Preparation is key...

I was talking to a friend last week while at Boy's Camp (UPBC) and we were chattin' about deer hunting. I made a comment, "We hunt 365 days for deer at our house." He questioned my ethics in a fun sorta way since he didn't understand what I meant.

When I say "We hunt 365 days" it means more than just killing. It means preparation before and after the hunting season. Let me take you through it:

Post season: After the season closes and Winter sets in we (Luke and I) like to scout in the snow. You can see a lot better w/ snow on the ground and "fine tune" your tree stand sets, find new travel corridors, or add new stand locations. We also turn from deer hunting to coyote hunting. Coyotes are really hard on deer and especially fawns.

Spring season: During this time we shed hunt, put out trail cams and Trophy Rocks, and work the food plots.

Summer season: This time is all about trail cams and watching those bucks grow. You would be surprised how fast antlers grow. Here is a buck we call Mr. Ugly. Notice the trailcam dates. Mr. Ugly is on the right in 2nd pic.

Summer also means lots of sweat equity by trimming shooting lanes, mowing food plots, and hanging new stands. Sweat now = success in October.

Shooting. Shooting. Shooting is also key for getting ready. Luke is shooting 3-4 times  days to get ready and strong enough to be legal (35#).  I get to share a whole season with my son. How cool is that????

Then comes Oct 1st and opening day. We hunt for real and when it is over we start all over again. Deer hunting is about the experiences, time alone w/ God, and sharing memories w/ family and friends. Why only do it for a weekend? If you do - you are missing out.