By Kaleb Comstock
April is here, the weather is getting nicer and you might be thinking to yourself what could I do this weekend? A lot of people say your bucks are killed in the off-season. Whitetail season is 365 for us here at WhitetailDNA. We are constantly thinking about whitetails and putting in work to make our falls as successful as possible. In today’s blog we are going to dive into three things you could be doing in the off season to make sure your fall is as successful as possible.
Scout
I think scouting is probably the single most important thing people should be doing in the off-season. You can learn so much about a property from spring scouting. Our team went down to the Iowa Deer Classic and scouted some public for team member Garett Otteson in early March. We were stepping foot on property none of us had ever seen in person before. In that one day of scouting, we learned a lot about the way the deer travel on the specific piece of public we spent time on. When you’re scouting in the spring, you are able to find scrapes, rubs and major trails that the deer used in the fall. One thing about whitetails is they are creatures of habit. What they do one year is often similar to what they do the next. As we were scouting, we were constantly dropping pins on our OnX Hunt apps on our phones. These are places that Garett will be checking out when he goes back in the fall to hunt. Not only can you learn a lot about deer movement, you can also learn about how heavily pressured an area could be from spring scouting. Overall, I think scouting should be done year round, but it is extremely important to find time to get your boots on the ground and spend time spring scouting.
fall preparations
I am lucky enough to hunt private land, so I am able to do more prep work in the spring than people that hunt public land so a lot of this cannot be done on public ground. However, many people take advantage of the spring to frost seed their clover plots in the springs. This helps fill in worn down areas that the deer and other wildlife ate all fall and winter. In October of 2023 I gained permission on a new piece of property, being that it was already October, I was limited to how I could hunt that ground. That following spring (2024) I went into that property and made access trails to different points on the farm. This made accessing this farm to hunt so much better. I made trails that led me straight to my stands for a quick and quiet access to the tree. The springtime is a great time of year to plan different access routes into a property. I think one of the most important aspects to successful deer hunting is having clean access to a stand.
Another thing you could be doing in the Spring if you are able to is you could be clearing ground for new food plots. Like I said previously, I gained permission to a new piece of property in October of 2023. On this property there wasn’t any food. I knew if I could get a Fall plot in there then it would significantly impact my hunting. In the spring of 2024, my dad and I went down and went to work on clearing an area to create a food plot for the fall. When it came time to plant in the fall, most of the prep work was already done from the spring. This saved me a ton of time and work by having it done already. As I sit here writing this, I am already thinking about how I need to get down to that farm and make the food plot larger. The spring is a great time to get in and get work done on your farms if you are able to!
ask for new permission
It seems that getting permission to hunt a property these days is dang near impossible depending on where you live. However, the answer will always be “NO” if you never ask. The off-season is a great time of year to knock on landowner’s doors. A great way to ease yourself into a property is to first ask for permission to walk for antlers or to turkey hunt. This will allow you to start to build a relationship with the landowner. Another thing that I do whenever I ask for permission is I offer any help they might need around their farm. This shows the landowner that you are willing to work and help out in exchange for hunting permission. Like I said earlier, the answer will always be “No” if you don’t ask. You never know when that next door knock might be the one you needed to gain permission on a new piece of private property.
conclusion
Deer work and deer hunting is a never ending hobby. It seems as if there is always something we could be doing to enhance our chances in the fall. These are just three things that I do in the off-season to help my fall be as successful as possible. When the calendar changes to opening day, I want to make sure all my work is done.
