How do you pass the time?

[cjd3]

For those of us that do the all day hunt,rain or shine; How do you pass the time in-between setting up for the next approaching Deer? :confused:

I've done everything from sepperating the chunky peanuts in my p&j to one side of my mouth, then eat the p&j, then the peanut chunks, then take another bite and do it again to mental count all the deer stands I've had in the part of the woods I'm hunting in. I have tried reading but one got right under me before I looked up and then I coulden't shoot so that was the end of that.. So How do you pass the time?

[jgi1020]

I read. I also count acorns, read my e mail, surf the web (I have a blackberry for a phone) and hopefully, if I have been good, I will get a gameboy for Christmas. Sure I am 32 years old but I need to have some fun.

Oh yeah, I sleep too. That is more than likely the reason why I have not shot a deer yet.

[Monroe]

at least you are honest jgi1020 - I got a good laugh from your post. Whats your high score on brickbreaker cjd3?

Monroe

[corey]

few weeks ago... here are some of the things i did in the all day sits.

Blackberry - I worked. i replied to 100s of emails from my work. Still kept my eyes and ears on the woods.

Audio books on my ipod. Only used one earbud, so still heard all movement and my eyes were workin' overtime.

Pictures - took lots of pictures

Eating... i brought a ton of food. Kept me going by eating something about once every hour or so.

[cjd3]

at least you are honest jgi1020 - I got a good laugh from your post. Whats your high score on brickbreaker cjd3?

Monroe

I don't take those gagets out. Dod you mean to ask 1020?

[Thunderflight]

I deer hunt. I scan the woods for any movement (flicker of a tail, ear, or leg), estimate ranges, watch squirrels, and clear my mind of all the evil thoughts that build up from work.

[cjd3]

clear my mind of all the evil thoughts that build up from work.

I hear that. Evil thoughts are my biggest demon. It makes the disaplin of sitting hard. It seems every time I get the overwelming urge to move and do so, I spook a deer. Funny how all the pre-season scouting goes out the window when evil is afoot and you drag work into the woods.:tsk:

[Thunderflight]

I hear that. Evil thoughts are my biggest demon. It makes the disaplin of sitting hard. It seems every time I get the overwelming urge to move and do so, I spook a deer. Funny how all the pre-season scouting goes out the window when evil is afoot and you drag work into the woods.:tsk:

Prozac helps too.:whistle: :bouncy:

[jgi1020]

at least you are honest jgi1020 - I got a good laugh from your post. Whats your high score on brickbreaker cjd3?

Monroe

High score: 23,315. I play a little too much.

Speaking of evil thoughts... I also sit and wonder why I spent thousands of dollars for hunting equipment, spent time with the idiots at Dicks trying to get the correct price on scent lock, put endless mile son my vehicle to get to a hunting place, only to have deer either not show up or be to far out of reach to hit.

I look at deer hunting like dating after my divorce: You spend money on your gear (nice clothes) you scout the areas (bars, etc) sure you get a couple of good shots once in awhile, maybe bag a doe ( a girl) and then once you are out of the woods and ready to go home that trophy buck crosses your path as you are heading home and you have to lock up the breaks not to hit it with your truck.:dizzy:

[Tinks69]

that is one of the best comparisons I have ever read:p

[jgi1020]

Thanks. I thought of it passing time while sitting in my deer stand this morning.

[cjd3]

See. There's another way to pass time

[Cap't Ernie]

You will find me texting, watching the other wildlife, reading sometimes, and eating...the deer love the Hershey bars, I swear!

[fishforfun]

To be honest i just sit there still and look for pieces and parts of deer.I really just don t think of nothing.When i am finally riding home i have know idea what i thought about all day.I like the peace and quiet.Life is good.

[Monroe]

High score: 23,315. I play a little too much.



I am far to anxious to break out the black berry - once in a blue moon during the noon time lull I will pull it out for a moment. I just cracked 5000 on that thing in the stand - I thought that I was doing well. You are a brick break wizard....

Monroe

[Lucky]

I deer hunt. I scan the woods for any movement (flicker of a tail, ear, or leg), estimate ranges, watch squirrels, and clear my mind of all the evil thoughts that build up from work.

Right on thunderflight, last I checked it is deer hunting, I have tried to text my friends but then I wonder how many deer I have missed by looking down and texting. I pass the time by trying to associate as many sounds as I can with what host it came from.

[Tee_Whet]

I laughed the whole time I was reading this.

I like the 'I deer hunt ones'. I have seen hunts on tv where guys are playing game boys and stuff in the stand... I am hunting to escape all that. The worst noise you can hear in the woulds is a ringer. I look and memorize the trees and things. You never know where a deer could be, a branch is actually an antler, ect. I watch for squirrels and try not to laugh at them.

I just glass the whole time, constantly scanning.

[geezer II]

Take a nap :mischeif:

[countyroad]

This is kinda weird, but I actually look for deer movement around my stand.

I'm constantly scanning around my set-up. I've yet to have a deer come strolling in with flashings lights and a siren to alarm me of it's approach.

[cjd3]

Not so wierd. I always felt it was suppose to be "pure" but some days I just can't sit still. I thought maby someone else doing the all-dayers had something else to offer for new material to ponder whilst sitting aloft. :idea:

Either way, I'd rater be in the woods than working.

[gf319804]

I usually just sit there and enjoy being outdoors. I took my phone with me one time so I could surf the internet and check on college football scores, but it just didn't feel right. The time spent in the woods is my quiet time...

[deerhunt45]

I hunt. I enjoy every sight and sound. I always have a compact digital camera with me. I always have compact binoculars with me. I relax (unless there's deer around or in shooting range ;) then my heart beats 110 bpm). Everything seems to move in slow motion and I try to move with it. My every movement is done in a deliberate slow motion, in rhythym with the woods, trying to make no un-natural sounds. I carry a quad grunt call with me. I have had some action with that. Sometimes an additional call such as a turkey, squirrel or a distress call such as a rabbit squealer, especially if I see coyote sign. I usually draw my bow and aim at something every half hour just to keep limber on those long sits, sometimes shooting a practice arrow at a leaf. Believe me I have had some long sits this season and the season is going by in a hurry.

Time passes way too quickly for me to have a worry about how to pass it ;) :dizzy:

[ap0317ah]

Back when i was 13(that was just 12 years ago:whistle:) i had a rubic cube i never did match all the colors.:D
I really never have done anything else (other than shoot at the squirrels) just sit, relax, and wait for a deer. I think my time in the woods is close to heaven as I'll ever get so mite as well enjoy it while I can.
Tom

[BuckSlayer]

I take quick naps, but only in the mornings. As I have only killed deer with my bow in the evenings. I also eat animal crackers with Kool-Aid. And of course I text message. The thing I do most though would have to be listening for anything walking and try to figure out what it is, that way the next time I hear a squirrel I wont have to look up from texting ;)

[bowhunter1023]

I read. I also count acorns, read my e mail, surf the web (I have a blackberry for a phone) and hopefully, if I have been good, I will get a gameboy for Christmas. Sure I am 32 years old but I need to have some fun.

Oh yeah, I sleep too. That is more than likely the reason why I have not shot a deer yet.

Sounds alot lot like me being on stand. I have this sleep mood where I'm kind of asleep, but I can hear everything. I feel rested, but I'm never really asleep. I have a hard time falling asleep anyways, so it must have something to do with that.

[skarfer]

I have this sleep mood where I'm kind of asleep, but I can hear everything. I feel rested, but I'm never really asleep. .


I'm the exact same way (as much as it pains me to agree with you Jessie.....haha) - it's almost a "trance-like" state that I go in......I'm almost asleep - meaning my mind is free of everything, but I can hear a twig break or a leaf rustle and come right back to.

I enjoy just being in the woods - away from the everyday grind, the ringing phones, the a-hole drivers on the roads, the constant nagging from my wife (haha), just the everyday B.S........being in the woods, I try and let all that go and just enjoy and appreciate nature's beauty.

My buddy - he can't sit still to save his life - he takes a gameboy in the woods.........it's the funniest thing. This guy was on ridilin as a kid, and I seriously don't know how he EVER sees a deer - he's CONSTANTLY moving SOMETHING.......

[Tee_Whet]

That is the way it should be... relaxed in tune with everything around.

I like to think I can recognize the different sounds because I listen for them, and once I hear them, I do not relax or back off the sound until I find the cause of the noise. I love being in the woods. I know Monday was not the best days but in another way it was awesome. I never knew rain could be so loud.

I also remember when we had the ice storm a couple winters ago. I can still see the images. The ice on the trees and squirrels sliding around on the ice... then CRASH a tree falls and you make sure it isnt the one you are sitting under... but it was relaxing.

[Fish-n-Fool]

I am pretty much engaged while I am on stand if it is for 2 hours or all day. I LOVE being in the woods up a tree with a view. I LOVE the piece and quiet. I do find myself daydreaming every few hours on stand - I think it is impossible to be focused the entire day. When I start to my "mental drifts" I always try to refocus on sitting absolutely still as I believe many hunters move more than they think after 4 or 5 hours on stand. I think this is very important and many times deer see bowhunters before being within sight of the hunter. I've watched my buddy (who is a pretty darn good hunter) thru my binocs a couple times during all day sits to check his movement. We have 2 fencerow stands within sight of eachother. After the 4-5 hour mark he was shifting and moving a bit. He now uses my technique of rotating standing and sitting in intervals to ward of the desire to move - it works.

I hunt high and in small portable stands, so if I find that I am "drifting" or not able to focus I climb down and flop out right on the ground under my stand for 20 minutes or so. Longest I have slept was just over an hour and it was COLD that day - woke up and had ice frozen to my head gear!

Of course I watch squirrels, birds, etc. too.

[ap0317ah]

I look at deer hunting like dating after my divorce: You spend money on your gear (nice clothes) you scout the areas (bars, etc) sure you get a couple of good shots once in awhile, maybe bag a doe ( a girl) and then once you are out of the woods and ready to go home that trophy buck crosses your path as you are heading home

So when you bag a buck are you on a gay date. :D
Good luck
Tom

[Tee_Whet]

I do find myself daydreaming every few hours on stand - I think it is impossible to be focused the entire day. When I start to my "mental drifts" I always try to refocus on sitting absolutely still as I believe many hunters move more than they think after 4 or 5 hours on stand.

I catch myself sometimes day dreaming too... 'WOW he is a monster!'. Or, 'I need a truck, 2005+ F150, quad cab, dark blue or maybe black, 4x4, 20" rims, mild lift, flowmaster exhaust, CAI, maybe a Roush charger, Mathews decal in the back window, hot girl in the passenger seat....'. LOL... Gosh, I love being in the woods... hell of a lot better than sitting in front of a computer ALL day!

[deerhunter_matt]

I just let my mind wander wherever it may go. It's pretty dangerous, actually. I bring my phone and text, usually my buddies and my wife. For the most part tho, my head is on a long slow swivel. I pick points and just go through a slow motion and check on all those points, and every few swivels, I turn completely around and check behind me. Honest tho, I do it very very slow. I also alternate standing and sitting, again, moving very slow, scanning quite a bit before I move. This is on those long sits, most of the time I can just sit still and not worry about standing, but if I know I will be there a while, I move a bit more. I also like to scan the woods and try to find things that look like deer. Honest truth, this weekend where I was sitting, I swear I had a bush and some branches that looked like a wide-racked buck. I musta stared that thing down for a good 30 minutes, trying to see if it would move! Haha.

[Troy C]

I have a handheld yatzee that when things slow down I play. I text and check scores on the internet during football season. The yatzee has to be the best thing to pass the time for me!

[jgi1020]

So when you bag a buck are you on a gay date. :D
Good luck
Tom


No Tom. Not everyone has the same preference as you do.:mischeif:

[Tee_Whet]

If I was to take a game...
1. I would miss a deer because I would be too involved in the game
2. If the game was giving me trouble and I beat it, I would jump up excited, hootin' and hollerin'... not good for hunting!

[ap0317ah]

No Tom. Not everyone has the same preference as you do.:mischeif:

I'm not gay you can call my wife and im not the one who dates deer:shhh: .
Tom

[mrjbigfoot]

I hunt till I get tired & then I sleep... sometimes 25 to 30 ft up in a tree... I've awoken to sounds, one time 5 does, all staring at me, way up in that tree from 25 yards out... must've been my snoring that drew them in! LOL!!!

:D

[trkyslyr]

I now know why I kill way more game than almost anyone I know. How about constantly looking and listening for deer? How about examining every approach, and deciding prior to the approach, how you will handle it. Where will you stop em, where are your lanes, how far is that tree? I can't begin to imagine how many deer go by some of you while your texting, or playing with your stupid blackberry. I would never think of such a distraction while hunting. Focus!!! It is hard enough to connect while staying intently focused on the woods around you. Oh well, you guys will leave plenty of em for me.

[jgi1020]

I get it Tom, your not gay but your boyfriend is... "Broke Back Tom" has a nice ring to it.

Does your wife know about him???





Tom I hope you know I am kidding and am just dishing what I had been given. If you like to sit in the woods with a bunch of guys and no communication to the outside world for days on end who am I to judge :)

[mrjbigfoot]

I now know why I kill way more game than almost anyone I know. How about constantly looking and listening for deer? How about examining every approach, and deciding prior to the approach, how you will handle it. Where will you stop em, where are your lanes, how far is that tree? I can't begin to imagine how many deer go by some of you while your texting, or playing with your stupid blackberry. I would never think of such a distraction while hunting. Focus!!! It is hard enough to connect while staying intently focused on the woods around you. Oh well, you guys will leave plenty of em for me.

You can check with the ODNR on my filled tag count, it's up over 30 deer at this point (most w/bow) & I still find time to catch the occasional zzz's out in the woods but that's because I spend my fair share of time out there & I don't play with electronics or read books either.

:D

[bowhunter1023]

I now know why I kill way more game than almost anyone I know. How about constantly looking and listening for deer? How about examining every approach, and deciding prior to the approach, how you will handle it. Where will you stop em, where are your lanes, how far is that tree? I can't begin to imagine how many deer go by some of you while your texting, or playing with your stupid blackberry. I would never think of such a distraction while hunting. Focus!!! It is hard enough to connect while staying intently focused on the woods around you. Oh well, you guys will leave plenty of em for me.

Let's see. It takes me about 10 minutes to range all my trees and go over every possible scenario. I hunt the same farm almost 90% of the time. I know what to expect from my stands because I scouted them in February, hung them in March and sat them in August to range trees, double-check lanes, and imagine what would go on there in October. There is none of that for me when I get in the stand. When I hunt other places, it still only takes me 20-30 minutes. I mean how much fantasizing do you have to do to get the point?

I shot my opening day doe texting my buddy. I shot my doe 10/21 surfing OS. I have a system. I can guarantee you, not a single deer as gotten by me while I was doing such activities. We all have our own styles, techniques, and strategies. I can handle killing deer in between text messages. You choose not to. Both strategies seem to work. Seems to me neither is right, or wrong. And I too, kill more deer than just about anyone else I know...

[ap0317ah]

I get it Tom, your not gay but your boyfriend is... "Broke Back Tom" has a nice ring to it.

Does your wife know about him???

Tom I hope you know I am kidding and am just dishing what I had been given. If you like to sit in the woods with a bunch of guys and no communication to the outside world for days on end who am I to judge :)

Hey, i bet that 90 pound doe must be change from the 200 pound women you got :D.
(ya in knew you joking so, am i)
and as for my friend "Broke Back Tom" I'll give you his number if you
want;).
Tom

[gavennn]

I usually just sit and try to tune myself into nature. I watch for movement. I try to guess the kind of bird that is chirping. I listen to the wind. I will plan my movements before i do them.

[eschatts]

I guess I never thought of it as passing time. I hunt from the moment I go out until I leave. My mind is tuned in to everything that is going on around me. The time seems to go fast for me. Like Thunderflight said "I hunt"

[trkyslyr]

"I can guarantee you, not a single deer as gotten by me while I was doing such activities. " posted by bowhunter1023




No one can make the above guarantee, even an accomplished hunter as 1023. I know deer have gotten by him, and by me, and by everyone on this site. Minimizing it is the key. Did not mean to diminish anyones in-stand activities, the responses were just very, very surprising to me, and against everything that I try to do on stand. I hunt, everything else is a distraction from that. Texting must not be as distracting as the BMV thinks it is. I would be interested to hear what the most revered big-buck hunters (the ones that you look up to)would have to say about this. I can't help but to think that they would share my surprise.

[XX78]

I do almost everything already mentioned in this thread. Texting is really no big deal to some people, and I guess for some it could be the hardest thing in the world for some. Kinda like getting my dad to play playstation. My stand sites are set up for a reason, to kill deer in range whether it is gun or bow. Aside from falling asleep, the chances of me not seeing a deer in bow range or coming into bow range is pretty small. Texting, whispering, playing games, reading etc or not.

[trkyslyr]

Here is the thing, you are assuming that I do not text on stand, because I do not text. (Like getting dad to play playstation). Simply not true. I have a blackberry, and I use it for all sorts of things, but not to play with while on stand, and yes, a deer passing unoticed within bow range is unlikely, but, a deer 100 yrds out, peeking at you through the chest high grass, or brush, will turn silently, put his head down, and leave undetected, in one instant. Those are the ones I would worry about, and those are the ones likely to be trophy quality animals with years of experience under their belt. I wont even play with my onyx while on stand, though it is tempting, at times, and related to the task at hand. You guys keep doin what works for ya, and believing the illusion that no deer has ever been around you without you knowin. It seems that that idea would never come out of an experienced whitetail hunters mouth, but what do I know? If killin does in between texts does it for ya, do what works, and what makes ya happy. I have had the same conversations with people that smoke marlboros all day on stand. "I've never been winded", "I kill deer with a cigarrette in my mouth".

Can I buy you a pack?

[XX78]

Here is the thing, you are assuming that I do not text on stand, because I do not text. (Like getting dad to play playstation). Simply not true. I have a blackberry, and I use it for all sorts of things, but not to play with while on stand, and yes, a deer passing unoticed within bow range is unlikely, but, a deer 100 yrds out, peeking at you through the chest high grass, or brush, will turn silently, put his head down, and leave undetected, in one instant. Those are the ones I would worry about, and those are the ones likely to be trophy quality animals with years of experience under their belt. I wont even play with my onyx while on stand, though it is tempting, at times, and related to the task at hand. You guys keep doin what works for ya, and believing the illusion that no deer has ever been around you without you knowin. It seems that that idea would never come out of an experienced whitetail hunters mouth, but what do I know? If killin does in between texts does it for ya, do what works, and what makes ya happy. I have had the same conversations with people that smoke marlboros all day on stand. "I've never been winded", "I kill deer with a cigarrette in my mouth".

Can I buy you a pack?

To be honest I wasn't assuming anything anything about you when I typed that. No offense but your post was the furthest one from my mind. You bring up some good points that are credible and some people should take into consideration.

[Tee_Whet]

I know during gun season it doesnt matter. Last gun season, I was talkin with my dad on Nextel... when I buck ran in. I dropped m phone in my bib pocket. Yelled at the buck and shot, dropped him where he stood. .50 ml @ 20yds. When they are running or chasing it doesnt matter if you have metallica playing, they will run through.

[Outdoorsman]

HUNT!! But when I get sleepy I grade leaves falling from trees on a 1 to 10 scale on aerial acrobats:coco:

[Tee_Whet]

HUNT!! But when I get sleepy I grade leaves falling from trees on a 1 to 10 scale on aerial acrobats:coco:

Is that based on technique, difficulty and landing?

[geezer II]

http://www.bradrand.com/images/Redneck/redneck_hungry_deer.jpg

[Outdoorsman]

Is that based on technique, difficulty and landing?

All of the above. White oak leaves tend to score best on difficulty and Maple leaves best on landing.:coco:

[cjd3]

HUNT!! But when I get sleepy I grade leaves falling from trees on a 1 to 10 scale on aerial acrobats:coco:

LoL ! I've done that! Some times I even tickle myself thinking of how they would sound if each one had a different yell on the way down! lol:yikes: