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Passing The Time

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Passing The Time

Postby Swede » 02 06, 2017 •  [Post 1]

Sitting in a tree stand often involves hours and days. It can be 10 plus hours for well over a week where I hunt. Usually the first few hours pass by fairly quickly, but then I start getting hungry and fidgety. I suppose I am not alone in this dilemma. So what do you do when there is nothing but the wind, an occasional bird or a crazy squirrel out and moving? And what don't you do?

I look around a lot even I may read or play Sudoku. I look carefully and stand up to keep the circulation going in my posterior. When I get warm and feel sleepy, I will snooze uneasily a few minutes and look around frequently. I don't like snoozing, but give in to it occasionally in the warm early afternoon. Once in awhile I sharpen my knife or something like that. In other words I don't do much that distracts from the task at hand.
I have no radio, or other electronic gadgets to make any noise.
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Re: Passing The Time

Postby TimeOnTarget » 02 06, 2017 •  [Post 2]

I might play a game on my phone every now and then. I eat a lot of protein bars. They need to make a protein bar with a quiet wrapper.

Mostly i just bear it and grin. Doesn't sharpening a knife make noise?
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Re: Passing The Time

Postby Swede » 02 06, 2017 •  [Post 3]

My little pack sharpener is a very fine stone that is only good for putting a finished edge on a knife. I have never heard any sound as I use it. I probably make more sound getting it out of my pack. When I first hang my pack, the large pouch is opened wide so I can quickly and quietly put anything back in if needed.
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Re: Passing The Time

Postby stringunner » 02 06, 2017 •  [Post 4]

Most of the time I simply sit there and contemplate deep questions like "what would Swede do?" Usually i come to the conclusion that if he is not peeing on the head of some innocent animal walking under his stand, he is probably taking a snooze! :roll:

Seriously though from sun up till about 10 I am good to simply sit/stand and watch. From 10-4 I pass the time by reading the Bible, playing games on my phone or sleeping. I try not to sleep but some times I just can't help it. From 4-7:30 I'm again on high alert. Occasionally I have a stand where cell phone reception is available, these stands i tend to be less bored during the middle of the day stretch.
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Re: Passing The Time

Postby wawhitey » 02 13, 2017 •  [Post 5]

This will be my first year actually using a treestand, but i hunt treestand style a lot, just with my butt on the ground. Chipmunks seem enough to amuse me. Theyre simple creatures that love granola bars. Maybe im a simple creature too. Year before last during elk season, i started out with one granola eating chipmunk friend. After a few days i had a whole herd of em crawlin on my boots mooching!
Real eyes realize real lies
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Re: Passing The Time

Postby Wahpeton » 04 08, 2017 •  [Post 6]

A good book is tough to beat in the stand. Depending on what I have for visibility I will do some extensive looking with binoculars on the fringes of my field of view. A lot of work with my rangefinder to specific landmarks around my stand so that I have all of the distances dialed in with whatever direction something may come in.

Planes flying overhead....."I wonder if anybody I know is on that flight?"

Pretty random thoughts a lot of times.....makes you wonder how a guy's brain jumps around.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
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Re: Passing The Time

Postby tvbrewster » 07 28, 2017 •  [Post 7]

I read CJ Box novels; he writes about a Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett. Great for passing the time.
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Re: Passing The Time

Postby ABQ_Chica » 08 01, 2017 •  [Post 8]

Compared to my hunting partners' stands, my stand's platform is enormous: They jokingly call it "The Landing Strip." So during long sits, I ponder where to put the pool tables and hot tub, and decide whether the VIB (Very Important Bull) lounge should be in the gangway or the hangar loft... :lol:

The first year I tried tree stands, I played word games in little notebooks. As a newbie, I'm pretty sure I fidgeted a lot and made more noise than I needed to! The second year, sitting was much easier. When you really listen, there's a lot going on. I love hearing the forest come awake, seeing how the light changes during the day, watching critters scamper around and birds flitting about. The notebooks mostly stayed in my pack.

Although I saw elk both years (and almost had shots), I felt like I missed less the second year, but that's purely anecdotal, and not based on very much experience. Plus, my work schedule usually means I can only hunt a few days at a time. Sitting in a stand the entire 2 weeks would probably mean bringing out the notebooks again. Besides, fidgeting a little and alternating sitting and standing definitely helps keep your circulation going. Need to find a balance, I guess.

Unless it's raining, I keep the large compartment of my pack open so anything I need is within easy reach. Before the hunt, I remove food from noisy wrappers and put things in small plastic bags (the cheap ones with flimsy single "zip" closures are usually quietest). Opening or fumbling with things while they're still inside your pack also helps muffle any noise. (CYA Disclaimer: I don't recommend trying to muffle snoring that way!)
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Re: Passing The Time

Postby Swede » 08 01, 2017 •  [Post 9]

Chica, I like the notebook use and documenting the experience from your perspective. It is not all about killing something. Share the highlights of your hunt here.
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Re: Passing The Time

Postby ABQ_Chica » 08 01, 2017 •  [Post 10]

Swede wrote:Chica, I like the notebook use and documenting the experience from your perspective. It is not all about killing something. Share the highlights of your hunt here.


Thanks for the encouragement--I agree that hunting isn't always about killing. Although I'd love a full freezer, some of the most memorable stories are about the ones that got away. I did have a blog for awhile. But I write for a living, so writing about hunting ended up feeling too much like work.

That said, simply documenting sounds like a good, no-hassle place to start. Maybe I just need to approach it with a different attitude. So... I'll throw a notebook in my pack again.
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Re: Passing The Time

Postby Swede » 08 01, 2017 •  [Post 11]

Chica: Judy Kovar, Brenda Valentine and other women have been great outdoor writers. In a world completely dominated by men, these ladies have made a solid contribution to hunting and more than that. They get to the essence of why true sportsmen and women are really out in the field. I would certainly encourage you to write your experiences. BTW, you do not need a 350 bull or 190 class buck to be legitimate. A hunt where you put your heart into it and everything else you had to offer is enough.
I still remember a Larry D. Jones hunt where he gave it all he had and came back empty handed, but never broken. Great story. It makes the story, where he got one nice bull, even better.
Brenda Valentine hung upside down in her tree stand harness, and waited to be rescued, until she finally had to cut herself loose. I may not be 100% on that account, but still remember it was a harrowing experience.
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