I'm a little late doing my site work at deer camp this year, but I'll be ready.
Despite my fine intentions, I haven't visited my stands since the end of spring turkey season. I noticed at that time that the vegetation was getting a little thick in the vicinity of my favorite stand. I made a chore list, and then I forgot about it.
The first task was repairing the stand itself, which had fallen derelict since December. One side had blown off, leaving the interior open and exposed.
I upgraded the siding six years ago, replacing rotten fiberboard with 1/4-inch plywood. I covered the exterior sides with an excellent all-weather paint that I got on clearance at a home improvement store. I think it was originally $40-$50 a gallon, but I got it for $5. Its matte maroon finish blended naturally with the woods. I painted the interior sides sky blue, which is great because of the way it captures light. It has a distinct waking effect and it's very cheery.
And now one side is on the ground, with layers of expensive paint peeling back like a dead dog's lips on the side of the road.
My remedy should be more durable. From the same home improvement store I bought a sheet of corrugated composite roofing. It also is maroon and one side is matte. In the dim fluorescent light of the store, it looks very close to what it was replacing.
I took a pair of sawhorses, a cordless drill and a cordless saw to camp. I measured the space and saw that the strip of material was too narrow to fill the space vertically. No problem. I cut two horizontal sections, overlapped them and fastened them together with only a small amount of waste material. It worked perfectly, and depending on how well the siding holds up to weather, it should last a very long time.
To my dismay, the matte finish is shinier outside than it is indoors. Whereas the original siding looks more or less like a dark blur in the trees, the new siding shines like a beacon. Deer will most assuredly notice it, and I don't expect they'll like it.
Mike Romine, a fellow member of the Old Belfast Hunting Club, said, "Mist a little flat black paint over it. That should dull it down."
Draping some camouflage fabric over it will work, too.
Or, I could just leave it. Deer will probably get used to it, but something tells me they won't. They will always be suspicious of something so garish.
The brush needs some attention, too. Or maybe not. Surplus timber was thinned from this section of woods four years ago, and deer have steadily used it more as the vegetation has recovered. They tend to like things a little grown up, so maybe I just need to knock back volunteer sweet gum saplings that spring up like acne on adolescent cheeks.
I'll probably just clear the two or three rows that I intend to put into food plots. That will be a lot easier when I finish removing the pine stumps in the lanes, but that's another "get around to it" deal.
The sight lines are still very good from the stand, and honestly, there's not much to do that can't wait, so there's no urgency.
The only thing that really demanded attention was the access trail, which I cleared in about 90 minutes with a gasoline-powered weed whacker.
That trail begins at a pine tree on a fire lane that leads to one of my other stands. I used to park my four-wheeler next to that tree when I hunted that stand with my late son, and the memories bring pangs to my heart. I am glad the loggers left it standing.
Meanwhile, I have another stand that has been unhuntable for several years because the woods have grown so thick around it. The landowner has started thinning those woods in the last few weeks, which should rejuvenate that site.
I've hunted the stand I repaired exclusively the last two years because I love the spot, but also because I kill deer there. Still, it's good to have options and some different scenery every now and then.
I'll get around to all the other chores as I get time. There's no rush, and besides, when deer hunting becomes work, it's also less fun, and fun is what it's all about to me.
Sports on 09/21/2017