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Stand Hanging
I had originally planned to get up the same time as I normally would when I am hunting to hang my stand, and then just sit and relax for a couple of hours and see if any deer strolled by. Well, I ended up hitting snooze several times and then just reset my alarm clock. I made it out of the house around 6:20 and made the 10 minute drive to my spot here in St. Charles Cnty.
I made my way into the woods and found the tree I had hunted last year and was going to hang this year. I decided that I really hadn’t given the place a good going over in a while and I should go on a bit of a walk about. I have only been able to hunt this place for the end of the 2004 season, last year a few times and then this year. The owner just gave me a very cursory tour of the place one day shortly after he took ownership and I have not really walk the place very well, its only 30 acres. The problem is that it is not a well marked 30 acres at all. The other factor is that I have always seen deer in area I know well and I know it’s the property I have permission for.
After a bit off walking I quickly became unsure if I was still where I was supposed to be since the property is not well marked. I decided to head back to the area I had previously hunted and was more comfortable with. Right where I had planned on hanging a stand I jumped up a buck, it looked like a pretty solid 8 pt with a nice sized body. That was all the convincing I needed to just hang my stand where I had originally intended. So I chose tree got the stand hung and by the time was I done I was sweating my arse off. I decided to sit and chill for a short while in my stand. I had just a long sleeve camo t-shirt, old jean, and a ball cap on. After sitting for a half hour or so I decided to stand and was thinking about heading out. I looked back to the south and about 70-8- yards away I picked up some movement, three deer had moved in and where moving my way. It ended up being three bucks, all in velvet. One was a 1 ½ year old buck. He was a small 8 pt with potential. He had a nice rack for his age, but I could tell he was only 1 ½ year old by looking at his body. One was a 2 ½ year old 7 pt, his rack was taller and wider than the 8 pt and he had a bigger body. Another year or so and he will be a dandy. The third deer was a 1 ½ year old buck. One side was a short spike, the other side was wild, he must have damaged the pedicle under the skin early because that side had a golf ball sized lump under the skin, the antler grew straight down it was about 8 or so inches long, about the diameter of an empty paper towel roll, and on the bottom it had a baseball sized knot. You could see the know hanging below its chin from the other side of its head. Rather weird, they all three walked within 10 yds or so from my stand. The deformed racked buck walked right beneath me.
It took them both a half an hour to move off, when I finally was able to get down without spooking them I jumped two more deer on my way back to my truck, its gonna be a good year.
I had originally planned to get up the same time as I normally would when I am hunting to hang my stand, and then just sit and relax for a couple of hours and see if any deer strolled by. Well, I ended up hitting snooze several times and then just reset my alarm clock. I made it out of the house around 6:20 and made the 10 minute drive to my spot here in St. Charles Cnty.
I made my way into the woods and found the tree I had hunted last year and was going to hang this year. I decided that I really hadn’t given the place a good going over in a while and I should go on a bit of a walk about. I have only been able to hunt this place for the end of the 2004 season, last year a few times and then this year. The owner just gave me a very cursory tour of the place one day shortly after he took ownership and I have not really walk the place very well, its only 30 acres. The problem is that it is not a well marked 30 acres at all. The other factor is that I have always seen deer in area I know well and I know it’s the property I have permission for.
After a bit off walking I quickly became unsure if I was still where I was supposed to be since the property is not well marked. I decided to head back to the area I had previously hunted and was more comfortable with. Right where I had planned on hanging a stand I jumped up a buck, it looked like a pretty solid 8 pt with a nice sized body. That was all the convincing I needed to just hang my stand where I had originally intended. So I chose tree got the stand hung and by the time was I done I was sweating my arse off. I decided to sit and chill for a short while in my stand. I had just a long sleeve camo t-shirt, old jean, and a ball cap on. After sitting for a half hour or so I decided to stand and was thinking about heading out. I looked back to the south and about 70-8- yards away I picked up some movement, three deer had moved in and where moving my way. It ended up being three bucks, all in velvet. One was a 1 ½ year old buck. He was a small 8 pt with potential. He had a nice rack for his age, but I could tell he was only 1 ½ year old by looking at his body. One was a 2 ½ year old 7 pt, his rack was taller and wider than the 8 pt and he had a bigger body. Another year or so and he will be a dandy. The third deer was a 1 ½ year old buck. One side was a short spike, the other side was wild, he must have damaged the pedicle under the skin early because that side had a golf ball sized lump under the skin, the antler grew straight down it was about 8 or so inches long, about the diameter of an empty paper towel roll, and on the bottom it had a baseball sized knot. You could see the know hanging below its chin from the other side of its head. Rather weird, they all three walked within 10 yds or so from my stand. The deformed racked buck walked right beneath me.
It took them both a half an hour to move off, when I finally was able to get down without spooking them I jumped two more deer on my way back to my truck, its gonna be a good year.
just kidding 
