Pappy
11-21-2008, 05:34 PM
Ok...this is way to ironic not to tell, even though it makes me the dumbbutt ::)
I switched to the Summit Hot Dot this year looking for better optics for my ailing eye's. Now its battery powered (yep, you kinda see where this is going but read on, it gets better)so I have been changing it out every 3 weeks during bow season just in case. So I have about a week to go before it's time to replace it so off to the stand I go.
Now it's windy here, blowing snow, cold and no real sane person would want to be 20 feet high strapped to a tree that has probably seen more internal damage from gypsy moths then any 3 tree's you know personally :-X But being a the ultimate hunter I am, nothing short of a tornado will keep me from hunting ;D
So, I use the sounds of houses and cars flying around in this wind to cover my jaunt into my stand and climb away. Now, climbing this stand tonight was like trying to climb a rope ladder will disembarking a ship on the ocean in 20 foot swells ;) Finally at the top, I strap in and turn on my bowsite. This is where my manlyness took over my common sense.
The red laser dot started blinking....and that folks is the sign that the battery is about kaput. So I summize that if I leave it off, I should be ok and I will replace it when I get back to the house, totally ignoring the side of my brain that is yelling at me to get down, go back to the house, swap the battery and slip back into the stand :-\ That side of my brain I usually listen to, but the macho side with over 18 years expierence selling batteries won the battle so there I sat(clinging to the tree) as this gentle breeze (gale force wind) rocked me to and fro(more like tried throwing me out of the tree stand like I had turned its sister into kindling or something :o)
Oh..and ofcourse not more then 5 minutes after the epic brain fight I turn to see a pretty wild looking non typical walking my way :-X I wish I could tell you how many points he had, but as I raised my bow off the hook and came to full draw, the logical side of my brain that lost the fight began screaming at me that the sight was dead as a door nail :-\ The buck walked past at about 8 yards broadside without a care in the world. As I let down the string my head was filled with more turbulance then a jet trying to fly in the wind I was hunting in! Would have, should have and could have.
On the walk back to the house the macho side of my brain convinced me that even if I had gotten down and been able to switch out the battery that the buck would have slipt passed my stand and I wouldnt have seen him so I shouldnt beat myself up over it to bad :P
Oh well, the story is probably as big or bigger then the buck, my brain is still trying to decide a winner between the two!
btw, the irony in this is that I sold batteries of all types for over 18 years and know better then to trust these little suckers in cold weather esspecially since I have been keeping my bow out doors. I still stand behind the sight, but my line of thinking needs to be taken out behind teh woodshed!....haha
I switched to the Summit Hot Dot this year looking for better optics for my ailing eye's. Now its battery powered (yep, you kinda see where this is going but read on, it gets better)so I have been changing it out every 3 weeks during bow season just in case. So I have about a week to go before it's time to replace it so off to the stand I go.
Now it's windy here, blowing snow, cold and no real sane person would want to be 20 feet high strapped to a tree that has probably seen more internal damage from gypsy moths then any 3 tree's you know personally :-X But being a the ultimate hunter I am, nothing short of a tornado will keep me from hunting ;D
So, I use the sounds of houses and cars flying around in this wind to cover my jaunt into my stand and climb away. Now, climbing this stand tonight was like trying to climb a rope ladder will disembarking a ship on the ocean in 20 foot swells ;) Finally at the top, I strap in and turn on my bowsite. This is where my manlyness took over my common sense.
The red laser dot started blinking....and that folks is the sign that the battery is about kaput. So I summize that if I leave it off, I should be ok and I will replace it when I get back to the house, totally ignoring the side of my brain that is yelling at me to get down, go back to the house, swap the battery and slip back into the stand :-\ That side of my brain I usually listen to, but the macho side with over 18 years expierence selling batteries won the battle so there I sat(clinging to the tree) as this gentle breeze (gale force wind) rocked me to and fro(more like tried throwing me out of the tree stand like I had turned its sister into kindling or something :o)
Oh..and ofcourse not more then 5 minutes after the epic brain fight I turn to see a pretty wild looking non typical walking my way :-X I wish I could tell you how many points he had, but as I raised my bow off the hook and came to full draw, the logical side of my brain that lost the fight began screaming at me that the sight was dead as a door nail :-\ The buck walked past at about 8 yards broadside without a care in the world. As I let down the string my head was filled with more turbulance then a jet trying to fly in the wind I was hunting in! Would have, should have and could have.
On the walk back to the house the macho side of my brain convinced me that even if I had gotten down and been able to switch out the battery that the buck would have slipt passed my stand and I wouldnt have seen him so I shouldnt beat myself up over it to bad :P
Oh well, the story is probably as big or bigger then the buck, my brain is still trying to decide a winner between the two!
btw, the irony in this is that I sold batteries of all types for over 18 years and know better then to trust these little suckers in cold weather esspecially since I have been keeping my bow out doors. I still stand behind the sight, but my line of thinking needs to be taken out behind teh woodshed!....haha