Last night I was hunting when I spotted a buck approaching my stand. He was about 85 yards away and about to cross a creek to get to my side. As I stood up to get my bino's on him, I lifted the seat on my Lone Wolf Alfa hang-on and it made a loud creak! I've left this stand out for the past 2 seasons and this was only the second time of the season that I have sat there. The buck instantly froze at the edge of the creek and remained motionless for 5 minutes (I timed it!). He then gave the "all is clear" tail flick and proceeded to cross the creek over to my side. He got behind a tree that was broken near the top with it's crown bent over and touching the ground. Again, he stayed motionless for 5 minutes before proceeding. After that, he cautiously walked out into the open where I recognized him as one of the big 8 pointers that I had previously passed on. He continued on cautiously and went into a corn field where I observed him eat an ear of corn before walking out of sight.

The point is....... I do not think that it would have been a good shot, even though he was in the wide open at 25 yards, broadside. He was just too wired. His extreme skittishness was caused by me creaking the seat of my stand. It just goes to show that it is wise to know the nuances of all of your stands. Had I raised up the seat slowly it wouldn't have made a sound. I have another stand where I have to carefully position my feet when it's cold out before making a shot. The tree is a very large oak with thick, deep bark that will make a groaning sound when you put pressure on the platform. I actually called in a buck that I had no intention of shooting when I stepped further out on my stand to get a better look at him!

The bottom line is to know your equiptment and how to treat it or you could alert or scare off the buck you've been waiting for.