Getting your spots ready for the next deer hunting season should be fun and enjoyable instead of rushed and stressful. On this podcast episode I talk about strategies and timing to help you get everything checked off your list and ready for the next deer season.

Whether you hunt public land or private land, there are things you can and should be doing far in advance of the hunting season to give you the highest chances of success. Get your check list ready.

  1. Pick a spot – This is maybe the hardest to do and requires scouting, planning, strategy, factoring in future winds and much more. Listen to previous episodes to learn more.
  2. Food maintenance – Whether you are planting food, maintaining food, or finding food sources, the work needs done months in advance of the hunting season.
  3. Select your tree or spot – Once you have determined the right areas and how deer will relate to food, you need to pick the right tree or blind location that you will hunt from. DO NOT expect to just walk into the woods in the dark and find a good tree.
  4. Setup your stand or blind – Think safety first, second, and third. Use extra rachet straps, double the safety measures, and get it done well in advance.
  5. Mock scrape – Every good hunting spot should be paired with mock scrape to give you the best possible chance at focusing deer movement.
  6. Trail camera – Every stand and mock scrape should have a trail camera if financially feasible. This is how you learn where, when, and how to hunt each spot and if it is a dud without wasting your whole season sitting there.
  7. Removing or relocating debris – Cleaning up your area can be a good idea, but do not just get rid of every downed tree and branch, use them to your advantage!
  8. Creating cover – Deer need cover, and you may want to add some when you are able. Consider all available options such as downing trees to open up canopy, hinge cuts, switch grass, and more.
  9. Trail maintenance for deer – You want to keep certain trails clear to encourage and focus movement. Likewise, you may want to add obstacles in key places to limit movement options in order to try and get them closer or at better angles. 
  10. Access maintenance for people – Getting to your hunting spot quietly and while leaving minimal scent is crucial. Decide long in advance the best way to access your hunting spot and make sure you find or create a clear approach. 

Listen to the episode to for the details! 

Clover is one of the best plantings for a new hunter when it comes to deer and turkey hunting. It is easy, fast, inexpensive, does not require big equipment, and grows back every year. On this episode I talk about the benefits and easiest ways new hunters can plant clover as a food plot.

Take Aways

  • Whitetail Institute Imperial Clover is the gold standard that all clover is measured against. You can get started with a microplot for about $20.
  • There are way cheaper clover options though. If you go to your local AG store you can often get white clover by the pound for half the price.
  • I have used both and gotten good results with both. But I would still lean towards the Whitetail Institute Imperial Clover if cost and scale were not major factors.
  • The clover is a great food source for deer year-round, I have watched them visit it daily in the middle of January and February and paw through several inches of snow to nibble on whatever is left.
  • Turkeys also find clover patches very appealing, especially in the early spring. They eat the clover as well as the bugs that live on and around it.
  • To prepare the ground there are two easy routes, you can whack the vegetation down to the dirt with a weed eater or do a few sprayings of Round Up with a cheap hand sprayer.
  • Normally you will want to put down some pelletized lime when you plant to help the PH. $20 worth is plenty for most micro plots.
  • You can add fertilizer in the spring or fall if you want. Ideally you want something like a 0-20-20. Clover doesn’t need nitrogen, it creates its own and it only feeds the weeds when you use it. My local AG store has 10-20-20, and I use that. 
  • To plant clover you need very minimal tools if you can see bare dirt, just a cheap hand spreader.
  • Upkeep is minimal, just re-seed in late winter/early spring wherever you see bare spots and you should be good to go.
  • You can mow or weed whack the clover in the summer if you are getting competition with weeds, typically the clover will grow back faster than the weeds and take back over.
  • There are some special herbicides that will kill grasses and weeds without hurting the clover if your clover gets overrun, but most people won’t need them.
  • Listen to the episodes for all the details.

If you want to have more deer and more mature bucks on your property, then creating a deer sanctuary is key. And while the sky is the limit on what this can cost, if you understand the principles, you can get much of the benefit for free. On this episode I talk about what a deer sanctuary is and the strategy that goes into developing one.

Take Aways

  • A deer sanctuary is as a much a strategy as it is a physical place. You, the hunter, make an area a sanctuary by virtue of what you do or do not do. Sure, modifying the habitat can help, but it cannot serve as a substitute for how you manage and hunt the land.
  • It is amazing how cheaply you can create a sanctuary when you understand the concept and what makes an area ideal habitat.
  • Remember that mature bucks need to almost be treated like a different animal from does and young bucks. They are much more wary, strategic, and mindful. This is why they are prized to hunt, because they are the hardest member of the heard to take.
  • Even if you spend a fortune on habitat improvements, you undo it all if you are not mindful of your access points, walking areas, and stand locations. Hunting smart will always yield more results than spending money.
  • Listen to the episode to learn about what a deer sanctuary is and how to build one.

Should you hunt elk solo or pay for a guide or an outfitter? That is an easy question to ask but the answer depends greatly on the many variables that are unique to your situation and goals. On this episode I provide some insight which can help you make the best decision for you.

Take Aways

  • Guides are people you pay who know the land and the game and are able to help put you in an advantageous hunting situation.
  • Outfitters are companies that make your hunting accommodations, often including ground transportation, lodging, meals, guides, butchering, and transporting your meat back home.
  • Guides usually have a day rate.
  • Outfitters usually have a trip rate that varies based on the number of days.
  • A guided elk hunt is not someone taking you to an elk ranch where you pick your elk, shoot it, and have your antlers sent back home. That isn’t even hunting.
  • A guide is someone who shares their experience, knowledge of the land, and insight into the game to help you locate and get close to elk. They don’t hunt for you; they mentor you through the hunt.
  • The best time to use a guide or an outfitter is when you are investing a lot of time and money into travel and want to position yourself for the most enjoyable experience and best chance of success.
  • The best time to go solo is when your investment or risk is limited. If you can drive to the area to hunt, and make regular weekend excursions, you can easily and cheaply work at it until you learn.
  • Since so many people travel great distances and invest so much to hunt elk, guides become a very important part of the process
  • Always do your homework, research a guide or outfitter, look for reviews, talk to past customers if possible, make sure they are legit and that people enjoyed their experience.
  • Listen to the episode for all of the info.