#TreeStands

[treestandranger]

Totally agree!

[rmspeltzfarm]

Hunting Success

Anna's success on the deer hunt on the farm

[rdgpcg]

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

[voidthorns]

Setting up the Tennobaum tree (brutally MURDERED a poor Fir on the outskirts of town) and realizing that there's no treestands around.

[blackseakraft]

Forgive us our Trespasses. Part 1

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-febuwhump day 5 - not trusting reality - WC: 717 CW: Gunshot wound, animal death mentioned. Fandom: Red Dead Redemption (OCs)

Synopsis: Set in the world of Red Dead Redemption. Clark, with his indigenous upbringing, learned to live off the land at an early age, along with being the 'man of the house', as the oldest of five siblings. Marit also lives off the land, out of necessity, mostly fur trapping for her family's trading post. Clark hunts because he loves his family, but the burden he carries has been too heavy for too long. Marit hunts to take her mind of the bitterness she feels toward her father for uprooting her entire life and bringing her to this country.

The narrow world of the rifle sight is beautiful. It allows the busy mind to quiet, focus. When the sight comes up, the rest of the world melts away. It was rare moments like these, that Clark finally felt calm. His racing, anxious mind finally had a reason to shut up and focus. 

Breath rising in a steady cloud, the morning was frozen, but only with frost, no snowflake had yet fallen this winter.

His focus trained on a single wolf, which was rare in this country. A lone wolf usually meant a dead wolf, which was hopefully going to be the outcome of this one. With it’s hide he would make warm clothing for his family, and with its meat a stew that would feed all of his brothers and sisters. The bones he would craft in to jewelry and trinkets to sell at the town market. Wolf wasn’t his favorite, but it was a crucial resource in these cold months. 

The distance was greater than ideal. He couldn’t make out the head nor rump of the creature, merely a scruff of fur rustling in the tall frosted reeds on the edge of the swamp clearing. He identified the peak a shoulder. The way the animal was moving, it was huge. He measured with his heart, setting his aim at the top of the scapula and measuring down to where the heart and lungs must be…

… the trigger squeezed and the shot rang out. Clark’s appalossa, Pal, who waited oh-so patiently below the tree stand, lifted his drowsy head in a half-masted reaction. 

Clark lowered the scope in excitement and then raised it again to observe the quality of his shot. 

From the reeds arose a hat, and a face.

A human face. 

Clark lowered the scope again. No… no no no no no. His mind struggled to grasp what had just happened. I shot someone. Oh god, I shot a person.

No, it must have been a trick. A person would’ve screamed. Would’ve been cursing obscenities. Surely this was his mind playing cruel tricks. It was the price for staying out in the cold this long. 

Well, he’d be sure in a moment. With a last anxious look across the swamp, Clark strapped his rifle across his back and descended from the treestand. He mounted his trusty horse, all fuzzy with winter coat, and chirped him into his lazy canter around the edge of the wood to the other side of the wetland. The nag had woken up enough to remember to jump the creek crossing, and then they were at the site of the wolf-shot. Yes, definitely a shot wolf. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Bright red blood lay spattered on the spiky hoarfrost under foot. It crackled with every step of Pal’s striped hoof. Clark dismounted, his long dark braids swinging as he shouldered his rifle once more. Wolf, wolf, it’s a wolf. The hunter’s thoughts echoed with doubt. There was a clear trail of blood. Simple. He would follow it and put the beast out of its misery.

He walked on frost and blood until it it was harder to see against the frozen loam of the steep hillside. His leather boots crunched through the frozen top layer of soil. This wolf would certainly hear him coming and be ready to fight. Nothing to be done about it, just prepare for anything. He couldn’t back out now.

 What he found, took his still lagging, frozen mind too long to comprehend. The hat. The hat again. It heaved with breath as his comprehension finally allowed him to see the person. The person he’d shot.

She turned to look at him over her right shoulder, clutching it as it bled all over her hands and her fur cowl, delirious anger lighting up her face, which had gone pale. “Saatana, paskianen, ammuit minut!”  Her thick, bluntly chopped dark hair was stuck to the sweat on her face.

It was a woman. She was small in stature, yet Clark could feel the palpable energy of her spirit. He put his gun on the ground and held out his hands to appear non-threatening. “I thought you were an animal, ma’am I’m so sorry!” 

She appeared to understand him, and knelt to the ground. “Saatana, paskianen.” Her breathing was becoming quicker and her words quieter. She swayed as Clark rushed to catch her before she fell to the ground. 

--

If you speak Finnish, I am sorry for my google-translate sentences. Also I think I wrote Marit speaking Finnish and Norwegian in this, because I can't decide which I want her to be. Ideally she is Sami, but the resources for translating Sami language are thin. I know a little bit of Norwegian, however, so I will probably be leaning on that :l Writing is hard.

[avilionea]

I was talking with Emily about the muses and hunting and I realized that in a modern verse, Mark would be that one guy during deer season who goes and sits in his treestand all day reading books and sipping soup from his mid-80s quart sized green stanley mug until about seven deer have gone by and he's finished his book.

he also is the guy with the illegal tree stand in his back yard within 100 feet of his neighbor's house who jsut sits up there while his wife sits with him and chats about her better homes & gardens magazine.

[yorkiegregg]

I’m feeling extra human and dog tonight, and with that comes with me feeling extremely dazed about the more “modern” content online… specifically topics about hunting.

I barely watch hunting videos now because all of it is about “who can kill the most bucks in the shortest amount of time with the most expensive guns and gear!!!!????”, or “25 deer kills in 5 minutes!!!”… it’s all made to be packaged into a neat video that you can just watch and oooh and aah at. Which whatever, so be it.

-But that’s not how I experience humanity (& dogness). Not at-all. Hunting, to me, is about using your environment to sustain yourself and your community. About plundering into the nitty-gritty to get food on the table. Running down game and working up a sweat until both of you (predator and prey) is at your wits end. I just find the modern idea of hunting that’s popular (treestands, big fancy guns) so boring. And it’s so tiring to constantly see people waste game and to not take it seriously.

Honestly at this point I usually only watch non-human animals hunt their prey because of this content and lifestyle being so commercialized. Because then at least you always know the animal is doing it because they want food, and they will use all that they can from it. I just wish I could find more human hunters like me I guess, not the ones who have been so fed into the content route.

[adobephotoslop]

I loveee when people who haven't even held a gun try to draw it. I'm not saying this as a smug "I'm country and I'm proud" kinda deal but also why didn't yall go hunting w your daddies every year and just sit in the hide watching nature passing you by. Your nose is raw but the broth in your thermos is warm. You've been rationing it all day and it still tastes just as good and just as warm as it did that morning. And when nightfall comes you fall into hush as a deer bigger than the trees starts knocking its horns into the brush and looking for a fight. By time he moves into view it's too dark for a clean shot. So you and your daddy just wait for him to pass. And go home for warm showers and an early bedtime. And you'll do it all again the next weekend he doesnt have to work overtime at the local mattress manufacturer that works him far too hard. And your dad says this is the time he'll get his first deer. He's gonna do it this time.

And it takes until he's alone 20 years later to get his first buck. He's fifty-one years old, but in the photos he looks fifteen. It's maybe a 7 point and he says he got it in the heart. He can't cut it out and eat it like you're supposed to. Its some red neck tradition passed along to him from somewhere- he didnt know his dad til maybe three years before you were born. And you wonder if he still would've gotten it if you were there. If he still wouldve gotten it if you were 8 years old sitting in the treestand you built together that same summer, in anticipation of cold days listening to the trees and watching the bucks pass you by.

[thosehunt]

Comparative Review: Insulated vs. Non-Insulated Hunting Boots

Which One’s Right for Your? Let’s Get Into It.

I’ve been in the field more autumns than I can count—sometimes knee-deep in snow, sometimes ankle-deep in swamp. If there’s one thing I’ve learned (besides always double-checking your thermos lid), it’s that your boots can make or break a hunt.

Now, folks often ask: “Should I go with insulated boots or just stick to non-insulated ones and double up on socks?” Well, it ain’t a one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on the season, terrain, and—let’s be honest—how much you like to complain about cold toes.

If you’re hunting in colder climates—say, chasing elk in late-season Montana or stand hunting whitetails in upstate New York—insulated hunting boots are your best bet, no question. That extra warmth keeps you focused on the hunt, not on how many toes you think you’ve got left.

🥶 Insulated Hunting Boots – Warmth, But at a Cost

Let’s start with the cozy boys. Insulated boots come with Thinsulate™, Primaloft®, or other fancy-named materials packed in 'em like a sausage roll. They trap heat like nobody’s business. I once sat through a six-hour goose stakeout in a frozen cornfield wearing 1200g boots and didn’t lose a toe—though I did lose a bet about whether we’d see any geese (spoiler: we didn’t).

Pros:

Warmth for days – Great for still hunts and long sits in the blind

More comfort in cold treestands – No more hopping around to keep blood flowing

Ideal for snow, ice, and deep cold – Like January in Wisconsin cold

Cons:

Too warm for early season or mobile hunts – You’ll feel like you’re walking on boiled potatoes

Heavier and bulkier – Makes sneaking through thick brush more of a “clomp-fest”

Takes longer to dry – If they get wet inside, pack extra socks (and prayers)

Side note: one buddy of mine wore his insulated boots for spring turkey in Alabama... came back looking like he’d wrestled a swamp gator and lost. His feet? Looked like boiled hams.

🥾 Non-Insulated Hunting Boots – Lightweight, Versatile, and Sweaty (Sometimes)

These are the go-to for early-season deer, upland bird hunting, or really any time the mercury isn’t hovering below freezing. They’re breathable, quick to dry, and a heck of a lot more forgiving when you're hiking miles of backcountry.

I personally wear my non-insulated pair from September to mid-November in the Carolinas—unless there’s a freak cold front, which, let’s be honest, has been happening more often than not lately.

Pros:

Lightweight and breathable – Perfect for run-and-gun turkey hunting or spot-and-stalk elk

Faster to dry – If you cross a creek, your boots bounce back quicker

Less foot fatigue on long hikes

Cons:

Can’t hold heat – Even thick wool socks won’t save you in 20°F

Less padding for long sits – Your feet will know it, and so will your mood

Can freeze overnight – Left 'em outside your tent? Good luck getting 'em back on

So... Which Should You Choose?

It’s all about matching your boot to your hunt.

Cold, static hunts → Go insulated. Tree stands, late-season elk, snow-covered duck blinds.

Warm or active hunts → Stick with non-insulated. Upland birds, spring turkey, or hiking-heavy mule deer trips.

Still not sure? Ask yourself this: Are you gonna be moving most of the day, or are you gonna be waiting? If it’s the latter, insulation will be your best pal. If it’s the former, you’ll overheat faster than a beagle chasing a rabbit.

And hey, if you’ve got the coin, buy both. Your feet will thank you—eventually.

Final Thoughts from the Field

Last November, I swapped to insulated boots mid-season after freezing my tail off up in the Adirondacks. Best decision I made all year (well, that and leaving the gas stove just cracked open in the tent for heat... don’t do that, by the way. Real dumb). Point is, the right boots aren’t just comfort—they’re safety, endurance, and success wrapped into one tough pair of leather.

So when you’re gearing up, don’t just grab whatever’s on sale. Think terrain. Think weather. Think about that time your buddy Dan got trench foot ‘cause he wore the wrong boots in duck season. Don’t be Dan.

[samw3000]

The Life of Gregory

FreshScentedGloriousNamed GregoryMy backyard fir treeStands magnificentlyOver my treehouse and meWhen friends and family visitGregory loves to play hide-and-seekIn the winter, I read him poetryMysticFir tree Image by JayMantri from Pixabay © 2024 Samantha Williams. All Rights Reserved. MTB: An Etheree Tree Thank you, Laura and the dVerse team. I might be disqualified, my poem kinda rhymes.…

[treestandranger]

Nothing like that bugle!!!!

[masterdonald101452]

Shark Fishing From a TreeStand in Front of Million Dollar Homes!

[rmspeltzfarm]

EASY to LEARN BEST Youth, Women, Men CLIMBER Tree Stand - Summit Viper Micro SD TreeStand #hunting

[becoming-not-became]

Forgotten

This tiredis adifferent tiredthe type I think that trees have felt surviving the woodman’s axwhen all the others have fallen been made into other things and this treestanding now in clearing where once was forestand now just a forgotten tree

[randyjtucker]

Top 3 Best Climbing Treestands Reviews