Passing the time

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Passing the time

Unread postby bowhunter » Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:02 pm

Everyone knows the longer you sit in the woods the better chance you have of seeing a deer. I seem to pass the time by just sitting and looking at nature ( usually just trees). What is your favorite way to pass the time when sitting in the woods?

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JoeRE
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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:27 pm

I try to slow my thoughts down to the rhythm of the natural world around me...time flies then. You can only get bored if you think you have something better to do.

Sometimes its hard to get to that mind set from the rat race of our modern culture...so many distractions.

One other thing I like to do on stand is visualize a deer coming in and making a shot at it, from every angle I can think of. It really helps build confidence and make the right decision in seconds.
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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:33 pm

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1655&p=297423

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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby bowhunter » Thu Feb 26, 2015 4:05 pm

JoeRE wrote:I try to slow my thoughts down to the rhythm of the natural world around me...time flies then. You can only get bored if you think you have something better to do.

Sometimes its hard to get to that mind set from the rat race of our modern culture...so many distractions.

One other thing I like to do on stand is visualize a deer coming in and making a shot at it, from every angle I can think of. It really helps build confidence and make the right decision in seconds.

I do the same thing it's easy for me to know I have nothing better to do because I wait all year for hunting season and when it's finally here time not spent in the woods is time wasted. I go lots of hunts seeing nothing but have never left a hunt thinking I should not have gone. With only a few months to hunt you can't be in the mindset that it's to cold or to windy or to hot. Fankly just because there is a not an ideal day to hunt the state is not going to wait for an ideal day after season to allow you to hunt. So what I'm saying is the few days you are allowed to hunt you should be huntin.

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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:05 pm

You can't kill a buck if your not in the woods. I stay very focused at peak times do my journal during midday hours . I toss out cotton now milkweed every hour or so.If I'm bowhunting I look at every tree and figure yardages 20-40 yards away incase of a shot. I watch Nature spend a lot of time thinking about locations. I keep track of everything my entry routes if I hit a branch on my way in with my boot every detail listed. I look at a lot of topos on my I phone and aeriels while in the tree. I usually on silent phone list everything I see wind direction and keep updated of wind changes weather conditions by the hour. Sometimes read this site. Sometimes I eat a snack. I look through binoculars at squirrels or other wildlife. I usually hunt all day so I'm in the tree often 12 plus hours streight. About the 5 hour mark my seat hurts I'll stand for a hour or so and sit back down. Sometimes I hunt morning go grab lunch around 10.30 then hunt another area 2.00-dark. This last year I think I had at least 25 daylight to dark sits. And a lot of morning and afternoon hunts .
Hunting after a rain is hardest for me since I can't hear the deer my eyes scan constantly this can be exhaustingmentally. These hunts usually only last 3-4 hours.
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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Feb 26, 2015 6:35 pm

I post on the Live From The Stand Thread. Not gonna lie I spend quite a bit of time reading and posting on the Beast during slow times. I usually get on stand way early for an evening sit so I find it keeps me alert otherwise I get way too relaxed and doze off. At prime time the phone stays in my pocket. I enjoy nature as much as anybody but long sits can be tough especially the all day sits during the rut. Even early season evening hunts I usually sit 4-5 hrs minimum.

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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby dan » Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:25 pm

I rarely sit long hours... I sit prime hours. Except some times during the rut in certain areas where there is good midday cruising. I spend more time scouting during the day and think I do better on my sits by having more intel about where the action is, rather than just sitting and waiting.

Back to "what I do on stand" Since I am not sitting to long, I don't loose focus. I am there to do a job and I concentrate on the sounds around me, and looking for where the buck will likely come from and think about where my shot opertunities will be, where he could wind me, where he could see me, where he should be when I make my move, etc... I listen intently, and watch for movement... To many hours on stand causes bowhunter burnout and guys tend to leave there stand early, or let deer slip in without them noticing because they are not paying attention.
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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby justdirtyfun » Thu Feb 26, 2015 11:52 pm

Dan I hear you saying quality is better than quantity for killing the big ones. That goes along with stand placement. Best stand for the best buck with best circumstances.
Some days are nice to just enjoy being in the woods. Those pair up well with observation stands.

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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby Racks&Beards » Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:58 am

Read, play solitaire, or surf interwebs if I have a strong enough signal (I have a battery powered phone charger just in case). Watching squirrels fight with each other is always fun too.
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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby PK_ » Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:03 am

I must be wired differently.

First thing is with being mobile and hunting on the fly, seems like I am always pushing the envelope to get setup in time for an evening hunt. I really enjoy scouting, so I usually end up snooping around too long and then have to throw the stand up and sit for a couple hours.

I generally do about a dozen all day sits during rut and man the time flies by for me. First few hours are full of anticipation, then I am on pins and needles all midday because that has been an incredible timeframe for me, then the afternoon just gets better and better until dark. Usually I eat something between 2-4pm and maybe shut my eyes for a few minutes and rest, but other than that, mentally i am jacked because I truly believe my next big buck is about to step out.
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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:12 am

Long rut sits can be taxing. I'm usually on the Beast. I will text a bit to friends who are hunting also staying updated. But I believe being prepared for the moment of truth is monumental. Sometimes you only get one shot one chance and it can happen that fast. So I try and stay focused and listen for changes in the woods. Squirrels to start chattering, doves scattering, ducks and geese spooked off, birds getting quiet, a blue jay screaming. I've found all to be good heads up sounds to approaching deer or movement in the woods.

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Re: Passing the time

Unread postby phade » Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:24 am

My ability to sit all day has dropped due to a bad back (surgery for a bad disc), but I still make it through a few times a year. I seem to be able to sit much longer/easier in the p.m. hunts. My problem is wanting to get down around 9-9:30 in the a.m. from cold/heat/bugs/etc. Never really had that issue before, but now that I have IDed it, it is a priority for me to overcome.

I got a bigger pack for hunting to carry extra gear in when I have borderline weather - like rain/drizzle just above the freezing mark, or cold temp drops coming in after already being in the stand.

Have to work on strengthening my core muscles to help deal with pain/being figidty in the stand (I readjust every 15 minutes with the back). That will help keep me there longer.

I also forgot I eat like a pig during hunting season. I still lose weight, but I have to intake way more calories than normal. Hunger in the a.m. seems to get me down from time to time. Packing more breakfast foods this time around.
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