DavidChesney

We are all getting pumped. The upcoming season is all I can think about. I walk through the house with catalogs showing my wife the the new equipment I've ordered and she just looks at me as if I've completely lost my mind. She couldn't care less about the 12 pointer I've watched on tv or how this guy just rattled in a buck accross a corn field. But knowing how little she cares I still am forced to point these things out to her. I think that maybe this time of year I have lost my mind. I love it.

H80Hunter, don't worry about trying to stick the biggest buck in the state. This season is still about going out and enjoying the sport that we love. I think as far as the contest goes a team with a handful of healthy bucks will do better than a team with one or two monsters. Stick to whatever plan you have for the season. Don't let the contest dictate the way you hunt. It will only lessen your overall enjoyment of the season.

What is everybody taking with them into the field on their first day of hunting?

For me it's a day pack with handheld Garmin gps, camera, Scent Killer autumn formula, bug spray, Bushnell binoculars, Bushnell Yardagepro rangefinder, A-way grunt call, rattling antlers, hydration pack, climbing stand, deer sleigh, mesh face mask, Colorado River gut knife, field dressing kit, lunch, paperback book and much more I'm sure I'm forgetting. Overkill I'm sure for so early in the season, but how could I leave any of it at home? I hope there's room for me in truck after I pack for the day.

Just a few more days for our Wisconsin team mates. And if memory serves me correctly, Vanden10 is out on an Elk hunt as we speak. I believe his deer season opens in just a few days as well. As for us Illinois boys, 3 weeks from today.