Holy Hanna that trip to the closest trail cams was rough. Wet wet deep snow with a layer of ice. Just a few pics while hubby on tractor clears what I was smart enough not to try finishing.
When walking it was just below mid thigh on me and just as wet as can be. The pic of tracks is lower, that area is on the east side of 3 fence lines and those plum. Out in the open it was much deeper. Snow under ice topped by more snow and ice.
Mid thigh? My son-in-law is 6-7 so that would be real deep! We got about 3-4 inches, supposed to get 3/4-1 inch.
I'm 5' 5" ...though hubby keeps saying I'm shrinking,which I have been for years. I was 5'6" . I've had disc and connective tissue issues most my life, so no surprise. Why hiking and the heavy type work I do is important. Daily calcium, D and magnesium has been taken for many years. I do not retain D and have had to go on prescription D a couple of times.
So Temps above freezing now so snow pack is down but cold night temp made more ice. Walking is a bit better because it's packing fast under each step keeping me 2 inches deep but still 6 above ground. With the snow and ice this is why I use dog house soft sided over hub if left year around..cheap and never collapse. Tall enough for my shorter frame.
Our snow was 98% gone by afternoon. Noticed the stand with the dog house blind. Do you check the nails/bolts/screws to make sure they are solid? That is a good idea if you have a place where you can set it up. I hunt a lot of public land so you can imagine what people do with stands, blinds, etc.
Sorry, I found that funny. I've been building for, well decades. Galvanized decking nails. 4x6 legs the large highway sign steel posts as stabilizing brackets , joists hangers. With that said , I never go hunting with out checking all stands and towers before season. Stands checked as I climb. I have many wooden tree stands. In a very high wind area I have redundant safety brackets, but also chain secondary hangers in case nails and or bolts were to give way some are 20 years old. Usually it is the tree I loose that the stand is in. Never fails,never that we get a nasty wind storm just before the opener that will mess a stand or two up. I have 40+ sets around the property. I set them in "groups of 4 in sections. 100ft to a hundred yards from each of depending on wind direction. Now with age on me and grandsons I'm making more elevated blinds. Cold winds bother me and I want a comfy starting point for the grandsons to learn. They are 6-16 ft but I find the 10 and 8ft ones the best for me. It's the placement that is important not height for deer getting close.. Notice that blind is tucked up into a large maple down fall. Blends in well. Good point you made though, never take anything for granted when leaving the ground at any height.
It is always advisable to check tree stands, no matter what type they are. OND, good hunting this fall or spring if you are after gobblers. Sadly, fatalities in Tennessee for the last few years have been from tree stand accidents. I know of a story of a fellow who, for the first time, didn't hook up his safety harness. He fell and laid for several hours before someone came to check on him. Story- he is now confined to a wheelchair due to the fall and a stroke brought on by a traumatic head injury from the fall. Has the use of his left arm only.
Excellent reminder...we had a neighbor just a few years ago shoot a huge buck...in his excitement fell out of his tree stand and died. Also don't JUST be concerned with the tree your in but every tree around you. How many guys post pics of crushed stands from trees near by falling on them. Just on a walk today I had a maple ,live and completely healthy looking have the top snap out of it falling on the trail I was on. I have been just missed a few times over the years. Learned if you hear a crack don't look back ,get against a big tree. I've had trees slide down my side as they fell with the tree I pressed against saved me.. You too ...I'll be out every day until I fill my 2 tags...I may love turkey season more than deer. I feel it's a bit more interactive. May you have a great season as well!
Ohhh!!!glad you posted!! As I walked today, mind you this is a result of a good nights sleep, the light bulb went on. I had this thread pop into my mind and the snow depth I mention. LOL It Just occurred to me the word thigh. I said thigh deep not calf. The reason This popped to mind was we got just a little snow last night ,but high ,high winds. It piled the snow CALF deep on my ridge trails. So sorry as many times as I had read that my mind kept registering calf and not thigh as I had written . You had a better catch on that than I.
