Ready for Archery Season??

[Mayfly]

Before you get caught up in the fishing frenzy stop and look at the calendar. Yes, summer is just about here, but when you look at that calendar you will see that September is not that far off. With September comes a great time of year, the opening of the archery season, and yes, it does take more than a few months to get ready for that.
   
I’ve been on a full-on panic this last week. Just before this week I was sitting down with my cousin going over what we need to do to get ready for the season. He seems to always be stressing out so I said lets make a list, put together a schedule and get it done.
   
One day after we were done working a field we sat down and did just that. We made a list of about 10 things that have got to be done by June 20th, which was the deadline we set for ourselves. Everything looked good on paper so we went our separate ways and I was going to make the schedule while he was out of town.

This will be easy I thought to myself and then I sat down to put it together. It wasn’t long until I began to pull my hair out and wonder what we were thinking or what I was thinking. This is going to take some time. When you add in work, family, holidays, vacations, unexpected funerals and whatever else may come up time starts to get pretty scarce. I’m now wondering how we are going to pull this off, one step at a time I guess.

So my cousin got back into town the other day and I explained my frustration and stress and all he had to say was I told you so. I guess he was right and now it seems he is more relaxed than me which is not the norm.

What happened to the days when we set up shop in one weekend and hunted the next? I’ll tell you what happened to those days, they are long gone. That is not how we do it anymore and every year we get better results because of careful planning and preparation. Now, I’m not saying you can’t come across a spot, hop in and have some success but when you are managing an area, hunting specific deer and hoping for a successful season that does not happen over night. Preparation is one of my favorite things to write about when it comes to deer hunting because it is so important and I think so many people try to take short-cuts and wonder what happened when it is all said and done. I also think that people make plans and then get caught up in other activities and lose sight and track of time until it’s too late. I am guilty of all-of-the above over the years but after disappointing seasons I have continually gotten better each year.

So if nothing else, consider this your wake-up call or an early warning, four months is going to fly by!

[spear foot 1]

 I know what you mean! Took my bow to the shop the other day to have some work done on it and one of my friends was giving me static about hunting being so far off. Ya I said with summer here time flys and next thing its september, well at least I know I will be ready.

[cva54]

Boy do I know what you mean. I deer hunt all year long shooting my bow rifle scouting tracking setting up the perfick ambush spot. It worked out great last year got 2 deer. Most of my friends and all of my family think I am nuts. my son makes out the best he dont think Iam crazy. Lets see here we only got 3 mounths and 27 days till I AM sitting in a tree 

[Pegg]

Bow season is just around the corner. just about three months. If you are planning on getting new bow strings this year get them early. I know guys that wait till a month before the season and don't get them intime for the opener. I shoot both of my bows all year round. I shoot from tree stands and my blind. That way I am ready to go out at the start of the season. I spend most of my hunting time in the woods with one of my bows.

[bowhunter73]

The preparation is never ending I have been getting ready for this next season now for about 10 years and I am still behind on what needs to be done. It’s like a career you keep learning and then when you promote yourself to the next level you start over again

[Mayfly]

The other day I spent an afternoon at the county looking at maps and then spent the evening driving farm to farm looking for additional areas to hunt this fall. No luck!

I sat down with one farmer and his wife and I told them why I was there and where I was from and the wife said to me....

"there is enough of you people around here we don't need any more."

Wow... so kind. 

and then the farmer guy said we already have a few guys bow hunting out here and then the wife says... we don't let anyone hunt here. Obviously were on different pages 

It was an interesting day to say the least. A lot of the people I talked to were nice though and we had some decent conversation. It seems that when trying to acquire new areas and land to hunt they always refer back to someone who screwed it up for the rest of us.

SO... If you are one of the lucky ones out there that have access to hunt someone else's property be sure to be respectful, follow all rules/guidelines and make a good name for our sport!

 

[cva54]

I have knocked on so manny doors to ask to hunt there land. I have ben treated like I was wearing a black and wight striped jump suit and treated vary bad by all of them. I dont ask or hunt privit land any more I can spend more time hunting publike land.

[deadeye]

News flash,,,, archery season is still open.... for turkey.
I have a few days left.  Hope to get out at least once more before Friday.

[Joe]

News flash,,,, archery season is still open.... for turkey.
I have a few days left.  Hope to get out at least once more before Friday.

I need another season to hunt like I need a hole in the head. My time spent in the woods has greatly diminished over the years. My bowhunting season is down to 2 trips. Each trip is 4 days. If I'm lucky I get one weekend to scout new areas. The one advantage I have is I hunt in Wisconsin and we can use corn.