I’m not resource heavy, so I have to hunt on public land. From what I’ve been reading (little experience last year), you have to get deep in the woods when the pressure is on. Also, with some public land – you’re not allowed to leave a stand up overnight. So, here is my problem – weight. My hang-on tree stand, climbing sticks, and other crap (straps, harness, etc.) weigh in at 46#. My backpack (food, water, binos, rangfinder, compass, knife, etc.) comes in at 19#. So, this has me humping 65# – 70# of gear. I’m in good shape, and have no problem training my body to get used to weight, but I wanted to make sure I’m not way off here.

If the above is about average for public land hunters – then my next question is on setup tactics. Do you tote it all in day by day or in stages?

One suggestion was to hump the stand out and put in place, then come back the following day for the hunt. There are three issues here: (1) Some public lands won’t allow the stands to remain up beyond a day. (2) I don’t want to go out the next day to discover that someone loved my stand more than I did. (3) Too many trips to the same spot increases the chance of getting busted by a deer.

Another suggestion is to take the stand, protein, and water (leave the backpack in the truck). Hump to your spot then setup/hunt. After you drop Bambi’s daddy - tear down and come back to field dress/drag out.

Like I said, I’m new to this and would appreciate any tips from the seniors on the board.