|
Outdoor Corner: Whitetail nirvana!
|
Economical bottom frames for tower stands are old, discarded fuel stands. Repaint the frame with colours to blend in with the hunting environment. Most fuel stands have steel pads welded to the bottom of each leg to ensure stability. These frames along with the wood structure are usually very portable.
|
|
This tower stand is approximately 10 feet high with windows on three sides and a back door which is usually positioned for entrance in a direction least likely to have deer moving, that is, against the bush, for example.
|
Gene Plihal
for Smoky River Express
Well, my whitetail season is over. I harvested a nice big buck from a tower stand, and I will never hunt whitetail any other way again for the rest of my life.
For starters, chasing down deer by road hunting, quad marathons, or freezing out in the open on a ground stand, will never be my approach to deer hunting again, not that it has been in the case of road hunting.
The beauty of this system is that you occupy a cubicle about 45 inches wide by 50 inches in length and about 70 inches in height. The details of its structure and the accompanying pictures may be of help later in the article. Placing a tower stand in a deer area eliminates big gas bills, cold hunts and the always present possibility of a poor shot when the hunter is freezing.
Step one is finding an area that has a good population of whitetail. Place the stand on a hill or knoll overlooking a large area. Step off the distance to various points where you may be shooting to establish the distance. A range finder will also do this for you if you have one.
Secondly, enter your tower stand at least one hour before first light. And, as I learned, stay there all day if necessary, day after day. If you know there’s a big buck in the area chances are good that he will show up again.
If conditions get really rough, a naptha gas heater can be your lifesaver. This year we haven’t had any seriously cold conditions to warrant this. Bring a lunch, coffee, camera, comfortable chair, plenty of clothes to layer with, and whatever else is necessary.
You are ready for an experience which is much more friendly environmentally. And, it’s amazing, deer will virtually walk under your tower stand since your scent is carried upward.
Get a location, a piece of land where you have permission to hunt or invest in a piece for your future enjoyment (more on that in coming weeks). The uncertainty of where do I drive my truck to find a deer or moose is gone. More often that not, travelling the roads leads to frustration particularly when you find someone else has already arrived at your favourite spot and is running his/her pickup in the very spot you expected to find an animal.
Now for the stand itself. A steel frame about fifty inches high will support your stand which is built on top out of wood. An old steel fuel tank stand made of steel is perfect for this (see enclosed photo). They are readily available at auction sales since farmers are going to ground tanks of much larger sizes than these stands which hold, typically, 500-1,000 gallon tanks. You should be able to pick one up for $100 or so. And, if it held a tank of gasoline weighing several thousand pounds, it will certainly hold a wooden structure of a couple hundred pounds very easily.
The framing in the interior can be 2x2s grooved to accommodate the glass hinges about three inches in width and length are attached to the bottom of frames. Add a back door on the back side of the structure and you’re ready to go. Paint the exterior with some camouflage colours and you have a portable structure that will give you immense pleasure, peace of mind and stability and predictability for your hunting venue. I will never hunt whitetail any other way again. Of course, you can buy these units at Cabella’s or elsewhere, but why do that when you can make your own easily. Until next time hunt well but try to make hunting as ecologically friendly as possible. Staying in one location is a good start and this tower stand hunting is as good as anything I’ve ever tried.
< Previous
Home
|
