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Did it again

NMSbowhunter

NMSbowhunter

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2022
Messages
4,268
I hunted yesterday morning until noon. I decided to sit the same spot for the evening since it was my first time ever hunting the location. I pulled my bottom climbing stick with aider off the tree just in case and took it out with me. I didn't have much worry about anyone being back there as I was a good half mile walk on the back side of a marsh. When I came back for the evening sit I put the stick back on the tree, hooked up my bow, climbed the tree and got all settled into my saddle. When I went to pull up the bow, I realized that I put the climbing stick's strap over the bow pull up rope. This is the second time I have done this this season. The first was on a morning hunt where I left my set up in a tree and just pulled the bottom stick and the aider knowing I would be back before daylight the next morning. This is my first season using sticks lol.
 

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I hate when this kind of sh-t happens. I have about 2 - 3 similar moments each season. I attribute it to early morning, not enough coffee.
 
NMSbowhunter said:
I would be a bit nervous about leaving the bow unsupervised.
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I thought the same thing at one time. I now regularly leave my entire setup overnight or during day if I’m at least 75% sure I’m coming back to hunt again. For two reasons:

less crap to carry back.

my brain never turns off and I hate waking up early. I’ll think and talk myself into circles deciding what to do. You leave all your gear in the woods, and you goin’ back to hunt…

It’s like hunting at a ranch - you show up and everything is ready for you. Poor man luxury. Plus it makes entry and exit much sneakier.
 
kyler1945 said:
I thought the same thing at one time. I now regularly leave my entire setup overnight or during day if I’m at least 75% sure I’m coming back to hunt again. For two reasons:

less crap to carry back.

my brain never turns off and I hate waking up early. I’ll think and talk myself into circles deciding what to do. You leave all your gear in the woods, and you goin’ back to hunt…

It’s like hunting at a ranch - you show up and everything is ready for you. Poor man luxury. Plus it makes entry and exit much sneakier.
Click to expand...
It is nice to come back to it all set up, that's for sure, especially in the dark. Leaving my bow is a bridge too far. If Murphy's law as ever going to kick in for me it would be that sort of scenario. I did leave the set overnight when I knew I would be back in before daylight the next morning.
 
NMSbowhunter said:
It is nice to come back to it all set up, that's for sure, especially in the dark. Leaving my bow is a bridge too far. If Murphy's law as ever going to kick in for me it would be that sort of scenario. I did leave the set overnight when I knew I would be back in before daylight the next morning.
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I’d love to see your math on how raising and lowering the bow two more times, carrying it for some considerable distance over rough terrain, exposing it to all the perils of gravel parking lots, tailgate leavings, etc, the potential to leave it at home, damage it at home, have it stolen, etc….. is somehow less risky than leaving it 20’ up a tree for 3-12 hours in the middle of nowhere.

I’m not poking you. I’ll accept “I ain’t doin it because I don’t wanna” or “it don’t feel good.” But to believe it’s somehow more risky to your huntjng success, or the safety of your equipment, is choosing to ignore the obvious.

Hahah you reminded me of the time my bow rode 50 miles on the front rack of my four wheeler back to my house. Over some considerably bumpy roads. I think it shot better after that….
 
When I was younger, we called this a brain fart. Now I call this a senior moment.
Stuff like this happens to me all the time.
 
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kyler1945 said:
I thought the same thing at one time. I now regularly leave my entire setup overnight or during day if I’m at least 75% sure I’m coming back to hunt again. For two reasons:

less crap to carry back.

my brain never turns off and I hate waking up early. I’ll think and talk myself into circles deciding what to do. You leave all your gear in the woods, and you goin’ back to hunt…

It’s like hunting at a ranch - you show up and everything is ready for you. Poor man luxury. Plus it makes entry and exit much sneakier.
Click to expand...
I've never done it because knowing my luck something unforeseeable would happen and I wouldn't be able to make it out there again for a week or more. I have friends that do that regularly with no issues so far.
 
Here is why I am a bit nervous to leave the bow on public land. Several years ago a friend of mine and I found what we thought was a very off the wall spot where a bachelor group of bucks were hanging out. This was on a club of 6000 acres with 25 members, most of which only hunted when gun season started. There were very few people who were out during bow season. It was hundreds of yards from a road and we had to literally chop a narrow path in there since it was a streamside management zone along a small creek surrounded by a sea of thick pines. The entrance to the path was well hidden. It was remote and we were both very careful about keeping the spot secret. We put up a 20 foot ladder stick and a lock on stand. When the season approached, we flipped a coin to decide who would get to hunt the bucks. My friend won.

After one of his first hunts we left the club and drove into town to have lunch. While we were there eating lunch another club member came over to the table and asked us whose backpack and bow was up in the tree. Somehow, he had walked up on that stand out in the middle of nowhere after my friend climbed down for the morning. He could have easily stolen that backpack and bow and been gone. That was on private ground with limited access.

Strange thinks can and do happen. After that I decided that there was no such thing as a place where no one would likely go. If my bow is with me, I have one less thing to worry about. If somebody sees a $1400 bow setup (what it would cost to replace it) in a tree it might be very tempting to just take it and go. Considering the way $50 cell cameras have a habit of growing legs on public it just makes sense to me.
 
I use my retractable hoist and have it fastened to the back of my monster pack. So it stays clear behind me while I climb. This is the best method I have found.
 
DOMMA said:
I hate when this kind of sh-t happens. I have about 2 - 3 similar moments each season. I attribute it to early morning, not enough coffee.
Click to expand...

yeah, trick is not to get too frustrated....because then more bad moves start happening

i've gotten mad enough to need to force myself to hang in the saddle for a minute and breath and remember that climbing is dangerous and i shouldn't be distracted
 
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