Hunting - What do you do to prep for deer season?

[Ranchman]

I know seasons vary from state to state, but wheras in the Spring a young mans fancy turns towards love, Fall starts the hunter dreaming of that perfect buck....

So, in the interest of hearing ideas from other hunters (and helping to launch hunting discussions), I was curious what folks out there do to prep for opening day. Tips, habits, equipment prep, whatever - just was wondering what folks do to increase their odds and make it an even more enjoyable experience.....

[TimSullivan]

When I was deer hunting, I always went with my father-in-law. He was a farmer and he and a group of other farmers would go out and hunt the their farms together.

How did I prepare. I made sure I had shells and my gun. Sometimes I would even get in some target practice a day or two ahead of time. These farmers knew every place the deer would be and it was just too organized. Ten or so hunters would bag eight or more deer every first day. The goal was a deer for everyone even the city boy, that was me.

It would go like this. You stand here with Tom and in five to ten minutes some deer will come out of the woods and move to the lower part of the field. Pick out the best one and don't embarrass me now. We would stand there and sure enough the drivers would move the deer out of the woods right in front of us. Most times I did not embarrass my father-in-law but there was the time I went to fire and the safety was on. Buck fever took over and I never got a shot off. Tom dropped one of two bucks and then the other. He just looked at me and told me I had better find and dress out my deer. I asked him which one was mine and he said the first one we find was his.

We found both deer in a few minutes and for the rest of the day I was moving deer to the other hunters. I never did fire a shot that day. At the end of the day, it did come out that I was the only hunter that got his deer that day and did not have to clean his gun. I kept telling them that I was waiting for a better buck than the eight and ten pointers that Tom had shot. It was always good for a laugh when the group got together each fall. All those men are gone now and I just don't feel like hunting without them.

[tlphlps]

I do good to get in target practice to make sure my scope is sighted in, then just get out in the woods early to some place I remember or someone says to go to!
I really want to improve my hunting skills and pass it on to my boys (girls too if they are interested!). I hunted alot growing up, but haven't much in the last few years. I read all the things I am supposed to do, but never time to do it.
Terry

[DUMBDOG]

I had quit hunting for a few years, then last year my 17 year old son and I took the hunting safety course. Well, he filled one of his 3 doe tags and I filled two of mine. Funny how you only see the bucks when you have doe tags, and vice versa. This of course was after extensive target practice and digging out the orange, sharpening the knives, waterproofing the boots, getting out the heavy and the light clothing(you never know what kind of weather you are going to have). Also make sure that you have enough ammo and that the vehicle is is shape for hunting season.

Do not order the pork for the sausage until the game is down! [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

This year will be a little different as we drew tags for the area where our land is and it is shotgun, bow or pistol, no rifle, so this year will be a little different for target practice.

The son has already had many fun hours of bow hunting, his first year for this.

Either way, fill or skunked, it is a lot of fun. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[MRB]

I check over my gear to make sure it is in good working order. The belt pack is provisioned with a compass, water proof matches, emergency blanket, whistle and other items in case of an unforseen emergency. I sharpen my knives so you can shave with them and make sure I have new batteries for my flashlight. I lay out my permits, license and clothing for the next mornings hunt. I then sneak into the bedroom and shut off my wifes alarm [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img] , she hunts too. We have a beautiful buck mount in the living room that she took last year! She has really been hard to live with all year over this buck [img]/forums/images/icons/mad.gif[/img] . I was into conservation last year and decided not to shoot any deer and let them grow and multiply [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img] .

[rlw]

I pretty much only bowhunt. I prepare for hunting season all summer by going to 3D archery shoots. In central Indiana I can find a "shoot" within an hours driving distance every weekend May thru September. I generally try to go at least twice a month.
Ensuring your gear is in good shape and practicing is the most important preparation you can do. Too many people leave their gun/bow on the rack all year and pull it out the day before or day of going to the field. Lack of practice results in missed or injured animals and "ammo" for the "anti's".

[pbenven]

I start by sighting in my rifles. This really isn't the same as target practice.
I check my gear and usually replace a few things - gloves, socks, etc.
I take my climbing treestand and try it out in the back yard.
I go to my hunting area and spend a few hours looking around for rubs and scrapes and decide where specifically I'm going to set up.

By the way, I leave for moose hunting this Friday [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[Boondox]

I grab the rifle and stand guard near my vegetable garden! The flatlanders in the valley feed the pests all summer, then go home to their big cities and leave the herd to starve. You can't believe the damage they do when the herd gets too large for the land to support!

I also put hunter orange neckerchiefs on all my dogs.

Pete

[Hank]

<font color="blue"> I also put hunter orange neckerchiefs on all my dogs </font color>

You can even get hunter's vests for the canines. Attached is a pic, one of ours wearing one in the woods, with us.

[frank_f15]

i mostly hunted with a bow, but when i was not sucessful i did hunt with shotgun. but old ARTHUR ITIS decided to make it impossible to pull bow back. so i don't hunt any more, but i sure do miss it. the smell of the woods, the sound of crunching leaves, and yor heart beating so fast, then a beautiful buck appears and u draw the bow back and release! sometimes u win some u lose <font color="red"> mabey i will hunt this year with my camers</font color>