The summer months pose a serious problem for avid hunters, and that is simply the lack of activity. Sure we all get out there and shoot 3D on the weekends, throw in a food plot here or there, clean our guns a few hundred times, but there really isn’t much for us hunters to do. Now if your like me at all, right about now is the time when you start craving to do something associated with hunting, in my case something different than shooting target after target with my bow. This past weekend I set out to satisfy this pestering desire, I went out and checked all my stands, trimmed some shooting lanes, re-adjusted my stands if they needed it, and then I got to thinking that what I was doing was actually very constructive. While I usually clear shooting lanes and such a week or two before season, I was getting all the grunt work out of the way while I was motivated, key word motivated. Aside from actually enjoying the work, doing it early also allows time to come back and give everything a double take, to ensure that everything is absolutely perfect come season. My theory is that over the course of the summer, whenever I get these “cravings” I will go check my stands and make sure they are in tip top shape, instead of rushing during the last week, stinking up my hunting areas and more importantly looking over little details.
If you find yourself in such a predicament, and simply can’t stand being away from the woods, I urge you get out there. It is not healthy for the mind to stress over such a scenario, especially when there is such an easy fix! Get out there and check your stands, make sure they are in good working order, cut shooting lanes, and with time you can create that master stand every hunter dreams of. However please do not let your guard down, just because it is the off-season, doesn’t mean the same for the deer. Take all the precautionary steps that you would during hunting season. Just like during season, make it a point to be scent free; even though you may only work on the stands once or twice over the summer, doesn’t mean you can slack off. I hope that this helps all those hunters out there deal with their pre season dilemmas, I know getting out in the woods was good for me, and it will be good for you as well.
