Too early to plan your next deer hunt?

By ANTHONY SEGRAVES HUNT Magazine Columnist

It might seem too early to start thinking about doe and bucks but my friends, family and I have created a whole list of things to do so we are ready for the next deer season.

The first thing I decided to do was create a shooting regimen. Last year I missed a deer and made a poor shot on another. So, I decided to set time aside each month to take my hunting rifle, back up rifle and flintlock to the shooting range. I know that this is not an easy thing to do, since ammo is expensive and some of us struggled to find ammunition last season. However, I decided to make the investment. Hunters like you and I put in so much effort, time and money into each hunting season and those investments donʼt stop in the off season.

The second thing that we are going to do is make a list of all of our equipment that did not work properly for us during this past season. Make the list now before you forget. My boots have sprung a leak and my backpack has officially fallen apart. Then there is my daughterʼs crossbow scope, which now gives a kaleidoscope effect when looking through it. For my one hunting buddy, his hunting rifle was not holding a group last year and he thinks it is leading to misses during the season. He is sending his scope back to have it looked over by the manufacturer. Then, he will remount it to the rifle and see if the gun can shoot a consistent group. It is better to work on these kinds of things now rather than a week out from opening day.

Third on the list is planning our new food plots, changes to current plots and we making lists of all the supplies we need. With the cost of everything on the rise, we know we have to plan and budget to get everything done in time for hunting season. We have already taken our soil samples and sent them to the lab. We are calling local businesses to get prices for fertilizer and seed. This helps all of us beat the end of hunting season doldrums and sure beats sitting in front of a television.

My final project on the list is to build three new tree stands. My uncle has already done the designs and now we are collecting supplies, which includes palettes that will be repurposed. That might be my next story. So, stay tuned on that front.

As you are reading this, you might be thinking, “This guy is nuts. How can I get all of this done?” Tackle it by getting together with friends and do a little bit each week. You may be surprised at how much you can accomplish in the off season and youʼll be amazed at how much fun you can have doing it.

Turkeys take flight just outside of Wellsboro.