The season has finally arrived, the wait is over. I got my first hunt in on our farm this past weekend—in a monsoon. Many hunters will wait out the less than desirable conditions until the weather cools (or in my case, dries) and the rut kicks in before they really make their press for whitetail glory. But success can be had in the early season.

Entrance and Exit Strategy

Nothing can kill a hunt before it gets started like a poor entrance strategy. Being aware of where deer are bedding and feeding when entering your stand and how the wind is carrying your scent is critical. Ditches and creeks are ideal choices for entrance and exits to and from stand locations. If hunting a field, try using standing crops as a visual shield between you and the deer and have a buddy pick you up in his truck if possible. Deer don’t seem to equate vehicles with human pressure, especially in farmland where vehicle noise and motion is frequent.

Hunt Food

Know where your food sources are. This time of year there is plenty of browse, but deer will still hit the areas where they can get the best nutrition. Agriculture fields are still a good bet as deer are typically following their food to bedding pattern in the early season. Don’t forget about acorns. Deer will pass up other food sources once acorns begin to drop, especially white oak. A good acorn crop will keep bucks in cover of the timber. Once acorns begin to drop, find a white oak near a known travel route. This spot is a good bet to see deer movement.

Limit Morning Hunts

This is a tip I struggle to follow as I want to be in the woods as much as possible, but morning hunts in the early season can be a risky proposition. During this portion of the season, deer are usually long gone back to their bedding before you ever hit the timber. To hunt a morning you should really have bulletproof information from cameras, or scouting, telling you to be in a stand on a given morning. If you are planning to hunt a morning, make sure you know conditions are just right for your stand location. Otherwise, you are educating deer of your presence and hurting your chances for good daylight movement as the season progresses.

Follow Your Information

This seems like a simple one, but we hunters often outthink ourselves and fall victim to analysis paralysis. You’ve spent the offseason placing trail cams and scouting; now is the time to trust all the information you’ve gathered. Be decisive and deliberate in your efforts and don’t be afraid to make aggressive moves when weather conditions and your information are telling you the risk is worth the potential reward.

Have Fun

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the chase that we forget why we started hunting in the first place…it’s fun! A day in the outdoors spent in a stand is a day well spent. If you’re having a slow hunt, breathe in the clean air and remember how fortunate we are as hunters to be able to experience the thrill of the hunt and freedom most only wish they could feel. It really is an awesome experience. So just get out there and enjoy!

The opening at our farm is tomorrow. To say my nights have been sleepless is an understatement. Visions of all the offseason work coming together like a movie script keep me awake at night and my anticipation is only matched by a child’s intrinsic joy on Christmas eve. While lying in bed my wife tells me good night before turning off the light, and I respond with, “I love deer season” (true story).

 Like any good whitetail addict, during this time of year I typically lie in bed analyzing every facet of the upcoming opening day. I mentally run through the various stand locations on the property, the deer movement I’ve identified on camera (in addition to historical knowledge of the property), and consider how the predicted wind for the weekend may impact my options. I crave as much information and knowledge as I can possibly acquire about the woods I intend to hunt and the characteristics of the whitetail I pursue. The quantity of information that can be gathered with today’s technology is incredible; just game cams alone provide a wealth of information. More often that not, navigating the trash and the treasure leads to more confusion instead of decisive decision making. That being said, this year I’ve decided to employ a tool to help me make sense of all my information and ultimately cut down on the guess work—and hopefully allow for some sleep. I’m a bit of a closet technology nerd and when I can combine technology and hunting, I’m in whitetail heaven. To help me organize my information, this year I’m using a HuntSoft account. HuntSoft is an online software-based platform that takes your game camera pictures and extracts all the data from the day an image was taken. You can also enter information manually like sightings, kill locations, cam and stand locations, etc. This program then takes all the uploaded information and provides reports outlining trends taking place on your property. It’ll let you know if that bruiser you have on camera moves most often during a north wind, which time of day he’s most often on his feet, or if a specific moon phase prompts his movement. This tool really just organizes your information in a digestible and meaningful way that can be most useful in planning a hunt. You can view a tutorial video below here to see how to get started. I’m currently using the free version as a test run.

 I understand this tool may not be for everyone and is not a replacement for a hunter’s woods smarts. This type of tool only provides hunters with additional information and enhances what they already know. If the tool is telling you it’s a good day for a certain stand location based on that day’s wind, you still have to have a truthful approach. There must be an entry and exit plan for that location, knowledge about which direction the deer will move to effectively play the wind, and confidence that deer will pass that stand with that day’s conditions. It’s not a magic elixir, but I’ve certainly found it to be helpful in planning and understanding the dynamics of our farm.

 I’m currently at the beginning stages of using this tool. Below I’ll share with you some screens from my profile.

 I’ve outlined our property and have my camera and stand locations all plotted on the map.

  Once plotted with wind preferences for each stand location, the tool will give you the best stand locations per day based on the data.

 The game log screen is where you upload your camera images or input a deer on hoof sighting, a kill location, etc. To the right you can filter your images using several criteria.

Once uploaded you can tag each image, allowing you to filter later.

Once you have your images and data uploaded, you can begin to pull reports detailing movement by hour, movement by wind direction or movement by moon phase.

There are multiple companies offering similar products, however I find HuntSoft to be the most user friendly and like the level of reporting it provides. Here are a few other options: Deer Lab, and Big Game Logic.

 As hunters, we’re always looking for some type of advantage, and this software is one of mine. This tool may not be for everyone, but can be a helpful tool in planning and organizing your approach this season and could be part of the reason you have your moment of truth from the stand.

If you’ve read my previous articles, you’ve heard me mention our family farm and hunting property. It’s 240 acres of what I consider to be pretty fantastic Pennsylvania whitetail land and with the recent management approach we’ve taken, we should have even better hunting in the years to come. You can read more here (Whitetail Preseason Preparation: Setting Expectation) about our property management.  Although I certainly feel fortunate to have access to this land, our farm resides in the south central portion of the state near the Maryland border and is a three hour drive from my home in the suburbs of Philadelphia. This travel time significantly limits my hunting opportunities during archery season to a few Saturdays and a week’s vacation during the first week of November. This summer I decided that I’d try to find public land nearer my home to hunt when traveling isn’t an option. Another source of motivation was the early season opening in this part of the state and the opportunity to get into the timber sooner. I had little time and no prior experience with any of the land in the eastern part of the state. I had a lot of work to do and still not sure what my efforts may produce, but I was up for the challenge!

 My Approach

With limited knowledge of the area, I did a quick internet search for huntable state parks and  forests near me. I was willing to travel up to an hour for adequate hunting land and was looking for a piece of land, ideally, to the west, as I wanted to get further away from urban areas in hopes of reducing my run-ins with other hunters in the timber. I eventually settled on French Creek State Park as my destination.

 With my destination determined, it was time to assess the land for a suitable stand location. The park is over 7,500 acres with approximately half of it designated as huntable land. It would be impossible for me to scout over 3,000 acres in the one afternoon I had to find a stand location. So I made a plan and began with a virtual scout to focus my efforts once on site. Google Maps proved to be a great tool for this. Using Google’s satellite image, I could see the park layout and the neighboring land. I was looking for anything located remotely close to agriculture, but this feature was not an option. I then turned my attention toward the handful of what appeared to be thick brushy areas and decided this would be the area where I’d focus. With this small amount of information filed away, I made the hour drive to the park and paid a visit to the park office to grab a topography map. While sitting in my car, I did a quick review of the map and quickly ignored all areas with designated park hiking trails as huntable areas, with the goal of reducing the impact of human pressure. I then looked for topographic features, changes in elevation, pinch points, or creek bottoms. The northern portion of the park seemed the most remote and offered some elevation change with deep ravines and steep ridges and also included a stream. This would ultimately be the general area where I’d focus my scout.

 Once inside the timber, I knew I needed to hike in further than most people would be willing to with a stand and gear on their back to give myself the best chance of seeing natural deer movement. My goal was to hike a mile into the timber, knowing most public land hunters don’t typically travel much further than a half mile from their vehicle and entrance site. I looked for sign along the way and it was limited. After about 30 minutes, I began seeing sign that showed more promise–deer trails, scat and a significant amount of brush. I could hear a stream and started working my way toward the sound. The sound lead me through thick brush and to the edge of a deep ravine with the ridge lined in alder thicket. I found deer trails and bedding areas in the alder thicket and once I hiked down the ravine, there was a noticeable deer trail hugging the ridge line with the creek bottom supplying plenty of oak trees dropping acorns. I picked out a few climbable trees and had found my spot. This area provided plenty of cover, water, a food source, a topography change, clear bedding area, a natural pinch point between the ridge and the creek, and was relatively deep in the timber. In total, I spent two hours with boots on the ground scouting. Next was to hunt the location and see if my strategy and approach would pay off.

 The Test

Pennsylvania opening day had arrived. I was excited to get in my stand to say the least. Based on a few new strategies I’d implemented for this year, I previously decided to hunt only the evening set. The new (new to me) strategies were to hunt fewer mornings in October, unless camera, intel, etc.. tells me otherwise, and to use the Moon Phase Guide for the first time. According to the guide, I had a red moon for that evening beginning at 5:30 EST. I had thought if I was going to get any action out of this location, it would likely come from the thicket directly to my south. And for that to work I really needed any type of south wind. I arrived that afternoon, packed in my climber and gear, and climbed a tree about 50 yards below the pinch point between the ridge and the stream with the south wind I was hoping for. I honestly didn’t care if I saw a single deer, archery season was here and I was stoked just to be in the timber. A few  hours had passed with only seeing a hawk and one chipmunk. The moon time had arrived and I was hoping things would pick up. At 6 o’clock I heard some movement and spotted a deer coming from the thicket to the south. It was headed toward the ridge line just out of range. Two more deer followed the same path, all bucks–two 6-points and a nice 8-point! The two six points weren’t shooters but the 8-point was certainly a shooter, particularly for a Pennsylvania public land hunt.

 I’m not sure what was more exciting, seeing the first deer of the season from the stand or the fact that my strategy and limited scouting had worked! I’ll definitely be back to this location on weekends I can’t make it back to the farm. And I’ll make a slight stand tweak and move a little further up the ridge line to better cover the flat coming out of the thicket. I’ll also continue to use the Moon Phase Guide and will report back on the season-long outcome of this new strategy. Some may say that my hunt wasn’t a success since I didn’t get a shot or I didn’t kill, but I disagree. I implemented new strategies and put myself in position to see natural deer movement using a truthful approach and executing sound strategy. It dawned on me while climbing from my stand that this experience may mean more to my growth as a hunter than any buck or doe I may harvest this year. Why? Because I moved outside of my comfort zone and challenged myself to think differently about my approach in unfamiliar territory. These are the moments I seek most of all, as this day was clearly a moment of truth from the stand.

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.