PREPERATION

I know its tough to get away from the summer time lawn and house projects but now is the time to start getting those stand sites prepared. By doing it now it allows plenty of time for the deer to get used to the changes and with all the foliage on you will do a good job. I generally wear out a pole saw every couple of years pruning out existing sites and preparing new sites. I usually spend about 4-6 hours in getting a single site ready and the stand hung , so any work I can get done now is a bonus. All the scouting for new sites was done last winter right after the season and right now I am getting new sites pruned and ready. I have to admit I am anal about site preparation but after spending countless hours on stand waiting for the ghost to show up the last thing I need is for some tree limb to be in the way of  the perfect shot. Invariably that is where the ghost will stand. I love to get up early in the morning now when the bugs are minimal and do this pruning . I also find quite a few wild mushrooms on these trips and it is a great time to evaluate the mast crop around your hunting areas. These trips also begin to get those legs in shape for the upcoming season.

TIP: When I am setting up my stand sites I clear as much of the shooting lanes as I can and I lay a big log across the lane at 20 and 30 yards. This allows you to know these distances in the early light when other markers might not be visible. Just as importantly other hunters will not know that you are hunting there and investigate your stand site leaving evidence of man. I have an absolutely brilliant design for my home made stands and they are almost invisible in the trees when in place. I want so that other hunters to pass by and never realize that the stands are there and the same goes for the deer. I used to use an bright orange washer hung at these distances and noticed how hunters whom dis not do early season work would see them and then snoop around the area leaving scent right before the hunting season. I will have the stand design and much much more coming on an e-magazine/library service I am going to be launching on my website this fall.