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Russell Graves - Believes whitetails shouldn't be photographed in the back of a truck with their tongue hanging out.
Location - Texas
Brian Strickland - Has 369,518 acres of land that you can hunt on. Call him at (555) 281-HUNT.
Location - Colorado
Tony Hansen - Is pretty confident Michigan will release at least 300,000 archers into the woods this fall.
Location - Michigan
Jake Fagan - He's really just here to hang out, so don't mind him.
Location - Georgia
Will Brantley - Loves hunting in a dorag because it makes him look Ramboish. Some may call it Little Man Syndrome.
Location - Tennessee
Saturday, August 23, 2008
More On Stands
Jake started a conversation that's both timely and important for all bowhunters -- tree stand safety. I'd like to expand on the topic by offering some tips on how to choose a tree for your stands. Now, the hunting gurus will tell you that you should have hung your stands for the upcoming season by now. In fact, I'm one of those guys that's talked about the imortance of having your stands in place well before the season. But I guess I'm going to be a bit of a hypocrite this season because I'm lagging way, way behind.
I'll have about 15-20 stands to choose from this season. No, they're not all on one farm. Here in southern Michigan, our parcels of property are small and I have permission to hunt a half-dozen places. So if you have three stands on each, it's easy to burn through more than a dozen stands. I have a half-dozen stands in place. These are in locations that have proven to be perennial producers over the years. They are all rut time funnel locations. I won't be checking on them until late in October and only when the wind is perfect.
The rest of the stands, however, need to be set but I won't be ready to do that for a couple more weeks -- about two weeks before Michigan's bow season opens. What am I waiting for? Well, this is farm country and we grow a lot of corn and beans here. I don't have permission to put food plots in on any of my farms thus I must rely on crops or other natural food sources. So I need to see how far along the beans will be before deciding where to spend my time in the opening week of bow season. If they stay green, I'll be there. If they brown up, I'll be hunting corn edges or acorns -- if the crop comes off this year.
Treestand safety is crucial. And while harnesses and other safety gear is vital, you can also make your stand a safer place by hanging it in a tree that offers you plenty of handholds and stability. Those just happen to be the perfect type of trees for killing deer from. I have a little rhyme I keep in mind when hanging stands.
"One can't be done. Two sometimes will do. Three is the tree for me."
A long, single tree with a straight trunk is not the tree to place a stand. You have no foreground or background cover and you'll stick out like a redneck at the opera.
A tree with a neighboring tree very close or double trunks can work if there is no other choice.
But a cluster of three trees or a tree with three trunks or excellent branch forks is the best option. This will help break up your outline and, at the same time, allow you use branches to help you step into the tree and can offer stability while on stand. If you stumble or slip while in a tree with no branches or nearby trunks, you have no chance of catching yourself. A tree with plenty of branches and neighboring trunks gives you a bit of security. Never, ever use a limb as a step. I'm talking about using the branch as an added measure of security to hold onto as you step onto the stand's platform. And it goes without saying that every tree you choose should be a strong, live tree.
I take great pride in my ability to hang a stand that provides great cover and comfort. And feeling safe makes me more comfortable. It's just another way that I enjoy the entire hunting experience.
Tony Hansen, Michigan Man
I'll have about 15-20 stands to choose from this season. No, they're not all on one farm. Here in southern Michigan, our parcels of property are small and I have permission to hunt a half-dozen places. So if you have three stands on each, it's easy to burn through more than a dozen stands. I have a half-dozen stands in place. These are in locations that have proven to be perennial producers over the years. They are all rut time funnel locations. I won't be checking on them until late in October and only when the wind is perfect.
The rest of the stands, however, need to be set but I won't be ready to do that for a couple more weeks -- about two weeks before Michigan's bow season opens. What am I waiting for? Well, this is farm country and we grow a lot of corn and beans here. I don't have permission to put food plots in on any of my farms thus I must rely on crops or other natural food sources. So I need to see how far along the beans will be before deciding where to spend my time in the opening week of bow season. If they stay green, I'll be there. If they brown up, I'll be hunting corn edges or acorns -- if the crop comes off this year.
Treestand safety is crucial. And while harnesses and other safety gear is vital, you can also make your stand a safer place by hanging it in a tree that offers you plenty of handholds and stability. Those just happen to be the perfect type of trees for killing deer from. I have a little rhyme I keep in mind when hanging stands.
"One can't be done. Two sometimes will do. Three is the tree for me."
A long, single tree with a straight trunk is not the tree to place a stand. You have no foreground or background cover and you'll stick out like a redneck at the opera.
A tree with a neighboring tree very close or double trunks can work if there is no other choice.
But a cluster of three trees or a tree with three trunks or excellent branch forks is the best option. This will help break up your outline and, at the same time, allow you use branches to help you step into the tree and can offer stability while on stand. If you stumble or slip while in a tree with no branches or nearby trunks, you have no chance of catching yourself. A tree with plenty of branches and neighboring trunks gives you a bit of security. Never, ever use a limb as a step. I'm talking about using the branch as an added measure of security to hold onto as you step onto the stand's platform. And it goes without saying that every tree you choose should be a strong, live tree.
I take great pride in my ability to hang a stand that provides great cover and comfort. And feeling safe makes me more comfortable. It's just another way that I enjoy the entire hunting experience.
Tony Hansen, Michigan Man
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