I'm using the square knot so I can take the leader off of the strap if I need to get it closer to the tree. In that instance, I'm using the huggers as straps. You can then use a MSH, becket hitch, j-bend to attach the strap to the leader. If you splice the leader directly on to the end of the loop you can still do a MSH closer to the tree but you lose a little bit of the strap length. Also, you need to create a larger spliced loop.
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