I was out setting and checking a few of my stands this morning. When I got to one of my hang-on's.( I only use this stand every other year. Corn Field). And yes I leave some of my stands up year round. I amalways very careful to make sure all the straps are in good shape, and I change them quite often! Anyways, As I climb up to my stand I have to trim a pile of small branches that have grown since the last time I used it.(Black Willow Tree). So I finally get up to the stand, set myself in, then start to saw a few larger branches that looked like they could get in the way. When I here this big crash from up above me. I thought it was a rotten branch that I must of knocked loose when I was sawing. But here it was a big Racoon......he jumped from the tree around 15' above me.(I'm already around 16'-18' in the air) Hit about four branches before he hit the ground hard. It sound like a huge turd hitting the ground, droppedfrom air plain. He paused on the ground for just a second then scurried into the corn and seemingly hitting every stock he ran by!

I was startled but not as much as that coon!............I wonder what he was thinking

That would wake me up

I always check my trees before I get in them for this reason. Coons can be nasty. If it sounded like a pop when he hit the ground, he probably broke a few ribs. They can take some abuse, but that sounds like a long fall.

Shane