hunter to “inchworm” his or her way up a trunk. Trees without lower limbs are best although a saw can be employed to cut through minor branches as the hunter ascends. These stands are ideal for slipping into an area to hunt it one time. Most are not too heavy to carry and are fitted with straps like a backpack. They can be left attached near the base of the tree for repeated use if the hunter desires.

Trees with fairly straight trunks, few limbs, and that do not taper too much are the best choice for climbers. In Florida, cabbage palms, pines, and cypress are usually excellent candidates. Some cypresses are so wide at the base that the stand tilts downward when the hunter achieves the desired height. It is worth noting that climbers designed to dig into the bark cause sap to leak. Pines can become a sticky nuisance if the tree is climbed more than once. Climbing stands are dramatically less conducive to slipping down to stalk game although it can be, and has been, accomplished. Like with strap-on stands, the set-up and ascent with these stands can be quietly effectuated but it does require concentrated effort.

When considering a climber, knowledge of the hunting area is exceptionally helpful. As stated, in a cypress strand or piney woods most trees will suffice. In other forests, I have encountered times when, after toting a climber well into a woods, the trees near the greatest sign proved unsuitable.

Tree Saddles

Tree saddles, basically harnesses that safely suspend a hunter, allow hunting from a tree with the least burden. They are exceptionally light and packable, allowing hunters to carry them relatively unburdened. Young hunters who consider saddles cutting-edge hunting innovations are flabbergasted to learn of models made forty-five years ago. Tree saddles facilitate deep penetration into remote, seldom hunted regions. Also, some hunters carry them as they hunt on foot, employing the saddle only if a grand ambush spot is encountered or for a midday rest.

Saddles are easy to carry and quiet to set up. Originally, in the eighties and early nineties, I used them in trees with sturdy, spreading branches but found I could adapt them to even straight boles. A small platform that can be readily carried is a valuable aid on straight trees. Also, climbing sticks prove helpful to maximize the number of suitable trees. Even with these accessories, the tree saddle package is not terribly encumbering for the manufacturers have designed each component to be light and packable.

While the diminished burden for the hunter wishing to hunt from a tree is the primary advantage of the saddles, they are also adaptable to a wide range of trees. For rifle hunters and compound bow shooters there are few drawbacks to their use. Rigid stands provide more comfort for the hunter. I altered some of my earliest saddles to include a thin board across the seat so the saddle would not pinch tightly. Sometimes, a game animal’s course is not easily predictable. Because of the harness, a bowhunter’s movement to allow a draw in an unplanned direction can betray him or her. This is especially true with longbows and recurves. Regardless, even with low saddle heights, my longbow has taken deer that veered to the unexpected side of the tree.

Saddles are definitely worth considering for hunters packing in long distances. Remember, it’s not just the weight packed in—the return load may be much greater if the hunter meets with success. By the way, I have taken a board, ½ by 4½ by 15 inches, drilled two holes in each end, and ran a thin, strong rope through it to create a light-weight saddle more comfortable than the commercial models which I still use.

General Considerations

Many of the reported injuries to hunters stem from falls. Safety harnesses have evolved to be non-restrictive and comfortable and are always worthwhile. Most tree stands are sold in conjunction with a harness. Very fine fall restraints are available through nearly all sporting goods retailers. Saddles are safety harnesses in and of themselves. To this end, they should be repeatedly secured during the climb rather than only after the final height is achieved (this is true of harnesses for stands as well).

Another aspect of tree stand safety is regular inspection of the gear. Repeated flexions, rust, and exposure to the elements can weaken or rot stands or their components. Obviously, the longer a stand has been in service or left in the woods, the greater the chance for a problem. However, problems can arise in short periods—remember my rodent-damaged strap in one night.

Many hunters prefer hunting quite high in trees. Air, warmed by our body heat, rises. The higher the hunter, the less likely game will detect his or her scent. Also, deer and hogs focus primarily on ground level threats and are less likely to perceive a highly elevated hunter. Despite these advantages, I prefer to place my stands low; some less than five feet but most in the six- to ten-foot range depending on the tree and cover. The lower the stand, the larger the target to the vitals on an animal. When the hunter is high, the downward angle causes the area between the spine and side of the chest where the vitals can be targeted to shrink to two, or maybe, four inches. At ground level, depending on the animal, the vertical leeway is ten inches or more.

Another aspect is penetration. For bowhunters, complete penetration provides the quickest kills and easiest to follow trails. An arrow launched from a high stand has to traverse double the amount of animal as one from ground level to completely pass through. Obviously, this is of less import to rifle hunters and those with powerful compound bows.

Remaining undetected from the close ranges traditional archery imposes requires some thought and work when placing stands. I have found cover below my stand the most important aspect. Animals are less likely to notice a human on a stand when thick brush fills the space below the platform. Cover behind the hunter is less important – in fact, it interferes with shots in those directions.

Tree stands are great aids. Hunters need to find the style or styles that best suits their preferences. Often, habitat, or even time of the season, influence the choice.

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• This article was featured in the October issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe.

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