Prepping for Hunting Success

Wildlife

Prepping Success For Hunting

STORY BY BLAKE FARRAR, WHITETAIL PROPERTIES

PHOTOS BY WHITETAIL PROPERTIES

It’s the opening day of deer season. You arrive at your favorite blind and get settled in well before shooting light. Morale and anticipation are high.

Just as it is light enough to differentiate the greens from the browns, a subtle buzzing draws your attention to the far corner of the blind. In a nanosecond, you realize your opening morning hunt—and your life—are jeopardized by a nest of red wasps.

You make a break for the door, trying to gather your things along the way, but decide to abandon it all. Then, you move purposely down the stairs or jump when you think you are close enough to the ground.

Ever been there? Unfortunately, I’ve been there more than a couple of times.

Once in my earlier days, I made a last minute decision to hunt a stand that I hadn’t been to since the prior season. I climbed up the ladder and opened the door. I found myself eye to eye with a not-so-friendly owl, who, unbeknownst to me, had staked claimed at this particular stand location months prior and was raising its family inside. They were less than pleased by my arrival.

Yes…I opted to not take the stairs and made the leap. Not a fun place to be.

Although you’ve likely thought about deer season many, many times over the last few months of the off-season, odds are you haven’t taken the time in the summer’s heat to do the grunt work required for a successful and enjoyable opening day. Whether you hunt primarily with a bow or rifle, prep work helps ensure that opening day leaves you with good memories rather than regrets over missed opportunities or worse yet, a full-blown work weekend.

For me, the dove season opener is a natural reminder to get ready for deer season, and many times, that dove hunt is blended with some prep work. Looking forward to that time, I realized I didn’t have a go-to list of the tasks that should be tackled prior to the whitetail opener. I polled our Texas team and we’ve compiled a list of the top things to consider before opening day of deer season.

1. Prepare your stands.

Problems associated with poorly maintained stands topped our list, so make a quick visit to the store to pick up pick up wasp spray, bug bombs and WD-40. Keep all of them on hand, as you will undoubtedly need them.

Regardless of whether the box blinds have had wasps in the past, bugs always find a way in during the summer. Set off a bug bomb a few weeks before the opener and keep wasp spray handy.

Additionally, if you are bowhunting from a tree stand, Northeast Texas Land Specialist Justin Glass said, “Check your straps on any hang-on tree stands. I had a squirrel nearly chew through a strap one summer and it broke loose when I put my weight on it. Luckily, I caught a hold of something and didn’t fall, but it taught me to check them or replace them, every year.”

The time we’ve all sat in in obnoxiously squeaky chairs in deer stands is probably astronomical and comical, but the fact that we continue to do it year after year is the worst part. Carry around some WD-40 and test for squeaky windows and chairs before hunting season, so you don’t run off every creature the first time you open the window or sit in the chair.

2. Evaluate the stand location.

Once the stand is in shape, it’s time to evaluate the stand’s location to make sure it’s still in the best place for wind direction, access and deer movement. Make sure you do a quick run through with a shredder, bushhog and polesaw around the hunting area to clear spring overgrowth.

South Texas Land Specialist Neil Schneider said, “There is always that one limb that grew out from last year that you don’t realize until it’s too late unless you take the time to look at your shooting lanes from the stand prior to the season.”

An overgrown lane might cause you to miss a shot at a trophy buck or, worse, injure the animal.

Additionally, ensure you can access the stand location quietly in the dark without spooking everything around. Mow access lanes and remove any obstacles that might hinder your movement in the dark.

If you are leasing ground, make sure you meet with the landowner prior to the season or before undertaking any land improvement projects to identify any changes in rules, conditions, or management strategies. Proactively communicating your plans will go a long way toward ensuring a successful long-term working relationship with the landowner.

3. Plan food plots and prep feeders.

If you plan to grow a food plot, make sure you prep the ground well in advance.

Glass said, “Most people wait too late to begin working on food plots. We usually let ours grow throughout the spring and summer months as they provide good bedding and food sources for the deer.

“With that, comes a very grown-up field to contend with. A good bush hogging, followed up in a week with a good chemical burn or controlled burn really helps to get your ground ready for disking a couple weeks after that. In my area of Northeast Texas, we usually plant around the last week in September, so this land clearing process usually gears up around Sept. 1. “

Feeder prep is pretty straightforward but almost nothing upsets me more than an unreliable or unscheduled empty feeder. Don’t just fill them up and don’t try to save money with low-quality feeders. Get a feeder that is both durable and reliable for the long haul.

Replace the battery every year and make sure you get a solar charger hooked up to make that battery last for the season’s duration otherwise you will waste time mid-season making repairs. Make sure the feeder pen panels are secured to keep those hogs from stealing the corn. Doing these simple things will save you time and frustration and you won’t have to disturb the hunting areas nearly as often.

4. Get your equipment ready.

After last year’s hunting season ended, it’s as if the gear grows legs and goes on its own adventure. Before you hit the woods, take the time to ensure all your gear is back in its place and is in top-notch condition.

Double-check that you have all the essentials for the type of hunting you’ll be doing. Give the camo a good scent-free washing and make sure you’ve stowed all the clothing back in the gear bag. If you hunt with a rifle, clean it thoroughly and check for any issues with the scope or sights, make sure you’ve got the correct ammunition on hand, and sight it in prior to opening day.

If you’re a bow hunter, find your range finder that may have snuck into the golf bag in the offseason and start shooting early and often to ensure you’re ready for the opener and know your effective distances. Don’t forget all the accessories such as your release, the battery for that forgotten sight light, and new broadheads.

Make sure your hunting knife is sharpened, and you have a multi-tool handy for any on-thespot adjustments. Create your list of small items down to the granular level to ensure you don’t forget anything specific to your hunting setup— and stick to it.

5. Know your deer.

Understanding the behavior and population of the deer in your hunting area is key to successful management. Putting out game cameras on your property provides valuable insight that you can use to both understand the deer population and estimate the buck-to-doe ratio, but also educate ranch guests on harvest goals.

East Texas Land Specialist Aaron Ablondi said, “Studying antlers and knowing their ages prior to seeing them on the hoof will help you target the older deer and not risk confusing a shooter buck from a big up-and-comer when the pressure is on.”

When it comes to placing cameras on the property, the earlier the better. By August, most bucks will be fairly easy to identify, and their antlers will be full grown. By studying the images, you can identify potential trophy bucks, assess the deer herd’s overall health, and educate yourself on how the deer utilize your property.

Taking the time to create your own task list prior to hunting season eliminates last-minute surprises and ensures you're fully equipped for a successful and enjoyable hunting season. Here’s to a successful opening day with only good surprises!