Wondering what some of you people are doing to get ready for nxt season, other than shed hunting. Any arly scouting, cutting, or anything like that. I am thinkin about gettin up to our land and cutting some paths and shooting lanes for next year, so that unlike last year i won't be cutting all the way into oct. trying to get ready.
I have a lot I want to do and if I get 80% done I will be happy. -hinge cut in a couple places and make some bedding areas. -Transplant some spruce trees to make a future visubarrierier at one of my food plot locations -go ahead and cut some shooting lanes in a couple of new stand locations -build a new bridge to make a less disruptive path in to access a couple stands. -start up my old mineral stacreate -creat a new mineral station -get ready to plant my spring food plots -figure out what I am going to plant for my fall plots -build an elevated box blind so that I can hunt a couple places that don't have good trees -get my bow set up -practice, practice, practice -shoot some 3D competition toaccuracyse my acuracy and confidence -buy a few more cheap lock ons and maybe a set of sticks instead of using screw in steps or climbers all the time. -scout some public land for next season -get communityschool (comunity college) to get permisacorns collect accorns next season. I swear I should be able to collect at least 2 55 gallon drums. -I am sure I will find more that needs to be done.
Right now, not much. I just started an indoor league, but other than that, I am enjoying a bit of downtime. I usually do this every year until late February. Then I start shed hunting pretty hard for a month, then spring gobbler season comes into view. But, I've made a list of the things I will buy/change for next season. 1. I'm looking for a Bowtech Destroyer 340 (if I find one at the right price. If not, the Allegiance still kills them enough) 2. Buy a new Lone Wolf Sit and Climb (going to give this stand another try. I liked some parts and other, not so much. getting Wide version) 3 Buy a new Badlands Monster Fanny pack (had one and stupidly got rid of it. Best pack I ever used) 4. Refresh my hang ons. Just check them over real well and replace straps and bolts if needed. 5. 3D season will start in march and so does my usual off-season practice. 6. Setup a couple of feeding stations with cams on them in June. I"m sure I'll think of a bunch of other stuff.... I already got word of a good buck still in my hunting area. Will start nosing around his location while shed hunting.
Here's my To-Do-List just till Spring: *in no particular order: For my blog/site: -Get some land advice write ups done for people who've emailed me. -Get a Food Plot and Habitat Basics handbook created for my blog/site. -Collect a few more items from various businesses to use as giveaways. -Get two guest write-ups planned. -Visit a local Northern, IN friend's property to put into action a plan of attack to make it better. For my personal hunting ground: -Clear two small 1/8 acre food plots -Hinge cut/plant around all food plots that exist -Hinge cut encouraged deer trail paths -Hinge cut a Northern border to fight poaching (happened last year) -Open up our clear cut/bedding area more on the inside of it to encourage more interior use of it. -Hinge cut/plant along road for sight barrier. -Till up old clover plot for Spring planting. -Get all plots ready for Spring plantings if needed. -Build a Earth coverd bridge across our creek at a more Southern location to encourage deer crossing. For myself bow wise: -Changing arrows, was underspined. -Will experiment with weighting of arrow. -Also will experiment with three different fletching styles (blazers, quickspins and old faithful feather (artificial though) -Once arrow is chosen I then hope to experiment with a few broadheads (just got in Slick Trick Magnums...) -Bow string will be changed also (prior to all above) Treestand and misc... -Create my own camo-nest out of branches and the fake oak leaves I picked up at a craft thingy I volunteered at for my church. -Pick up one or two more ladder sticks so I can reach my normal stand height and not have to use those screw in steps. -Pick up a blind or two (would love a pop up single man one for my gun trip to Tennessee) -Get a good winter Naturalgear jacket (mine's getting worn) -Purchase a tree spider safety harness.
The season is over here in Tennessee, but I still have one tag left for Arkansas and the season runs until the end of February. It sucks that they're forecasting rain for the entire weekend.
Just started Shed hunting the other day, have already scouted out some new areas, and have prepped those areas via trimming and such! Have purchased some new Broadheds, made a camera arm, and this far >---< from having funds for a new Cannon XA10 and some acessories! Goint to check out some public land spots soon. Just got a LW Alpha and sticks to! and some new camo is in order also!
It's always some sort of season up here in WI. Once late archery is basically over we shift right into winter scouting and of course, Sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago!(yes, we spear Lake sturgeon through the ice up here every year). After that I have a honey do project that I need to wrap up so I'm ready for the Spring Walleye run. Sneaking in a scouting trip every now and again, as well as a little shed hunting, but I have 4 day weekends every other, so I've been finding time. Aside from that, I'm hoping to get my new bow purchased(either a Z7extreme or a Vector 32) in the next few weeks so I can get shooting and dialed in for outdoor 3D season which starts in about April for me. Spring and early summer means Walleye fishing up here. If I'm not working or at home sleeping, I'm shooting my bow or in the boat!
Right now I'm doing like Afflicted said and hunting wild boars (got 3 the past month). But my to do list right now is pretty much: 1) Tracking my turkeys for spring (and watch the deer as well; Camera, trails, etc.) 2) Trying to find a new patch of land (someone bought the lease from under us and we lost a good chunk... pain in the a$$) 3) Looking to try a new camo pattern (suggestions are welcome) 4) Debating on what I want to do for food plots later this summer. That's pretty much it. Besides looking into a little heavier arrow.
Just finished up with waterfowl season, all in all wasn't that bad of season either. The group of guys i hunt with (4 of us) we harvested 168 ducks, 57 geese. Not too shabby for my area. If we had better weather up north pushing birds down we would have easily broke the 200 mark with ducks.
http://forums.bowhunting.com/showthread.php?30470-2011-BowTech-Destroyer-340-500-Shipped-TYD Matt is a good dude and I'm sure this bow will be in mint condition.
Finding/scouting more properties to hunt, public and private. I just picked up another 60 acres to hunt yesterday. I'm not sure if its worth hunting or not, i'll find out soon enough.
That brand has definitely got my attention. I'm just not sure which pattern would go well. But I do like the Brown/Green Deception patterns.
