Check Deer Stands During Off Season
Kevin Felts 06.26.17
Guys and gals, I am guilty of putting off work on the hunting lease until the last minute. It seems during the summer there is a reason (or excuse) after reason (or excuse) not to go to the hunting lease and check on the stands and feeders. Spending time with the kids, fishing, vacation, too hot, or too many bugs seems to take precedence over going to the hunting lease.
Out of nowhere, like a train, August and September are upon us. Then we are racing against time to check the hunting lease. Are the stands still standing and are the feeders working? Are you going to take the time to scout for deer trails, rubs and scrapes?
Rather than putting off the hunting lease all summer, take some time and show the place some love.
One of the most time consuming issues I have run into, is using a pole saw to trim tree limbs. There have been times when I had to trim dozens of limbs that grew into the shooting lane during the summer. What I “thought” would be a one day job, turned into two weekends.
There have been times when severe weather blew stands over. These were porta-potties on a wooden frame which took three people to stand upright, or two people and a tractor. I just happened to be walking the hunting lease during the summer, saw the stands down, and had to organize a work day with some friends.
Then there are the times that vandals or wild pigs knock feeders or stands over. Sometimes the people will shoot feeders up with a shotgun or rifle. Sometimes they will steal the feeder, take the solar panel.. just do whatever damage they can.
Rather than finding all this out a few weeks before hunting season, go to the hunting lease during the summer months. From my experience, most of the damage happens when teenagers are out of school for summer vacation. When school starts back, the vandalism seems to go away.
So, take time to check on the deer lease and do some work here and there. This way, you will not get caught by surprise right before season starts.
