Try these tips for success in the deer stand
Setting aside the inequalities of where specifically you hunt deer, there is no better way to up your odds of killing a deer or shooting a large buck than putting in time on a stand. Bowhunters capitalize on this notion with a three-and-a-half month season that allows them to pattern deer around individual deer behavior, terrain, rutting behavior, and food sources. Most of the avid bowhunters I know try to get a few hours on stand in the morning or a few hours in the evening before sunset. As late October and early November near and buck activity picks up for the rut, those hours on stand become longer. Gun hunters have a season of just a few days and so do their best to stay on stand. There’s a lot of opinions about when the optimal time to be on stand is seasonally or within the day. Deer hunting in short is trying to be in the right place at the right time. The more time you put on stand, the better your odds.
Lasting through marathon deer stand sits is no easy task. Humans like to move, like to eat, and like to be comfortable, which for those not accustomed to long sits, can be nearly unbearable. Thankfully, there are a few ways to plan ahead or overcome those human tendencies.
Plan up front to sit all day. Mentally commit to a sunup to sundown hunt and pack accordingly. For hunger pangs and just to keep up the mental focus, take time to eat. Yes, a deer could smell your food. But in the trade off of staying sharp versus heading to the truck or camp for a break, you’ll come out ahead by eating on stand. I like to pack everything in clingwrap so I don’t have any noisy wrappers on candy or granola bars. An apple, a sandwich, some cookies, granola bars, Snickers bars and a thermos of hot coffee helps keep me planted in a tree. I enjoy my coffee and a sports drink, but I also bring an empty plastic bottle for when nature calls. Staying on stand is the name of the game; I won’t even get down to empty my bladder. Besides, human urine I am convinced is a foreign smell to deer.
Dress warmly and check the weather forecast. Good deer hunters are already watching weather and wind forecasts so they know how to work around a deer’s nose. On a few occasions I have had to make long walks to my stand of close to a mile. On those mornings, I will carry bibs and parka in a pack or in my arms so I don’t get too warm and sweat. I know that sitting all day, I will need them. But while walking in they will just work to warm me excessively. Soaking clothing with sweat makes you stink to downwind deer and it makes you cold as you wait for the water to evaporate. It’s better to be active and a bit cold than too warm. When seated and no longer moving, put the layers on. Bring extra hats, gloves, and layers to put on. If you are comfortable and warm, you’re likely to stay put.
Hang a comfortable stand. Be in hang-on, climber, ladder or constructed platform, use a stand that will keep you comfortable and safe. If your stand is a little light on padding, bring along an extra seat cushion. Checking on comfort of your stand is one of those things you can do before hunting season begins.
Want to last a long time on stand? Be confident in your set up. This is where preparation really does come in; if you are confident in where you hung the stand, you will have the kind of mental investment that won’t allow you to give up easily. You either know the spot is a good location, your trail cameras give you some confidence, or the topographic setup suggests it should be a great spot to see deer. There is much to the importance of preparation in deer hunting and stands – it helps to clear shooting lanes and anticipate where deer will be coming from and in the long run you’ll elect to stay put when the hours start feeling long.
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Get up and stretch. Every hour or two, stand up and bend those arms and legs. Yes, you should do so carefully and only after ensuring the coast is clear. But that one minute of limbering up will keep you from stiffening up and help save your sore butt. It could be the kind of relief that will keep you on stand for just a bit longer when that giant buck walks by.
Fight boredom. Deer hunting is fun and long sits have a way of making the sport a chore. As hunters mature, they do learn to enjoy the simple activity of sitting and watching the woods or field speak to them. With this earned awareness, boredom diminishes and it gets easier. Some days, the woods are alive and will keep you entertained. Anticipation alone in the first and last two hours of each day is usually enough to keep me alert if I haven’t had too many slow days already. Spend time glassing around your stand with binoculars or a range finder. You may find trail openings you weren’t aware of, spot other animals out in the daytime, and you stand a better chance of spotting a deer before it sees you. With the rangefinder, you’ll know just how far out your effective range extends and how close you need a deer to come before taking a shot.
Inevitably, boredom will come calling and you’ll need to fight it off. Use rattling antlers, grunts, or calls to get yourself engaged in the hunt. Making a noise in the woods helps me focus in for a reaction for 20 or 30 minutes. If your attention span is even shorter, try a book. I like to pack a paperback book or two. They are quiet, let me still key in on sounds in the forest, and can lay flat on my lap if I have to set them down to pay attention to something coming or better yet, raise a gun or bow. I’ll keep my jacket open if I need to tuck the book into a pocket to stand and take aim with a bow. Turning pages with gloves on is challenging, but I’ve learned to wear a muff and alternate page-turning hands. In doing so, I keep warm enough and don’t have heavy padding on my fingers if I need to squeeze a trigger on a gun or a bow release.
My last resort for boredom is my phone. I do text friends, play games, check email, view social media, and check out webpages. However, it’s there as a way to resist boredom or to communicate. Hunting is the reason for being on stand and phones have a way of distracting us from the real reason we are sitting in a tree. After checking on legal shooting time, my phone goes away for the first hour or two if for no other reason than I don’t want to miss a prime time for deer movement and I don’t want my face and location backlit and given away in the dim early morning. Remember to set your phone to silent while in the stand. Don’t let you being on your phone be the reason you miss your chance on Mr. Big.
This is the opinion of outdoors columnist Scott Mackenthun, an outdoors enthusiast who has been writing about hunting and fishing since 2005. You can follow him on Instagram @scottmackenthun and on Twitter @ScottyMack31.