Saddle Hunting 101 - Multi-Stick VS One Stick Climbing

The debate on social media saddle hunting pages rages on as to which is "better", "faster", "quieter", "safer". In this video we dive deep into the two most popular methods of climbing in saddle hunting. Multi-stick VS One Stick. Which one is better? Let's find out!
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[@victoryish8861]

The effort you put into this deserves the like and sub! Great information. I’m looking to jump into the saddle and this was very helpful.

[@MavHntr]

I too use several methods of getting up a tree: saddle, fixed stand and climber stand. Each has its place & situation for use. My fastest, safest and most QUIET way up is a customized LW stick-DBL Steps with rope cam-lock, Mission EDP & Hang-Free Amsteel platform "strap" and 30' "tether"/repel rope w/Madrock. All metal surfaces are Stealth-Strip. Platform metal base is cord wrapped. Also, my lineman's belt if needed to get around tree branches on the way up and always use climbing rope gloves too. I'm rope attached to the tree 100% of the time, all the way up & back down too. Just the LW custom stick & Mission EDP weighs 5.5-lbs. Hunting a wilderness area, I need to pack in at least 2 miles. Thus, all my saddle gear is backpacked, not worn on the hike in/out. Weight of my total saddle set up 10.5-lbs

[@garygrimes2024]

I use a linemen belt for climbing, a tether for getting around limbs, AND a rappel line in case of stick or stand failure. Multiple attachment points slow me down, but allow me to get into thick cover trees and substantially increase safety. The extra 3 or 4 minutes it may take me to get up or down a tree is a small price to pay for extra cover and increased safety.

[@osbornoutdoors8778]

Fair comparison. No one even does a 1 stick video on anything but a straight tree with no branches. I almost never hunt straight or branchless trees.

[@cjr4497]

Yeah, or vines. I my area almost every tree has poison ivy or some other vine.

[@garygrimes2024]

Exactly. Who would hunt that tree? No cover as far as the eye can see.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

The reason no one does a one stick video on anything but a straight tree is because a straight tree establishes a base line for education purposes. Most people watch these types of videos simply to learn the basics. Once you start adding crooked features or limbs, then every situation is different. If I do a video on a tree with 3 limbs to navigate over then someone will want to see one with 6 limbs. It will never be good enough. But I agree with you, I almost never hunt straight or limbless trees either. This tree just happens to be a great tree for demonstration purposes. No more ... no less.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

Most trees I hunt have vines too. This video simply serves as a base line for people to learn. No more ... no less.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

When did I ever say that I would hunt this tree? Not once. It is a straight simple tree to do a video showing the two most popular climbing methods for saddle hunting. No more ... no less. The only time I would hunt a straight limbless tree is in the early season when there are leaves all around on adjacent trees. This video was shot in the middle of winter, outside of hunting seasons. It was never intended to instruct a saddle hunter how to hunt or what tree to choose.

[@robburton3255]

Great comparison! A couple of things that came to mind: 1--If you need to get to the ground quickly to use the 'bathroom', one sticking may cost you some underwear. 2--If you plan on hunting from the same tree for more than one day, then multiple climbing sticks (if you know they will not be stolen) will save you a ton of time.

[@shanemeely5959]

I've left my sticks in the tree over night and the dew and temperature caused them to ice up over night, luckily I didn't fall all the way to the ground. Just be mindful of that

[@adrielmartin1435]

You can always leave your rappel rope in the tree and use SRT methods to climb the rope if you're planning on hunting the same tree later.

[@BeanpoleNEC]

Great video. At going on seventy years old I doubt saddle hunting is in my future but your video showed me a new method of hunting elevated. For me ground blinds are great.

[@mikeherpel6308]

I just turned 75 and I have been saddle hunting since I was about 45. Started with the Trophyline, which back then was a heavier type saddle, using screw in steps, where legal, both for bow and firearm seasons. Have used all types of trees both with and w/o branches and crooked. I have since gone to the lighter weight system, i.e. Tethrd. MY setup weighs 6-7lbs if I use their 3 sticks, however I still one stick and this allows me to still get farther away from the crowds. My health is not what it was but as long as I can use this system I will hunt on. Stay safe and don't let the old man in

[@thepatriottrucker1983]

This was a good comparison although there were a couple other points that probably should have been discussed as well Physical exertion both carrying to and from the stand location and setup/teardown Noise level carrying in / out and setting up and taking down And scent dispersal at the stand location while setting up and tearing down

[@jamesbaldwin1616]

Also he's doing this on flat ground. As someone who hunts the Smokey mountains weight is a huge factor when making your way uphill to your hunting spot. Also depending on thermals I might hunt under a bench and if I only get 20ft in the tree I'm eye level with the deer so being able to get extra height by bringing longer rappel line vs more climbing sticks is a huge bonus for my situation at least.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

Very true! You are only limited by the length of rappel rope that you bring along.

[@cjr4497]

I used sticks for 2 seasons and now am 1 sticking. Besides rappelling down and the weight savings, stick climbing has more advantages for me. The one-stick shines on straight trees with no vines and it pretty much ends there. Crooked or multi pitch trees can be a bear with a one sticking. Trees with poison ivy vines or any vines really, make it a pain to advance the tether. With one sticking it takes me 30min from the time I pick a tree, to the time I am situated and hunting if the tree is clean. It takes me 12 min from when I call it quits to when I am fully packed up and walking away. This makes it almost too easy to change spots. Setup time with sticks for me is equal to the one stick. Packing up and moving on it also takes me 30 min. However, sticks are quieter to setup and much less labor intensive especially on a tree with vines and/or character.

[@froyboy4life]

This man knows how to coil properly. Subscribed.

[@trxe420]

I do both and I am like you, I am way more efficient at 4 sticking, but I have done it longer. I am also cheap, so I basically just modified one of my 4 sticks (Muddy Pro that I have had for a decade) to be a one stick and I use my platform from 4 sticking instead of going with a true one stick. Here are my observations, its a was time wise going up, but much faster and imo much safer rappelling down. I also like only having to carry 1 stick and a platform vs 4 sticks and a platform, significant weight difference to me, but I have older sticks. 4 sticking is easier to do imo, but not by a whole lot. Also, I prefer my tether and ropeman vs. my mad rock and rappel rope at hunting height, it just seems easier to adjust the ropeman. I am actually eperimenting with 1 stick and my tether to climb and then only pulling out my rappel rope when I am ready to descend, it's one more rope to carry, but seems faster when making moves because I don't have to undo the quick link, plus like I said I prefer it at hunting height. I am curious, since you called them part of your toolkit, in what situation do you chose to one stick and which situations do you chose to do 4 sticks or is it just whatever you feel like that day?

[@pathfinder5804]

Great video!!! I luv the idea of one sticking and let’s face it weight and repelling are the big bonuses. I live in the northeast and branchy knarly pines, cedars and spruces are very normal trees to be hunting from. At that point the one stick becomes very tough!!! Also climbing up cluster trees where I may have sticks in multiple trees or different leaders from that same tree is doable multi sticking. However 60-70% of the time I’m in trees I could use my summit climber in. Tall, straight with few limbs at all so presto one stick would work awesome!!! My friends and I all have used Big, Heavy and totally inconvenient to carry through the woods summits for 20yrs. I’ve switched to a saddle or hybrid system saddle w/ultra lite hang-on (WindWalker). So my two cents is definitely a time and place for everything and I break it down like this for my uses. Saddle better then climber in almost every conceivable way except complete comfort once at hunting height. Virtually no tree multi sticks won’t work with and with small or carbon sticks super light. Extra items needed cuz you have to have a platform of some sort. I use a Wingman so hence my interest in one sticking. Then one sticking is less bulky weight as in a platform and a pile of sticks. My Wingman set up for one sticking is only about 4 pounds. My 4 double steps with Wingman weight about 12lbs. Extra ropes don’t matter to me as they aren’t bulky weight. They are going in a pack somewhere out of the way. I find one sticking certain trees to be less convenient and tend to chose trees the same way I would for my climber. There isn’t a big enough time difference to make me choose one over the other cuz sticks faster by far up for me but the repelling down is faster in every way in that respect. If you have your system down packing up and unpacking both methods should be about the same. Winner for me is usually multi sticking cuz I truly haven’t found a tree I can’t get into while doing it. Thinking about purchasing the new latitude carbon sticks for weight savings and buying maybe a cheap platform used to get away from wingman and using that as my dedicated one stick if I wanna keep that as an option. Truly figure out a system and use it most of the time and either one will become faster and you’ll be more proficient at it. Again LUV this video for people who aren’t sure what’s best for them.

[@davidavila-medina2228]

Thank you so much for this video! Just subscribed I think through things in this similar so I can really appreciate your content. Thank you.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

Thanks! There are many more saddle and climbing vodeo on my channel. I plan on doing more very soon as seasons approach.

[@davidavila-medina2228]

@@NewDayOutdoors very new to hunting and living in CT I haven’t found many mentors to learn from. I have to take what I can get so I appreciate your content. Look forward to your other videos.

[@67HuntAway]

All are tools in the toolbox. Used individually or in combination with one another. I even find myself using a saddle and tether while in a ladder stand.

[@michaelmanthey9858]

Excellent video!

[@kidneystones3406]

To me, the biggest benefits of one sticking are the less weight, less noise, and rappelling down, which is the safest way of coming down a tree.

[@B.r.i.a.n.1]

That hanging upside down jiu-jitsu leg lock, though. Like a spider monkey. Lol

[@NewDayOutdoors]

It is so easy. It literally takes almost zero effort.

[@ruptrain6830]

I went from multi to 1 stick and I don’t think it’s the time I think it’s the weight and noise difference where 1 stick wins over multi sticks, and it takes me longer to pack my multi sticks because I load them on my bag.

[@GiosSimCorner]

I will be one sticking this upcoming fall season. The game changer from multi stick to one stick is definitely the repel part of it. It took you less than a minute to get to ground level from 21ft. Where with each stick you have to step down lower your linemans rope undo the stick and repeat the process. Its just annoying.

[@weirdmood8102]

Just buy you some rope and a madrock , and repel down, grabbing your sticks along the way.

[@garygrimes2024]

Repel is way over rated. I fail to see the fascination with quickly leaving a hunt. I take my time going down and never takes me more than about five minutes to packup my hang on and grab my sticks on the way down.

[@danielclintmcclinton2411]

By the way, your sticks are set up it’s almost like you want to go 20 feet every time in the Northeast where I hunt public land some places you don’t even have to get that high and the one stick that you display has 40 feet of rope, same principles carrying extra weight I have been doing the saddle hunting for 3 1/2 years i’ve been watching people get sucked into the rabbit hole. It’s all a big hype for everybody to buy bye-bye what happened to simple it’s almost like scent lock clothing if you look on KZbin, most of the guys that are in saddle hunting or wearing regular clothes not saying it doesn’t work, but if you play the wind, you’ll be fined most of the time and know where the deer are coming out thanks for making the videos and thanks for what you do for the saddle community 👍

[@NewDayOutdoors]

It is just a straight tree behind my house that you could easily go up 35 feet. I don't always take 4 sticks hunting. I often take 3 and even then don't maximize how high I could go. I often hunt between 12 to 15 feet. Same with the one stick. I don't go that high all of the time. This was simply a side by side, 4 sticks against 4 comparable moves. No more ... no less. Thank you for the views and kind words.

[@garygrimes2024]

In my opinion, the biggest downside to one sticking is that there is only one attachment point to the tree when the stick is moved. I've also never seen a one stick video going around limbs. I like to hunt thick cover trees with lots of limbs. I'll "stick" with multiple sticks, a linemen belt, a tether for going around limbs AND a rappel line for getting safely out of the tree for stand or stick failure. Stay safe my friend.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

Lots of options. But yes you can one stick over limbs every bit as easy as when multi-sticking. It is very easy to do. I do it all the time. The reason you do not see videos is because every limb tree is different and throws different challenges whether multi or one-sticking. It is just way easier to do how to videos on straight limbless trees. Trust me, many people need to watch these over and over after seeing so many people struggling to even set a stick properly this year. Regardless, both are very safe. I would argue that one sticking is even safer. Yes, you are only connected to one rope during a move, but the gear is climbing rated. Yes anything can fail. But there comes a point and time where if we really want to be safe then we should just stay at home. The risk is so minimal and I will always argue that one sticking is safer than multi-sticking, especially after seeing all of the injuries this year on FB pages from people multi-sticking and slipping when they are only connected by a lineman's belt. Be safe and thanks for the views!

[@mikeherpel6308]

For safety reasons I use both my tether and linesman belt. A good video to watch is by DIY sportsman he shows using both belts. Remember two is one one is none.

[@theMobileHuntersEXPO]

Slick vid bro!

[@doncampbell1961]

Good comparison . If I might suggest you could easily speed up your time with a four stick method. unpacking them took too long. I think if you found a way to not tie you attachment rope around and around your stick it would help. everyone of them took quite a while. If you watch the time after unpacking your sticks it took you 43 seconds to put up your first stick. and only 16 seconds to hang your one stick. you need to figure a way to use the one stick method to attach your four sticks, lol. next use your one stick as the fourth stick and skip the platform. thats just added weight and time. lastly lol, throw all your four sticks (which now have quicker attachments) to the ground go down and load them up quick from the ground. Good video . I will use this to change my own methods . valuable to watch.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

I go back to ... it is not a race. I have used a straight up rope mod and it is faster than my current USA ropes. But I like how secure the USA is. At the end of the day this about being safe more than being fast.

[@doncampbell1961]

@@NewDayOutdoors yes , lol I only brought up time cause you timed it. it seems to be a good indicator of how easy it is.I am curious about that rope mod. never saw it done , but in one of your other videos it looked worth the effort . nice and tight

[@mikeguy9668]

​@@NewDayOutdoorsI make my own usa mods and I love them. Super light quiet and get tighter than cam buckles

[@bqoutdoors2334]

Great comparison you took a bit long to set up for the sticks I can get up a tree with my four sticks way faster and I repel down best of both worlds. Good vid.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

It isn't a race. The way I unpack and set sticks is methodical and I focus on each step. In the end, neither way is significantly faster than the other.

[@paulcrave3112]

It’s crazy how similar the methods were. It looked in the video like your feet at hunting height were in the same place. I see a lot of your time climbing with the one stick was messing with your lineman’s rope. I feel safer moving my tether up rather than leaving it slack and messing around with a lineman’s. To me it doesn’t make sense to take my hands off the tree or stick to mess with a lineman’s. The tether is a fall restraint. The lineman’s is not. It does let you go hands free to move your tether though. I just find it safer and more efficient to move the tether up when my first foot hits the bottom step of the one stick.

[@grinder881]

Very informative video. On the one stick doesn't your platform make way too much noise when disconnecting it and lifting it up? I hear a lot of metal on metal clanking. Put it at the 9:30 mark and don't watch video, just listen and you can hear the clanking. Do you use stealth strips? I didn't like using the word "clanking", since it seems aggressive in nature so, please don't take offense.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

I don't have any stealth strips on my one stick setup. So yes that would help. You have to remember I was making a video on just a general comparison and really wasn't overly concerned about noise since I was not hunting. Often when I hunt no matter if I am one sticking or multi sticking I tend to slow down a bit and be careful. But yeah you can make noise. But you can make noise no matter how you hunt. It all comes down to using good judgement when you set up.

[@grinder881]

@@NewDayOutdoors Sorry I should have asked this before, but you can sit every single legal shooting light second and be comfortable in a saddle? They are good for all day sits?

[@adamshepard1290]

What’s the benefit over a climber? Also anyone you know who uses a saddle that pushing the 300lb limit

[@NewDayOutdoors]

1) You can climb crooked trees and trees with limbs. 2) Lighter gear. 3) You face the tree, so you can use the tree to hide. 4) Easier to shoot 360 degrees. 5) Quieter way to climb. Yeah there are many 300 pounders that saddle hunt. Jump on one of the many saddle hunting groups on FB and make a post asking for input from bigger guys. Good luck ... stay safe ... and thanks for the views.

[@wgc7775]

I️ could climb a football field is this same amount of time with a climber.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

The beauty is there are options for everyone. That is really a good thing and people should use the methods that are best for them personally. But as someone who spent years climbing trees in a Summit climber, I am way faster, quieter, and more efficient one sticking, especially after doing it for so many months now. It is faster, more efficient, and safer. AND ... I can climb trees with limbs ... cannot do that in a climber.

[@randywillis7050]

Do you have to take those down and put back up for every hunt?

[@NewDayOutdoors]

Yes

[@jase4364]

You need a Fang system with all those sticks.

[@DONdayce]

I don't really see the benefit of using a lineman's belt if you're not going to wear it on the entirety of the climb. The moment you put slack in your tether is the moment you're at the highest risk of falling. If you're not going to clip in until you get near/to the top of your stick, you're better off saving some time and just moving your tether as you advance. Just my opinion.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

Yes and no. You can never eliminate 100% of the slack and there will always be a risk. I have tried it without the linesman belt and for me, I have to get so close to the tree and shimmy the tether line up that it is cumbersome and actually slower for me than using the linesman and comfortably being able to reposition the tether line. But to each their own. Everyone must do what they are most comfortable with. My way of climbing is just one way ... not necessarily the "right" way for everyone.

[@duanescarpetcleaningutah8999]

We’re the multi stick wins, wins big is if you want to hunt the same stand multiple times over a week period. You can leave the set up in the tree the whole time and hunt it on and off over a period of time. I hunt elk sometimes in the same spot due to elk are very habitual of they fill comfortable not being pressure. I have watched the same herd of elk follow the same travel pathway for sometimes two weeks so leaving the steps in the same tree is great!! 1-quitter each following time you use same tree with steps still up. 2- way fast up tree and hunting in 2 minutes or less. Multi sticking does have some great advantages to me

[@NewDayOutdoors]

I agree. Both have their advantages in certain situations and in others it is a wash. That is why I encourage people to make choices based on your hunting situations.

[@BassBucksOutdoors]

I used to think the same thing….until I bought a hand ascender and foot loop. Leave your one stick in the tree just like your normal sticks….SRT climb back up the tree in less than a minute….game changer.

[@Liam-ql7tr]

Multi stick i would still repel down.

[@JDye-youtube]

Weight of each setup? What if you need to go to 25 feet? Lot’s of limbs or no limbs? Never understood everyone’s overwhelming fascination with “How fast can I get up and down the tree.” That said, I really don’t care what other people use. Use what best supports how you hunt and I’ll do the same.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

That is pretty much what I said in this video. Both methods are efficient. This was simply to provide a bench mark on a perfectly straight tree with no limbs. Every situation then becomes different. Limbs are no problem with either method. Weight of one vs the other is not significant. I am not sure that I have ever weighed my gear. 21 or so feet is about the limit that I can get out of my multi-sticks unless I added more aider steps or more sticks. With a one stick and 40 feet of rope, I could get to a platform height of 30 feet easily before I ran out of rope. Again ... this was simply a benchmark test. People have to decide what they are most comfortable with. I can tell you that since that video, all I have done is one stick and I have become way more efficient and faster ... though it is not a race.

[@sethsmith4316]

Nice video but looked like you were trying to go faster with the sticks vs 1 stick

[@NewDayOutdoors]

LOL ... no. If I shot this video side by side 10 more times the results would have been the same within seconds each time. I have zero agenda and zero incentive to go faster with one over the other. I hunt both with sticks and one stick on and off as I see fit. I intend to use both methods this fall as well as some hybrid approaches. Each way has its merrits.

[@glock907]

As for weight the one stick is the winner, as for returning to the same tree and leaving the sticks and stand in the tree the multi stick is the winner. But As for me, the weight is the primary issue making the one stick the winner. As for the other issues, speed up/down, packing up they are all about the same. A few minutes is not that important to me. I make that time up using my EBike rather then walking in and getting hot and sweaty. In my area there are to many other hunters that hunt where I do, many with out permission. over the years too many tree stands, game cameras and blinds have been stolen , so leaving equipment in the woods is not an option. Years ago I put my stand out at sunset the evening before the season, when I arrived at the tree 12 hours later my stand and the lock & chain had been stolen. I will never leave anything in the woods again not even a cheep Lowe’s bucket to sit on. I lock my ebike and i park it about 15-20 yards from my tree hidden in the tall grass and visible from my tree.

[@steveprincinsky5119]

Great side by side, but for me getting home two minutes faster is irrelevant. What if I need to stop for gas and the next guy doesn't? Getting set up, efficient and quiet with as little movement as possible is more important to me. Would love to see a similar side by side wearing hunting clothes for late season (10-40 degrees) and in the dark with whatever light source you use to do it safely. This is NOT a criticism of this video, as the analysis was more than fair. People need to pay attention how any video is shot (realizing content can't all be done real world) and how it translates to that their real world situation with either getting set-up or broken down in the dark. Also, if you find yourself breathing hard and sweating up a storm getting into the tree chances are you will be climbing down much sooner than two minutes when the cold wind kicks up.

[@NewDayOutdoors]

I totally agree. The difficult thing is that every tree and every situation is different. Yet everyone wants to see a comparison. This tree was as straight as they come, the perfect tree to climb. No limbs to fuss with. Moderate weather. It was simply done to be a base line. Any other conditions add other variables. At the end of the day BOTH methods are efficient, stealthy, and safe. It all comes down to what someone is most comfortable with. I have now spent many months one stick climbing and have become very efficient and comfortable with it. It does lose a bit of efficiency when it gets very cold and the clothing gets bulky. That for me gives the nod to multi-stick climbing. The beauty is that I have all of the gear for both and am comfortable with both, so if I feel that in December when it is snowing and 15 degrees F out, I can go to the multi sticks and platform if I want to. Again, everyone needs to determine what is best for their personal hunting needs.

[@codymashburn5647]

Great video!