The air is getting cooler and the seasons are changing. This means lots of holiday gatherings and many people getting together. I personally love family get-togethers and hanging out with friends. But where I live there is one weekend that this always falls on and it always falls second to me climbing up my favorite ladder. I am talking about the ladder to my tree stand for deer season. Yes, I am happily able to climb it with my ostomy bag in tow and many people think I am crazy when I show up to our family holiday get-togethers covered in mud, sometimes blood, but always with a giant smile on my face. That is because it is my favorite thing to do and I have made sure that my stoma never gets in the way during this time. I worried when I first got my stoma that it would be an issue, but with wise choices and a little preparation I still happily have to do physically do all the things needed to hunt in my location.
So what are some of the things that I do to prepare for this time? Well, the first area that should come to mind to a good woodsman is the scent. It was the first thing that worried me when I found out that I was going into surgery. I knew that I would be carrying my own waste on my side for the rest of my life. To me, it meant that I would smell more than I did before and since my favorite sport involves me being scentless it worried me. But luckily there are several ways to lower your scent with an ostomy bag. Many bags not only are scent blockers but also you can add drops of scent killing chemicals into the bag to eliminate odors. This is one way, but you can also take pills that work with your body to lower your own wastes smell as well.
But to me, the biggest thing when it comes to scent is doing all of the steps above and also getting the right clothing. I honestly love that I can sit in my tree stand all day and not have to worry about bathroom breaks. It is a great addition to hunting in my opinion and with my scent lock clothing, I am able to effectively be a good hunter.
Another thing that is important when climbing that ladder is to be in good shape. This means being careful to grow your muscles and body safely. You have a stoma and are more prone to hernias now so you need to be careful not to overdo it. But my sport is very physical, it involves climbing, hiking for miles, and carrying heavy animals or loads. This means that training to be in shape is important and needs to be considered long ahead of time. Depending on where you live you may need to have the strength to drag your deer for up to a mile. Or simply be able to carry that much weight for that distance. This is a huge consideration and should be trained for. I suggest taking months out ahead of time to get your body ready. But whatever you do, don't stop climbing.
