The Waiting Game...

It's that time of year again. It's the unofficial start of summer and the lull before deer season. I was never a fan of this time of year, and previously, I didn't make the best use of my time before opening day of bow season. As I grew older, I found new activities to help prepare for bow season, and occupy my time during the lull of summer months. Scouting and setting up tree stands is critical during this time of year. It's very important to have those stands in place well before bow season opens. Placing tree stands in your hunting area now doesn't have as much of an impact on deer sanctuaries than it would a week or so before the season. Clearing shooting lanes early on will help minimize scent dispersion, and the deer will become accustomed to minor changes in their habitat well before opening day.

Finally, setting up and checking trail cameras in your hunting area is a tactic hunters need to take advantage of more. I set mine up where I know the deer are transitioning to and from feeding and bedding areas. Knowing the quality and quantity of deer in your hunting grounds is beneficial for preparation going into a new hunting season. By viewing the deer on a trail camera first hand, it gives me reasonable expectations of what caliber of deer I can hope to hunt. Going into bow season, I select a few bucks that I am willing to harvest. I wouldn't have this valuable information unless I had trail cameras out and running during the summer months. Plus, it's fun to see the growth period of a buck's antlers. So, if you are counting down the days to the opening day of bow season (3 months 30 days to Maine bow season) then use your time wisely and have fun with it.