As I picked up bow hunting probably around the age of 18 or 19, I was forced to leave the ground and even venture away from ladder stands. I made the decision that I needed my first climber. Rather than going out and making a hard earned investment for a new stand, I bought a used stand. I purchased an A-Mach style stand and was ready. This stand had a small seat that you used to pull yourself up with. The stand required allot of upper-arm strength to use and really was a bad design. I however was determined to bow hunt with it.
I went to my Grandmas place in Oak Grove, Alabama. I picked myself a nice, slick ,red oak. I was very green with climbing and knew nothing about what trees to climb and how to be careful. I climb out of red oaks now but never knew of the dangers and how hard they are to climb at that age of my life. (But I digress). So I put the stand up and was ready for my hunt that afternoon.
The afternoon came. I went to the tree with my Bear "Whitetail 2" bow and new real tree overalls. I was very dumb at this stage, but I was ready to hunt! I made it down into the hollow behind my Grandma's farm. The stand was a good walk from the house, but was a known deer area.
(We will call this the event). It was a nice warm afternoon in Alabama. Bow season in Bama, is more like time to be scouting and not really so much hunting. I was however ready to draw blood, so into the briar's and down the hollow I went. I don't really know how I made it up 12 feet into the air but I did. I was climbing and the bottom of the climber fell from my feet. This wouldn't be such of a problem if I had the top and bottom tied together, but I however did not. So the bottom of the stand went to ground barely missing my bow at the bottom of the tree. I was stuck hanging from the top of the stand. I was there hanging from the top of the stand trying to figure out what to do. I decided to let go. So as my arms started burning, I let go. I did however bear hug the tree on the way down. I guess that did slow me down enough to keep from breaking any bones as I hit the bottom of the tree onto the bottom of the stand. The stand was bent after I hit it. I was badly bruised, and my arms were bleeding. The oak tree had rubbed all the skin off on the inside of my arms on the way down.
I can remember laying on the ground and feeling like I was dead. The fall had scared me and I was in bad shape from the fall.. I regrouped and pulled myself together. I made a few choice comments to the tree stand and them got my bow and went home.
I was lucky! The stand was not tied together properly. I had not practised at home before climbing the tree. I could have been killed the first time I climbed, but I was lucky. I still climb to this day and love it. That old tree stand however stayed there for years till my brother in law went and got it out of the tree ( I gave it to him and never climbed it again). That old climber would not be in my climber arsenal again!
I do love to hunt in climbing tree stands. I hope to be able to hunt in them till they tell me I am not able to use them due to being to old!! Please be smarter than me Please tie off in your climbers. Tie them together. Get yourself a good climber, and let someone know where you will be hunting. Don't be dumb butt like myself! Safe hunting.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Build it and they will come Part 2
(Growing) In no time, the green patch was up. This was new ground to agriculture, so the oats, rye, and wheat went crazy. I sort of laugh at everyone preaching that you need to do a soil test, check your PH, etc, etc. Yes I understand the importance of it, but we didn't. I can also delete this one day if Biologic or The Whitetail institute wishes to sponsor me! haha. I think the newness of the whole thing was the fun of it. We however had the base for a good hunting spot. Now all we need were deer.
(The stand) Daddy came home with a stand one evening. He had been given a metal ladder stand from a friend and brought it home to see what I thought. He decided to carry down to the shop at Nuss Timber and have them do some modifications. We added about 3 feet on the bottom to start. Then my dad added arm rests at the top as I think he thought it may aid in keeping me on the stand and not on the ground. We took the stand behind the house and placed it on a large pine. It was a good stand and in a good location. Daddy was good about seeing a desire or need that I had and not only filling it but exceeding my expectations. I think everybody has memories of their father like that but my Daddy was good to me. That old green stand was good and solid, allowing me to learn to hunt in a stand.
(Scouting) Boy did they come. I started seeing sign all over the place. On the trail into the field, there was a big scrape. A buck was rubbing trees all around the little green field and there were tracks all in the field. I was so excited and ready to kill a deer.
(The Harvest) I picked a day to hunt when I was all alone. I was at home after school, but Mama and Daddy were not there. I dressed in my brown cover-alls and put on a orange hat as it was a requirement by Alabama law. I sat in the stand and started my wait on a trophy. As I sat in the stand and day dreamed about my day, I heard something walking up the hill to my green field. It was a deer walking into the field! I took little time with shouldering my gun. As soon as the little doe walked into the field, I let the 12 gauge go on her. Down went the little deer. I can remember being so excited that I almost fell out of the ladder stand.
(The Recovery) There wasn't much of a recovery. It was a good thing that I safely made it out the stand. I had a loaded gun as I was scared it would run off. I walked toward the deer laying in the field and nudged it with the end of the barrel. It was dead! I was told that you had to cut the neck. So I took a pocket knife out and cut the neck. (This was a misconception that I had for several years into my deer hunting career, but I digress.) I pulled the little deer back to the house and called my brother.
(The cleaning) Ok, this was my second deer. I had helped Bruce, my brother-in-law, clean a deer before, so I knew what I was doing. I did however call my brother Kyle Arnold to help me clean this deer. Kyle, who lived in Pine Hill at the time, came over right over. He came up and laughed at me. He thought the little doe was more of a rabbit than a deer, but we cleaned it anyway. He poked at me a little as the deer was so small but it was the first I had even behind the house! I took out my trusty knife given to me by sister Lesha and my brother-in-law Bruce. We cleaned the deer up nicely and got it ready for the freezer. My mom later on washed it sufficiently to her liking as we had not done a good enough job. I can remember her disapproval with the way my brother and I cleaned the meat. Geneva Arnold, my mother, is a very good woman, but she likes things done the way she wants them. But I digress as she may also read this one, haha.
(Afterthoughts) This was big moment for me. I have built many green fields and killed more deer than I can count since these first days. The green field however gave my father and something to do together. It kept me busy and got me excited about hunting. The lessons I learned from this planting and this harvest have stuck with me to this day. Thanks again Bruce Monk for the seed that have given me great memories. Thanks to my Daddy who was willing to help me in a sport that he wasn't really that interested in, but loved me enough to care. I do believe that if you build it-------------THEY WILL COME!
(The stand) Daddy came home with a stand one evening. He had been given a metal ladder stand from a friend and brought it home to see what I thought. He decided to carry down to the shop at Nuss Timber and have them do some modifications. We added about 3 feet on the bottom to start. Then my dad added arm rests at the top as I think he thought it may aid in keeping me on the stand and not on the ground. We took the stand behind the house and placed it on a large pine. It was a good stand and in a good location. Daddy was good about seeing a desire or need that I had and not only filling it but exceeding my expectations. I think everybody has memories of their father like that but my Daddy was good to me. That old green stand was good and solid, allowing me to learn to hunt in a stand.
(Scouting) Boy did they come. I started seeing sign all over the place. On the trail into the field, there was a big scrape. A buck was rubbing trees all around the little green field and there were tracks all in the field. I was so excited and ready to kill a deer.
(The Harvest) I picked a day to hunt when I was all alone. I was at home after school, but Mama and Daddy were not there. I dressed in my brown cover-alls and put on a orange hat as it was a requirement by Alabama law. I sat in the stand and started my wait on a trophy. As I sat in the stand and day dreamed about my day, I heard something walking up the hill to my green field. It was a deer walking into the field! I took little time with shouldering my gun. As soon as the little doe walked into the field, I let the 12 gauge go on her. Down went the little deer. I can remember being so excited that I almost fell out of the ladder stand.
(The Recovery) There wasn't much of a recovery. It was a good thing that I safely made it out the stand. I had a loaded gun as I was scared it would run off. I walked toward the deer laying in the field and nudged it with the end of the barrel. It was dead! I was told that you had to cut the neck. So I took a pocket knife out and cut the neck. (This was a misconception that I had for several years into my deer hunting career, but I digress.) I pulled the little deer back to the house and called my brother.
(The cleaning) Ok, this was my second deer. I had helped Bruce, my brother-in-law, clean a deer before, so I knew what I was doing. I did however call my brother Kyle Arnold to help me clean this deer. Kyle, who lived in Pine Hill at the time, came over right over. He came up and laughed at me. He thought the little doe was more of a rabbit than a deer, but we cleaned it anyway. He poked at me a little as the deer was so small but it was the first I had even behind the house! I took out my trusty knife given to me by sister Lesha and my brother-in-law Bruce. We cleaned the deer up nicely and got it ready for the freezer. My mom later on washed it sufficiently to her liking as we had not done a good enough job. I can remember her disapproval with the way my brother and I cleaned the meat. Geneva Arnold, my mother, is a very good woman, but she likes things done the way she wants them. But I digress as she may also read this one, haha.
(Afterthoughts) This was big moment for me. I have built many green fields and killed more deer than I can count since these first days. The green field however gave my father and something to do together. It kept me busy and got me excited about hunting. The lessons I learned from this planting and this harvest have stuck with me to this day. Thanks again Bruce Monk for the seed that have given me great memories. Thanks to my Daddy who was willing to help me in a sport that he wasn't really that interested in, but loved me enough to care. I do believe that if you build it-------------THEY WILL COME!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)