October will be here before we know it, and we all know what that means, bow season opener. July is a great time to get a lot of things done to make sure you are ready for opening day. Don’t procrastinate and be the guy prepping 10 days before the season opens. Right after the 4th of July is a great time to get started. Here are a few things I do every year that have helped me be successful during bow season.
Setting Cameras
I like to start setting out my cameras during this time. I run Moultrie Mobile Edge Wireless cameras. These cameras work great. They have monthly plans starting at $9.99. These cameras have great battery life and don’t require an SD card. Most importantly they have great customer service, and the app is very user friendly. The last two years AA lithium batteries have tripled in price, so I have started using the Moultrie 12-volt battery pack. With this combo you will get three-plus months of battery life depending on the number of pictures taken.
You can purchase the camera and the 12-volt battery pack at Vans Sporting goods. I like to set my cameras up over creek crossings, watering holes, and mineral sites during this time. Of course, you can put a camera out over corn or in front of a feeder, but I’ve always wanted to set my cellular cameras in areas of natural travel that the deer will be using during the opener. I like to find creek crossings between bedding areas. Naturally the creeks will be in the bottoms so find two high points with thick cover with either 4–6-year-old pines or a thick cutover on the ends of the points. Typically, I have always found good creek crossings in areas like this. Watering holes are also another good spot for camera locations. Especially if we are not getting a lot of rain. Deer will have no choice but to be around water. If you can find thick cover close by, these areas can also be good during the first of bow season.
Set Mineral Sites
I like to freshen up my mineral sites during this time. I will always freshen up my sites in March and in July I will freshen them up again. I use Lucky Buck Apple flavored Deer Mineral Supplement. You can dump this mineral on a log, stump or even on the ground. Just rake a three-foot area clear of vegetation and pour the mineral on the ground. Deer love this stuff, especially bucks and it has all the minerals they need to help them make it through the summer. Ive been using this mineral supplement for many years, and you can definitely tell that the bucks will gain mass if you use it correctly. You can purchase this mineral at Vans Sporting goods.
Hang Stand
This is possibly the most important tip I can give. I believe in this more than anything. It has been proven that deer can smell human scent for up to one month after you have walked through an area. It is very important that you stay out of your best areas until opening day. It is very important that you hang your stands two months before the season begins. If you have stands already hung make sure you check all your cables and straps to your stands. It doesn’t take long for the straps to dry rot and start to separate. If you are a mobile or saddle hunter now would be a good time to scout areas and pick out good trees and maybe cut a few limbs to help you get up the tree safer and quieter. It’s always better to have stands ready to go than to wait until a couple weeks before. A lot of people see an October shift with bucks on camera. I think it’s not necessarily a shift, but the bucks are getting more pressure, and they are being forced to find areas with no human scent. I typically don’t see a shift on my cameras because I’m not in the woods putting out human scent. Always remember the first time in a stand is your best time for a trophy buck.
Family
This actually may be the most important tip I can give you as a hunter. During the month of October through February we spend a lot of time in the woods. Whether you are in a hunting club, private land or hunt public. We spend a lot of time away from our families. Alot of Saturdays are spent in the woods and we don’t see our families as much. It is important that we use the summer months to spend this time with them. Take them camping, fishing, hiking and canoeing. Get them outdoors. Take them for a picnic or to a park. We have a lot of opportunities in Alabama to get our families outdoors and we should do this during the summer months.
Feed Trees
The first of October deer will be hammering white oaks. It’s no secret and every hunter knows this. They will walk by every oak in the woods to find that right Whiteoak with the most acorns dropping. The best advice I can give you is during the months of July and August when you are walking and scouting through your hunting areas take some binoculars with you. Why you ask? You can actually find the Whiteoaks producing the most acorns. I will mark every tree I find with a mass crop using the onX app. If I can get a stand to hang in these areas, I will try to get a stand hung. Or I will wait until the season opens and slip in and use a mobile setup like a Tethered Saddle to sneak in and quietly get setup. If you can find the trees with the most acorns next to thick bedding, I like to hunt these areas first. Also pay attention to the canopy of the large Whiteoaks. The trees that overhang into thick cover will be money for daylight movement. These trees typically always produce because they are not competing with other trees. For example, find the large white oaks next to a three-year clearcut or four- to six-year-old pines. These trees can be money during the first couple weeks of bow season.
In Closing
The main thing is don’t procrastinate and wait until it’s too late. You don’t want to be the reason the bucks you are getting pictures of shift to other hunting areas. I know it’s hot but honestly it is still hot in October. So, try to do these things in the mornings or evenings. Take plenty of water to stay hydrated and make sure you spray down with Permethrin to keep the ticks and bugs away. Do these things be patient and persistent and you will see more deer during bow season. Good luck and good hunting!
Nick Rice
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