With the beginning of the whitetail archery season closing in, most of the larger projects and preparations should be in place. Late winter is usually the time when archery hunters’ efforts are focused on shed hunting, and monitoring trail cams to see which of the “hit list” bucks have made it through the hunting season and the long winter. Attention will quickly turn to food plot preparation, property management and herd evaluation throughout the spring and summer. Off season efforts are time consuming, and in many cases, labor intensive endeavors. It’s easy to overlook the finer points of the hunt, and one of the most crucial components that will determine success or failure during the season—shooting accuracy and confidence

 I typically make it a priority to visit the range during the offseason. And when the weather permits, I head outdoors to shoot as often as I can, but never as often as I’d like. This regimen usually consists of flatland target shooting, which allows me to keep the rust to a minimum.

 That being said, my first set at the beginning of every season, typically involves a little apprehension and anxiety. The unfamiliar feeling of being 20 feet plus above the ground takes a moment to adjust to. I’ve also added a few new elements to my hunting experience this season that calls for extra practice and preparation. I’ll be using a Lone Wolf climber tree stand for the first time, and this will be the first season I’ll be filming my hunts. With introducing these new elements, I decided to begin working out the kinks of my set up and stand game this past weekend.

 The goal was to build confidence and accuracy by creating a scenario similar to an evening hunt. By acclimating to being off the ground, getting my camera gear in place, and ultimately shooting from the stand while wearing my safety gear, I’m building upon the work I’ve done at the range and outdoor target shooting. I’ve done a few climbs with the stand in the offseason, so the ascent was smooth to twenty feet.  Getting the camera gear in place was a different experience (one HD camcorder and one action cam), but all-in-all, wasn’t as challenging as I had thought. The practice shots…? I’m glad I took the practice run.

 Prior to climbing, I released a few arrows from flat ground to make sure my bow was accurate. My grouping at 40 yards was approximately the size of a baseball, which I felt was a good starting point. From the stand, the first shot was centered, but high. Next shot—high again. Next shot—still high. After 7 arrows I finally settled into a softball-size grouping at 30 yards. The feeling of shooting from the stand quickly came back, but had those first few shots been at the 11 point I have on camera, I’d have been more than a little upset.

There’s no replacement for practice from a tree stand. And I feel that we as hunters owe it to the animals we hunt to be accurate, and to have done everything in our power to be prepared to make an ethical kill when the opportunity presents. Whether it’s to calm the uneasy feeling of being off the ground, or to hone mechanics in the stand, stand practice is time well spent. So grab a friend (helps with arrow retrieval, and will usually perform the task for a cold beer), a stand, your bow, and put in some preseason stand time. Practice how you plan to perform, when you encounter your moment of truth from the stand.

If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting and anticipating the upcoming archery season since, well, the 2014 season ended. Typically, I’d just wait and daydream of the upcoming season, chomping at the bit to get back in the stand, but this year I’ve upped my game. This year I made the off-season as meaningful as the whitetail hunting season itself by seeking out expert whitetail advice and tips.

 Different from years past, I’ve applied what I’ve learned and have begun to fine-tune my whitetail hunting strategy. Everything from food plot implementation and moon phase impact on deer movement, to effectively aging deer on the hoof and overall management of my property for bigger more mature deer. The strategies and information available to today’s whitetail hunter is endless and I’ve read, watched, and listened to as much as I could get my hands on. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the information out there, and to think, “this is just too much.” This is what I used to think. And if you’re a beginner or starting a project  from scratch, it can be a daunting task, but it can be done. With a little planning and hard work “and some help from your friends” your goals  can be met.  I’ve been fortunate to have the help of my father-in-law and some of our friends in implementing new strategies or enhancements to the hunting property. We all chipped in financially and shared in the sweat equity. We thought we may be able grow more mature deer, and bigger bucks, if we implemented a few property management tactics. A few strategically placed food plots seemed feasible to accomplish. It’s important to set realistic expectations for the ability of you (or your camp) to commit money, time and resources. This will ultimately help you understand your potential impact on your whitetail habitat.

 I’m no different than any other whitetail addict. I watch whitetail hunting shows and want to battle wits with a mature Booner buck. But the reality is, my property may never produce an animal like that due to surrounding pressure, genetics, etc….and that’s ok. If you’re hunting public land, there are more variables out of your control….and that’s ok, too. The key is  to understand what is possible, in the areas we each hunt. So the real question I had to ask myself was, what can I realistically do to better my hunting, and what was I willing to do? This determined what my expectations should be heading into the 2015 season and beyond.

My realistic expectation was to create a 5 acre food plot and a few microplots throughout the timber. I do have access to a small farm tractor, ATV’s and a few friends who were willing to help. One of the fields was seeded with Whitetail Imperial Clover, creating a 5 acre food plot in the middle of the hunting property. This plot would not be hunted directly (only travel corridors to and from)—so deer never equate this food source with humans or pressure. Eight smaller microplots were also planted (all totaling about an acre) in various areas within the timber. These sites will be hunted and are placed relatively close to known bedding areas and travel corridors. The microplots were all created using only hand tools, and seeded with Imperial Whitetail Bow Stand and Imperial Whitetail Winter Greens.

With this approach the farm now has a long-term sustainable food source after the spring and summer crops have been harvested, along with huntable plots.This undertaking (number of plots and scale) may not be suitable for everyone. Making changes to enhance your hunting property can be exciting, and hopefully with a little good fortune, payoff during the season. While keeping your approach simple is often best, determining an genuine conclusion on your approach will bring you one step closer to your moment of truth from the stand.