Iwas officially on my “rutcation” and sitting 20 feet off the ground in a hang-on stand when a rustling of leaves caught my attention. It didn’t take the buck long to cover the distance from the scrape he was pawing at to the apple tree in front of me. By then, I had already removed my bow from the hanger and attached my release. My heart began to pick up its pace when I soon realized this deer was one of the target bucks we had on our trail camera. It was the tall and narrow 13-point, which we hadn’t named yet.
While seated, I slowly turned my body to the right when, much to my dismay, the stand decided to make a noise resembling an old, creaky door. This instantly put the buck on high alert. He didn’t look up, but instead, he burned a hole through the tree I was sitting in for several minutes. Either way, I knew it was game over. All I needed was for him to take a few more steps, but he opted to do a 180 and walked away.
Heartbroken, all I could do was begin thinking about how badly I wanted to throw out this stand. Before climbing down, I tightened the ratchet straps, which I used to secure the stand, but it didn’t seem to make the noise disappear. I guess it’s time for a new treestand.
This hunt helped to reinforce the importance of inspecting your stands and equipment before heading into the deer woods. It also brought to mind all of the other important pre-season chores, which will allow you to focus on the hunt once archery season arrives.
Stand Preparation
While passing time in a stand, I oftentimes will critique it and make notes after the hunt or at the end of the season. Some stands don’t require any improvements, but there are certain ones that I sit in where some changes are necessary in order to be successful. I’ve even abandoned those areas which saw little deer activity or were left because of hunting pressure from other hunters on public land. I always ask myself, how can I improve this stand? Oftentimes, it involves trimming out a new shooting lane or extending one to increase the distance for a shot opportunity. For example, while sitting in a new location in a ladder stand last season, I saw a smaller buck follow a trail further out from my stand. The saplings and brush in this location would have made it difficult, if impossible, to shoot through.
Typically, every stand I hunt in needs to have branches trimmed for access or coming to full draw, but no major changes are necessary. I’ve occasionally repositioned stands on the same tree to allow for an easier right-handed draw, depending on where the food source is or a heavily used deer trail. For safety purposes, I check all of the ratchet straps that secure my stands and climbing sticks for any UV damage or from animals chewing on them, along with the straps on hang-on receivers. Every few years, I replace all of these straps with new ones. During my summer stand prep, I also install life lines for my Hunter Safety harness, bow hangers, and haul lines.
While scouting during the early spring, my nephew and I found a new stand location in a large cottonwood tree overlooking a clover food plot. Based on deer sign and trail camera photos in this area, we both feel this treestand setup has the right ingredients for a successful hunt. It is essential to always be on the lookout for new real estate to set up stands. You can never have too many options, especially with varying wind conditions during the fall.
Practice
There is increased popularity of 3-D courses throughout Michigan. It isn’t uncommon to find them in most areas of the state. Some outdoor clubs offer non-members with open 3-D shoots that take place on certain days during the late spring and summer months. There are also 3-D courses that are available to the public through archery shops and even some individuals who operate just a 3-D course. This allows archers to keep their shooting skills sharp for the upcoming bow season and changes up the scenery from shooting in the backyard at a small number of targets.
3-D courses allow bowhunters to practice while also judging distances and choosing shot placement, which is essential when heading to the woods with a bow in hand.
Bows and Arrows
Prior to archery season, I inspect my bows and arrows regularly before heading into the field. I also perform inspections on both during pre-season practice sessions, considering that this is the time when arrows are most likely to become damaged, particularly the fletching. Oftentimes, this happens when we send too many arrows downrange at the same spot on the target, grazing the other feathers, which causes us to take them out of service. For this reason, I typically will only shoot three arrows during one practice session. Each time I pull my arrows out of the target, I perform a quick inspection of the fletching and the arrow, especially if I completely miss the target and my arrow ends up in the ground. Loose fletching can be glued back on using fletching glue and a fletching jig. Another option is to take your arrows to an archery shop to have new fletching put on.
When examining your arrows for any damage, use an arrow roller. This will allow you to spin the arrow horizontally and look down the shaft to see if it’s crooked. It is also important to check the shaft for any cracks or notches, which could compromise your arrow’s accuracy. Other parts of an arrow that you should inspect are the field point and nock, making sure that both are tightened each time you shoot an arrow.
In order to hunt with your bow for many more seasons to come, it is essential that you perform a complete inspection on it regularly. Of course, it’s not a bad idea to take your bow to an archery shop either for an annual inspection and servicing. Check the bow limbs and axles for any cracks, dents, scratches, or other types of damage. Also, tighten any loose bolts and screws on them, as well as your sight rest and pins, to make sure that they don’t malfunction in the moment of truth. Your bowstring and cables should also be inspected regularly for any signs of wear. They may appear to be fuzzy. If so, replace them. To prolong the life of your string, you should use bowstring wax. Using your fingers, gently rub the wax into the string, covering the entire length of the string. Other important parts of a bow to inspect are the string loop for your release, kisser button, peep sight, quiver attachment, and stabilizer.
Final Thoughts
There are many tasks to complete prior to archery season, but if you get started early, it will prevent any last-minute scrambling or putting any unnecessary pressure on deer. With some careful thought and planning ahead of time, you will be well prepared once archery season arrives. Then you can sit in your stands and hopefully reap the rewards of all of your hard work and preparation.
