It’s here, or at least real close! The moment we’ve all been waiting for…deer hunting season! You’ve dreamed about this since you were a baby, or daydreamed about it at inopportune times, like when attending an “important” business meeting or when “someone” is running down the list of “honey do’s” with you at home. Well, [...]
Some day, buddy, if we're lucky...
It’s here, or at least real close! The moment we’ve all been waiting for…deer hunting season! You’ve dreamed about this since you were a baby, or daydreamed about it at inopportune times, like when attending an “important” business meeting or when “someone” is running down the list of “honey do’s” with you at home. Well, to assist in our readiness for the season at hand, let’s review our own “huntey do” list.
- Remove just enough to see but “leaf” enough to hide.
If bowhunting is your thing, clear branches not only so you can see game at the appropriate distance from your treestand, but also remove the ones that are going to interfere with your gear while it’s hanging up, while it’s moving with you as you scan for animals AND while at full draw. Take time to practice these scenarios while you have the pruning saw and loppers with you. Sometimes it’s surprising how much “headroom” the bow may require. Have your buddy “be the deer” as they walk to different possible shooting locations to be certain all frivolous foliage has been removed from your point of view up in the stand. Of course, never point a gun or bow at a person. Just make sure you’re ready with an open shot once the deer moves into your window. Full draw is not the time to find out you had one more branch that needed to be out of the way.
- One of the most picturesque scenes; the view from the hunting blind.
Be sure to have your shooting lanes, or if you’re hunting in South Texas, your Sendero, clear of bullet bothering branches. Also, before the moment of truth, slide the windows open in the blind to be certain they haven’t “frozen” in place since the last time you hunted out of it. And what about those wasps that start moving around once the sun warms them up? There’s nothing like trying to keep absolutely motionless and silent with wasps flying in and out of your windows and crawling on your walls. Keep a bottle of spray in the stand. It may smell once you’ve used it, but it’ll allow you to relax once those uninvited guests have left the party.
- Strong winds will relocate your blind for you if you don’t anchor it down.
Use a heavy gauge barbless wire to tie on to your homemade stand, elevated box blind, feeder, or anything else you don’t want blown over. Some companies advertise that no guy wires or anchoring is necessary with their products. That’s nice, but if you have a favorite stand or feeder that Grandpa helped you built back in the day, you better make sure it’s gonna be strapped down to your section of the Earth.
Landowners and hunters work out some details
Like a good marriage, parent/teacher, employer/employee and fast food line order-taker/orderer relationship, it’s a smart thing to have clear, open lines of communication with the landowners or ranch managers. Work to make sure everyone is on the same page to minimize misunderstandings. Write stuff down, make copies, and hand them out. Sometimes you’re fortunate enough to be able to hunt on your own land. If, however, you decide to lease someone else’s land, sign a contract, work out details, update details frequently, make friendly phone calls where you aren’t necessarily asking for anything and meet with each other whenever possible. It’s nice to have a dynamic, rather than static relationship.
Check your feeder timer and batteries often.
Sure you put new batteries in the feeder at the beginning of the season, but wilderness happens. Maintain trail cameras, feeders and stands every time you visit your hunting hideaway. Look for new inhabitants such as ants, spiders and big critters that may have made your cozy blind their comfortable bungalow. Guy wires may have loosened up. Moisture may cause corrosion at battery connectors. A piece of a corn stalk might have made it’s way down to the spinner, and is now inhibiting flow and broadcast of corn or protein pellets. Set it off manually to ensure the grain is being thrown where you want it and for the correct length of time. Adjust time of day and duration if necessary.
Marking off items on your "huntey do" list helps increase chances for backstraps on the grill.
It pays to listen at important business meetings, the sermon at church, and to your spouse. Make sure the order is correct before pulling away from the drive thru line at the burger joint. Pack a bottle of water and toilet paper with you in the stand. Do you have your ammo, release, walkie-talkie and/or cell phone? Is it on “vibrate” or “silent”? Run down the list. Mark it off. It’s a good feeling. Get out there. Have a good hunt!
