Video: Preparing to Hunt From a Tree Stand

Haley

Morning, partner. You ready for some serious bowhunting?

Rob

All right, let’s load up and get going.

The person behind the camera puts his bow into the bed of the truck.

Rob

Whoa, it might be a bumpy ride. Don’t you want to get that thing cased?

The person behind the camera throws a blanket over the bow.

Rob

Yeah, that’s not going to work. So let’s be clear. Your bow and accessories deserve better protection than that. Plus, many states require that you case your bow during transport, so check the local regulations to stay safe, smart, and legal.

The three hunters put their bows and accessories into cases. Opening the door of the truck, Haley spots an arrow on the seat.

Haley

Whoa! Looks like someone misplaced an arrow. Not good.

Rob

You can imagine some of the self-inflicted accidents that can happen when people forget—even for a moment—that their razor-sharp broadheads belong in a case or their hooded quiver.

The screen shows a broadhead being thrown into a hat, one sitting on a bench where a person is about to sit, and one thrown into a shoe.

Rob

We don’t want any arrows with broadheads rattling around back here, so secure them for transport.

Haley

Now we’re set. All right, let’s hit the road.

After arriving at their destination, the hunters exit the truck.

Rob

Let’s see—scent control, check. Headlamps, check. And binoculars, check.

Haley

All right, here’s the deal. There are a few methods we can use while bowhunting. We can still hunt, we can hunt from a blind, or we can hunt from a tree stand. Each of them have their advantages and their safety concerns.

Rob

And it’s still early in the season, so we’re going to show you all three. Let’s start with still hunting.

On screen: STILL HUNTING

Rob

And even though still and hunting kind of sound like opposite things, we’re not going to stay still all the time. With the wind in our faces, we’re going to move slowly and carefully from cover to cover. Then we’ll remain still while we look for game. It’s kind of like slowly scouting for game and fresh signs while hunting. And once we spot something, then we’ll come up with a plan to either stalk closer or try to intercept. Plus, still hunting has many advantages. You cover more ground, you can learn your hunting area, and you can even adjust to wind direction.

The screen shows the person behind the camera walking behind Rob and Haley with an arrow nocked.

Rob

Whoa, partner, we want to be ready when we’re hunting, but walking around with a nocked arrow? That’s being a little bit too ready. So put that thing away because you’re endangering yourself and your partner. Because all it would take is someone stumbling, stopping, turning, or bumping into something to cause a disaster. And that’s why we always keep our arrows in the quiver and those broadheads covered until we’ve stopped, clearly identified the game we’re going to shoot at, and prepared to take a shot. Oh—and carrying it in your hand is not any safer. You need to put it in your quiver. There you go.

On screen: GROUND BLINDS

Rob

Yep. That’s our ground blind. We set it up before season so the game would get used to it by now. We put it on the downwind edge of the field near several trails that come from the woods. The downside is that you can’t see as much, and you’re restricted to shooting out the windows. But the benefit is that it allows us to hide while posting up and waiting for game where we know they’re active. Plus, blinds are an especially good option for introducing new hunters to the game because they conceal movement, and there’s enough room for two.

On screen: TREE STANDS

Rob

Tree stands are really hard to beat for seeing the game coming and making a close-range shot undetected. And it actually puts us above their normal field of vision and scent zone. We checked this thing last week. It’s good to go. And there’s a fresh scrape right over there.

The person behind the camera starts to climb the tree stand.

Haley

Whoa, partner. Seeing how anxious you are, maybe we need to have a little pop quiz before we call it a morning.

Rob

I got one. One of the big dangers in bowhunting is hurting someone else. But what’s a common way you could hurt yourself? Accidentally shooting yourself? Jumping into a pit blind full of snakes in the dark? Having a heart attack dragging out a trophy buck? Or gravity? Yep, gravity is your single biggest threat, and falling from elevated stands causes more injuries than anything else. So know that bowhunting from an elevated stand requires special attention and techniques. And that’s why it’s so important to practice ahead of time.

Haley

But that’s for next time.

Rob

So what do you say we call it a day?