- Chris Campanelli
Keep Deer Season in Mind
Photo by Heartland Outdoors
It can be easy to let deer season and deer in general slip the mind of the all-inclusive outdoorsman during the spring season. You've got spring turkey season, fishing season, and all of those other nice weather activities. Most people aren't thinking ahead to those all-day treestand sits on a cold November day.
You can even see it in our content here at the MPTV Blog, and we're legitimate deer hunting nuts. Everything is focused on spring turkey season, and that's because we generally only have a few months each year to talk about turkeys. The rest of the year is dedicated to the mighty whitetail.
With that being said, it's important that we give deer their due attention at this time of year. Because the spring and summer may be the most important seasons of all when it comes to actually building a great deer hunting season. The warm weather months are the time to put in that sweat equity to make things better.
I jokingly refer to myself and other multi-species hunters as two-sport athletes. I like to chase deer and turkeys just about equally, with whitetails holding the slightest edge. Thus, I have to stay on top of things heading into the spring, especially being a deer manager who plants food plots and manages the herd.
It's important for myself and other two-sport athletes to stay on top of the deer related tasks despite it being turkey, fishing, and everything else season.
So let's drop a couple of points that could help you to get your off-season deer preparations in while still enjoying all that the spring season has to offer.
Prep Mineral Sites
Developing mineral locations anytime throughout the spring is a winning move. You have bucks regrowing that velvet-covered rack and does giving birth to new fawns. The deer herds across America are in need of proper nutrition. That definitely means help from food plots, but minerals are a big key as well. Creating mineral locations on your hunting property provides whitetails with those trace minerals that can be an extra boost to ward off disease and to grow that top-level rack. It's also extremely easy and affordable. A rake or shovel and a bag of mineral supplement from your favorite company can get the job done. It also takes next to no time to develop two or three sites, so you won't have to cancel turkey season by any means.
Get Food Plots Going
This is probably the top point in our hearts here at Affiliated Outdoors, but we figured that minerals could take the top spot because they're so feasible for all hunters. But if you're like us and you love going that extra mile to connect with and improve your deer herd, there's nothing like food plotting. Spring food plotting is definitely not for everyone, but if you have the ground and equipment to drill soybeans, corn, or even a cover crop to provide forage for the summer, it's go-time. It can be really hard to break away from the turkey woods to work the fields, but it's a reality for those of us who love to turkey hunt yet have aspirations of quality deer management. The spring is the time to make it happen if you're maintaining previously planted perennials, preparing overgrown areas for late-summer planting, or planting something that will grow through the summer. Remember what we mentioned above. Deer are building through the spring and summer. They need as much quality nutrition as they can find.
Don't Neglect the Scouting Information
This point is almost so simple that it's stupid, but we had to mention it. If you do absolutely nothing else, make sure you keep your eyes peeled during those spring turkey hunts. You'd be shocked at how many hunters go out there stumbling around the woods without picking up on a single piece of scouting information. Figuring that deer season is so far away that it won't matter what is observed in the spring. Not true. The spring landscape tells the story of the previous deer season. You now have the chance to get out there and walk around those areas of your hunting property that were off limits during the hunting season. Get out there and see what the rubs, trails, and tracks tell you about the deer that you pursue.
Hang Covert Sets
This point is a neglected one as well. Most deer hunters begin thinking about hanging sets (stand or blind locations) in the summer or even in the early fall. We're all guilty of that last minute treestand hanging in August or even September. There are certain situations when last minute or even mid-season adjustments are necessary. With that being said, there's a method to the madness for the best of the best when it comes to hanging covert stand locations. Guys like Mark and Terry Drury are out there making their adjustments in the spring when the leaves are off of the trees and the deer are fairly inactive. That is not true 100 percent of the time, but there is something to be said about hanging your most sacred stands early on. That could even mean simply checking straps and assuring previously successful stands are in working order. It's always best to make your commotion and drop your scent as well in advance of hunting season as possible. Hang those stands that are closest to bedding areas and other locations that could be a no-go in August.