Monday, October 17th, 2011
The Orchard Stand
By Heritage Hunters Staff
That season started just like any other really. I checked my “go-to” spots and made sure the chains from the stands weren’t biting into the tree, the straps hadn’t ended up squirrel food and the lanes were still open. I had some time to examine a few additional stand sites and I liked what I saw in an orchard just off from the piece of property that I had been hunting on for years. I was no stranger to this piece of property either. In fact, I had often engaged in idle chit-chat with the elderly couple that owned the piece and the gentlemen had told me several times over the years to not be afraid to hunt on him. The piece of property was not that large and was mostly fields, but that orchard had always intrigued me. After taking a look at the orchard, two things occurred to me. One; it looked like a decent travel corridor from the property beyond it, and two; I thought my aging father might be able to sit there during muzzleloading season since he had had trouble making the uphill trek on the property we usually hunt. The orchard was slightly downhill and not that far from where we park. Once I made the decision to hang a stand in that orchard, I made no attempt to make it secret. I drove down the edge, through the field and I even waved as I passed the elderly couples house going in and out. Mission accomplished, stand hung, ready for bow season to begin.
The first 3 weeks of bow season passed with me visiting the “Orchard Stand” 4 or 5 times. I had seen deer there and even had a chance to shoot a doe at 7 yards. I passed on her thinking there may be a better chance ahead at a buck. That chance was not to be since I was told by the landowner one week before the start of gun season to take the stand down, and that there will no longer be ANY hunting by ANYONE on his property. I must admit I was a little stunned. When I asked why, he told me the neighboring landowner had seen my stand from his property and it made him irate to think that I would put a stand within 50 yards of his. I could see that trying to explain to the elderly, seemingly confused gentlemen that the other stand in question was not there when I hung my stand, therefore I had no idea that the neighbor was planning on putting one in that spot. I assumed that this neighbor went in to put up a stand close to that orchard, one week before the start of gun season, saw mine hanging in the distance and freeked! I later found out that the neighbor had gone off on a tirade about the potential for lawsuits associated with hunters and treestands and that they should speak to there
lawyer to avoid any litigation resulting from letting people hunt out of tree stands on their land.
To be continued…
