One of the larger, and more pressing, things on my to-do list has been to clear some trees and trails for hunting. While hunting this past season, I identified a few trees that I wanted out of the way. My main deer stand is a ground blind that overlooks a small clearing and a corn feeder. The trees I wanted out of the way were in the small clearing and they always seemed to block good views, or potential shots, at deer. Those pesky deer seemed to know right where to stand to take cover.
A couple of posts back, I mentioned needing a new chain and bar for my chainsaw. Well, I bought two new chains to start off. As it turns out, I do not need a new bar. I bought two chains just to have a backup on hand. The newly installed chain cut through everything I needed to without a hitch. My old chain was apparently well past needing to be replaced. What would have taken several hours with the old chain took less than two hours with the new chain. I dropped those three trees, cut them into sections, discarded the limbs and stacked up the trunk in about 30 minutes.
I then went on to cut several small trees (saplings really) and brush to create a trail to an alternate stand site that I sometimes use. I like getting off the ground and hunting from my climbing stand the most. For a couple of years, I have used little more than a game trail to get to my chosen climbing tree. The underbrush, vines, and low hanging limbs make it impossible to get through the woods without making excess noise and having vines catch and pull against clothing. That is no longer a problem. The trial is now easily identifiable when heading out, or coming back in, in the dark.
Timing on this project put it near the top of my list. Hunting season ended on January 1st and I didn’t want to do this work during the season. But, with as quickly as the weather warms in my area, fresh new green growth will thicken that area quite a bit. Doing this work while trees area bear certainly helps with seeing where it is you want to end up and clearing the quickest path.
On another note, I was able to get a couple of hoses for the Mr. Heater Buddy Heater. Those hoses are now with the heaters and small bottles of propane. I also refilled the empty 20-lb propane tank and will refill the second once it runs out of gas.
I found a few small knife sharpeners (coarse on one side, fine on the other) and bought a few of them to strategically place in vehicles and go-bags. Knives always lose their edges at the worst time. This way, I’ll have a way to remedy that problem fairly easily.
These purchases took a little bit of money, but it got a few much-needed tasks accomplished. I have plenty left to take care of, but this is a decent start.
Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.
