Scared Stiff Up A Tree

[DeerSpotter]

Yesterday I went hunting with a friend, I also work with him in the archery department.  It is funny now but it could've been bad.

We were walking into our hunting area and we have to walk about a mile maybe a mile & half in, it's his land and he is very gracious with allowing me to hunt with him.  He has 17 different standards set up on his land, all with climbing sticks, and really decent stands, I've haven't set in an uncomfortable one yet.  But yesterday he walked me out to stand that he wanted me to hunt in, it was along the logging path, he told me deer come right down this trail.  So he showed me to the stand and proceeded to go to his stand, I connected up to the tree with my linemen's belt, and started to climb the tree using the three-point system, two hands ond foot or one hand two feet contact system.  The tree was laying towards the climbing sticks, so it made it a little more difficult to climb,my heavy butt, was a little more heavy that way, when I got to the top 21 feet high, there were three trees together, the stand was on the opposite side of the climbing sticks, it made for great shooting opportunities once you get into the stand, so I thought I have to connect up with my tether before I do this.

I had to brace off of the climbing sticks with my feet, push my back on the tree to the left, and pull myself over to step on to and down to the tree stand platform.  So I connected my tether and proceeded to do what I planned.  I am standing on the tree stand platform now, I look at my feet make sure that they are planted center, and then I look up at my tether strap that is around the tree,    

And I noticed my tether strap from my HSS is laying on my shoulder,    
if you could've seen the look on my face, I became a tree hugger, because I had already taken off my linemen's belt.  In the excitement I put my belt through my tether line from my safety harness, but when I wrapped it around the tree I wrapped it the opposite way so it came out of my tether and I didn't even know it, it was pretty dark.  After I hooked up again, I checked everything made sure I had 1 ft. of stretch to lean forward from the sitting position, and I sat there laughing about it.  

To let you know " the rest of the story" I've only been hunting in tree stands four times my whole life !  So that's why it was so funny to me !  I'm a newbie !  


Carl

[varmint]

Good times.....was there some pucker factor??

I can tell you're from the northern part of the country,down here a 120lb doe is a HOG,our mature does average about 90lbs.

[DeerSpotter]

I lived at NAS Jacksonville Florida for about four years, we took a vacation in southern Florida, in deer hunting season, your deer will look like a monster at 90 lbs., this guy had a deer that he had shot with a gun, it was about the size of an Irish setter.  But he was proud.

I know a guy that comes up from Florida to Kansas every year, just to shot one of those hogs, as he says the deer down in Florida are way too small.

But it isn't about the size of the deer, just getting out and enjoying the whole thing.  The 120 lb. will be much better eaten next year.

Carl

[varmint]

You're right about that....

I could not believe the size of the deer in Illinois and Kentucky when I've hunted there.

[DeerSpotter]

Normal size is about 150 lbs. for two-year-old in Minnesota.