Reprinted from a Nov 25, 2007 column in the Morgantown Dominion Post
Apparently many non hunters read this column and some may not really understand what a day in a tree stand is all about This past Monday, the first day of the gun deer season, Hoppy Kerchival asked hunters to call in and discuss their "deer kill." In fact, Hoppy used the term "kill" quite often in a short discussion, when in fact, for most hunters the "kill" really won’t explain much about the hunting experience.
Last week I bow hunted in Illinois, and as I sat in my stand I was wondering what non hunters would think about me sitting there for 10-12 hrs a day. Probably think I was crazy, especially since I passed up a number of small bucks and never shot one arrow. I’ve had folks ask me why I just don’t use a camera rather than kill an animal. Not being much of a photographer, but being a lifelong hunter, I decided to write a bit about what a day in the woods is like ... at least for me.
Four years ago I met two very nice young men (Dan and Greg) who run a company called Midwest Trophy Outfitters in Illinois. They invited me to bowhunt with them, so each fall I head for Illinois. Illinois has more big bucks than most states, and that is one reason I go, though after four years, I’ve yet to harvest a deer there.
This brings me to one main point. I willfully chose to hunt with a bow. This literally guarantees that I won’t kill many deer. To top it off, when I go to Illinois (or Ohio, Kansas, Iowa), I pass up small bucks because I want to harvest a large buck. It’s a choice, and one that means that a harvest is rare. And I am not an anomaly here. Hundreds of thousands of bowhunters make that same choice. Yes, I try to get a doe for the freezer, then I hunt larger bucks. Some call that "trophy" hunting, but I call it being very selective. There is a difference.
When I arrived in Illinois, Dan went over the stands he’d put up for me. Most were ones I’d used in previous years. There was "Devil’s Tower," so named because it is extremely high in the tree, too high for me. So there is "Devil’s Lesser Tower", in the same tree, but about ten feet lower. The "Lost Hat" stand was still there from last year, so named because I lost my best hat walking to that stand. Dan had erected a new stand, "Paris Hilton," so named because Dan thought that area was "hot." So much for Dan’s taste in women. But when it comes to deer, the stand location was definitely hot.
I sat there on day one, arriving 45 minutes before dawn. That meant that we were up and packing a lunch at 4:00 A.M.., the usual time whenever you bowhunt or gun hunt. I hate getting up early, but once in the stand, there is nothing more enjoyable then hearing and watching the woods come alive as the sun peaks over the ridge. At dark, there is the great horned owl, calling in a nearby ravine. It’s a common sound for early morning hunters. A group of coyotes started howling at first light. Not quite as common in West Virginia, but where I hunt in Illinois, there are coyotes everywhere. Must be lots for them to eat?
At first light is when I am most alert, because that is big bucks time. I’m looking in all directions for deer, checking the wind continually, listening, watching. That first day it was fairly busy. I saw eight bucks before 10 A.M.., and five came right under my tree. Two were eight point two-year-old bucks. Shooters back home, but not in Illinois. Redheaded woodpeckers are rare here, but abundant in Illinois, and they are everywhere in the woods I hunt. Neat birds to see.
During the midday lull, I eat a sandwich and apple, watch the birds and squirrels, and even catch a cat nap once in awhile. I’m strapped into my tree stand, and when I want to sleep, I simply tighten by shoulder harness and I’m good to drift off without fear of falling.
From 3:30 to 5:30, I’m on full alert again, watching for any sign of movement. All this might seem to bore many, but not me. Just before dark, I sneak down the tree, being extremely careful making that first step from the tree stand to the tree step. Most tree stand accidents occur when taking that first step from the stand. In my youth, I simply climbed down, but as I’ve aged, and my reflexes aren’t as good, I keep my safety line attached until I am down the tree. It’s a bit cumbersome to do that, but insures that I’ll go home in one piece.
An early dinner, and early to bed, and the next morning I do it all over again. No question about it, the first two weeks of November are the greatest two weeks of the year for me, for most hunters. Notice that nowhere in the above description did I shoot my bow, though that is the goal. Still, I do it day after day, because there is always that chance. Maybe next year.
