ScottsGT
Member
So the morning started off at 5 a.m. with the alarm clock going off. The temp outside my house was 30 degrees. I got out of a warm bed, next to my warm wife to go hunting with "hunting buddy". So after topping off the oil in the old Samurai, loading up the gear, I have to make the necessary stop at Bojangles for breakfast, since my loving wife would not get out of bed to cook me breakfast at 5 a.m.
So 30 min. later, I arrive at the farm and meet hunting buddy. We sign out to our stands, and instead of him walking, I load him up, his gear and drive him to his stand so he has a shorter walk. I then proceded to my stand. Well, on the way out, hunting buddy tells me that the temp was in the teens according to the thermometer in his truck. (The farm is 20 min. north of my house and there is a big temp difference all the time)
So I get to my parking location, and jump out and start getting dressed in my thermal zip up overalls. Now imagine a 325 lb.guy ( yea, in a Samurai) trying to climb into a zip up overall at 6 a.m. in the woods, still dark. Well, it got worse. The zipper got stuck as I'm zipping down my leg. About this time the fingers are numb with no feeling. had to pull overall back off, unstick zipper, and climb back into overalls. Got that side zipped, now time to do other leg. Well, half way down, that zipper sticks.
Now I have reached a moment in my life that I have come to realize that the Kroger meat market is 72 degrees and the meet is prepackaged. Lots of nasty words started to come out of my mouth (that would embarrass Arts grammaw) at this time, and I could care less about spooking any deer that might be on the property. Overalls have to come back off and the dance continues. After several minutes of fussing and cussing, I'm finally zipped up and starting to get warm, but there is still no feelings in my fingers.
So I start loading up all my gear, which includes a small back pack with my bottled water, beef jerkey, pull over hood, gloves, assortment of knives, etc., my M1 Carbine, a military issue down sleeping bag to throw over me, and one of those fold out chairs you see at all the soccer games, since the hard plastic chair in the stand is going too hard for me to fit in with all the clothes I'm wearing. (remember, I'm 325 lbs, and those plastic patio chairs are not designed for guys my size)
So I get to the stand, start to climb the ladder while wearing my gloves with the fingers cut off with the mitt covers, and realize halfway up that the ladder rungs are covered with very slippery frost/ice. (Not the best gloves for gripping ladder rungs) Did I also mention that the guy that built the stand builds the rungs about 20" apart? Go figure, he's only 5'6" with short legs, but he builds the ladders for the Jolly Green Giant. I think he's trying to save a buck on the 2 X 4's! Remember the part about all the clothes I was wearing? Try lifting your legs 20" with 3 layers of pants on. Not too easy!
Well, half way up, I go down about half way, complements of the ice and the "sure grip" gloves. Finally after much grunting and groaning, I make it up in the stand with all my gear and then have to remove the plastic patio chair so my fold out soccer mom chair will fit. OK, It's been three trips up and down the ladder just to get in the stand. So I fold out my chair, with hands still numb, sit down, put on the pull over wool hood and slide my glasses back on. With all the huffin' and puffin', the glasses instantly fog up. More nasty words follow......
So now my glasses are clear, cussins' good for that you know, I proceed to unload the necessary items from the back pack. At this point, the only necessitys I could think of was my bottle of water, and one of those chemical hand warmers. Unroll the sleeping bag and put it over me. Well the hand warmer is finally getting warm providing me some relief. So, I settle in for a few hours of relaxiation in the stand. Well, 10 min. later, nose is frozen since I cannot wear the hood properly due to glasses fogging up again. So I do the next best thing, pull the sleeping bag over my head and fall asleep.
30 min. late I wake up, look around, see nothing and pull bag back over head.
This routine goes on for another hour and a half and I finally give up, pack it up and head to the heater in the Samurai. The kicker was that my bottle of water is now a water slushie!! Swing back around to pick up hunting buddy, and he shows up wearing two different gloves. Looks like he had his problems too!
BTW, we never saw the first deer! I think hunting season is over for me
So 30 min. later, I arrive at the farm and meet hunting buddy. We sign out to our stands, and instead of him walking, I load him up, his gear and drive him to his stand so he has a shorter walk. I then proceded to my stand. Well, on the way out, hunting buddy tells me that the temp was in the teens according to the thermometer in his truck. (The farm is 20 min. north of my house and there is a big temp difference all the time)
So I get to my parking location, and jump out and start getting dressed in my thermal zip up overalls. Now imagine a 325 lb.guy ( yea, in a Samurai) trying to climb into a zip up overall at 6 a.m. in the woods, still dark. Well, it got worse. The zipper got stuck as I'm zipping down my leg. About this time the fingers are numb with no feeling. had to pull overall back off, unstick zipper, and climb back into overalls. Got that side zipped, now time to do other leg. Well, half way down, that zipper sticks.
Now I have reached a moment in my life that I have come to realize that the Kroger meat market is 72 degrees and the meet is prepackaged. Lots of nasty words started to come out of my mouth (that would embarrass Arts grammaw) at this time, and I could care less about spooking any deer that might be on the property. Overalls have to come back off and the dance continues. After several minutes of fussing and cussing, I'm finally zipped up and starting to get warm, but there is still no feelings in my fingers.
So I start loading up all my gear, which includes a small back pack with my bottled water, beef jerkey, pull over hood, gloves, assortment of knives, etc., my M1 Carbine, a military issue down sleeping bag to throw over me, and one of those fold out chairs you see at all the soccer games, since the hard plastic chair in the stand is going too hard for me to fit in with all the clothes I'm wearing. (remember, I'm 325 lbs, and those plastic patio chairs are not designed for guys my size)
So I get to the stand, start to climb the ladder while wearing my gloves with the fingers cut off with the mitt covers, and realize halfway up that the ladder rungs are covered with very slippery frost/ice. (Not the best gloves for gripping ladder rungs) Did I also mention that the guy that built the stand builds the rungs about 20" apart? Go figure, he's only 5'6" with short legs, but he builds the ladders for the Jolly Green Giant. I think he's trying to save a buck on the 2 X 4's! Remember the part about all the clothes I was wearing? Try lifting your legs 20" with 3 layers of pants on. Not too easy!
Well, half way up, I go down about half way, complements of the ice and the "sure grip" gloves. Finally after much grunting and groaning, I make it up in the stand with all my gear and then have to remove the plastic patio chair so my fold out soccer mom chair will fit. OK, It's been three trips up and down the ladder just to get in the stand. So I fold out my chair, with hands still numb, sit down, put on the pull over wool hood and slide my glasses back on. With all the huffin' and puffin', the glasses instantly fog up. More nasty words follow......
So now my glasses are clear, cussins' good for that you know, I proceed to unload the necessary items from the back pack. At this point, the only necessitys I could think of was my bottle of water, and one of those chemical hand warmers. Unroll the sleeping bag and put it over me. Well the hand warmer is finally getting warm providing me some relief. So, I settle in for a few hours of relaxiation in the stand. Well, 10 min. later, nose is frozen since I cannot wear the hood properly due to glasses fogging up again. So I do the next best thing, pull the sleeping bag over my head and fall asleep.
30 min. late I wake up, look around, see nothing and pull bag back over head.
This routine goes on for another hour and a half and I finally give up, pack it up and head to the heater in the Samurai. The kicker was that my bottle of water is now a water slushie!! Swing back around to pick up hunting buddy, and he shows up wearing two different gloves. Looks like he had his problems too!
BTW, we never saw the first deer! I think hunting season is over for me
Last edited by a moderator: