Time to Prep for Deer Season – Like Now!
Summer is a time to relax, enjoy the beautiful weather and start preparing for deer season.
Here are five steps to help you prepare for deer season and ensure that you are ready for opening morning!
1.) Check Your Gear
Many hunters put their gear away for the season and forget about them until the next hunting season rolls around. However, be sure to pull out your gear well in advance to make sure nothing is broken or needs to be replaced. Keep in mind stores often have discounted pricing on items when hunting season ends, so it’s best to take care of all your equipment needs before storing it away.
2.) Sight in Your Gun
Many folks wait until the week before deer season to head to the shooting range to sight-in their rifle. Instead, sight in your gun ahead of time which allows more time to practice and get comfortable taking shots at greater distances. This is a great time to practice in various weather conditions which often affects accuracy. Also, it gives you adequate time to check over your scope hardware in case anything needs to be replaced.
3.) Set up (and check) Trail Cameras
Setting up your trail cameras before the season rolls around gives you the opportunity to keep track of deer that use your property as their home range and allows you to get a good idea of their movement patterns. Doe travel-patterns remain pretty much the same throughout the year, so if you know where doe travel, you can get yourself in a good position to intercept that big buck when the rut hits.
4.) Visit Landowners
Have you ever noticed that most hunters only visit farmers when they want permission to hunt their land? Its a good idea to visit them during the summer months and even offer to lend a hand. Talking to farmers is also a great way to get information about what deer they are seeing in different locations as they tend to their crops.
5.) Check, Maintain and Hang Stands
It’s now time to hang tree stands using the knowledge you gained from scouting and putting in ground work.Be sure to hang them in areas with multiple access points to account for wind direction, and to clear multiple shooting windows. Also, be sure to hang your stand(s) in areas where there is natural cover behind you to help conceal your silhouette. For those stands that were left hanging throughout the year, this is a great time to check stands for torn straps, broken ladders and rusty platforms.
Those are five steps to help you prepare for deer season this fall, as always share with us your tips and tricks by commenting below!
