huntnma

went to hang my stand and there was one already back there.....can you say CRUSHED.......i can....then to top it off i saw one of the nicest bucks i have ever seen coming out of there.....swollen neck, at least 180-190, maybe even more...he was big bodied, my guess is a 3-4 year old...oh , and he was an 8 pointer, tall rack, but what was more impressive was his spread, at least 15 inches... and weight
i moved out of there of course...ran into this man out there from the youth academy, wanted to know who i was, said a girl has been out here poachin'.....he was talking about fl.huntress....we got into a heated dicussion for sure...i won, lol.....by the time he left he was eating out of my hands and he actually knew a thing or two about the rules out there....i admit it, when he said she was poaching , i went off....i asked him why he tought she was poachin' and it was because she had a treestand ...needless to say i showed him the one in the back of my truck and asked him if i was a poacher too and proceeded to put him in his place ,but he travels all throughout the woods where i hunt and told me where the deer were, after he left i had to go look for myself, took awhile but i found where they are going through....scrape city is where i call my treestand's new home, lol.....3 fresh scrapes all within a 30 yard radius.....trails everywhere
i might of lost one good area, but i have another openin' morning spot.....i'll hunt the cypress head the next day, but this place needs my attention first, lol.....i am soooooooooo fricking excited, i haven't been this excited since i shot my first buck......i am so ready to hunt, i just have to get over my fear of being 12 foot in the air....got so scared when i stood up, i couldnt move to sit down....horrifing, it was, but i'll do it, i have too....i need help from y'all to do somethign to overcome this fear......oh and my tree over looks all the scrapes and trails......wooooohooooooooo, let's hunt
oh, and he said he has seen a flock of 30 turkey in the area too.......bringin' my calls...., hee hee giggle giggle....

OHBowhunter

I would like to see you over come your fear of hights. It would be easyer not to be as nervous just being up there when the shot comes. I might suggest taking a ladder if you have a one story house and go up and clean your gutters out. Try going from the ladder to the roof and back. This is where the most fear occures. Some practice at that and your tree stand should be a snap. Pluss the wife might think you are doing some house work.

huntnma

that is tooooo funny, i am the wife......but i do want to thank you for the advice.....i do believe i am more than capable of letting my fears go when the moment of truth arrives, it's before and after i'm worried about , lol...i have my harness and that will help and i have to just spend more time off the ground....
at least it isnt over water, i've been known to get the shakes so bad crossing the creek , i have fallen in....dropped a whole foot, lol....i know it's all mental and i will over come it...

UncleNorby

Set up your stand a few feet off the ground. Put on your harness (assuming its the kind that connects high, and around your waist, under your legs, etc.) and just jump off your stand. When you see what happens if you should fall, you shouldn't be scared of it. Also practice getting back into your stand a few times.

davidhardegree

How about getting in your stand well before light. that way you would get used to being in the stand and become comfortable and not have to worry about seeing how far up the tree you are.

I hung a platform this year that I haven't been in about 5 years now. I climbed in and sat down and thought about how much it had shrunk over the years. The platform itself was just bigger than my boots. It's amazing, the seat really shrunk. Needless to say, it is now out of the tree and back in the shed. I will be trading it for a climber. However, not very mobile, I like ladder stands. They feel as if they are an extension of my body and I have better control when perched on one.

Just my thought. Good luck.

cardeer

Good luck,want to borrow my parachute ????????

rockytop

Huntnma, 12 foot is not listed as an extreme height. I got a suggestion, find somebody that's been through parachute training. Get them to teach you how to fall. I'm 55 and I'd jump from 12 feet, do a parachute landing fall, jump up and run back to my truck 3 miles a way. Well, the last time I tried that it worked, 30 years ago.

PA-BOW-MAN

I dont like to be in the air either. I climb in the dark so i cant see down. When its light enough i'm already relaxed and sittin in my stand and no longer afraid. Only takes a few times of getting in the stand and trusting your stand and you will get over it.

Another thing, a good stand that your 100% positive isn't coming out of the tree on ya helps with your fears. Now that I have a tree lounge I climb 30 feet no problem without any worries because I know its not goin to move. Get a good full body harness not just a sling, gives you a bit more comfort.

Good luck with that scrape line, remember not to hunt on top of them but cross wind from the trail they are on.

huntnma

y'all are too funny, yet very helpful, lol........i always get into my stands before the sunrises.....i'll be fine, the 6 footer i was scared to sit on in the beginning, then i graduates to the 8, so now it's 12, i can do it.....y'all are great, but no parachutes, lol....just a harness, lol....

Striper Phil

I use a climber also, 12 feet is about all I can stand. I find if I go real slow it dosen't bother me as much. I climb lots of slow short moves. and a tight narness all the way up helps the confidence. First time up this year is tomorrow morning AM. I still can't get it togather in the dark and I really hate that.