I have never hunted this early in deer season before, but the KY opener is this Saturday September 1st. Just looking for any helpful tips and advice anybody can give to get the most out of my early season hunts. Any advice is much appreciated.
What are you looking to accomplish? Just spending time afield hunting? Hoping to shoot any deer for the meat and the experience? Going after a mature buck? The advice you’d get would vary greatly depending on what your objectives are.
If bugs are an issue in your area, alot of guys worship the Thermacell. Never used one but I hear nothing but positive feedback.
Pack light it will most likely be hot, thermacell if needed for mosquitos. If you have any oak hammocks where there will be acorns dropping, hunt that area. I know in Florida and Georgia where I normally hunt early season, it's not abnormal for it to suddenly rain so waterproof yourself if needed. I wouldn't do any random calling or attractant smells like you would for the rut, but don't pass up grunting at a buck that's walking the wrong direction to turn him. Have always had better activity the first and last hour of daylight on early season hunts. Make sure you get a good shot, it's normally too hot to let deer lay overnight on a bad shot, so get them on ice before their meat spoils. Good luck!
I will be attempting to get my first buck this year. I have gun hunted for years and just took up bow hunting last year, despite the fact I have shot a bow since was young. I have never seen one big or mature enough for me personally to want to take. I always believed if I wasn't going to put it on the wall I would rather take a doe and let the bucks grow. This is the first year that I have actually put in that much work to set myself up to have a good season. I have several good bucks on camera. I will also be trying to take some doe to fill the freezer.
If you are wanting to shoot a good buck during early season then my rule number one would be to not hunt mornings at all or at least don’t get anywhere near where you think your bucks will be on any morning hunt that you do try. You will do more harm than good to your chances of killing a mature buck if you try to hunt him on early season mornings. Wait for prime afternoon opportunities and try him that way first at least. It would take some fairly incredible trail camera intel in order for me to break this rule. As others noted you will have to worry about bugs. Take a thermacell for mosquitoes and you’d better have a plan for seed ticks. You get about 2000 of them on you and you’ll never want to hunt again before Thanksgiving in KY. Lastly on your afternoon hunts don’t go too early. If it gets dark at 7:45 then there’s no need for you to be on stand by 3 o’clock. I wouldn’t get there till at least 5pm. In this heat the deer are not going to move till the last hour of daylight anyway. Why sit there and cook for hours for no reason.
Hunt evenings. I'd say most early season "big bucks" are killed over the corn pile. At least the ones I know of were. Some oaks are startimg to drop but not heavy. Apples or pears are a sure bet. I personally don't deer hunt in September anymore because of dove season and duck season but good luck.
Does Thermacell work for flies? Little buggers get to my kill before I do and try to carry it off while I'm field dressing.
