My prep for the season this year includes prepping New stand locations, enhancing old ones, buying some warmer camo(I froze last season), making mineral sites, marking surfaces( don't want to buy a rangefinder), building a ground blind , and practicing with my new arrows and stabilizer.Oh! Can't forget to buy my license! So, what am I missing, and what do you all do to make sure you are fully prepped for this season?
ALL of the above. Been scouting A LOT! Trying to have many back up locations just incase my prime spots get blown out. Im hunting public land so there are a lot of variables. But also practicing daily. 3 arrows a day minimum!
Checked my stands that are out and run a camera on my mineral sites. I hung a stand on an oak flat last week that has a lot of red oaks that will be dropping this fall in addition to the white oaks in the mix. The reds drop first here and are a go to in September and early October. Oh, and shoot my bow too.
Getting all my gear ready, keeping my bow tuned and shooting a few times a week and 3d tournaments, trail cams to inventory but I will probably only leave them out for a few weeks just to find the shooters, I do a lot of reading and listening to podcasts for tips and to pass the time at work, doing as much scouting on maps as I can without going into the woods, and testing a lot of new gear.
This year, I've been shooting two or three times a week and running. My hunt is in August, so being in shape is a priority for me. I'm hunting with guys that know the area really well, so I'm not too terribly worried about scouting. This weekend will be busy for me, as I'm running a 5k tomorrow night and then scouting Saturday morning.
Shoot often. Monitor trail cams all summer, but only check them once a month to minimize spooking deer. Make a list of everything you need to do. What stands need to be taken down and moved, which I try to do when I'm in there checking cameras. Even if I leave a stand up I make sure I go in and make sure shooting lanes are clear and straps are fine on the trees. Sometimes I have to loosen up straps on the tree stands to keep them from growing into the trees. Make a list of all your tree stands you have up. Write what wind directions are good for each set, best in morning or evening, and what time of the year is best. Make sure you have all the equipment you need and everything is working. I wash totes with hunting soap and put leaves in it once it is dry. I place my clothes in them after I wash them in a hunting detergent. I try to make sure everything is done a month before season. Make a list of everything you need to buy and a list things to do and do it. Have a game plan and you will be more successful
Same as others, stay in shape, shoot bow everyday, hang new sets and clean up existing sets, run cams, set mineral sites, out of state set hangs and cam cards pull, freshen ohio mineral sites, get gear ready and scent free, check climber for wearing parts or loose hardware, same with all hang ons, cut plots to help with weed compition, build a hit list, try to pattern bucks on summer pattern.. Just a few things we do to get a crack at a resident and out of state buck.
So far I've set up and partially brushed in a blind moved a two man stand, made a small food plot in the woods, set out trail cams for a new spot, cleared a big spot in front of one of my stands for a food plot because I don't feel like doing a bunch of work at once.
Deer don't follow the script most the time. So even though you don't want to buy a range finder. The 1st a buck comes in from behind you at 40 yards and you miss judge the yards at 35 and shoot low under his belly (like I did) you'll wish you spent the $100-200. About prep.. on top of cams, scouting, baiting and stands. I shoot my bow at least once a week all year and lift weights so I can draw more weight or hold at full draw longer.
Added a couple states to my list to hunt. Now I'm just staying sharp and taking inventory with the trail cameras.
