The other thing you need to remember...most of these stands are set about 7 feet off the ground so pucker factor is certainly there when they come under you. Having a visitor on your stand can & does happen...Allen & Lloyd where are you
We arrived Saturday mid morning after driving all night (much more enjoyable ride this year with Barry's story telling form the back seat). Then camp was set up and everyone dispersed to re-bait all the sites. I think only 4 of us went out the 1st night but 2 stands saw bears. I usually hunt the Moose Tower stand on the water and only heard a bear close to the stand that night. As the group can testify, he had to be close for me to hear him
I decide to use my own selfbow this year cause Woody's glass & stone points where just too neat to pass up. Sunday, I heard a bear around 6:30 pm and saw him every 15 minutes or so but he was too nervous to make the commitment for dinner. He'd sneak half way down the hill behind the bait then run back up. The cat & mouse game lasted til around 8 pm. Then he sneaked in at almost a craw from my right. When he got even with my stand he looked at the tree and decided to sneak back out. Most of the time they aren't seeing you but are more afraid some bigger bear is going to chase them off the bait. Around 8:30 he finally came in but was still very nervous. I started to draw my bow and he looked up so I froze the draw. When he turned I pulled back and hit him solidly in the shoulder :( without any penetration. I guess I lost my concentration when he had stopped my draw. I had my video cam running so we could see the shot back in camp.
The next morning 5-6 of us did a grid search and didn't find the arrow or any blood. Now I'm questioning my ability to shoot my selfbow. I had so much wanted to take a bear especially in this camp with my selfbow and a stone head.
More stories to come, back to the clinic for now...Doc