It was February 1, 2011, a Tuesday morning. The ground was covered by a layer of frozen snow and ice. The temperature was 29° and the forecast was bleak, with freezing rain on the way that evening. Like so many mornings before I headed for my treestand at 0 dark:30. Finding it was easy without the aid of a flashlight with the white of the frozen snow. I had placed the treestand that September in a silver beech tree along a creek where the deer cross. This was the first year I decided to put a rope that would bear my weight from head high at the treestand to the first treestep at the base of the tree. Then using a Prusik knot I would be able to ascend and descend the tree using my safety harness and sliding the knot as I went. As I arrived at my tree I started my ritual of putting on my gear. I always dress and undress in a particular order so that I can reach into my backpack and pull out what I need without the use of a light or forgetting something. First I put my binocular