Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Make A Winter Lists Of Things To Do Next Spring
It’s an easy thing to do. Most of us, including me, know that certain lists must be made and kept up to date. If we don’t write a thought down when we think of it, that chore is easily forgotten.
It has happened to me many times in the past. I’ll make a list, be driving to the shop, and suddenly I think of something else that has to be done to one of my ground or tree stands.
Driving and writing notes isn’t a good idea so I postpone writing down the thought until I get to work. A customer then asks a question, or a problem needs to be solved, and the thought disappears in an instant.
Planning ahead for spring chores with hunting stands means writing them down. Some stands need very little care, but others always require some preseason attention.
As I’ve noted in the past, many of our elevated stands are enclosed coops on stilts or somewhat open box blinds. The stress of changing seasons from hot to warm to cold and back to warm, plus rain and snow and high winds, can take its toll on wood stands.
We pay particular attention to wooden stands. We check to see if the wood is worn, if nails or screws are starting to pull lose, and whether the railing is stable. An unstable railing, and a slip, can throw a person against the railing. It could break or tear loose, and lead to a bad fall.
My insurance is a hefty amount every year, and we’ve never had a claim. We don’t want one, and that is why we are so picky about checking out each stand before hunting starts.
We climb into the stand and check the chairs or stools. We check the carpet on the floor, and we grab hole of a wall or shooting window, and push and pull it. We are trying to locate any squeaks. A loose nail or screw can lead to a creaky board, and that can mean a sound being made as a hunter comes to full draw on a good buck.
We like our stands as air-tight as possible, but it’s difficult to do when windows must be opened to shoot. We check windows to see if they make noise when opened. We make sure that doors close tightly.
We double-check the wooden steps that lead up to the elevated stand. We test every step to make certain it is safe, and if we have an extra heavy hunter, they usually will hunt from a brand-new stand that is sound. This doesn’t mean that some stands are not sound; a new stand hasn’t been through one or two hunting seasons. The chance of a problem is minimal with new stands.