Early Deer Season Primer

Every hunter knows that waiting for deer season to arrive seems to take forever, but when opening day does arrive, most deer chasers are not as ready as they could have been. Here are some simple tips to help you reach your potential of being fully primed for that magical time known as opening day.

Gear Up. Don’t be ‘that guy’ that pulls out the bow or rifle a couple of days before deer season. Not only is that a lazy sign of being inadequately prepared, but you should want better for yourself by having all the bugs worked out of your weapon and all possible problems  fixed. Plus, it goes without saying that you owe it to your pray to be dialed-in with hours of practice.

Now is also the time to go over all tree stands, ladders, ground blinds and vehicles. You will want to find any potential trouble spots like rust or missing parts. This will also give you time to touch up and paint any camouflage so the odor of fumes can dissipate before the season.

You will also want to make sure that you remove all the old batteries from last season in your GPS units, flashlights, tracking and trailing aids, and any radios you might use. Old batteries not only get drained of power, but they degrade over time and you don’t want battery acid ruining your expensive electronics and communication devices. Now is also the time to put out trail cameras to help begin patterning deer movement.

Cruising and Pre-scouting.  Chances are good that you already have some acreage to hunt but if you don’t, now are the time to secure yourself a plot of dirt to hunt on. Place a wanted ad in your local paper looking for some land to lease. Stay within your budget. If an ad does not work, go talk to your local taxidermist, butcher and game warden and let them know that you are looking for a spot to lease or hunt on for a small fee.

If you do have land, go cruise it to see what might have changed from the previous year. Look for fence damage or fallen trees that might block normal deer travel, and do a quick run down creeks or river banks to see what’s walking through your area. Take your GPS and mark all White Oak trees that you run across for future reference when winter wipes out growing food sources.

Get in Shape.  One of your most important tools for hunting is your body. Good health is underrated, do yourself a favor and get in shape. Work on building your cardiovascular system and your muscles. Even if your hunting consist of sitting in stands of blind, the better shape you are in the longer you can sit and the more you can concentrate. 

If you really want to get prepared, go take a physical during the summer just to know that you are ready for physical exercise and to get advice and guidance from a true body expert.  Someone in my family found out they had cancer from a routine physical. Although that is an extreme example of what could go wrong, you can never be too careful or too thorough.  Most adults in our country have some form of minor or major back issues, so a good doctor will line you up on what specific exorcises you should do to strengthen the support of our spine. If you will be climbing stick ladders or screw-in tree steps, then get your upper bodies and legs in shape along with your back.

Opening day will be here before you know it. Will you be ready?