Ready or not, deer season starts this Monday. With season starting, I would like to talk about where good places are to hang your tree stands and where the big bucks are going to be early in the season. You are a lot better off to shoot a buck early in the season because if you wait to long the buck could change his pattern or another hunter could claim him.
The best place to put a tree stand this early in the season is along a crop field, especially if you have been seeing bucks feeding in that field. It is best to figure out where the deer are coming in and out of the woods to the field and put a stand close to that spot. If you can not get a spot along a field then set up close to water. Deer have to drink and the hotter it is, the more they have to drink. It can be a pond, river, or creek as long as the water is moving and is fresh. Another good place to put your tree stand is along a deer trail through the woods that is well traveled. If you are patient you should catch deer traveling from their bedding area to where they feed or get water. If all else fails, set up near a white oak tree. No, I am really being serious. Deer don’t only feed on crop fields; they also like acorns from white oak trees. If you are sitting in a white oak then you are likely to get a buck coming for a little snack.
Where I hunt, in Kokomo, Indiana, is set up with three of the four ideal spots to shoot a deer that I described above. The field I hunt, owned by my grandpa, has woods along the back of it and a creek along one side of it that meets up with the corner of the woods. Between the creek and the field there is a twenty foot clover filter strip. The deer usually come out of the woods right next to the creek onto the filter strip. I set up right next to where they come out and I have had many close encounters. My spot has two places to feed (crop field and the clover), a place to get water, and a trail coming out of the woods to the field.
Now you know where the best places are to get a shot on a deer, but when is the best time to go on a hunt? In my opinion the mornings are the best. You can sneak in the woods early when it is still dark and be ready for the deer when they start moving at sunrise. In the evening is also a good time to go out. The deer will be going to feed after the day cools down and before the sun goes down. Just remember to get out there plenty early or you might not get there before the deer. The absolute best time to go deer hunting is after a cold front blows through and the temperature tops like thirty degrees. The deer don’t feel like moving a lot when it is hot so when the temperature drops they become very active. When I have gone out after a cold front, it is like a magic trick, there are suddenly deer everywhere.
If you follow these tips then you are almost guaranteed to see deer. When it is early in the season the deer are very relaxed and not as cautious. They haven’t had any encounters with hunters since last season so their guard is down. This gives you a great advantage over the deer so you are sure to get a good shot.
The best place to put a tree stand this early in the season is along a crop field, especially if you have been seeing bucks feeding in that field. It is best to figure out where the deer are coming in and out of the woods to the field and put a stand close to that spot. If you can not get a spot along a field then set up close to water. Deer have to drink and the hotter it is, the more they have to drink. It can be a pond, river, or creek as long as the water is moving and is fresh. Another good place to put your tree stand is along a deer trail through the woods that is well traveled. If you are patient you should catch deer traveling from their bedding area to where they feed or get water. If all else fails, set up near a white oak tree. No, I am really being serious. Deer don’t only feed on crop fields; they also like acorns from white oak trees. If you are sitting in a white oak then you are likely to get a buck coming for a little snack.
Where I hunt, in Kokomo, Indiana, is set up with three of the four ideal spots to shoot a deer that I described above. The field I hunt, owned by my grandpa, has woods along the back of it and a creek along one side of it that meets up with the corner of the woods. Between the creek and the field there is a twenty foot clover filter strip. The deer usually come out of the woods right next to the creek onto the filter strip. I set up right next to where they come out and I have had many close encounters. My spot has two places to feed (crop field and the clover), a place to get water, and a trail coming out of the woods to the field.
Now you know where the best places are to get a shot on a deer, but when is the best time to go on a hunt? In my opinion the mornings are the best. You can sneak in the woods early when it is still dark and be ready for the deer when they start moving at sunrise. In the evening is also a good time to go out. The deer will be going to feed after the day cools down and before the sun goes down. Just remember to get out there plenty early or you might not get there before the deer. The absolute best time to go deer hunting is after a cold front blows through and the temperature tops like thirty degrees. The deer don’t feel like moving a lot when it is hot so when the temperature drops they become very active. When I have gone out after a cold front, it is like a magic trick, there are suddenly deer everywhere.
If you follow these tips then you are almost guaranteed to see deer. When it is early in the season the deer are very relaxed and not as cautious. They haven’t had any encounters with hunters since last season so their guard is down. This gives you a great advantage over the deer so you are sure to get a good shot.
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