Lean and Deer Hunting Part 3
This is the third blog in the series on deer hunting and Lean, Ergonomics (Human Factors, Six Sigma and Systems Thinking (L.E.S.S.).
In my last blog I explained some of the key factors of ergonomics and human factors in regards to tree stands and crossbow. In this blog I will discuss how Lean principles are applied to hunting. A couple of the primary principles Lean are to reduce waste and non-value added activities. In hunting there can be much time spent before and after hunting (getting ready to go and then putting things away after). In addition, if one hunts with a partner or a larger group, there can be tasks and efforts that don’t get done, get duplicated or get done in an untimely manner. Using some basic Lean principles can save a lot of time, efforts and headaches.
5S of Hunting Gear
Since my husband and I both bow and gun hunt we have gear and clothing specifically for each type of hunting as well as some gear that applies to both. In order for us to keep our gear separate and to know where everything is located we had to devise an organization system—sort of our own 5S for our hunting gear. Prior to this system there were occasions when we were getting ready to go hunting that took an excessive amount of time because we couldn’t find this or that. We bought several large plastic storage tubs and labeled them with our names and type of gear, i.e. “Jill-Orange cloth” (for gun hunting). We had tubs for our early season bow hunting (light weight camo), regular season bow hunting (insulated camo), late season/snow bow hunting (whites) and gun hunting (orange). We also each had a tub for accessory gear such as waist packs, gloves, safety harness, etc. Then we had one shared tub in which we put our back packs. Doing this has saved us time and hassle when get ready to go hunting and when putting things after hunting. In addition, the tubs have made scent control easy as we have placed fallen leaves in each tub which gives everything inside of it a smell of the trees/leaves. We have had no scent problems since we started this.
“Value-stream Mapping” of Pre/Post Hunting
Since my husband and I almost always hunt together there are certain things that have by natural selection or by delegation been assigned to one of us to perform in order to make the pre- and post-hunting tasks efficient and consistent. Simple things as who locks the house door, starts the truck to warm it up when it cold (late season hunting), makes sure there is water and granola bars in the back packs, etc. are important but can also add time and some “discomfort” (if water/food were forgotten) to the entire hunting experience. I will be honest and admit we didn’t do a formal value stream map to see how long, how many steps and how much time was spent before and after we made changes. But I can tell you that our pre/post hunting tasks have been streamlined and go remarkably smoother compared to the first two-three years that we hunted together. Let me outline an example of the typical pre-hunt tasks and sequence:
- Jill-loads truck with bows, hand warmers (if needed), two-way radios and back packs
- Mike-loads ramps in back of truck (Tip: using old ATV ramps is a much easier, ergonomic way to load a deer in the back of the truck—slid it up the ramp, compared to trying to lift it into the back of the truck)
- Jill and Mike-put on hunting clothes
- Jill-puts waists packs in truck
- Mike-locks house
- Jill and Mike-ready to leave home
Similar division of tasks occurs post-hunt. We’ve also done this for processing a deer where there are specific tasks that we do together and separate.
In my next blog I’ll discuss how Lean principles are used in the woods.