BY DAN GEDDINGS
Outdoors contributor
I sent a text to the group, "I'm going to put up a tripod stand on the lane behind the shed, at the block house." Troy answered, "If you need help - gimme a holler - I can help after lunch." I answered, "OK, thanks." We've set up a new group text for members of our small hunting club. It's a great way to keep in touch, and there has been a flurry of activity recently. The hunting season is almost here.
The next day, Saturday morning, I was working on a new sign-in box for the club's Borden property, and I got a call from Scott. He and John were coming to the club, and they would be happy to help me set up the new stand. I thanked him and explained that Troy had already volunteered to help.
When I got the box together, I loaded my tools and a bag of ready-mix concrete in my truck and headed to the club. The sky was overcast, and I was hoping to beat the rain. The work went quickly, and I got the box installed just before a light rain started. On my way home, I got a text from Sean, one of our new members. He wanted to look at a couple of spots to install a stand. I agreed to meet him at the clubhouse in a couple of hours. When I got home the rain ended, the sky cleared, and the sun came out.
After lunch and a short rest, I headed back to the club to meet with Sean. I've installed a large aerial map of the property on a clubhouse wall, and members are marking their stands on the map. I reviewed the map with Sean and his two sons, then we walked down a nearby road to look at a possible stand site. I left him and his sons to explore some more on their own. It was too late in the day to start with my tripod stand, so I texted Troy that we could put it up another day. He answered that he would be available the next morning.
The next day dawned cloudy and cool. Troy came over, and we loaded the stand on my trailer. It is larger than the tripod Clayton and I put up a couple of weeks ago. The legs of the stand hung over the sides of the trailer, and we had to use extra straps to pull the legs in as much as possible. I drove to the club hugging the right-hand side of the road, to keep one of the legs of the stand from hanging into the oncoming lane. It was a wide load.
I stopped at the block house, and we walked back to the lane where I wanted the stand to go. There is a timber road that leads to the lane. I pointed out that we would need to back the truck down that road to get to the stand location. Backing a big trailer down a narrow, winding timber road is quite an ordeal, but we got it done.
We stood the stand up off the trailer and only shifted it slightly to get it level and in position. I staked the legs down, and Troy secured the bracing with zip ties. It needs a new seat and some camouflage. The lane will need some trimming, and I'll add a salt block and a trail camera. I'll put some corn out in the lane in a few days. It's only a short walk from the block house, where I can park. I will share the stand with some of the other members.
Just like most other hunters, I've got other stands to tend to, so there will be much more activity before the season starts to get everything ready.
The gun season for deer starts Sept. 1. The bow season started Aug. 15. We don't have any bow hunters in our club. Other deer hunters have been very busy lately putting up stands, installing trail cameras and putting out corn - getting ready for the upcoming season. It's common now to see trucks around town pulling four-wheelers and side-by-sides. It's just a flurry of activity.
Reach Dan Geddings at cdgeddings@gmail.com.
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August 22, 2020 at 05:00PM
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A flurry of activity - Sumter Item
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