I try and give this warning every year....

Most deer hunting injuries happen due to tree stands. Please be extra careful when climbing up and down into stands. And if you used natural materials (ie logs and branches), be extra careful as they make up a disproportionate amount of the injuries. I really don't want to read about one of the people that frequent this thread having a tree stand accident. Or any accident for that matter.

Lastly, enjoy deer hunting. Have fun. If you are cold and miserable, take a break and warm up if you need to. Enjoy the time with family and friends. And if you are fortunate enough to harvest a deer, take a moment to cherish the moment. It is so easy to jump right into pictures, field dressing, dragging, etc. Take time to drink it all in.

Extra photography tidbit: Take pictures of your stand from where the deer was shot as it is an interesting perspective (the one the deer had). For grip and grin pictures, get low with the camera. Take pictures from a lot of angles. Stage the deer on its chest with its feet curled under it. Make sure the antlers are in front of a background that allows you to see the antlers really well. Most of the time, the antlers should NOT be in front of the hunter. The sky is the best (especially if the picture is taken from a low angle). It is amazing how good those pictures turn out! If you do a good job staging, you will want that picture on the wall to remind you of the hunt. Not many pictures on the tailgate make the wall!

Best of luck to all of the Chickenbuckers!


What you do today is important, you are trading a day in the rest of your life for it.