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- Jun 20, 2020
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Reminiscing about the old days. Chucks stand thread got me thinking about my first stand. My dad had built some contraption that he called a climber. It was held together by bolts and wing nuts. You had to be careful not to drop the in the leaves or you'd be hunting the ground. The top was welded together and had a carpet for a seat. The bottom was a baker. He had hunted out of it for years and it was nicknamed the widow maker by his hunting buddies. I was 9 years old and remember it like it was yesterday. You don't forget stuff that scares the crap out of you. In particular I remember how it didn't fit good together and how it clanked as I walked through the woods. It was heavy and at the time it seemed to weigh as much as I did. At times I thought it would benefit me as much if I just dragged it, at least then my shoulders wouldn't hurt from where the seat belt straps dug into me. I remember climbing it for the first time practicing in a light pole in the drive way if I went up a foot at a time I slid back down 6 inches. This happened till I got to ten foot or so. It couldn't have been much more than that because dad helped me pull up the bottom stand from the ground. He tricked me though because my first hunt we climbed twin poplars in the dark. He went up one I went up the other he had to help me the whole way. I thought we'd go about 15 ft maybe 20. No! we went about 40 ft if not higher. He was a smoker in the past and he said it was important to make sure the deer couldn't smell you. Anyway as I sat there he told me sit very still don't move, I didn't bother telling him he didn't have to tell me that. I wasn't worried about not moving because of deer I was more worried about the stand tilting and sliding and me falling to my death. By the way I didn't realize they made harnesses. Reading this back I may call dad and ask why he hated me so much. I walked in that year as a 9 year old boy. By the next year I had that climber down to a science and I came out of that season as a 10 year old man. In my mind anyway. Let's hear some good old days hunting stories.