Got a shock the other day when I finally got caught up with my honeydo list after 2 months of western adventure.
I wonder if Fred Bear had to clean up the yard?
Anyway, the property that I'd hunted last year near the house was slated for early death by subdivision and I'd anticipated not hunting it this year.
The land had gone under the blade. I mean every living thing that wasn't a mature tree was bull dozed. It looked pretty bleak.
It looked pretty bleak until I realized that the deer that were use to hanging out on this property still visited the same mast trees that they had when there was undergrowth. Now they come on the property at night from neighboring properties that still have cover.
The first sign I found of consequence was under a red oak near the fringe of cover bordering a big bean field.
Going on first impressions of the feeding sign I put up a hang on stand near the oak.
The first night I sat the stand I saw 12 deer in the beans. One group got past me on, what ole Butch would call, a sneak trail. I made a note of the trail.
When they had come out in the beans, they eventually worked their way over to another red oak and spent considerable time there eating.
Another mental note was made and the decision to check out that oak more closely.
Which is just what I did the next day around noon.
I was so sure that I could catch the deer there, that I brought along a hang on for the tree.
Sign was good under the oak and I went ahead with the plan.
Now every year I go through this period where nothing I do goes easy. In particular the hanging of the first stand or two of the year.
This tree was no exception to that rule.
I fought the dang tree steps up one trunk of the double trunk oak until at around fifteen feet I stopped and hauled up the stand.
Strapped up good, but hanging precariously off balance I did the "you need three hands and only have two" waltz with the mighty oak.
With the stand pressed against the tree with one hand I slung the chain around the mighty bole with the other.
It came up a foot short of reaching all the way around. I was a tad miffed... with a capital F!
I had no extension with me and hadn't thought about it.
I took the whole works down and went off to sit in the first stand.
Saw 12 more deer and had five of those move to the failed red oak stand and lounge.
The next day I went to WalMart and got an Ameristep ladder stand. By late that afternoon I had it in place against the oak.
I'd always stayed away from ladder stands, but have to say that it was an unfounded aversion.
An hour before dark two deer approached from across the bean field.
Topic: The Way East.... another bowhunting journey. (Read 18260 times)
