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Old August 4, 2001, 12:00 AM   #1
keano44
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Join Date: June 12, 2001
Location: Lafayette LA
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Those long hours on stand

What do you think about? Be honest! You know even in your best spots, sometimes when nothing is moving, your mind tends to wander while sitting on a stand. What do you do to help stay focused, to keep still and quiet, to stay awake?

While I have much more confidence in my stands than I did when I was just starting out hunting on my own (as opposed to being put on a stand by my father, uncle, or someone else) there are still hunts when I see no deer. I hunt a lot of public lands and State Wildlife Management Areas in La.

I sometimes try to play mindgames with myself to convince myself that it really isn't THAT cold. Or try to make up silly songs or quotes (like the one at the end of my post). I even pray sometimes, not that I kill something, because I just don't think that would be right; just kind of being appreciative of being able to be out there seeing the beauty of nature, the animals, the sunrises and sunsets, you know what I'm talking about. As I get older, killing is not as important as it used to be when I was a young hunter. Now I just try to enjoy and keep improving my skills, and teaching my son. I hope he will appreciate the hunting experience as I do. For me, just knowing that I am hunting in a good spot, because I did my homework and scouting, helps me stay in the stand those long hours. And even if I don't see anything one (or more) day(s), I know its just a matter of time.
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Old August 4, 2001, 07:13 AM   #2
Art Eatman
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About the only way I can stand to sit in a blind is to have a book to read. I trained myself to not get lost in the book. I read, look around for a while...

So, my preference is to hunt in country where I can work ridges and ease up on Bambi when he's bedded down for the day. Oh, I'll stop and sit and watch, of course--see lots of critters, doing that.

For me, being out in "huntin' country" is pretty much like being in church...

I guess that nowadays I spend more time trying to help some other fella catch a deer or find quail than I do in worrying about shooting something for myself.

It's the usual age-thing sequence, of course. We start out wanting to shoot everything. Then, with growing up comes the "getting picky" and being selective. Finally, you try to pass on what you've learned.

Fun, ain't it?

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Old August 4, 2001, 01:17 PM   #3
griz
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I like to read on the stand too. I hunt mostly where shots will be short and I can hear something approach. Getting lost in the book is way to easy for me to do so I try to limit reading to about a page at a time.
As far as what to think about, one that seems natural to me is I enjoy being out here so why go back. Then my toes get numb and I think about hot chocolate.
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Old August 4, 2001, 10:24 PM   #4
ATTICUS
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Sitting in the stand for a few hours is about the only break from work, kids and worries in general that I get. I't the time when I get to do nothing....and that's what I do...nothing. For me it's sort of a semi coma,yoga, brain dead kinda thing. I also relate it to a church like experience. Uh...I mean that in a good way.
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Old August 5, 2001, 11:42 PM   #5
ArmySon
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I usually wear electronic muffs that amplify sound. I then can read a good book and still hear a critter scurrying about. I don't do it too often nowadays because I prefer archery from a stand. With a firearm, I'm more of a stalker now. Weeks and weeks of scouting and tracking goes a long ways
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Old August 8, 2001, 08:49 AM   #6
Forgetful Dave
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I sometimes try to recall the names of my elementary school teachers. Early in the season I pick a spot and imagine a huge buck walking out there. Later, as the season progresses and reality sets in, I picture a doe walking in the same spot. I sometimes wonder what would have happened with the girl in my H.S. school senior class, if I hadn't said what I said. In my younger days I would often try to spit between the cracks in my stand floor. Believe me, I think of things on stand I think of nowhere els.
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Old August 9, 2001, 10:01 PM   #7
dZ
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stay awake?
why stay awake?
i get some of my best sleep of the year on the stand

any deer in range on my side of the mountain laurel patch has always woken me up way before they are visable

Last year i had a flock of turkeys appear right out of the laurel 20 feet away from me

i find it hard to turn the pages of a book when its 25 degrees outside

i have tried using peltor e ears but i find the squirrels sound like deer and the deer 100 yards out sound like they are 25 yards away
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Old August 12, 2001, 03:11 PM   #8
CD1
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Let me start by stating that I hunt public land in Mississippi. That means lots of pressured deer. When Im on the stand I don't read, eat, drink, and I try my best not to fall asleep, because if I did I might miss one of the few opportunities for the year. I watch and listen, and learn. I really enjoy the solitude. My job keeps me fairly stressed, phones ringing constantly, faxes, clients, getting trades done. When Im hunting I have time to think about everything. Its nice out there. How many people get to see the sunrise as often as we do? In places as beautiful as we see? Most people only see nature on the discovery channel nowadays. We get to live it.
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Old August 13, 2001, 10:11 PM   #9
Ron L
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I'll read or play one of my kid's hand-held games with the sound off. I'll doze off now and then, but that's not entirely a bad thing. I also just sit and think or pray. I've written a few things sitting on a stand too. I've even worked out pretty long math problems in my head waiting for a deer to come along.
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Old August 15, 2001, 11:30 AM   #10
E. BeauBeaux
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Well let's see, I have my coffee in the morning and mid morning snack. Also have my cig's, by now we are up to lunch, then on to the afternoon snack. Ahhhh Dr. Pepper time. Have several call's to play with [I'm a forest unto myself]. It's no problem in a stand. Still hunting on the ground, you can't play like that.
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