Buckmasters Magazine

10 Tricks to Stay All Day

10 Tricks to Stay All Day

By David Hart

You can’t shoot a buck if you’re warming your toes by the fire.

It’s 10 o’clock and you haven’t seen a deer in two hours. Why bother spending the next five hours staring at empty woods? Deer don’t move much in the middle of the day, so instead of fighting hours of boredom, you opt for a warm truck and a steaming heap of scrambled eggs in a cozy diner. Besides, you’ll be back in your stand by 3:00. That’s when deer start moving again, right?

While you’re wolfing down a hearty breakfast and flirting with the waitress, somebody else is raising his rifle on the biggest buck in the neighborhood, a buck that got bumped from his bed or had a case of wanderlust.

Whatever the reason the buck was on its feet, that guy had the grit to sit tight. He knew he wouldn’t see a buck if he left his stand and drove to town.

BELIEVE

It’s probably not the first time that hunter decided to sit all day. He’d probably spent countless late mornings fighting the urge to head back to the truck for a hot meal and a cozy nap. More than likely, though, he had one extra thing going for him. Sometime a few years back, he saw a big buck ghost through the trees in the middle of the day. Whether or not he bagged that buck, it was all he needed to boost his confidence for sitting all day.

And that’s half the battle.

It’s no secret deer don’t move much after the first and last hours of daylight. Later in the season, that activity gets squeezed into an even tighter window. Extremely cold regions being the exception, midday deer sightings are rare.

But deer don’t wear watches, and they rarely follow the rules we create in our minds. That’s why nothing is more important than believing you’ll see a buck at any given moment. It happens, but only if you’re in your stand.

DON’T GET BUGGED

Early season bowhunting can be a joy. It’s warm, the deer are at ease and the woods are a brilliant show of autumn colors. But warm weather can mean another thing: bugs — mosquitoes, gnats and flies, in particular. Most of the time, bugs are nothing more than an annoying part of the season, but in some cases, they can be bad enough to drive you out of the woods.

I’m not recommending you sit all day in September, but bugs can get bad enough to drive you out of a stand even on a short sit.

Be prepared for the worst invasion of blood-sucking pests you can imagine.

A head net and gloves help, but they can be annoying themselves, particularly when the time comes to draw and shoot. Bug sprays work, too, but anyone who cares about scent control would never use the stuff.

Instead, consider a ThermaCELL, a small hand-sized device that emits a repellent that is heated by a slight butane flame. Once you light it, all you have to do is hang it in your tree and go back to hunting. ThermaCELLs require refillable butane cartridges and replaceable wicks that hold the repellent, so it’s good to carry a spare of each when you head to your stand. They give off a slight odor, but the repellent is based on a chemical found in chrysanthemum flowers, and I haven’t noticed deer reacting to the smell. I figure if they can smell the ThermaCELL, they can smell me, too.

STAY WARM

Nothing will help you stay on stand during the depths of winter better than warmth. Numb fingers, stinging toes and a constant shiver will drive even the most dedicated hunter out of the woods.

With so much proven cold weather gear available, there is no excuse to skip out early.

Disposable hand warmers are undoubtedly the easiest and least expensive warming devices. Place two in a waist belt over your kidneys, a couple on the inside of your thighs between your underwear and outerwear (never directly against your skin) and two against your chest and you’ll feel warm from your head to your toes.

ThermaCELL also offers rechargeable electric insoles that can be turned on and off with a remote switch, giving you the ability to warm your feet when they need it.

Make sure to wear wind-blocking clothing. The best way to keep warm is to build up a layer of warm air around your body. Quality insulations like Thinsulate and PrimaLoft do a good job of creating and holding that warm layer, but wind will literally blow that heat away unless it’s stopped at the outer layer.

10 Tricks to Stay All DayREAD a BOOK

It doesn’t matter if you are technologically savvy and can program an iPhone in your sleep, or if you are old school and still get ink smudges on your fingers from the morning newspaper. Nothing can pass the time like a riveting book or the latest issue of Buckmasters. Electronic readers like Amazon’s Kindle or an old fashioned paperback can make the minutes fly. Just don’t forget to glance around every so often.

E-readers have the ability to store not just books, but newspapers, magazines and other printed material. Consider a classic hunting tale like Robert Ruark’s “The Old Man and the Boy” or a modern tale of heroics during the war in Afghanistan like Marcus Luttrell’s “Lone Survivor.” Just remember to look around after every page or so.

PLAY a GAME

Smartphones and other electronic devices can be useful for lots of things, but they really shine at helping you pass the time in a treestand. You could spend the afternoon texting your buddies about the deer you’ve seen or what you plan to eat for dinner, or you might play a game.

There are thousands of apps, including plenty of free ones. Whether you play a card game or something totally off the wall (Angry Birds, anyone?), the idea is to pass the time so you stay in the woods. That’s where the deer are. Just remember to turn the volume down and charge your battery before you leave camp in the morning.

GO for a STROLL

There’s nothing an outfitter hates more than a hunter who climbs down from his stand and goes for a walk. I know several who will give you a quick ticket home if they catch you out of your stand.

Whether it’s a quick peek at the bait pile, a look at a passing trail or just a jaunt down to a creek, walking around your stand can lay down a scent trail and ruin the area for several days or even weeks.

But sometimes you just have to stretch your legs and break the monotony that comes with a day-long sit. Walking can be the perfect ticket.

Instead of laying down a fresh scent trail that might ruin your spot, head directly back down the trail you used to get to your stand.

Sometimes, just getting down to stretch and ease cramped muscles is enough to help you wake you and feel refreshed.

The less time you spend in your stand, however, the lower your odds of seeing a buck. Once you’ve stretched a bit, get back in your stand.

HAVE a PICNIC

If cold or sheer boredom don’t drive you from the woods, hunger might. That is, unless you bring plenty of food. Instead of packing a sack full of stuff you really don’t want to eat (celery sticks?), load up on things you actually look forward to eating.

It doesn’t matter if you snack throughout the morning and into the afternoon, or if you prefer a single hearty noontime meal. The idea is to overcome the urge to leave your stand and head to town for a burger and fries.

Good food, and lots of it, will keep you warm and in the woods. A Thermos full of hot coffee or chocolate can be a morale booster.

TAKE a NAP

If you find yourself drifting off and just can’t fight it, don’t try.

Who can blame a hunter who got up at 4 a.m., sat in frigid temperatures for a few hours and spent the morning on high alert? Instead of leaving the woods, however, take a nap in them.

Don’t sleep in your stand. Even a safety harness is no guarantee you won’t get hurt if you nod off and fall. Instead, climb down, find a comfortable spot at the base of your tree and dream away.

Make sure to have your gun within easy reach.

COUNT DOWN the MINUTES

Time can play tricks on your mind. It might seem like you’ve sat still for five hours, but when you glance at your cell phone, you realize it’s only been two. There’s nothing wrong with checking the time, even if you do so frequently.

Instead of fretting over the clock, use it to your advantage. For instance, when you have the itch to get up and go, convince yourself to stay just one hour longer. When that hour’s up, sit tight for another 45 minutes. And then 30 and then just 15 minutes more. Before you know it, it’s 2 p.m. With the evening so close, you might as well stay put until dark.

IT’S IN YOUR HEAD

Sitting still from daylight to dark can be a struggle. Not only is it a winnable fight, sometimes it’s a necessary one. Success happens to the luckiest among us, but it more often strikes those willing to put in the time and effort.

Knowing just about every other deer hunter has left the woods by 10 a.m. can give you the motivation to stay put. Just think of the stories you can tell your buddies when you show them the bruiser you tagged while they were back at camp.

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This article was published in the Winter 2012/2013 edition of Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine. Subscribe today to have Buckmasters delivered to your home.

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