Wonderful Lists

I love lists. They help us in so many ways. With lists, we are able to…
1. Get our thoughts down on paper
2. Organize those thoughts
3. Prioritize things
4. Remember things
5. Etc

As archery hunters, we are faced with a few new gadgets and “must haves” each year. This year, I’m experimenting with shooting glasses. Yep, the same ones clay and skeet shooters use. I’ll let you know the results of my
findings later. But even if you don’t buy anything new this season, we have a LOT of stuff that we need to account for before we step out of the house.

Even if you go with the minimal amount of equipment, you still have a bunch of stuff to remember to bring.
I hate to get caught short-handed in the stand but while I get ribbed for having too much “junk” on my back when I enter the woods, I know that
there’s nothing I’ll need and not have. How do I know? Because I’ve made a list!

My list has evolved over the years. I first created my list about 10 years ago and have been refining and re-organizing it ever since. It’s now broken out by archery and rifle and then by backpack, person, vest, and other within those two categories. Over the top? Perhaps, but the only time I’ve ever been on the stand and needed something was the time I left my release
on the tailgate of my truck…it was on the list…I just forgot to pick it up before I headed to the woods.

I’m not going to bore you with the complete and unabridged components of my list but I do urge all of you to sit down one day and make a list of
everything you could possibly need while on your stand during a single hunting session. You will be very surprised at how large your list will be.

There are many things to think of when you start your list.
1. What will you need to get to your stand? Flashlight? GPS? Stand?
2. What will you need to get into your stand? Safety harness? Lifting ropes? Steps?
3. What will you need once you are in your stand? Binoculars? Range Finder? Cover and attractant scents?
4. What will you need to harvest your deer? Release? Arrows? Bow?
5. What will you need to recover your deer? Rope? Knife? Tag?

Of course the above list is not complete but you get the idea. I haven’t
even included clothing, food/water, emergency provisions, and other necessities.
Break down a typical hunting session into at least the five categories above and expand from there. You may even want to add categories. But go
through every hunting scenario you can think of and start making your list.

Experience will also aid you in making your list. One year, I missed a deer on my initial shot and I fumbled around trying to get a second arrow out of my quiver which was attached to my tree. My list now includes a shoestring that I tie to my tree. I notch an extra arrow to it and let it hang down the side of the tree next to me. Now when (yeah, I said when) I need a second arrow, it’s a simple matter of just reaching behind my hip and tugging the arrow from the shoestring.

Lists can be our friends. They’ll help us stay organized and worry free. We have enough to be concerned about while we’re in our stand without having to wonder what we forgot to bring this time.