Archery Season, that's bow and arrow for all you city slickers, has been open for a little over a week and a half and it's already been an eventful year. Prior to the opening of the season I spend a few days here and there scouting the areas that I commonly hunt for any sign of deer in the area. Scouting for deer is one of those skills that you really develop over time. This being only my 4th season, I'm still honing in my skills. Typically when scouting you go out and look for things like tracks, droppings, rubs, and anything else that would let you know a whitetail is in the area. Because the deer aren't under any pressure (predators or hunters) during the summertime they typically keep to the same routine and stick to familar bedding and feeding areas. This means that to really be successful during the early archery season you have to be right on the deer. You need to know where they're eating and sleeping so you can be prepared for them.
Much to my surprise, there has been a lot of deer activity in the areas that I frequent. Not only did I see lots of sign, but I had a few deer sightings as well. I was careful though not to let them know I'm there. Instead I sat back and watched their actions, see where they liked to enter and exit the area, and noted them on my iPhone.
The iPhone has been quite handy in hunting whitetail. I use an app called GPSKit which lets me drop pins on a google map which mark things like spots I think would be good for a treestand, or places that I noticed a large rub or scrape. In addition, this app has helped guide me in pitch black, right to the tree I wanted to climb, and just recently out of the woods after tracking a deer into unfamilar territory. I highly recommend it or something similar if you have a smartphone and plan on hunting. Maps and compasses are great, but when you're lost and in pitch black conditions, you want to find your way out quick.
After scouting for a few days I selected some areas that would be good for potential treestands. Because I hunt on State property, I use a climbing stand which I carry in with me every time. Some people like to put stands out in the woods and leave them there, but I can't see spending $75 on something that might get stolen if discovered. The climber also affords some other benefits which I like. 1. I can climb a tree as high as I like as long as the tree doesn't have any branches in the way. The higher you are the less likely the deer will smell you (Typically the first and only thing they need to do to take off). 2nd. Call it A-D-D, but I like variety and the climber gives me just that. If I'm out in a location all morning long, sometimes I'll decide to switch it up a bit. With the climber, I just climb down, find another location, and climb back up. The climber I use is the Summit Viper Ultra which I bought at Cabelas. The only disadvantage with the climber is the fact that it weighs 23lbs and you have to carry it in along with all your other gear.
Speaking of gear, I have a lot of it and it seems like I grow my collection every year. There are two kinds of hunters. Ones that use a very small set of gear and that's how they've been doing it for years. And others that have every kind of gadget you can think of. I'd like to say I'm in the first group, but I've been mostly in the second lately. I've got headlamps, deer calls, deer scents and all other types of things. But really the key when you have all this stuff is using it properly, and not using it in excess which I'll sure I'll discuss in a later post.
Wrapping up....I've got a lot of hunting in this year and the season has already started. I went out opening weekend, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Sept. 15th - 17th. And I've already gotten some good looks at some whitetail. This weekend was supposed to be a rainout, but mother nature decided to cooperate, unfortunately I made up my mind that I wasn't going to go out so I didn't prepare. I don't think I missed out on anything however. It was really hot and humid out and deer are mammals just like us. And if you were outside in the heat you would probably not do much but sit in the shade and keep cool. If the deer aren't moving around, it's not really conducive to hunting anyway.
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