Alright guys we’re getting down to the wire. Five days to go until the opening of bow season. I’ve been spending time inspecting and cleaning my gear, shooting at least 40 arrows per day, and thinking about my strategy. The strategy I have come up with so far is based around not burning out the best piece of private land where I feel I have the best chance at a mature buck. It is a small 20-acre piece of property that butts up to a working 200-acre farm. The property I hunt is all cover and water while running right alongside the crop fields. While I don’t have permission to hunt the field, I plan on cutting the deer off inside their staging area in cover while they make their way towards the food source. The neighbors on the other two sides do not hunt. It is a great property that I know had at least a few 2-3 year old bucks last year.
My focus on this property is going to be remaining stealth—especially during the beginning of the season. Last year I went in very aggressively early on and while I had a couple of great days in the beginning, many of the deer stopped showing up during the daytime the more I hunted it. I am not going to hunt mornings on the property yet. I don’t want to risk bumping any of the deer while I am hiking back and they are still moving around before sunrise. Instead, I will hunt it once every 6 days or so only going in to set up in the afternoon. I will be walking slow and paying attention to the noise I am making and keeping my wind from blowing to the bedding areas. I will be equally cautious as I tear my setup down each evening to remain undetected.
I am pumped to start hunting this piece of private land, but I am going to go in very conservatively to preserve the opportunity to get aggressive if the conditions present as the month goes on. If the right cold front comes in, if bucks start pre-rut activity early in late October, or if I start getting a lot of good daylight pictures of a mature deer then I will hit the property hard. Mornings will be an option in addition to all-day sits.
