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He who fails to prepare
is preparing to fail.
It’s an old-as-dirt
maxim that bow hunters who relish big bucks
over broken dreams would do well to heed.
Indeed, a successful
bow-hunting outing, more often than not, is
directly proportional to the amount of pre-season
preparation conducted on the ground. That includes
everything from stand placement to cutting
shooting lanes to determining target distance,
not to mention several other small yet important
details that will ultimately improve your odds
of harvesting a quality animal.
Mike Fine, my good friend and marketing director, is a stickler for details
and pre-season deer stand preparation. With more than 25 years of bow hunting
experience, Mike knows about which he speaks. After all, Mike has 56 bow-harvested
deer to his credit.
“If you want to
up your odds of success, deer stand site preparation
is mandatory,” Mike says. “I just
purchased some land, and I’m preparing
a few new stand sites right now. Believe me,
it’s not too early to start.”
Mike says he starts modifying
his tree stand site well in advance of the
bow hunting opener so that the deer grow more
accustomed to the altered environment. He begins
by erecting his River’s Edge tree stand,
complete with a safety harness, and cutting
shooting lanes by removing foliage with his
adjustable pole pruner made by Gerber. “You
want to remove as little brush as possible,
though,” Mike says. “Also, make
sure the stand is on solid and makes no sounds
or creaks. You don’t want to spook any
deer opening morning.”
Once the shooting lanes
are cut, outdoor cameras (Mike prefers the
digital Game-Vu by Nature Vision, Inc. because
the model doesn’t require film, has no
flash and makes no noise) are placed in the
area to determine deer movement. “I want
to know what trails they’re using, the
time in which they’re being used, and
under what conditions,” Mike says. “If
you can determine the direction the deer might
be coming from, the better prepared you’ll
be.”
In two or three spots,
Mike recommends putting out “20-yard
markers” (bright orange ribbon works
well, he says) in the general locations of
where he’s likely to get the cleanest
shots. This eliminates the guesswork of shooting
distance and also helps determine wind direction. “For
bow hunters, being able to judge distance is
very important to ensure a clean kill,” Mike
says. “That’s why I use my Nikon
rangefinder. It helps me to determine the precise
yardage from my tree stand to the orange markers
and beyond the 20 yard markers.”
For some bow hunters,
particularly those new to the sport, shooting
an arrow from a tree stand is a foreign concept.
That said, the pre-season is the time to start
practicing.
“I know guys who
will literally practice their shooting from
their deer stand in the field, although you
want to refrain from that as much as possible
because you don’t want to lay your scent
down,” Mike says. “For me, I practice
shooting with a target called The Block made
by Field Logic. The good thing about The Block
is that you can shoot any arrow type into it – field
tips, broadheads, as well as expandable and
it’s portable. I’m getting use
to my new Mathews Outback bow, so I’ve
been practicing a lot of lately. The pre-season
is the best time to work out the kinks.” In
the end, pre-season deer stand site preparation
has a proven track record of paying big dividends.
“I guarantee it
will bump up your odds for harvesting a deer,” Mike
says. “It gives you that mental edge
in that you know you’ve done everything
possible to ensure success. Plus, it’s
fun. It just another part of the bow-hunting
experience.”
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