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Southern Michigan
Cody Ewers
Issue date: 10/8/09 Section: Down the Hill
Concord, Mich.'s forest has been deathly still since I climbed 30 feet up a tree about an hour ago. This can be a most excruciating time for hunters, especially if they hear rustling in the darkness below.
The morning began abruptly at 4:30 a.m. with a hot cup of coffee and a spray down of scent lock formula that helps conceal my human scent. After slipping into a thin pair of long johns and a camouflaged outer layer, I struggle as I put on my tree harness.
It always takes forever, but when I get frustrated I just think of myself three years ago when I woke up dangling off my tree stand 35 feet in the air. If it weren't for that God-forsaken contraption, I would have fallen to my death.
Trudging through the forest to the tree stand puts my stomach in knots of anticipation that don't leave until light breaks through the forest's trees, allowing me to survey the death-zone below.
The stillness and quiet of night slowly fade into focus shortly after seven o'clock one morning in Southern Michigan, during the area's most exciting time - hunting season.
It's not quite Nov. 15th, meaning most of the amateur hunters aren't yet firing shotgun slugs into anything that shakes a bush. No - for now, bow hunters reliving the ancient tradition of yore, perch high in their nests patiently waiting for the perfect shot.
The major difference between hunting with a bow rather than a gun is range. The 12-gauge shotgun, a common weapon used in hunting bigger game such as deer, has a range of about 100 yards, when using a rifled slug (this range can increase or decrease, depending on ammunition, barrel and choke). A bow, in contrast, has an accurate range of about 30 yards, depending on the skill of the hunter.
Forgetting to use my rangefinder to scale nearby trees and get a handle on distances, I freeze for an hour and wait as still as possible.
The cool air chills my bare hands which cling to the compound bow, resting on my lap; I have to move to get the blood flowing. It's nice to hunt before the cold of Michigan's deep fall and winter sets in, because I don't have to wear as much clothing and my ears can stay exposed and on the ready for any sign of prey.
The morning began abruptly at 4:30 a.m. with a hot cup of coffee and a spray down of scent lock formula that helps conceal my human scent. After slipping into a thin pair of long johns and a camouflaged outer layer, I struggle as I put on my tree harness.
It always takes forever, but when I get frustrated I just think of myself three years ago when I woke up dangling off my tree stand 35 feet in the air. If it weren't for that God-forsaken contraption, I would have fallen to my death.
Trudging through the forest to the tree stand puts my stomach in knots of anticipation that don't leave until light breaks through the forest's trees, allowing me to survey the death-zone below.
The stillness and quiet of night slowly fade into focus shortly after seven o'clock one morning in Southern Michigan, during the area's most exciting time - hunting season.
It's not quite Nov. 15th, meaning most of the amateur hunters aren't yet firing shotgun slugs into anything that shakes a bush. No - for now, bow hunters reliving the ancient tradition of yore, perch high in their nests patiently waiting for the perfect shot.
The major difference between hunting with a bow rather than a gun is range. The 12-gauge shotgun, a common weapon used in hunting bigger game such as deer, has a range of about 100 yards, when using a rifled slug (this range can increase or decrease, depending on ammunition, barrel and choke). A bow, in contrast, has an accurate range of about 30 yards, depending on the skill of the hunter.
Forgetting to use my rangefinder to scale nearby trees and get a handle on distances, I freeze for an hour and wait as still as possible.
The cool air chills my bare hands which cling to the compound bow, resting on my lap; I have to move to get the blood flowing. It's nice to hunt before the cold of Michigan's deep fall and winter sets in, because I don't have to wear as much clothing and my ears can stay exposed and on the ready for any sign of prey.
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