Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    
    I bring something to eat, when I start getting bored, I eat it, usually
    something that takes little movement, like a lolly pop or hard candy.
    
    I know of people that bring paper back books in with them, they read
    when they get bored, they simply look around at the end of every page.
    
    Other things to do when bored:
    
    go to the bathroom
    move
    sleep (I know several who do this often :-) )
    
    anything else?
    
    --Bob
    

    Bob,
    
    Too funny - go to the bathroom????  Do you have any idea how many
    layers of clothing I have to pull off to do that????  I guess that's
    why I don't have a thing to eat or drink before I go...
    
    Eat... Correct me if I'm wrong, but won't the scent of food get in the
    air and alert the deer that I'm there???
    
    Christine

    
    
    	Not being an archer, this is all off the top of the head but...
    
    	how about a real sharp pocket knife and a couple of small blocks
    	of wood-you could whittle? (do something to dull the glare of the
    	blade??)
    
    
    	Do you have any other hobbies that fit in with sitting hour after
    hour?   I imagine that it would have to be something with little
    noise and movement, and something that you could get out of your hands 
    quickly and quietly.
    
    
    	Chuck
    

    Christine,
    
    Most hunters down here either read or sleep. I do a little of both.
    You would be surprised how little noise it takes to wake you from a 
    catnap in the woods. Be sure to use a safety line if in a tree.:-)
    If you still-hunt you can always just start a little early if the
    boredom gets too bad.
    Eating... depends on what you eat. I only eat apples and that does not
    alert the deer. In fact I have had some come in to eat the apple core
    after I threw it on the ground.
    Maybe I' a little philosophical (sp) but if it is too bad and I have to 
    take a nap I just figure that any deer I don't get while sleeping was
    destined to not be shot by me at that time.
    Do whatever you need to in order to stay alert, but don't overdo it.
    The very best thing for me is to still-hunt for a coule of hours and
    then go back to stand hunting.
    
    Harvey
    

    
    re .2
    
    >Too funny - go to the bathroom????  Do you have any idea how many
    >layers of clothing I have to pull off to do that????  I guess that's
    >why I don't have a thing to eat or drink before I go...
    
    That's why it wakes you up, it isn't just a quick thing :-)
    
    >Eat... Correct me if I'm wrong, but won't the scent of food get in the
    >air and alert the deer that I'm there???
    
    Depends what you eat, besides, you are already in the woods stinking
    up the place anyway, my peanuts and raisens don't seem to make
    things anyworse.
    
    --Bob
    
    

    Boredom... hmmmm...
    
      One thing I WOULD NOT do is go to sleep in a tree stand. From what I
    understand, this is one of the leading causes of tree stand mishaps,
    safety belt or not! :-{  My advise: If you hunt in a tree stand, make
    it for the morning (say 6 to 10 AM), and the evening (3 to 7 PM), and 
    save the late morning/early afternoon for either going back to camp to
    eat/relax (sleep :-), or to do some still hunting... Trying to stay
    awake up in a tree all day long is a bit much for most of us... Plus,
    with the rudimentary seating arrangements that most tree stands have,
    you'd have to have a "cast iron keester" to save from getting saddle
    sore :-)
    
      I've read stories about women who hunt bringing their knitting or cro
    cheteing with them to the tree stand. Sounds pretty good to me :-)!
    Knit a sweater, and kill a deer, all at the same time!
    
      As was mentioned before, bring a paperback...
    
      Myself, I find Northern NH to have enough sheer beauty to keep my
    attention all day long. After 50 weeks of the ole "8 to 5" the crisp
    October or November woods are a "caffiene to my spirits" (Should I be
    a writer or what? :-) ... And, in Pennsylvania the deer are constant-
    ly running all around you, so there's hardly any time to be bored :-)
    
      So, if you're bored where you're taking a stand, try moving around
    a bit and scouting the area while hunting. Nothing works better for me
    than to just get up and see what's over that next ridge... You may find
    a better place to take a stand. And, of course try all the afore-
    mentioned tips if you're hunting from a treestand...
    
    Joe

    Hi Joe,
    
    I hunt on a farm, so the deer aren't pushed around by other hunters, my
    husband and I are the only ones allowed to hunt the farm (along with
    anyone we bring ourselves).  So you can see there isn't alot of
    pressure for the deer to move around. They get up when they darn well
    feel like it!
    
    I think I might try the book idea.  If I don't keep my mind really busy
    at all times I start to go really batty (cuz I think of all the other
    things I should be doing instead of hunting, too bad the house can't
    clean itself ;*)  )
    
    I have another questions, somewhat relevent to mind games.  Do any of
    you ever think you see something off in the distance, but your not
    quite sure???  Maybe I'm looking for the wrong things, but my mind
    starts to play tricks on me and I'll sit threre forever and think, is
    that a deer?  Is it going to move closer so I can see the darn thing?
    
    Christine 

 Get a good pair of field glasses.

	If you played the wind properly then the smell of food (or you
	for that matter) shouldn't  make any difference.  Sometimes it's
	good to have more than one stand set up for just these occasions.
	Go to the one that is downwind of the runs on any particular day.

	Of course if it's swirly then stay home and read.

	Just my opinion!!!

	John

    Christine,
    
    I would agree with the reply about the binoculars.  If you start
    getting bored, start glassing the sounding terrain very slowly.  If
    you are glassing slow enough the time will fly, and you might stumble
    upon a nice buck bedded while your at it.
    
    I can't help it, but I would leave the books at home.  How many times have
    you just looked up and the deer was just standing there!  You may have
    the buck of a lifetime slide by without ever knowing knowing that he
    was there if you are involved in a book.  I do know a few guys that do
    read books while on stand, but I want that buck too bad to have him
    spot me turning the page.
    
    But hey, everyone has their own opinion.
    Wess

    
    >I can't help it, but I would leave the books at home.  How many times have
    >you just looked up and the deer was just standing there!  You may have
    >the buck of a lifetime slide by without ever knowing knowing that he
    >was there if you are involved in a book.  I do know a few guys that do
    >read books while on stand, but I want that buck too bad to have him
    >spot me turning the page.
    
    My father missed a large deer (by the tracks at least) because he
    didn't have a book :-). He fell asleep, I came up to him a couple
    hours later and he was awake, I asked how big the deer was, his answer
    "what deer?". Seems the tracks walked along his (in his in a couple 
    places), stopped about 30 feet from him, walked around behind him 
    and kept going, never moved faster than a walk. Oh well, my father
    isn't in it to get a deer, he enjoys the weekends away with 
    his brothers/son/nephews so he didn't mind.
    
    RE: swirling wind, stay home
    
    Won't work in New England, the wind is always swirling here :-)
    
    --Bob
    

    I think about my wife?  NOT!  I go to get away from everything.  This 
    weekend was opener for bow, and I just sat around and swatted at 
    mosquitos and chiggers and such.  37 bites on my left hand.  So I did
    not hunt on Monday or Tuesday, But the weather is breaking and I will
    hunt Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
    
    Red, read it and weep!  I will be on your stand in the morning!
    I'll be back in the office on Tuesday the 29th, and will hopefully have
    a note go into note 270.  If not, it is great just to get away from
    that damn pressure cooker known as a cube, and into the woods.
    
    Yeh baby!
    
    Bob
    

    The book works fine for me.  I like to get there early.  About 5pm now
    for my 7:15 express (family unit of about seven including one elusive
    6/8pointer.  Surprisingly, the bucks came in first last two times.
    About 30min ahead of the rest of the gang.  Chowed on feed and left.  I
    say buck(s) as last time was not the big guy, but a spike (10") I have
    not seen before.
    
    I forgot the book last time, but had a hawk land in my tree.  Was quite
    a thrill to be within five yards of this very sharp eyed creature and
    yet fake him out completely.  I hope that does not happen next
    thursday, especially around 7:15pm.
    
    Never, never forget the 100% DEET.  I figure the wind.  If its from the
    south (S.E. or S.W.) it will stay that way (90%) and I'm north of the
    corridor and don't care how I smell.  If it is from the north, it will
    be fairly flukey around sundown and cover scents are probably a good
    bet.  
    
    Michigan's new two buck limit makes this a strategy game.  My first
    deer will not be a buck.  Since archery rules say that 1st deer can be
    either sex, but second must be male, shooting a buck first limits you
    badly.  Since you are allowed only two bucks by any method, you can see
    the problem.  
    
    /bob
    

 Take a walkman along with you. 

 I find it keeps me awake and does not impair my ability to hear things going 
on in the woods as long as you ain't got the volume cranked way up. :-)

 Dozing in a tree stand... What a great way to pass the time and catch up on 
yer z's.. :-) I do that too but *always* cinch the safety belt up under the
armpits before nodding off. More than once I've woke up sorta half leaned over 
but its no problem if you have taken all the slack out of the belt and are 
firmly tied to the tree.

I find that sitting back in the woods along a scrape line or whatever
is a great time and place to read from my pocket Bible. Especially, when I
read a scripture like "All things were made by Him", and here I am, with
the early morning sun on my face, the air crisp and clear, and the great 
smell of Balsam Fir all around me. 

When I get bored, I usually stillhunt into some area that I've been interested
in investigating. Two years ago, I did that, and ran into a BIG bear ! 
However, this has a drawback for me :  If I move on, I usually have to
leave behind a good "set-up", like doe scent I had put out, etc., when
maybe I should have given it more time to work.

When I stillhunt, not only do I move slowly, but I tend to stop for a half hour
and then move for a half hour, etc. This really puts me in a number of "stand
sites" on the ground, and helps me learn the area better. Knowing the
area well really helps a lot, if I need to trail a wounded deer, or find my 
way out in darkness.


Dave

    If I didn't get enough sleep the night before, than I do end up dozing,
    but there is nothing more that scares the hell out of me when I'm up in
    a tree stand than leaning forward in a stupor and suddenly waking up
    looking down about 15 to 20 feet :'). I hate when that happens! Thats
    why now I tend to get down from the stand and take a nap under a nice
    pine tree... Other wise I'm wide awake enjoying the red squirrels chasing 
    each other, hawks flying, just the beauty of nature itself.. 

    I also love to still hunt. What usually works best for me is still hunt
    slow than take a ground stand for about an hour then resume still
    hunting, SLOWLY... Got to love the outdoors!

    Gus

    I debated a few days before entering this.  It is funny, but of
    questionable taste.  I'll try not to offend anyone.
    
    Several years ago I hunted the Appalacian (sp?) mountains in Virgina
    with a couple of guys from NH and some of their friends in Virgina.
    After a slow day in the woods we were discussing trying to stay awake
    when one of the members of our party confessed to his technique.
    
    It seems he spends his idol time on the deer stand reviewing in his
    mind all the women he had been with.  He said he does this once a year
    to keep from forgetting anything.
    
    It may have kept him awake, but I'm not sure how much his mind was
    on hunting - he didn't get a deer that year.  You can only imagine
    the ribbing he got the rest of the week.
    
    Mark,
    

     Yea, so what does he think about for the other 23 hours and 59 minutes
    of the day?
    
    Jeff

    Good one Jeff, that is why I use the binoculars too!
    
    Wess

    Jeff, notice that I didn't say that approach worked for me for just
    that reason!