i cant help but fall asleep
 

Anyone ever fall asleep in their stand. Each time I go out I tend to start falling asleep. How do I keep a wake?

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

I sit there and listen to the critters around me. Look through my binoculars, constantly reminding myself that if I close my eyes for even a second, I might miss my chance for a doe or even a big buck. Think about it, 99% of the time, deer just "POP" out of nowhere, atleast for me. So taking a nap is not a option of you are hunting.

Patience is a big part of hunting, good luck and keep those eyelids UP!

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

i have one time. one thing you can do i shine a flash light in your eyes or before you go to your stand you can splash hot and cold water in your face.:D

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

Drink coffee all morning. Dont get to comfortable.

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

I usually drink a few cups of coffee before I head out to my stand. When I first starting hunting, I often found myself falling asleep in my stand. A few times I've seen fresh tracks right in front of the box stands I was hunting in, which really sucked. When I get the chance to hunt mornings, I try to get as many hours of sleep as I can. Sometimes when I wake in the morning I will decide whether or not I should go if I'm tired. If I'm in my stand and start getting sleepy, I'll focus on something that will keep my attention. Squirrels and other animals are usually always out an about. If there's nothing to get me focused, I'll tell myself that there is a monster buck working his way to my stand, this usually gets me to focus harder and stay awake. I've never had a problem when I get up and drink a few cups of coffee and cook a nice breakfast before I head out. ;)

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

Get sleep the night before.Go to bed at 8pm and then get up a 4 am. Then get to the stand and take a cat nap till light.If you still cant stay awake ,you got problems. Take a girl with you,that might help.If you fall asleep then ,you got real problems

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

Just think about what will happen if you roll over in your sleep and THAT should keep you awake.[:o] It is peacefull out there though, isn't it.

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

No, never have. If you think you are going to doze off, just grab a few nose hairs and give them a good yank. Guaranteed to open them eyes up. Works while driving also.

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

I too have trouble trying to stay awake when I'm hunting from my treestand on all day hunts. Whenever I feel like I may go to sleep I play it safe, and crawl down from the tree to take a middday nap. I usually don't sleep for more than 45 minutes at the most.

I used to always hunt from the ground, and used to sleep quite a bit during the later part of the season. The first buck I ever killed woke me up from a nap when he was crossing the creek. I also killed a doe once after she woke me up from a nap; ironically these two situations both took place in the same area two years apart! Maybe I should sleep more often.

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

Apparantly, Criggster, you don't snore.

If I were to hunker down and snooze I scare any critter within a five mile radius. I must admit, my head does bob around from time to time.

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

Stand........all the time!


Seriously!

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

First...there's no sense in going to stand if you're going to sleep. Second, find a method to help boredom, which oftentimes leads to sleepiness.

Early in the morning, I drink a travel mug of coffee mixed with 4 scoops of hot chocolate mix. This accomplishes two things: 1) the caffeine and sugar kick in for a quick and sustained wake up, and 2) the sugar helps slow down the uptake of the caffeine, so I can stay on stand without urinating for almost 4-5 hours.

If you don't own binoculars, get some. Not only will they help for game, they will keep your mind sharp and alert.

Bring a hat with a bill, or place your stand away from the sun. Many times, personally, if I face the sun (especially in the afternoon) I will naturally squint, which will lead directly into increased blinking, which leads directly into shutting your eyes and falling to sleep!

Bring a book, an electronic game (that mutes), or a portable radio with earphones to keep your attention during "boring" times. I myself do not read on stand (I get to transfixed on the book and lose the focus of the woods), but last year experimented with the portable radio, and found it both relaxing and unencumbersome. Basically out of the way, with the ear-plug style phones, it helped ease the time...although I did find myself humming a few times, which wasn't too good [:-]

Alternate between standing and sitting. Be certain to wear the safety belt. I personally find it doesn't matter if I stand or sit, if I'm tired I'll lean against the tree and fall asleep, so standing doesn't work for everyone.

Every 1 hour or so munch on a high energy snack. Snack-sized candy bars, nuts, fruit, trail mix, etcetera----and stay away from sandwiches, oily foods and in general "sleepy" foods.

Finally, do not be afraid to sleep in a few days and hunt the "odd" hours. During the rut it doesn't matter when you're out there, just that you're out there the most. If sleeping in a few hours puts you on stand a little later, but completely refreshed and able to finish the day, then by all means do not feel guilty about those extra hours of sleep ;)

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

Unfortunately I share your problem. I can't stay awake in a tree stand. Maybe that's why I haven't EVER seen a deer from a tree stand. All of mine have come from still hunting or ground blinds.

Sean

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

I have a sleep disorder, so I have to ask--aside from when you're in a stand, do you sleep normally?

I've fallen asleep while dove hunting (frankly, I look forward to a little afternoon snooze while dove hunting), but if you're unable to stay awake when you want to, it might be an indication of an actual medical condition.

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

I take a nap from time to time in my stand, I try to do it as little as possible but sometimes I just dont get enough sleep the night before. Last Saturday I was in my stand with about 3 hours of sleep the night before. I ended sleeping away most of morning in the stand, but what better place to catch some zzz's than 30 ft up in a tree on a crisp Oct morning.:D:D. You are probaly gonna miss some deer if your snoozing and to avoid getting tired I would use the tips that have already been mentioned a combination of a few of them should work just fine.

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

Well ill be the first to admit, that i dont ever get enough sleep the night before a hunt do to kids and the girlfriend. I do sleep in the stand if nothing is going on or i am just too tired. I love waking up from a cat nap and seeing the woods, its just great, i have dozed off before and been awakend by a deer coming through, i am not in that deep of sleep!:eek: My mind knows why i am here. Never had a deer sneak by me..........no sir!~

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

The way we look at it in our camp is this - While we're up at camp, we're on vacation. We're up there to get away from it all as well as relax. If we work our butts off at home, don't get enough sleep, don't sleep well due to stress, etc., catching up on a little sleep in the woods is a bonus. It feels great just getting a few minutes of shut eye in the crisp, clean woods. Don't look at it as a curse. Look at it as part of the relaxing, outdoor experience. If you're in a stand, make sure you wear your safety harness and carry a two way radio. You might wake up haging upside down

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

I hunt from the ground most of the time. On my land there is a little hill that overlooks one of the river break draws that come up through the field. There is a little cedar tree that I like to lay down under. I sit there in the later afternoons and several times I have wakened to find thats it dark and I don't know how many deer might have walked by me.:D I like cardeers idea though, might have to try that.:D

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

You can't kill one home in bed, but you can kill one if you hear him and he wakes you up.

I work from 11PM to 7AM, 7 days a week. Work all night, hunt all day, for weeks at a time.

I carry two thermos of hot tea most trips. One for before my "nap" and another for after. Just the act of drinking some thing will keep you pretty much awake. If you get tired, take a nap.

If I'm gonna make it into a job, I already got one of those. When I hunt I do what ever I want to.

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

Nothing wrong with that! With 3 kids at home the woods is the only place I can get some good sleep!

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

I always hunt from the ground, so my story is different. To keep from getting bored I will read. Usually take a break every 1/2 page to look at the woods. It is funny how I will notice the smallest movement while I am reading. I know it is not the "one with the woods" way, but it keeps me on stand longer and has helped me get several deer. I also take naps, but I make sure I know what is going on and I am in a place that the deer will make noise if they move through. The only risk is movement to get ready for a shot if I am woke up.

RE: i cant help but fall asleep
 

I have taken to bringing a book as well, not so much to stay awake, but to help me SIT STILL (that's something Ive gotta keep working on). The place I hunt whitetail is mixed oak woods, covered with leaves in hunting season (unless it snows). I know deer can be quiet, but I ALWAYS hear them before I see them. So far.... I'll be sure to tell you when I see one first! :). Yes I do scan constantly with eyes and binos, but still, my experience is hearing them first.

As for falling asleep, it's a problem I have. I take solace in the fact that I am never drowsy during peak times (first few hours before and after daylight and last couple of hours). Just not a problem because of anticipation. But mid day, especially after I eat my lunch. Well I might as well get out of the stand and walk around to kick something up for the others, or still hunt because if I sit there, I'll nod off for sure. I always make sure I'm safe and if not, I'll go down and just take a nap at the base of the tree to get it over with. I'm a "power nap" guy and 5-30 minutes nap will be like a shot of adrenaline for me.

But what the other guys have said, hunting is a bunch of different great things - and one of them is a peaceful light doze in the fresh air and quiet of the woods. Nothing like it and worth losing 30 minutes at mid day, if you ask me.