A recent study showed that four days must pass before deer assume their normal behavior once a stand has been hunted, and even then, activity is reduced. Have you begun to target bucks for opening day? If your state has an early season, it could result in a velvet buck, the very best venison on the planet, and a unique trophy. The buck below is my target buck, and it has a buddy even bigger. Here’s how I’m planning my attack.
Identify your Bucks
I’m a member of a hunt club with 1200 lightly hunted acres, yet I’m hunting in a friend’s backyard. That may sound crazy, but the burshy patch is surrounded by a forest of corn and acres of beans that deer will use for food and cover. I put out a mineral lick last week and had two 8-points (or better) visit the first night. Once the corn is cut, this place loses its promise, so I want to make it my opening day stand. I put a camera near the mineral site and now know exactly what I’m looking for.
Trim an Entrance Trail
Once you have your special spot(s) picked out, how will you get there? Will you be walking through tall weeds, over tree limbs, or mountain brush? In any case, now is the time to trim a path to your special spot so that you can enter as quickly and quietly, without a light if possible. A clear path will create a soft access and keep human scent from the vegetation you may walk through.
Trim Shooting Lanes
Now is the time to check your stands for stability, safety, and shooting access. Wear your safety harness and safety gear even if you think your stand is solid from last year. As trees grow, they expand and can bust straps and cables. Make sure that your perch doesn’t squeak and that you have your shooting lanes cleared. If you don’t have a pull-up rope, attach one now to dissipate the human scent.
Naturalize Scent and Sight
If you are using a pop-up blind, post it at least a month before it’s hunted. Before posting it in the field, set it up in your backyard or in the woods so that the scent of the fabric and your human touch fades. When deployed in the woods, you will want to brush it in, which means cutting local branches and vegetation to disguise the silhouette of the dome.
Orient the Spot
If this location is new, now is the time to prep for wind direction. Use your phone or a compass and identify the four directions so that you can watch a local forecast on hunting eve and make a wise decision. If you expect deer to travel toward your stand, be sure the wind is not blowing in that direction, or all of your preparation will be for nothing. Worse, once you’ve been scent-busted, deer are likely to change their travel patterns to avoid you.
Have a Plan B
What if the wind is wrong, the morning is fogged in, or a local food source changes? I plan to hunt from a well-concealed tree stand, yet if the wind is wrong, I can easily hunt from a tunnel in standing corn. I’ll have a camo chair and a tripod in the open and de-scented to reduce my scent signal. The key to my special spot is the standing corn field, and once the farmer cuts it, hunting changes dramatically. Ideally, hunters should have several spots picked out, and if deer activity is most significant in the evening, skip the morning stand to maximize the odds for success on the first sit.