Through my many years, I have hunted from all sorts of deer stands, everything from a couple of two by fours nailed to a forked tree limb to later in life elevated stands with all the amenities of a well-stocked cabin. Looking back, it’s a wonder I didn’t break something or worse while hunting high in trees with some of the death traps I used to use.
I remember the very first climbing tree stand that came on the market. These “climbers” as they are called are two-piece affairs consisting of a seat and footrest. The idea is to attach first the seat to the trunk of a straight tree without limbs (pine trees work best) and then attach the footrest. I finally learned how to climb a pine tree with mine. Learning to go up with the climber was difficult enough but coming down was even more challenging.
I managed to kill a couple of deer from my first climber without breaking my neck. Later climbers were much safer but after a few close calls with that first one, I decided there had to be a better and safer way to hunt from an elevated position.
Then along came the “lock on” stands that lock on to the trunk of the tree and make for a pretty secure hunting platform assuming they were securely attached.
Climbing sticks which are sections with steps that ratchet to the tree trunk are used to climb up the tree to the stand. The lock on stands are pretty safe when locked on securely to the trunk of the tree and there are some models that can be secured to larger limbs rather than the trunk of the tree.
Granted, the platform is relatively safe once secured to the tree but actually getting them secured in position has always been a real challenge for me. Rather than using the climbing sticks to get up into the tree, I usually carried an extension ladder and climbed to the desired height with a rope tied to the stand. I would then pull the stand up to the desired height.
I used to think that I needed to be elevated at least 15 or so feet in order to successfully hunt deer then I began getting invited to do articles on ranches with stands called ‘box blinds” that set on the ground or a few feet off the ground on legs. I soon learned to enjoy the easy access to these comfortable blinds.
I also learned that once constructed they become part of the landscape and deer become accustomed to seeing them. These days, it's common to see these elevated ‘shooting houses’ perched 12 or more feet off the ground on platforms with ladders with hand rails that make them easy to climb into. Deer pay them absolutely no attention after they get used to seeing them. I’ve had deer actually bed down under elevated blinds, with me inside!
After 64 years of hunting from a wide variety of stands, I usually hunt close to ground or from an easy to access elevated stand. In my mid sixties I don’t want to end my hunting career with a life changing fall from a climber or lock on stand. But If you are young and relatively agile, don’t let me dissuade you from hunting from these sorts of stands, just MAKE SURE you wear a safety harness and know how to use it.
Just this year, the outdoor press has publicized a couple of well-known celebrities that have taken bad fall from tree stands because they were not wearing safety harnesses.
These days, I hunt several ranches for deer and wild hogs and I love the concealment and portability provided by pop up ground blinds. I began hunting from these pop ups that can be set up in a matter of a couple of minutes.
The blinds, just as the name indicates, actually pop up by pulling out each of the four walls and the roof. The trick is to always pop out the roof first and then the walls. I remember back 25 years ago when these blinds first became popular. A buddy and I turned one every way but loose in efforts to set it up. Of course we didn’t read the simple directions and created a nightmare from what should have a simple two minute set up.
These blinds are made of canvas or a very durable synthetic material and some are better constructed than others. As with most products, you get what you pay for. The standard pop up blind has windows with zippers, snaps or with the most modern ones, plastic slides that open and shut the windows quietly.
The original and still most widely used models are solid walls with windows but a few years ago the ‘see through’ models came on the market and have become very popular. I order a couple of these back in the summer to hunt from this fall and winter and I love them.
They are designed so that the hunter has 270 degree or with some models, 360 degree visibility from the inside but cannot be seen by game on the outside. The blinds have thousands of tiny holes that by a patented design allow the hunter to see around him without looking through windows. The blinds do have windows to shoot through that are equipped with slides that allow the window openings to be adjusted very quietly.
Because of the tiny holes, the blinds do not block the wind like the solid wall models but in my opinion this is a small price to pay for the great visibility they provide.
On the opener of deer season last weekend my good friend Larry Weishuhn aka. “Mr. Whitetail” hunted from one of the larger models of these see through blinds. Larry is about 6 ft. 4 inches and was able to stand upright which was a big plus.
After the hunt, Larry was on Amazon ordering a couple of these blinds for his use. I used my blinds through archery season and plan to put the to use during the rifle season on several ranches. Many people think it a good idea to set these blinds up a few days ahead of time or ‘brush them in’ with native foliage. But on this recent hunt up in Montague County with my long time friend Don Gresham, we set the blind up midday and the next morning Larry had deer within a few yards. It’s always best to set them up ahead of time but not absolutely necessary. I plan to put mine to use this fall while hunting food plots.
Join Luke, Larry Weishuhn, Jeff Rice and hunting and fishing guides Nov 8 in Seagoville Texas from 10 am until 3 pm. for a celebration of the Outdoors at the Dash For Cash Pawn shop located on Hall Street. Free street taco drawing for a rifle and lots of fun. For more information, call 972-287-3121.
