Last weekend (Sunday) we went across our road to search for a tree-stand we suspected was erected during the previous week. On one of our patrols one evening, we found a tree stand in compact carry mode lying against a tree by the path. The next day it was gone and we anticipated it was deployed in the hundred acre wood.

This is something we do each year: find and monitor tree-stands. There are about seven or eight out there now. Most of them are unused and assumed abandoned. At left is one in the wood on the other side of the road that we found a couple of years ago. It is not abandoned; this is based on the fresh camoflage cloth tenting. During the year, it is stripped of accessories and gets re-furbished at deer hunting season (generally Columbus day to Thanksgiving).

After confirming the known stand above, we eventually found a new one (see image at right) and we are assuming it is the one we spotted in pre-deployment. There are a few facts that also suggest it may be an entirely new unit and not the one we spotted. It is near the neighbor’s house up the road, for one thing. It is also a relatively long way from where we spotted the initial staging area; there are access points on the local roads closer and, indeed, they could have dropped it at the neighbor’s driveway. The stand is so close to the neighbor, I have to imagine they have consulted with them directly.

Then there is the nearby tent, which is along a stone wall which marks the neighbor’s property line (I am assuming). The tent may belong to the tree-stand holder or to our neighbor. Indeed, the tree-stand may belong to the neighbor! For these reasons, I am not convinced we have located the same tree-stand we saw sitting by the path.

Today, being Sunday, we went looking again for a new tree-stand closer to where we found the initial staged unit. We had no luck and we will not get a chance until next weekend due to the early darkness of the season and a reluctance to walk around in the woods during deer hunting season.