John Daniel is shown hunting from a stump seat. |
Hunt from the Stump
for Gobblers this Spring
By John Howle
For
every tree I cut off the farm, I try to use every part. Whether you are
cutting firewood or having timber thinned, even the stump can serve a
useful purpose this spring. With some ingenuity, a simple tree stump can
be turned into a creative, permanent turkey blind.
If
you are cutting firewood, the first part involves getting the tree on the
ground. On trees larger than six inches, three cuts with a chainsaw will
be required. A 45 degree first cut is followed by a horizontal second on
the face side of the tree. This creates a wedge that is removed, and this
determines the direction of fall for the tree. Finally, the third cut is
made on the back side of the tree about two inches higher that the
horizontal face cut with the saw blade being parallel to the ground. This
should send the tree on the way down. |
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Stump
cuts
If
you will vary this style of felling a tree slightly, you can create a
comfortable seat from which to hunt. The only difference is the three
felling cuts are made approximately three feet higher for the stump seat
design. Once a high stump is created, two more cuts will finish the job.
The
first cut on the stump starts at the top and ends toward the base of the
stump. The second cut is just like the second cut on the face side of
the tree when felling. These two cuts remove a huge chunk of the stump
leaving an "L" shaped stump from which to sit.
Safety
first
Before
cutting any trees, protect yourself with chainsaw chaps, a safety
helmet, ear muffs, safety goggles or face shield, thick, leather gloves,
and non-skid leather boots. In addition, colder weather is an ideal time
to cut these trees because a thick shirt or jacket helps prevent injury
from cutting accidents or limb slaps.
Never
head out alone to cut trees. In a worst-case scenario, you could find
yourself pinned down with no one to assist. Always have an escape route
cleared out around the tree you intend to cut, and never turn your back
on a falling tree.
Locate the
site and tree for
the hunting stump
If
you are cutting firewood and decide to make a stump seat, look for
shoulder width trees on higher ridges. There’s a good reason for this.
Gobblers rarely come downhill to calling. Most often they will approach
your yelps and purrs on the same level or they will travel uphill to get
to you. Also, placing you stump seat blind on a ridge or elevated area
gives a better view of incoming turkeys.
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The side cut removes the entire chunk from the stump. |
John Howle removes a chunk of wood leaving an “L” shaped seat. |
If
you are involved with a wildlife management program, you would want to
avoid cutting your heavy acorn producers like whiteoak or redoak.
Sweetgums and large maples are less desirable and may be another option
for your stump seat. Avoid using pine trees for your stump seat for
obvious reasons like gluing yourself to the stump with pine resin.
If
you want the seat to have a long life, however, hardwoods can’t be
beat for their stump longevity. Try to pick a shoulder-width hardwood
that may be forked or crooked on the way up. This way you’ll have good
quality firewood, you’re eliminating a less desirable timber tree, and
you’ll have a long lasting seat.
What to do
with all this wood
Once the
tree is on the ground, and you’ve cut out your stump hunting seat, you’ll
have firewood
to cut and limbs to stack. With a little extra work with the chain saw,
you can cut the limbs in lengths short enough to create a circular blind
around the seat. Instead of cutting the entire tree in firewood lengths,
save the larger limbs for the construction of the blind around the
stump. Once these larger limbs are cut into eight to 10 foot sections,
they are easy to place and stack in a circle or semi-circle around the
blind.
Now
you’re left with the main trunk of the tree that can be cut into
firewood lengths |
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for use at home or in the cabin. Instead of hauling the
wood home, leave it in stacks in front of or beside the stump seat. This
gives additional cover while turkey hunting, and
it allows the wood to cure in the woods instead of stacked in your
woodpile. Once you’ve harvested that fine tom and turkey season is
over, feel free to take that stack of firewood to the house. |
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Comfort in the seat
On
some turkey hunts, you may have sent out a few soft yelps, had a gobbler
immediately show up, and find yourself with a harvest in less than 10
minutes. Then there are those days where hours are spent sitting and
waiting. You can at least make that wait more comfortable by placing a
comfortable cushion on the stump such as the ones made by Hunt Comfort www.huntcomfort.com, and you are ready for a full day of turkey
hunting.
All
natural
An
advantage to the stump seat is that it is all natural and isn’t as
likely to spook wary birds. Being permanent, this blind will become a
part of the forest landscape, and wildlife won’t notice anything out
of place. Finally, the stump seat is ideal for deer and squirrel hunting
as well because the high back conceals half the hunter’s body. As time
goes by and the limbs deteriorate and settle, simply add more fresh
limbs and leaves each spring while keeping a bird’s eye view of your
game.
While
constructing a stump seat, be sure to follow all safety precautions as
you would while felling any tree, and don’t become lax just because
the tree in on the ground. Once the seat is constructed, invite a
youngster to hunt with you. Let the youth sit in the stump seat, and you
can call turkeys from a distance behind. The best part is you made it on
your own, and it didn’t cost a dime.
John
Howle is a freelance writer from Heflin. |
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