Hunting Season Coming On FAST!!!

We are only 5 days away from the start of hunting season.  Wow.....I'm pumped....I got to looking at my bow this year, it is... oooh... 15 years old or so, good ole PSE.  It was definitely built to last, however, the size of my old bow and the weight of it was way out of date. 

I started looking around in hopes of finding a deal on a newer style bow. 

After lots of searching and bartering around, I found a Mathews Monster that I fell in love with.  The speed, the size, the weight , and the Mathews name got me.  I have since got my bow hooked up with and Extreme 4 pin sight with a light on it, a Fuse string stop, a Bohning quiver, and a Rip Cord rest.  It has taken me most of the summer to buy, sell, trade and barter around to get my bow ready for season but I think it is there. 

With the addition of our first little one, it got me thinking about a lot more than just hunting.  I got to thinking about when he could go hunting with me and all the good times we are gonna have together and I started getting excited and wanted to go out and get a two man stand right away.  Then reality set in that we have a new born and with that comes the reality of little to no money.

Still, I can't get all of the future hunting trips out of my mind.  My bow that I mentioned, is around 15 years old, which means, the tree stand I hunt out of is around, 15 years old.  I got to pricing tree stands and realized this was not an option, anyways the stand I have is awesome and I would only want another one just like it even if I could get a new one. 

That is when it hit me, the stand I have is still in great shape as far as I can tell.  However, the thought of me falling out of a tree, getting hurt, or even killed, and not being able to support my family or even be able to go hunting with my little man in the future was stuck in my mind. So I decided to start looking into safety harnesses. 

I had bought one last year before the season started, it was an API.  I had tried it on before season and had never put it on again.  First, it was so difficult to put on. I couldn't even figure out where to put my arms and legs in that thing.  I do a lot of hunting after work so this would hold me back by 30 minutes (easy) from me getting in the woods. Needless to say, I put that one on a very popular archery sight and had it sold in no time. 

I proceeded to do some research on different harnesses to see which one I would like to try this year.  I decided to go with a Hunter Safety System Pro series.  I have tried it on and I love the way it feels and the ease of use. 

As soon as I get some time in the tree with it on I will make sure to give everyone my thoughts on this product as well.

Anyone else find deals and barter and trade to get what you need for hunting season? What tactics do you use when times are tough? Believe me. I want to know and learn, so please comment below.