Stay on the Stand

DO AS I SAY- NOT AS I DO: “STAY ON THE STAND”
By
Mike Faulk

You have heard it before. You’ll hear it again. Stay on your stand as long as you can. The sacrifices one makes in staying perched in a tree are miniscule in comparison to the reward for staying. You’ll never know what you missed [unless, of course you’re using a trail camera] when you leave.

Often times I just don’t have twelve consecutive hours to stay on the stand to deer hunt. The point here is to maximize the amount of time one spends on the stand when you are in the woods.

My “stand survival” fanny pack, which when filled with these contents weighs less than two pounds, includes a bottle of water, an empty bottle for discharge of urine, nature bars, crackers, an apple or pear, a couple of pieces of hard candy, hand-warmer heat packets, an extra pair of gloves heavier than the ones I’m wearing, an extra toboggan warmer than the cap or toboggan I’m wearing, eye drops, a few tablets of ibuprofen, a handkerchief and some lip balm.

Long hours on post allow my mind to drift. If I’m not totally zoned into the hunt, my wandering mind inevitably turns to some matter of personal comfort. Very item in this fanny pack is included based on a previous bad experience that led to my climbing down out of the stand to take care of some personal need.

If I’m cold, I’m distracted. If my tummy is rumbling for something to eat, I’m distracted. If I’m sneezing or coughing, I’d distracted. If my back hurts or muscles ache from long hours clinging to a perch, I’m distracted.

Distraction and boredom are my two worst enemies. Too much of either and I’m ready to climb down.

Sometimes, we do know what we missed from climbing down too soon. How many times have you half-heartedly scanned your surroundings before exiting a tree stand and then on the way down watched in wonder as a group of white flags wave good-bye with a hardy gallop? Or on the way out on the trail away from the stand you are busted by a blowing doe warning all wildlife in ear shot that danger is near?

Just this past Sunday, I climbed down to sate my caffeine lust. The old log cabin is less than 60 yards from the nearest ladder stand overlooking a small food plot of greens. We carefully groom the trail so as to leave the least amount of scent when we go in and out. I didn’t think I’d mess up the trail by a brief trip to the coffee pot. After all, I thought, that cabin is close by for my convenience.

After making it to the stove and taking my Styrofoam cup to the front porch rocker, I watched in utter disgust as 3 deer passed less than twenty yards to the far side of the tree holding the ladder stand where I’d been ten minutes before. Had I stayed one of the does would have been easy pickings. Giving up backstraps and smoked venison hams for a cup of coffee was hardly a fair trade. I knew better when I climbed down. But that need for caffeine and the shear convenience of close-at-hand coffee was just the distraction that caused me to make a bad deal.

“Do as I say; not as I do," Mom said often. I should have listened more carefully.