| With over 35 years of hunting experience, I | | | | locate a good buck on the property that I would |
| learned very early in my hunting career that | | | | like to hunt, it’s time to go to work. |
| having a good sound approach to my hunting | | | | The first thing I do is see if permission can be |
| stand is more critical than the stand itself. You | | | | obtained to hunt the property. If that is |
| can pick out the best stand location in the world | | | | successful, I then get on the computer and obtain |
| but if you can’t get in and out undetected, | | | | both topo and aerial photos of the property, |
| you’re pretty much wasting your time. | | | | mark where I have been seeing the deer, find all |
| Last hunting season I had the opportunity to | | | | the bottlenecks and ridgelines to find several good |
| watch a poor approach first hand. I am a firm | | | | ambush points. Next and most important, I plan |
| believer in being in my stand at least an hour | | | | my approach to the stand locations. If I |
| before it even thinks about breaking daylight. I | | | | can’t get to these stand locations without |
| always mark the trail with trail markers to my | | | | feeling reasonably comfortable that I can do it |
| stand so I can take a direct route and reach it | | | | undetected, I pretty much stop right there. |
| quietly and quickly. Once in the stand and | | | | The property I am currently hunting is only a 39 |
| everything is in its place, I start my day with a | | | | acre lease here in Ohio but it’s a good lease. |
| little light rattling and grunting just to ease the | | | | In the course of the season, we can expect to |
| deer that might be in the area that could hear me | | | | see several 150 to 170 class deer. I wound up |
| but not see me. | | | | getting permission to cross the neighbor’s |
| Last season’s stand location gave me a | | | | property so I could walk in from the backside to |
| good view of the hillside of the next property | | | | my stand locations. There was absolutely no |
| over. There was a man and his two sons | | | | other way to get to my stands undetected |
| hunting the property and every day it was the | | | | without coming in from the backside. If I |
| same routine, just when it was getting to good | | | | couldn’t have gained that permission, I |
| shooting light, I could hear the truck heading up | | | | wouldn’t have leased the property. It would |
| the hill to their spot and within 5 minutes I could | | | | have basically been a waste of time |
| hear their truck doors shut. It only took 2 days | | | | After planning and obtaining permission for my |
| for the deer to pattern them and react to their | | | | approach to my tree stands, I make one trip in |
| approach. The third day and every day after | | | | to the area to scout the areas I have chosen |
| that, when the truck doors were shut, I would | | | | from the maps, cut what needs to be cut, and |
| put my binoculars on the hillside leading to our | | | | hang my stands. The next time I will be in the |
| lease and here they come. Good for us but not | | | | area will be about 2 to 3 days before season |
| so good for them. | | | | starts to make several mock scrapes around my |
| With today’s new technology it has made it | | | | stand locations. The least amount of pre-season |
| much easier to scout your hunting properties and | | | | trips you make into your stand locations and |
| get pictures of the deer on it. Unfortunately the | | | | hunting areas, the more successful you’re |
| majority of the hunters that I talk to place the | | | | going to be. |
| cameras within shooting range of their stands. | | | | The next time you decide to tackle a new hunting |
| This causes trip after trip to their stand locations | | | | property, take the time to cover all the bases |
| to retrieve the pictures. I personally don’t | | | | before you ever set foot on the property and |
| believe it has made it better. I still prefer the | | | | keep your trips on the property to a minimum. |
| “Old School” approach. | | | | Make sure there is one or two on the property |
| When I am looking for new property to hunt | | | | you are willing to shoot and plan everything out, |
| the first thing I do is start glassing the area. | | | | especially your approach. It will save you a lot of |
| Late July and August is the perfect time. The | | | | wasted time. This system has been very |
| deer normally hit the fields early enough to get a | | | | effective for me and hopefully there is something |
| real good look at them with 12/50 binoculars. If I | | | | here to help you become more successful. |