The warm summer months are a lazy time for deer. Food is usually plentiful, and the rut is far from any buck’s mind. Summer is a time to gain weight for the fall and avoid mosquitoes. Many deer hunters also enjoy an extended summer vacation, forgetting about chasing bucks until the weather begins to cool.
If you’re serious about tagging a big deer, though, the summer is a busy time. There’s much to do and you don’t want to be caught unaware when the season rolls around. Here’s a list of 10 important summer tasks that you need to complete well before opening day of hunting season.
If you wait until the last minute you’ll likely find that your procrastination has cost you a chance at a good buck.
So spend a little extra time in the field this summer. When deer season rolls around you’ll be well ahead of the crowd.
1. Sight in Your Bow or Rifle
If you wait until the week before the season to sight in your gun or bow, you’ll likely have to wait in line at the shooting range. But if you’re serious about making a good, clean shot (and we should all be serious about that) then you need to spend plenty of time tuning your bow or rifle before then.
The long summer days are perfect for getting your weapon in working order, and you want to have plenty of practice time in when you hit the woods. Starting early gives you a chance to find the right load or broadhead/arrow combination, and the range will probably be less crowded.
2. Talk to Farmers
Very few people have a better understanding of what’s going on in your hunting area than local farmers. Since they spend much of the summer planting, spraying, and baling hay, farmers usually have a pretty good idea of what the deer are doing.
They may also know where the big bucks are feeding, which is invaluable intel. In addition, most farmers are bombarded by requests to hunt their land in the late summer and early fall. Getting out early and speaking with the local landowners may help you get a foot in the door.
3. Set up Trail Cameras
Successful hunters know that keeping track of deer movement is important, and summer is a great time for setting up cameras to collect as many photos as possible. Doing so will give you a better idea of deer movement patterns in the area.
More importantly, you’ll have an idea of which deer are utilizing your hunting area as part of their home range. You might be able to intercept a buck early in the season but, just as importantly, if you do your homework you’ll figure out the deer’s home range and will be close by when the rut is in full swing in late autumn.
