Tactics
If you have followed along here at WhitetailDNA at all, you probably know by now how strong I feel about early season hunting. During the month of September especially, a buck is most patternable as he will be all season long. But, with that said, it doesn't take much to educate a mature buck, and totally ruin your chances at him. Creating a perfect early season ambush can be difficult to do, but here is what you should be thinking about while getting those sets up...
As everybody well knows, hunting in cold and extreme weather can be a challenge. There is an abundance of information out there on layering systems, how to fight the cold, and stay on stand longer. But with that said, if you're like me and hunt early in September, it can be extremely hot and buggy and knowing how to hunt in hot weather can make a difference in your ability to stay in the stand, and ultimately increase your chances of success. There a few things you should keep in mind before anything else.
Ground blinds and treestands are a different world when it comes to deer hunting. If you are mainly a treestand hunter (like me) it can be difficult adjusting to a ground blind so that you are hunting and using it effectively. There are things you need to worry about when using a blind that you would never have to think of when using a treestand.
Asking permission to hunt on a strangers land can be a bit uncomfortable and sometimes even intimidating. What do you say? What if they say no? Don't fret too much, the worst thing that will possibly happen is for a landowner to say no. But how do you go about it in the best way to hopefully gain access on a few properties? There are ways to go about it effectively, and ways that will almost guarantee you a denial. Follow these six tips to help your chances when attempting to gain access to hunt private land.
Habits, we all have them in our life, whether they are good or bad. Think about how our habits influence our life in general. I am always saying, "jeez, I really need to start doing this", or "I really should stop doing that". The same thing applies to deer hunting. "I really need to start paying more attention to the wind", "I need to shoot my bow more often". Developing and creating consistent good habits can make a world of a difference when it comes to deer hunting.
Deer hunting is something that is really unique. It brings people together, and creates friendships that otherwise might have never existed. If you have been following along with WhitetailDNA at all, you will probably have noticed that I include a lot about my hunting partners. I have my good friend Tyler that I do all of my hunting with in North Dakota, and then my friend Ben that I do everything with in Nebraska. Then I have friends here and there who I will go scouting with, help hang trail cameras, or call up to help hang stands. The value of having a hunting partner is something I treasure, as I wouldn’t be able to accomplish what I do without them, and more importantly I have someone to enjoy my experiences with. If you don’t have some type of hunting partner, and go solo on everything, here is why you should change that
Hunting mature bucks takes a great deal of work. For those people who don't hunt and just see pictures of people sitting behind a giant buck during the fall, it might even seem easy. Except, we all know it isn't easy, not one bit. There is a story behind every buck, and for every bow kill, there is a lot of year round work that goes into it. It can range from shed hunting, summer scouting, running trail cameras, planting food plots, all the way to your archery equipment.
A month and four days until bow season opens where I’m located. I can’t believe it’s almost here. I am counting down the days until September 2nd. Early season can be a great time to arrow a mature buck. In fact, I think it may be the best time of the year to do so. If your archery season opens in September, you have some time to make it happen. For those of you that live in a state that opens October 1st, the first few days of the season can be really good, if the right conditions apply. Here’s how you can go from no target buck to a shooter on the ground between now and opener.
Trail cameras are undeniably a major addiction for most. There is nothing that can compare to that perfect trail camera setup. Likewise, it is unbelievably frustrating when something goes wrong with a trail camera setup. Having a perfect trail camera operation takes experience and a little bit of craft as there is much that goes into getting that perfect setup.
This weekend I had the chance to get back to Nebraska, a place that I love to hunt as much as anywhere. I was more excited than I should have been due to the fact I didn't get the chance to hunt there last year. As I was headed down, my anticipation was at an all time high. I had one trail camera that I had set up while shed hunting in February and was pumped to see what was on it. I also was thrilled to do some glassing on a new property that I had picked up in the spring, and was hoping for big things. Yet, the weekend didn't go as planned, and I thought this would be a good time to touch on the ability to adapt as whitetails hardly ever do exactly what you want them to, and how adapting can lead to harvesting many more mature bucks.
