How do you occupy your time in the stand....?

[urparanoidaboutyourbrand]

I don't get a lot of time to hunt every year.....so when i do i hunt and pay attention every minute.....
I look at the trees changing colors...i look for the quietness and the beauty of the outdoors. I love every minute of it, because it's so short lived. I watch squirells and birds......all kinds of stuff. I really listen to the sounds and listen for changes, as it can mean a deer is walking up.
I don't mess with phones and all that....i just simply hunt, pay attention and mentally rehearse how i'm going to breathe calmly and I visualise the arrow releasing, hitting it's target.

[Sonny Thomas]

Retired, I can pretty hunt any time I want, but all that you mentioned is much the same for me. I don't think about the shot until it comes as there is no sense in bending the mind.
West central Illinois and fall, out early I get to hear Mother Nature coming awake. Not just animals or common sounds, but the her first breath of the morning, a ever so slight breeze that comes with dawn.

[Ehunter]

I'm the same. Phone is left in the truck, my attention is entirely on what's going on around me. On a calm fall day I usually hear the deer before I see them. Then of course, you have the squirrel on the ground that drives you crazy because you just know it's a deer coming through the leaves, strain your neck to look around the tree, and see nothing. Look at the ground, and see the "deer" digging in the leaves, his bushy tail flipping about. There's so much to see and learn in nature that I don't have time to text (wouldn't anyways), worry about my problems, get bored, or anything else. I learn something from every single animal I see, be it a deer or a squirrel. Something you can't do with your head buried in a phone or gameboy.

[wscywabbit]

Well, I'm not nearly as focused as you guys. I carry a kindle with me, and read while I'm up in the air. I do make it a point to look around before I turn the page, and I'm always listening. Last season I spent about 6-8 hours a day in the stand for a little over a week, and if not for the kindle I think I would have went nuttier than the squirrels! lol

[MartinIsMyMiddleName]

For me, there is nothing better than to doze off while in the stand. There is something very relaxing about swaying in a tree while listening to the wildlife around you, especially if you stayed up too late the night before.


I learned to keep track of those squirrels sounds though. There was a squirrel last year that suddenly snorted and ran off after I realized it was walking right past my stand. I just barely caught a glimpse of the doe as it crashed off through the woods. It must have gotten spooked when my snoring stopped.

Anyway, I usually have my phone with me. Mostly just to text other people in my party, or to keep track of time, if I have to get back by a certain time. I tried to check my email once, but it just seemed too wrong. Plus it reminded me of work.

[Mike G]

First off "urp" ... Welcome to the forum!

Most of the time I spend my time glassing everything around me. Just like you I spend a lot of time watching birds, squirrels and any other animals and sights. I do text my friends that are out hunting also, we let each other know what we are seeing or what we have shot. Technology! I spend a lot of time in a tree or ground blind during the Wisconsin Archery season, and it's a long one. I spend many days, all day long in my stand and have been known to take a few naps in my treelounge.

Mike

[WildWilt15]

I watch and listen but if the day is going real slow I will play a game or two on my phone or text buddies.