Thursday, September 14, 2006
It’s Blind Moving Time
Today was a busy one. We had three blinds to move, and it took most of the day to accomplish this task. It may sound easy, but when it comes time to move a coop, whether in the air or on the ground, it takes time and the coordinated effort of several people.
One of my workers has hunted from a wooden ground coop for many years, but recently purchased a fancy new one on metal stilts. We lifted the old one with the bucket of my bulldozer, and transported it across a field to a spot where we’ve always needed a stand.
We then went back, chained up the metal coop to the bucket, and trundled across the field and put it in place where his old blind had stood. We had to finesse the thing just right so it was covering the same areas that he formerly covered from the wooden stand.
We moved another blind into a new area as a hedge against these dreaded east winds that have plagued us for several years. Another stand, old and flimsy, was broken apart. We’ll build a new stand for that area in the near future and remove the broken wood to tidy up the area.
I believe we have two more stands to place tomorrow. Determining where to place stands requires an in-depth knowledge of prevailing wind currents, how and where deer travel, why they follow certain trails and not others, and most of all, it requires plenty of study of deer movements.
Positioning both of those stands will require some study on the situation in broad daylight, and we must discern where the most advantageous location will be for that particular stand. Oddly enough, some stands can go almost anywhere and be effective but stands in wooded areas require a great deal of thought and advance planning.
Placing a stand sometimes requires determining the best way for the hunter to approach it without spooking deer. Again, in some cases, it’s nearly impossible to hunt the area unless the bow hunter moves to the stand as much as two hours before the deer normally start to move. This helps keep the hunter from spooking deer.
Windows in a hunting coop are a matter of personal concern, but my thought is to keep them as small as possible and still allow the hunter to aim and shoot properly. An ill-conceived window that is too high, too low or set too far to one side or the other makes drawing and shooting very difficult, if not impossible.
More than one nice buck has been missed by a hunter’s arrow that nicks the edge or bottom of the shooting window. The arrow goes flying harmlessly away from the deer, but that animal has been educated.
We try to cover all windows to the side or behind the hunter. An uncovered window behind the hunter will cause him to be silhouetted, and any buck worthy of the name will often check elevated coops. If they see any type of movement, they cut a trail for some place safer.
Some of our stands have been in place for 20 years, and the reason is they are located in very productive spots. We go through each of our stands, repair those that need repair, move those that require moving for whatever reason, and spray them to remove hornets and wasps.
It’s nearly impossible to keep such stinging insects out until it starts to cool down. A thorough spraying well before the season opens removes these pests, and seldom will they try to enter the coop again. If they do, a well-aimed swat with a hunting hat usually solves the problem.
Hunting coops offer some concealment for hunters but they do not dispel errant scent if two windows are open nor do they cover up any sounds that a hunter may make. The same rules of sitting still and not making noise is most important for elevated coop users.
Make one mistake in a deer-hunting coop, and it may cost you a shot.—The Whitetail Wizard