Hunting Season Is Upon Us...

 ...and some of the deer hunters invading the timber will be using steps like these to climb to their deer stand.
Sometimes they take their screw-in steps home with them, but I see lots of them left in trees.

Others will be using homemade spikes which obviously will never be removed.  If you hunt from an elevated deer stand, think of the timber owner and the people who may process the trees into products at some time in the future.  Spikes and screw-in steps render a tree worthless, and if the metal evenually is completely grown over, it is dangerous to timber and mill workers.

I never have been a fan of deer stands, and have always hunted on the ground, but of course, I have never been a trophy hunter.  Every year about this time we will hear of hunters in our area who fall out of their deer stands, and the injuries usually wreck them for life.  If you use a deer stand, please follow common sense safety rules and use a safety strap to prevent falls.