Pre-season prep: If you build it...will they come?

[DuckHunt]

Today began my mad rush to prep for the season with my annual trail clearing outing. I take a weed eater and clean out the trails we use to quietly get to our stands. Not only does it make our entrance smoother, but I've noticed that the deer also take to these groomed trails because we all like the path of least resistance.

So while you are clearing trails, why not make it easy for deer to come by your stand?

There is a grown up logging road about 60 yards away from "the killing tree" that borders the opposite side of a thicket beside the stand.


With the weed eater slinging knee high grass, I cleaned out the trail through the thicket and into the logging road.


Then I created a nice large top to the funnel, right in front of a trail camera.


Then all we have to do it wait for a deer to enter the funnel, and walk by the stand.

Well that didn't take long.


And to the tree stand he heads...


Tree tops, brush piles, man-made trails, there are a number of things you can do to put more deer in front of your tree.

[AJ01]

Nice work.

Can you come down here and do some work me in this blasted heat!!
I went yesterday and scouted a new property. Me and my favorite son-in-law were sitting in the truck, windows rolled up with the air blasting. I looked over at him and said, "It's too dang hot to hang stands"!!
He sighed loudly and said, "I sure am glad you said that"!!!

Good luck with the "Killing Tree" stand this year!!

[Normous]

I bet your a little itchy today from the mosquitoe bites.
I can relate that up here in Northern Ontario setting up bear baits near swamps. Even with deet spray the buggers have twin propellers.

I'll be watching for reports, good luck!

[janesy]

Yep scouting potential bear stands yesterday my kids pretty much got carried away.
Nothing bit me?? Go figure

[one shot scott]

I have done the exact same thing with pretty much the same results, just not a quick!

[flinthead]

Got my bow stand ready to go for Friday morning... weatherman says it's supposed to be around 66 first thing. I'm getting an itchy trigger finger!!

[grizzly72]

Sorry to be nosey but that doesn’t look like a stihl? What are ya running and how do you like it?? We’ve ran stihl everything since I was 5 years old and I’m 51..

[AJ01]

Got my bow stand ready to go for Friday morning... weatherman says it's supposed to be around 66 first thing. I'm getting an itchy trigger finger!!

Okay "Itchy Finger"!!! Geez! Give them poor Bambi's a break!! Talk about a menace to society!! All ya wanna to do is stab 'em all the stinking time.

Brother, I hope you have a great opening morning!!

[flinthead]

Got my bow stand ready to go for Friday morning... weatherman says it's supposed to be around 66 first thing. I'm getting an itchy trigger finger!!

Okay "Itchy Finger"!!! Geez! Give them poor Bambi's a break!! Talk about a menace to society!! All ya wanna to do is stab 'em all the stinking time.

Brother, I hope you have a great opening morning!!

I'm a meat hunter from way back AJ... they all look like grilled backstrap and fried cube steak to me!! I can only kill a buck tomorrow, so we'll see... normally I like to put a couple of doe in the freezer first,,, but if a little buck strolls by in the morning, I hate it... it will be Swhacker time!!

[longbow joe]

Mark I'm in myrtle beach now ....you can cook a deer steak or tenderloins on the sidewalk today ..I couldn't hunt in this weather I need a minimum of a 75 degree high to have fun.
I got to go out and trim around some stands when l get home I'm dredding it
It's literally just as hot 700 miles north where I live and just as humid .

[DuckHunt]

Sorry to be nosey but that doesn’t look like a stihl? What are ya running and how do you like it?? We’ve ran stihl everything since I was 5 years old and I’m 51..

Similar color to a Stihl, but its an Echo. I have a a weed eater, chain saw, two handheld leaf blowers and a backpack leaf blower that are all by Echo. They work well. I haven't had a problem out of any of them. They're roughly mid-range quality/performance/price between the entry level and Stihl.

Last fall my wife and I began what is typically a weekend long project to clear the place of leaves. My wife donned the Echo backpack blower and went to work. I pulled out all of the other gear (rakes, tarps, handheld blowers, etc). As we were getting started my neighbor who owns a lawn care business came over and asked if I wanted to borrow another backpack blower to help shorten the job. At first I said no, because I hate borrowing anything from anyone. But after a minute, I got to thinking. What does a guy that does this for a living use? I told him on second thought I'd take him up on the offer. He proceeds to bring over a top of the line Stihl backpack blower. I told him 'You about to cost me some money, aren't you?"

It took about five seconds with the Stihl to realize it was in a class by itself. I ran it for about three minutes, then interrupted my wife to have her suit up with it instead. She also was instantly impressed. It was lighter, quieter, more powerful and you could start it with it on your back already. The weekend long job was completed by lunch time on Saturday. I was sort of ticked off thinking of all of the days/weeks/months of my life I could have saved had I just purchased a Stihl twenty years ago. Before the sun set on that day, I had purchased my own top of the line Stihl backpack blower. If I can liquidate this Echo, which is a good blower, I'll use those proceeds to buy a second Stihl. I've been converted.

[flinthead]

Mark I'm in myrtle beach now ....you can cook a deer steak or tenderloins on the sidewalk today ..I couldn't hunt in this weather I need a minimum of a 75 degree high to have fun.
I got to go out and trim around some stands when l get home I'm dredding it
It's literally just as hot 700 miles north where I live and just as humid .

Nice!! We went to Tybee this year instead of Myrtle... it's gotten so expensive!!

I'm going to hunt in the morning only... maybe to 9:00 or 9:30 then come out. I can't kill a doe (what I mostly see on my bow stand) until September 15th, so I usually try not to hunt it too hard until then. All I'm saying is, if I see two inches of visible antler in the morning... TWANG!!!

[longbow joe]

If this wasn't is a hunting post site ..l would gripe about our Mexican food restaurant bill over 300 bucks...6 people many margaritas...ahh vacations peeling it off like lettuce
Got a special envelope under the Mat for the palmetto armery visit tonight.....precious pup says Fffffffffffffffffff

[flinthead]

If this wasn't is a hunting post site ..l would gripe about our Mexican food restaurant bill over 300 bucks...6 people many margaritas...ahh vacations peeling it off like lettuce
Got a special envelope under the Mat for the palmetto armery visit tonight.....precious pup says Fffffffffffffffffff

La Poblanita in Myrtle... killer Mexican food. It is in a strip mall area that looks a little dangerous... pay that no attention!
Crab Catcher's in Little River... fresh caught seafood that literally comes off the boat daily.

Not to cut into your Palmetto Armory funds...