Bow Hunting Preseason Tasks

[Kevin]

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Never Too Early to Scout - The thick foliage of summer actually makes heavily traveled deer paths more visible, so now is a great time to scout for oft-used trails. In order to limit intrusion (and limit the chances you step on a copperhead) start by scouting for entrance/exit trails between wooded areas and clearings and/or fields. Pay special attention to whether or not a particular trail is linking a bedding area and food source. If it is, this is a good place to start focusing on for buck movement and potentially a good preliminary spot for one of your early stands.

Set up Your Stand - Whether you construct your own ladder stands, or carry a climber, it's important to get your stand up early. Setting up your stand just a few days before the season is one of the biggest mistakes hunters make. Obviously you know why -- whitetails notice new structures smack dab in the middle of their living rooms, and it's a sure-fire way to spook them out of their normal routine. This could cost you the buck of a lifetime. Get out the loppers now and start scouting for the perfect tree to trim. But, be careful to leave a few branches here and there, as they can serve for some much needed cover as the woods fade from green to brown later in the year.

Plant It - Regardless of whether your location is near a food source, it is never a bad idea to plant an additional food plot or two around your stand (Stay tuned in the coming days for more on planting a food plot)

Start Shooting - You've got your stand set up.  Now it's time for a shooting tune-up. I know many of you probably shoot year-round, and good for you. But if your one who sits the bow down for a few months in favor of the fishing pole, now is the time to get it out of the closet.

Shoot from your stand, not in your backyard. It's all about replicating the conditions of opening morning. If you can shoot through the thick greenery of summer, you will definitely be ready to shoot through wider lanes when autumn arrives and the leaves begin to fall. Shooting from your stand will also help you get a jump on judging distances. Use natural structures such as stumps, downed trees, brush piles, etc to mark the correct distances for your pins.

[DeerWoods26]

I shoot at a target in the spring just to stay fresh. But I agree that you just can't replicate shooting from your stand. You can hit bullseyes at a target it in the backyard all day every day, but what happens the one time you are twisted around in a pretzel trying to shoot at a big buck right before he goes behind some brush?

You'll miss!!