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In Your Stand

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In Your Stand

Postby Swede » 02 21, 2021 •  [Post 1]

Many hunters think tree stand hunting is challenging, and takes more patience than they can generate. I have found myself hot as the sun beats down on me, and cold as I just sit there and wait. Usually my comfort is somewhere between these extremes. I will get out if the weather or my lack of preparations are causing me to be miserable. I have gone to my stand prepared for certain temperatures, and as the afternoon turned to evening, I found myself shivering. It was warm until that cold front moved in, then I did not have enough clothes to stay warm enough to even draw my bow.
For the most part I can stay reasonably comfortable, and I can also keep my mind occupied. Keeping my mind occupied helps me stay comfortable. I read, play sudoku, sharpen my knife, etc. It is all a part of being where I want when a critter comes around. These activities help pass the time when there is nothing stirring other than a bird or crazy squirrel. I try to never lose my focus, by being so engrossed in my secondary activity, that I lose track of why I am there.
How to you prepare for your stay in the stand, and what do you do during those hours of inactivity that are so common?
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Re: In Your Stand

Postby Tigger » 02 21, 2021 •  [Post 2]

Well I wear Sitka so I stay warm so that solves that problem! :shock:

I only tree stand hunt where there is cell reception in MN for whitetails so I check the football games. I surf Wapititalk and check up on Swede to see if he is still out of jail. I will close my eyes, but I do not fall asleep. I focus on my hearing. I divide the time I have left in the stand by how many sandwiches I have left. Okay, I can eat one every 1 hour and 56 minutes. A while later, I can eat one every 1 hour and 36 minutes. Then I eat one and it jumps to 3 hours and 49 minutes. Yeah, I don't mind math.

I might text the wife and some friends too.
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Re: In Your Stand

Postby Swede » 02 21, 2021 •  [Post 3]

It is very rare I have cell phone reception from my stand.

Tigger wrote:Well I wear Sitka so I stay warm so that solves that problem!


Hummmm? Which piece(s) of Sitka gear are you wearing? I wonder why they sell so many clothing items if one or two will keep you so warm? I want to watch Good Will and get just the right items for "warm & dry." :lol:
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Re: In Your Stand

Postby wawhitey » 02 21, 2021 •  [Post 4]

Most of my stands dont have cell service so i rarely mess with my phone. I hate moving around at all. Even reaching back into my pack for a drink of water im always expecting to get busted by a buck that just happens to appear right then. I dont bring food into my stand, going 11 hours without eating is not a big deal. No books or nothin. I basically try to sit as still as possible. I just watch and listen. I dont really get bored or need distractions. Theres always something going on. Birds, ermine, yotes, some sort of critter activity to watch even when the deer are absent. Had a bobcat trot by my stand mid day once. If im hunting early archery ill likely see bears roaming around. In sept 2017 i hunted deer from a stand the first week of september and saw 10 bears that week, moving around munching on dried up service berries. Ill often hear grunting and chasing out of sight in the timber during the rut which keeps me alert. Things can happen fast, i dont want to be fidgeting about with something not paying attention and miss a good opportunity. Just watching and listening to the woods is enough entertainment.
Real eyes realize real lies
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Re: In Your Stand

Postby Lefty » 02 28, 2021 •  [Post 5]

Tigger wrote:I only tree stand hunt where there is cell reception
I surf Wapititalk and check up on Swede to see if he is still out of jail.
I might text the wife and some friends too.


The canyon I bear hunt has service that's off and on .And Im something around 8 miles to the nearest house . I love to hassle Swede on this forum.
But I learned my lesson, on the phone with my wife,.. ,,, spooked the little bear ,


Ill haul along a handfull of American Hunter, and Trapper post
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Re: In Your Stand

Postby Lefty » 02 28, 2021 •  [Post 6]

wawhitey wrote: I hate moving around at all. Even reaching back into my pack for a drink of water im always expecting to get busted by



Just watching and listening to the woods is enough entertainment.


8-) 8-)
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Re: In Your Stand

Postby Elkhunttoo » 04 23, 2021 •  [Post 7]

I try to sit still, and think I’m sitting still... then 5 minutes later in fidgeting around with something :P . I have tried to read but I do better just sitting and watching stuff and pondering life
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Re: In Your Stand

Postby Swede » 05 04, 2021 •  [Post 8]

Elkhunttoo: You have had me wondering about your post for several days. How long do you normally stay in your stand? I normally stay 5-6 hours, then get out for lunch. After that I go back to the stand for another 5-6 hours. I can sit without anything to do or read, but it is very boring. When I am fooling with something like my camera, GPS or a book, I keep my day pack open in case anything comes around that just might need to be shot. With the pack open wide I can set my book or whatever down without much movement and zero noise. I make some movement by picking up my bow and by standing. I do that carefully when the critter is not looking my way.
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Re: In Your Stand

Postby Elkhunttoo » 05 04, 2021 •  [Post 9]

Last year I sat ground blinds quite a bit. I sat one for 3 straight days.

I guess it varies. Some years I’ve stomped around in the mornings and then sit in the afternoons and evenings. This is what I mainly did last year. I really need to pick up a couple of stands this year though.

Last year sitting I had 1 shot on a spike that I let pass at 45 yards
Stomping around I had 1 shot at a nice 6 point bull. And could of shot a calf and a cow.
I probably sat for a little over a third of the time I hunted in total

The evening I shot at the 6 point, the bull and his cows had actually came into the water hole my brother in law was sitting. Only they watered 80 yards from him. My wife and I were sitting a water hole about 150 yards from my brother in law. After the bull got his drink he started away from my bil so he started give a few cow calls trying to bring him 30-40 yards for a shot...my wife and I heard the commotion and were able to sneak in on the bull while my bil had him talking. Everything was good but my shot :cry: :cry: my bil had no idea we had even heard anything and were in between him and the bull.

This year I’m not sure what our strategy will be. My friend that was with us was able to get in close and some decent opportunities sitting saddles in the mornings. I will mainly be hunting the second half of the archery season. Last year the action definitely picked up the second half (as expected) stomping around but sitting my cameras said the elk were more active in the second half too. I didn’t get to hunt very many evenings in the second half of the season though
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