Now that temperatures have gotten ridiculously high, I’m finally starting to realize what a difficult task I have in front of me. While I’m not complaining, I do realize why most hunters limit the number of stands they hang and hunt each fall. It’s just a ton of work, and the temperatures only make things tougher. I sweat like a pig and usually after hanging and trimming a single set I’m soaking wet. I’ve always been into physical activities, but I’ll tell you, a few hours of solo stand-hanging in this kind of weather can whip even the strongest guys. A few weeks of this type of workout can whip a guy into “rock-star” shape. Straight-up, it can suck. Dehydration and dealing with the sweat only make it more disheartening, and I’m not even going to talk about the ticks. However, I have found that after battling through the first few trips it becomes much easier, and as the season approaches it even becomes kind of fun.
I shed hunted my butt off all spring and have managed to build a pretty extensive knowledge of most of the property that I will be hunting this fall. The biggest problem I have is covering all the properties with a very limited number of stands. I have to prioritize all the properties that I will be hunting this fall and determine which properties make the most sense to hunt.
The first thing I do is look at each piece of property I’ll be hunting and figure out what time of year I believe will be the best to hunt that particular area. Deer sightings, food sources, and cover play the biggest part in my planning. I’ll set aside different pieces for different times of year. If the property will be good regardless of the time of year, I’ll approach accordingly. Early season I’ll be looking to set up on properties with beans and other “green” food sources. I’ll hunt directly over, or close to, these food sources. I try to stay out of bedding areas, or anywhere I believe I would bump deer on entry or exit from my stand. Low intrusive pinch points and funnels are also good places to start early in the year.
Once I’ve determined what areas I’ll be hunting and when, I’ll determine where I want to hang stands. Each property is different. Some will require few stand locations as there are only a couple good spots. Others will require several stands in a small area for multiple wind direction setups. To put it simply, the best pieces are going to be hunted the most. I’ll have a couple stands hung for the rut, and a couple for early season, and plan on moving them if I’m not seeing deer. With so much land to cover, I’m going to be hanging and moving stands all season long anyway, so I’m not going to freak out if I’m not certain of the deer pattern in a particular area. Winging it and making adjustments as needed is what works for me. Quite often I’ll end up in the first tree I look at in an area. Usually your gut instinct will tell you what makes sense.
The other thing that I consider in all my setups is what type of treestand to use. Because I need to have a cameraman in all my sets, it can be tough to find good trees. If I’m in an area that has multiple good climbing trees, I’ll trim the spot to use with my Lone Wolf Hand-Climber. I’ve found over the years I can be quickly and quietly set up in about 5 minutes, and it’s how I’ve killed most of my bucks. If I can climb, I will. That way I can simply trim my stand setups before the season starts and I only need a single stand to access all of them at anytime throughout the season. I also don’t have to worry about guys stealing or hunting from my sets. If no climbable trees are available, I’ll hang a Lone Wolf Assault Hang-on Stand and a set of Lone Wolf Climbing Sticks, and quickly be set up if I need to move around in unclimbable trees.
Ok, here is the setup. I recently scouted a new spot and quickly located many aspects of sign to consider. I located many creek crossings, major travel corridors, and old buck sign. While walking around the backside of a bean field, I located a spot that I consider to be a classic bedding area. As I was walking through the timber, a subtle change in cover created the perfect bedding area. A tangle of brush, fallen logs, and the point of a ridge is the reason they feel comfortable in this area of the property. As I approached the noticeable “edge”, I noticed a fawn standing up about 15 yards in front of me. It must have been stretching it’s legs because it laid down not noticing me standing there.
Here is a picture of the thick bedding area.
Here is a picture of the fawn standing completely unaware of my presence.
Here is a picture of one of the many beds I found in the area.
The fawn eventually saw me and bolted. Knowing I had just found a prime bedding area, I walked around and scouted the edges. I noticed many of the small saplings along the edges had been rubbed during previous years, I instantly knew I would be hunting this spot in November. I’ll plan an entry and exit to the spot, trim out a tree for a particular wind, and not step foot back in the area until the morning I will first hunt the stand. The downwind side of a bedding area can be a great spot to catch a buck cruising during the rut. These are the spots that can produce, and if you hunt them correctly, they can make for the most exciting action of a season! Just one of those stands that you already know will be sweet!
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Here is a picture of one of the many rubs I found along the South East side of the area, which also happened to drop straight off into a ravine. I’ll set a stand on the edge of the ravine, allowing me to hunt this spot on any North or West wind. A cold front in early November could be the demise of a big buck on this edge!
Here is a picture of a couple of the other buck rubs and trails in the area. Some impressive looking sign!
The below picture is of a stand that I had hung a couple weeks ago. After looking at the picture I realized I must be close to 25 feet up, which puts my poor cameraman up to about 30 ft. The tree was the best for the bottom that it’s covering. The best cover was a bit higher than I would prefer to hunt, but the sloping side (opposite side of tree) puts you nearly eye-level with the deer coming from the other side of the tree. Sometimes you have to get high in order to get away with a particular setup.
As the buck sign starts to appear this fall, you will hopefully start to verify the patterns that you had anticipated on previous scouting trips. This is the time of year I start getting really excited about the upcoming season. That first sign of the year really sends me into the mindset of a hunter as the anticipation has just kicked in! I will have my stands prepared, will be honing my archery skills, and getting myself mentally prepared for the battle that lay in front of me.
Absolute perfection with the bow and arrow is the goal, and I will shoot many arrows in the next two months until I fell ready to hit the woods. After doing this routine from one year to the next, I’ve become more confident, but I will practice daily at this time of the year regardless. Practice for the only moment that matters. Hundreds of miles walked during the shed season, countless hours spent driving around pursuing property, reviewing aerial photos and topo maps, more scouting, hanging stands, field glassing, and filming. Nothing else matters at the moment of truth, only that you take 5 seconds to draw, anchor, aim, and release a perfect arrow at a single target. Make sure you do whatever it takes to get yourself ready for this shot, as it’s the most important thing you will do all year. Shoot straight………
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