Hey Y'all;

The thread about how high we hunt enlightened me to the fact that I'm not totally alone. There are others here, who hunt from treestands, that are not totally all fired up and crazy about heights.

It's almost embarassing. If I get a few feet off the ground I get shakey. Even in a ladder stand, and you can't get too much more stable than a ladderstand. Now....don't misunderstand....I'm not phobic....When I'm sitting down in my treestand I'm OK. I can look around, look down, no problem. Shoot sitting down...also no problem. When I have my issue is when I have to stand up. I feel like I have to be hanging on. Not comfortable if I'm not.

Picture yourself trying to shoot your bow with one hand latched onto the bar of your treestand. Doesn't work does it?

My question is how do you deal? How do you hunt from a tree stand when you are shaking?

Some things I have done.....may sound stupid.....My front porch has two outcroppings on it, about a foot wide and 2 feet long, about 1 1/2 feet off the ground. This "platform" is smaller than my treestand. I've started standing on it. To prove to myself that I can stand on that small a space, without hanging on to anything, and not fall off. I stand on one foot, I jump back and forth from one to the other and have never fallen off. Standing on them I'm not the least bit nervous. I guess it's because I know I'm only 18" off the ground, and not 18'.

Don't bother suggesting a safety strap. I never leave the ground without one. I don't even sit in my ladderstand without it. Takes me forever to get my climbing stand up a tree. Slide up the belt, slide up the upper portion of the stand, slide up the lower, slide up the belt, etc, etc, etc.......


Suggestions??? Just don't laugh at me.

Thanks;