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John's Journal... Entry 62, Day 5

The Secret to Being Comfortable in Your Tree Stand

click to enlargeEDITOR'S NOTE: Brad Harris, of Neosho, Missouri, the vice president in charge of public relations for Outland Sports, the mother company of Lohman's and M.A.D. Calls as well as API tree stands and other outdoor products, has hunted deer avidly for three decades. He knows where to put tree stands up to give hunters the best opportunity to take bucks.

click to enlargeQuestion: Brad, what's the secret to hunting comfortably from a tree stand?
Answer: The secret to being comfortable in your tree stand is taking the time to put it in right, and that's where many hunters fail. I fail sometimes at that, too. I may hang 50 stands a year, and I push myself sometimes, thinking, "Okay, I've got to hurry up and get this one in because I've still got three or four more to put up today." I can tell you that the key to hanging a stand properly is taking your time and putting your stand in right. Put it in square, and make sure it's level, tight and secure. See that all four points -- two at the top and two at the bottom -- touch the tree and are placed solidly into the tree so that there is no give. When you get into the stand, take time to trim away the limbs that may give you problems. You don't want a limb sticking you in the back or a limb about head-high that forces you to bend every time you look under it. I think most hunters get in a big hurry when putting in a stand, and they forget the small details that will cause problems. Take care of all that when you put in the stand. Then when you go back to set up, it'll be ready to go. Also, make sure you have a good seat, such as a foam seat, because you can't stay comfortable sitting on a straight bar or a straight bench seat. Once you get a comfortable tree stand, you'll be able to stay in it longer, and your success rate will go up with bagging deer.

click to enlargeQuestion: I notice you carry an extendible pruning saw with you. Tell me about that.
Answer: That's one of the best things I've ever found. It's an extendible saw with a 6-foot handle and a second 6-foot handle that slides inside the first one. I can extend the second handle, tighten the knuckle and have a 12- to 14-foot saw. I carry handsaws for limbs I can reach, but there always seems to be a limb blocking my shot that's just out of hand reach. With the extendible saw, I can cut a limb that's 10 feet from my stand.

click to enlargeI also can use it from the ground. With a 12-foot saw, I can cut limbs 15 to 20 feet off the ground that are at an angle from an 18-foot tree stand. At different angles, depending on the distance, this saw easily reaches some of the limbs 10 or 12 feet off the ground that I can't reach by hand. I carry this tool with me every time I set up a tree stand. It's worth its weight in gold.

 

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about Tree Stand Hunting For Deer ...

Day 1 -How to Pick a Site for a Tree Stand
Day 2 -How to Select a Tree Stand
Day 3 -The Advantages of Portable Stands
Day 4 -Setting Up Portable Stands Safely
Day 5 -The Secret to Being Comfortable in Your Tree Stand

John's Journal