Late Summer Essential Preparations for Deer Season

The summer season is the lazy season for both deer and deer hunters. Food is plentiful for the deer, and hunters usually take an extended vacation until deer season. However, if you are serious about bagging a prize buck, spend time making essential preparations for the season.

Check Your Gear

Set aside a day to check your gear to make sure everything is in good shape. Replenish supplies and replace worn out or damaged equipment. Air out your camo clothes, and check they still fit and are in good shape for the upcoming season. Make sure your rain gear and waterproof boots are keeping moisture out to avoid a miserable today in the field.

Sharpen your hunting knives and broadhead arrows, and go through your ammo to make sure loose rounds are properly identified and placed with similar rounds. Also, check that cartridges are not damaged in any way, and replace batteries in trail cameras, GPS units, and flashlights.

Get Your Bow or Rifle Sighted

Getting your bow or rifle sighted will ensure you can make a clean shot. In the summer, the shooting range is not as crowded as it’ll be during the deer season, so it’s the best time to get some practice and make sure your bow or rifle is shooting right. Also, it gives you ample time to figure out the right arrow combination or rifle load.

Participating in 3D Shooting Tournaments will help you hone your skills under pressure, so you don’t let a bruiser buck get away.

Clear Out Travel Paths

Clearing out travel paths helps you minimize the noise you can make when walking in the woods. Movement can be difficult and noisy when travel paths are overgrown with plants, and that will spook the deer. So, it is important you clear the trail to your hunting area during the summer and create alternate routes you can use when wind conditions change.

Set Up a Surveillance Network

Keep track of all deer activities by setting up a surveillance network. Install trail cameras in strategic locations, such as the fences bordering crop fields, to take pictures of deer as they feed. These cameras enable you to track the movement patterns of the deer.

It is important to arrange the cameras well in advance of the deer hunting season, so your scent has time to dissipate. If you must check the cameras, do it at a time when deer are dormant, such as the middle of the night.

Check the Safety of Tree stands

If you left your tree stands in the woods at the end of last season, check them for damage. The weather, small animals and birds can take a toll on the safety strap, nuts and bolts. Even if you stored your tree stand for the offseason, you should still check for damage to ensure your safety when you return to hunt.

Hang your tree stand before the season starts, especially if you hunt in an area that contains a high number of deer. If the animal patterns have changed, figure out your location before the start of the new season so you can capitalize on their movement.

Scout for Deer

Scouting for deer in the summer is also important. It gives you the opportunity to easily study the movement and feeding patterns of the deer. So, break out your binoculars and start scouting. As you sneak around your hunting area, be on the lookout, especially for the does. They are often more visible than bucks and have a roughly consistent travel pattern. Wherever the does hang out, you are likely to find a buck or two with her.

Exercise

Get in shape before the season begins and prepare your body for the adrenaline jolt this fall. Cardiovascular exercises will help you navigate the terrain, hike the trail, and help to control your breathing so you can remain calm when your dream buck makes an appearance. Weight and circuit training will prepare you for carrying your equipment and hauling your 12-point prize buck to your truck.

Visit Landowners and Farmers

Visiting landowners and farmers before the deer season starts is courteous and helps you establish a relationship. You may even get permission to hunt on land that is posted if you can prove you are an ethical and responsible hunter.  Cultivate your relationship, so you are welcomed back, and treat the farmer’s property with respect.

Final Thoughts

The late summer months is the best time to prepare for an eventful deer hunting season. If you are serious about harvesting a huge deer this year, you should put in your time and effort in getting your gear in top shape, sharpening your knives and making sure other essential preparations are ready to roll when it time for opening day.