This is how I plan to hunt my first week of the opening season.
September 17 - 25
Pre-rut Rubbing
Core areas that contain bedding sites;
Along the west edge of the woodlot adjacent to the rivers edge, I have a core area witch holds bucks just inside the thick cover. The beaver have the water a little higher but I still believe the bucks will bed along the transition between the high grass and the river bank.
There are a few places along the bucks trail to set up an ambush blind. Bucks are known for traveling the path of least resistance. With an opening like this you are sure to get a decent shot off from the thicker stuff. The idea is to make a window to shoot through not a door.
Those same openings are a great place to look for rubs during the early season. Perhaps even at the prime time for the rub phase depending on your location.
Also, depending on the side of the tree the rub is on, in most cases you can tell the direction the buck travels. With thick cover to both sides and narrower trails, this is more of a certainty in my opinion.
Doe will also bed with in the area more to the east side of the woodlot. A ground blind I built along a travel area to the beds is another tactic that will be used.
The weather will Inevitably still be warm during September. The river makes a great place to grab a refreshing gulp of flowing river water. This blind sits about 18 - 20 yards to the north of the trail used to get to the river from the beds.
Late summer food sources;
There are fewer agricultural food plots this year, two of the bean fields that were normally planted in previous years had been let go to weeds. They have been a tilled over a couple times during the summer so the weed growth is scattered and light. There are tracks using the fields but only to pass through and quickly browse.
The north alfalfa field and a cut hay field are the only agricultural food plots left. For the acres on the north east corner of the property anyway. This looks to be a change for the better in some ways. Being deer have to use there primary agricultural (easy picking) food sources, trails will be more active leading to and from them.
Acorns have started to drop so there is enough browse through out the wood lots to create a staging area to hunt. Most of the white oaks are also near and with in the bedding areas so, set ups have to be accurately thought out.
On the north end of the woodlot is a camp site area where the oaks drop acorns.
Most of the trails to and from fields and natural food plots are a north and south direction. This limit"™s the set ups to an east / west wind direction. This of course is a rare wind pattern to look for with a dominant north wind in my location.
Patients is the best friend to have during any part of my season.
Core areas when there is a full moon;
Full Moon on 17 September 2005 at 9:00 p.m.
Central Daylight Time.
With both days of the opening weekend having all night light from a full moon, mid- daytime set ups are a strong plus in my favor. Bringing enough equipment and supplies to last all day is in the plan.
A ground blind close by the doe bedding area, or any other mid day deer movement hot zone would be a great place to hunt. Stalking along the oak grove is also in my plan for mid-day on opener.
The buck bedding area is close enough by, that I may see him moving around as well.
I would love to have the wind direction from the north west no more then 5 mph. The area will also support a wind direction strait out of the west but that direction has more of a chance to swirl inside the woodlot.
Temperature in the mid 50`s with total clouds cover and a predicted scattered drizzle would totally make my week.
Well now to put the plan together for the rising testosterone level soon to happen
PT
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